Commemorating Ashley's Last Day of Maternity Leave with Our Last Bottle of French Red Wine From Our 2010 Paris Trip

Commemorating Ashley's Last Day of Maternity Leave with Our Last Bottle of French Red Wine From Our 2010 Paris Trip

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Parisian wine to celebrate the new BMW purchases

Parisian wine to celebrate the new BMW purchases
Originally uploaded by Juston Western

Hutch Items

Hutch Items
Originally uploaded by Juston Western
From a Tranzor Z figurine to a Parisian Fleur De Lis shield, it seemed like an appropriate mix of items for the new shelves in the office.

Thirsty Thursday - Kronenbourg 1664

Kronenbourg 1664 will forever hold the distinction of being the first beer I enjoyed on European soil.  After taking the red eye into Paris earlier this year, I was tired, hungry, and sufficiently jet lagged by the time I found a café just off the Champs-Élysées.  Glancing at the bar, I noticed 1664 was the only beer the café had on tap, so I decided to give it a whirl.  This was an excellent decision.

1664 is a pale lager, so it's similar in taste to a Heineken.  It wasn't a coincidence that 1664 was the beer on tap in that café, since the brew has 40% of the market share in France.  During my week long stay in Paris, this was the beverage I enjoyed everyday.  My family & I even stocked it in our apartment's refrigerator so we could enjoy a beer on the balcony in the evenings.

Once I returned to Texas, I presumed there wouldn't be any 1664 in my near future unless I planned for a return trip to France.  As luck would have it, my old Tulane buddy, Brian, mentioned that he'd seen it in a few stores around Houston once I told him how much I'd enjoyed the beverage.  I was happy to discover that the liquor store closest to my office in The Woodlands actually carried it.

Now when I get nostalgic about my family's Parisian vacation, I can grab a six pack of 1664 and queue up the photos & videos from our trip on the TV.

Photographs of the bottle enjoyed this evening are illustrated below.

French Wine

French Wine
Originally uploaded by Juston Western
Enjoying a bottle of wine we brought back from Paris on this holiday weekend.

Set Sunday - Sven Väth Live at Rex Club Paris 2008

Sven Väth gets a nod in week two of the Set Sunday series.  Clocking in at just under 5 hours, this monster techno set from the German DJ legend is a true gem in my collection.  When I visited Paris earlier this year, seeing a show at the Rex Club was one of my vacation priorities, given the venue's storied past from performances like this. (See here, here, here, and here for some video clips we shot inside the club.)

One of the highlights of this Väth set for me is the inclusion of an extended remix of the Timo Maas hit "Subtellite".  That track was being hammered during the last half of 2008, and it still brings a smile to my face today.

A tracklisting for this performance proved to be too elusive a document to locate, so you'll have to make do with the raw MP3 file and your ears this week.

Sven Vath - Live at Rex Club Paris 2008-11-20
Megaupload Download Link

Happy Champagne Day

Happy Champagne Day
Originally uploaded by Juston Western
We celebrated it with a bottle we brought back from our Paris trip in May.

I <3 Paris Piggy Bank

I
Originally uploaded by Juston Western
Ashley seemed displeased when I insisted on purchasing this borderline-tacky souvenir. But come on, this pig is awesome.

Paris Pyramid

Paris Pyramid
Originally uploaded by Juston Western
A glass paper weight I got while visiting the city. Interestingly, this was the closest thing I could find to a replica of the Louvre's glass pyramid entrance.

Parisian Fleur De Lis Shield

Parisian Fleur De Lis Shield
Originally uploaded by Juston Western
I picked this up at an antique shop about 8 blocks from the Louvre.  The best part of the purchase was watching the old lady who owned the shop wrap the shield in such a meticulous manner. It was done so slowly and with amazing precision.

1664 In Texas

1664 In Texas
Originally uploaded by Juston Western
Turns out the liquor store down the street from my office carries the beer I enjoyed all last week in Paris.

Saturday Morning In Paris

Saturday Morning In Paris
Originally uploaded by Juston Western
Decided to wrap up our trip with champagne & Evian before heading to the airport.

Sports Bar In Paris

Sports Bar In Paris
Originally uploaded by Juston Western
As you can see, heavily skewed towards rugby.

Wine In The Apartment Parlor

Wine In The Apartment Parlor
Originally uploaded by Juston Western
This was a common theme in the evenings last week.

Fun With SSIDs

Fun With SSIDs
Originally uploaded by Juston Western
You need some HIPPOPOTAMUS Wi-Fi in your life.

iPad Launch Day At fnac

iPad Launch Day At fnac
Originally uploaded by Juston Western
This was outside one of the largest electronics retailers in Paris.

Interestingly-Skinned OS At Champs-Elysées Marriott

Interestingly-Skinned OS At Champs-Elysées Marriott
Originally uploaded by Juston Western
Had to go to the business center there to handle some real estate business with my parents. This desktop had a flavor of Windows on it, but it was running some sort of unique kiosk mode. Flash also didn't seem to function on it.

View From Restaurant 58 Inside Eiffel Tower

View From Restaurant 58 Inside Eiffel Tower
Originally uploaded by Juston Western
We managed to score a table right by the window to celebrate my mom's birthday dinner.

Rocking Some Bouygues 3G

Rocking Some Bouygues 3G
Originally uploaded by Juston Western
One of the other cellular carriers in France, along with Orange & SFR that were typically picked up by my iPhone.

Apple Store Carrousel du Louvre

Apple Store Carrousel du Louvre
Originally uploaded by Juston Western
This place was like an oasis for tourists like me who desperately needed juice for their iPhones.