PARIS

Yesterday was our chance to give the boys a one-day whirlwind tour of Paris. After a great night's sleep, we rode the train from Chantilly to Paris Gare du Nord. From there we took the Metro to Ile de la Cite', and headed straight to our favorite crepe vendors where the boys ordered Nutella Crepes and David and I shared a peach jam crepe. Yummy! Warmed up and well fed, we walked over to Notre Dame. Chandler thought it was so beautiful that he asked if it would be considered one of the wonders of the world. I began to explain that the wonders of the world were all natural creations, when he reminded me that the pyramids in Egypt are a world wonder. Hmmmmm. Maybe Notre Dame should be in the running. Anyways, here we are with the famous cathedral in the background. Looks like a Christmas Card photo to me. All 4 smiling? That, too, is a wonder!From Notre Dame, we stolled up to Ile de St. Louis and ate lunch at a cozy little Italian restaurant. The Plat du Jour included an appetizer, a main dish, and a dessert, so we were once again well fed before we stolled along the Seine on the way to the Musee d'Orsay. This museum highlights Impressionism, and has many famous pieces by Manet, Monet, Renoir, and DeGas. It just so happened to have a Picasso exhibit on loan while we were there. Apparently Manet's "The Lunch on the Grass" inspired a series of Picasso paintings and carboard figurines. Very weird. Not our favorite. Not something I would hang over my fireplace, but interesting nonetheless. Graham, an artist himself, was surprised by how large many of the original paintings were. He has read extensively about these paintings and artists, so seeing them in person was a real treat. From the Musee d' Orsay we walked to the Eiffel Tower, which was dressed for the evening in a classic blue. We think the stars are adorning it in honor of the 10 year anniversary of the European Union, but we aren't sure about that. We did wait in the long line to ride the elevator all of the way to the top and take in the night view of the City of Lights. Shivering but smiling, we arrived on the top just as the flashing white lights did their hourly dance around the Paris Icon.
From La Tour Eiffel we took the Metro back to Gare du Nord just in time to catch the last train back to Chantilly. Tired and hungry, we scoped out a tiny pub that was still opened and ate our dinner at 11:30 p.m--a first for this family. It was not enough time to do Paris justice, but all of us look forward to the day when Paris is a familiar friend.

Today we did the Palace at Versaille, and there is a story with that one involving a large pink poodle and Michael Jackson--but alas, that tale will have to be told another day. It is 11:15 p.m. and tomorrow we will visit Les Cedres, the language school that David and I will attend our first year in France, and then drive 6 hours south to a camp in the Alps. We are engaged in every moment, enduring exhaustion, and enticed by the Lord in each encounter.

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