Showing Patriotism on the 4th of July with French Wine and Cheese (and a US Capitol Building Post)

When everybody at home is gorging themselves on BBQ hamburgers and hotdogs while waiting for fireworks, I'll be celebrating the United States Independence Day from Paris with wine and cheese (because hotdogs are hard to find).

Thinking of home during the Fourth of July prompted me to recall my visit last February to Washington DC and the Capitol Building with my aunt and cousin. My history buff cousin organized getting us a tour of the Capitol Building (my first time there) and later that day we museum hopped at the largest museum complex in the world, the Smithsonian.

My visit the US Capitol Building...

Bordier's Maison du Beurre in St. Malo France

Posting about butter and cheese may be a stretch for a MuseumChick blog post but the topic is about culture (pun intended). Besides, it's my blog and I'll derail if I want to! But, I'm not posting about my awesome French butter experience just because I want to. I also know you would like to hear about where the best butter in the world is found and how it is made (who doesn't like to talk about great food?). I don't have to test all the butter in the world to know that Jean Yves Bordier is the master of butter making and I found a whole Maison du Beurre of his amazing lactose products in St Malo, France.

The Neues Museum in Berlin

I know what you are thinking…how could she be exploring the Neues Museum when the Currywurst Museum is right down the road! As intriguing as the invention of hotdogs slathered in spicy sauce is, I skipped the Currywurst Museum and went to Museum Island, stranded in the middle of the River Spree in Berlin, to visit one of their four great museums, the Neues Museum, famous for its Ancient Egyptian artifacts and the Nefertiti Bust.

Visit the Neues Museum in Berlin with me…

5 Tips for Visiting Museums with Kids

I think most museums are appropriate and stimulating for children (depending on the child’s interests and attention span) regardless of whether it is labeled a “children’s museum”. Some museums I’ve visited are especially kid friendly (I use my husband as a tester).

Since getting children to museums in order to enhance their art and culture education is so important, I have put together 5 tips to help make it a little easier for you to get your children involved with museums…

Experiencing World Travel with Lonely Planet Bloggers

You might have noticed the “Lonely Planet Featured Blogger” badge on my MuseumChick blog and wondered, “what does she do with Lonely Planet?”

Well, I'll tell you! When I collaborated with Lonely Planet it meant that posts from my blog would be fed to the Lonely Planet website for their readers. This meant more exposure for my blog, that fancy badge on my site and the (surprise) best part--connecting with other Lonely Planet Bloggers, experiencing world travel through their blogs and exchanging ideas for new collaboration projects.

So, if your passport is getting dusty or you're an experienced traveler, you will enjoy meeting my new friends, the other Lonely Planet Bloggers, who share their world travel experiences.

Surrounded by Quicksand and History at Mont St. Michel: Normandy- Part Deux

I headed to the Musée Historique located right outside the exit of the Mont Saint Michel abbey. Small alleys and stone walkways lead around to the Musée Historique. The museum was small, and in my opinion, overpriced at €9 per person, but I was only here for one day and didn’t want to miss the dungeons and old treasures housed there.

Visit my blog for my story about this dark and interesting museum at Mont Saint Michel!

Artifacts of the Cairo Egyptian Museum

On my recent trip to Egypt to visit the ancient tombs and temples, my highlight was my visit to the Cairo Museum. Two sprawling floors house the mummified bodies of the famous pharaohs, treasures from King Tutankhamun's tomb and artifacts of ancient Egypt. It would take more than one trip to see all that the Cairo Museum offers.

My recent visit to and pictures of the Cairo Museum.