From the Country of Man Capris...

Well these past few days in France have been incredible!
Mom arrived on Friday, so we spent a few more days in Paris, where I got to see a friend who I haven't seen in years. Then we took a train to Rouen for a day, and now we are in Bayeux. Tomorrow afternoon we will go back to Paris, to celebrate Bastille Day in the capital, and then go on to the Loire Valley.
Rouen was wonderful. It was nice to get out of such a big city, and see a place that is a little more calm. We stayed at such a cute hotel in Rouen, which was right beside the huge cathedral. And I loved getting to see all the Joan of Arc stuff around the city!

And Bayeux has been one of my favorite things so far! Truly, I feel like I could just stay here forever. It is tiny, but very quiet and clean, and everyone is so nice. Mom and I have had so much fun just walking up and down the streets, taking pictures of all the flowers and pretty buildings. And the cathedral here is my favorite out of the ones that I have seen. We went there yesterday, and it was bright and welcoming, unlike some of the ones which are dark and dreary. I'm not quite sure how to explain it, but this cathedral just felt alive.
As I was sitting in a chair looking at the ceiling and stained glass windows, a man who worked in the cathedral approached me. He handed me a candle, telling me it was a gift to remember the church. On it, the candle said, "N'ayez pas peur" which means "Don't be afraid." It was incredibly moving, and I felt like I was supposed to have that, and that that man who did not know me at all, and didn't even speak my same language, was supposed to give me that reminder. It was powerful.
We wanted to go see the Normandy beaches today, but it was pouring down rain, so we opted out of that. Also, neither one of us brought jackets, so that also played a major role in our decision. But we were both perfectly content to just have a slow day in Bayeux!

Mom and I are doing well. We are always laughing as we are constantly discovering the different ways the French do things. (For example, internet access. Our hotel advertises free wifi, and yet when it would not work for us, they then mentioned that only ten people in the hotel can be on at one time. Or public bathrooms, which are often closed on Sundays. Or restaurants that don't even open until 7 or 8 PM. Also really fancy restaurants do not have any policy against animals in the restaurant. So we had a nice dinner in Rouen with a dog under the table next to us.) It is so fun, and definitely an adventure as we travel around. I'm convinced we only know what we are doing half the time, but that is the fun of it! 

Hopefully there will be more posts to come, but of course, it all depends on the internet! 

"Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, He will come with vengeance, with divine retribution He will come to save you." Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf be unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert." -Isaiah 35: 3-6

Paris!

Bonjour from Paris!
It has been a fantastic first few days here! I am just completely in love with this city. Everything here is so beautiful. I have loved having no schedule, and just a week of free time to explore at my own pace, and live like a Parisian. My hotel is just a fifteen minute walk from the Eiffel Tower, and right by the market street Rue Cler, where they have open markets every day, selling everything from cheese and raspberries to chocolate and roses. It has been SO fun for me to practice my French, and everyone has been really nice helping me. I haven't taken French in a year and a half, so I was definitely pretty rusty, but I feel like it is all coming back to me, and I am getting more confident the more I speak it.
It was definitely an adventure for me to get here, complete with a two hour drive to Charlotte, two shuttles, an eight hour flight (seated next to a mother/daughter pair who insisted on only yelling to each other with headphones on and a crying baby), a train into Paris, and two metro rides. Which only got better when I realized that my map did not have the street for my hotel on it. So I wandered around, lugging my suitcase for about 45 minutes, trying to find my hotel. I was about to sit on the side of the street to beg for a map when finally the nicest French couple helped me, and walked me to my hotel (which of course was in the opposite direction from where I was going on my own). But I arrived, and it was an adventure!
It is amazing to me how many tourists are here! I swear I have heard every single language spoken in the four days I've been here. I went to the Louvre today, and it was packed wall-to-wall with tourists, all pushing to get better views of the famous art. And yesterday I had to wait almost two hours to even go through the security line before getting my ticket for the Musee D'Orsay. But it is fun seeing people from literally all over the world in one place.
Here are a few pictures from the first few days! More to come!

Mom arrives the day after tomorrow, and it will be so fun to have her here! I will try to keep updating this, so that everyone can see pictures of my adventures! :)

"He is your praise and He is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen." -Deuteronomy 10:21