Lourdes Day 1

We arrived in Lourdes around four after a quiet, uneventful train ride. Checking into our hotel, we were surprised and pleased to find our own bathroom, which we didn’t expect. We took a short break and then set out to see Lourdes through Theresa Kearney’s (Sharon’s sister) eyes. She sent us a few emails giving us ideas about what to see and do while here, so we took those and the maps she sent and set out to explore. Turns out we were just a few blocks from St. Michael’s gate (the main gate). As we walked down the esplanade, we encountered the Eucharistic Adoration procession, already in session. After the procession went by we walked the three churches. The Rosary Basilica has massive mosaics of each set of the mysteries of the rosary. The crypt, the first church built on the grounds of Lourdes, supposedly has a relic of St. Bernadette, but we couldn’t find it. The last one is the church of the Immaculate Conception. This is a beautiful church with lots of side chapels dedicated to different saints. It’s very nice but we liked the Rosary Basilica best. Next, per Theresa’s orders, we went down to the water taps and grotto. The water is so cold and so good! There were 27 taps – it’s truly amazing that the water never dries up. Millions of people fill up millions of gallon jugs all year long and it has never slowed since 1858! Next we got in line for the grotto, which wasn’t too long, as it is now after 7. The rock along the grotto has been worn smooth by all the people rubbing it and touching it. The rock is cool to the touch even though the sun shines on it. People were touching pictures, clothing, and candles to the rock as we inched closer to the spot. The actual spot where Bernadette dug into the ground is now covered with glass, but we could still see the water flowing. Then we actually touched the rock and felt some of the water under the Mary statue, where Mary appeared. After dinner we participated in the candlelight procession of the rosary. Very interesting, as only a little part was in English. The procession was beautiful and we estimated 3000 people were walking together and praying the rosary. It was amazing to be a part of it all. Tomorrow we are planning to go to the baths and aren’t really sure what to expect. Au revoir for now!

Paris day 5

We are now art aficionados! We spent the morning with our very own Louvre tour guide. She was very knowledgeable and we learned a lot. One of the most interesting things we learned was that when they were digging to build the pyramid by I M Pei in the 80’s, they found the foundations of the original medieval fortress, which the Louvre started as, to protect Paris from invaders. Some masterpieces we saw were the Venus de Milo, Winged Victory, and the Mona Lisa, of course. As art museums go, we feel that the Louvre is at the top, although we only saw a tiny part of the 15 kilometers of art there! After lunch we decided to go see Sainte Chappelle. Little did we know, it’s closed from 1 to 2:15. Bummer. So we took a short stroll to the connecting Ile St. Louis, where Cindy enjoyed a glace citroen jaune (yellow citrusy sorbet) and Sharon didn’t enjoy her glace mandarin – but it was cold so she ate some of it… Sainte Chappelle was lovely. We didn’t have to wait in line too long, and the stained glass windows would have been worth it anyway. The colors were beautiful but it was difficult to pick out the Bible stories they were supposed to depict. We found the best way to end our last day in Paris! It’s called Montparnasse Tower and for 10.50 Euro, we waited maybe a minute before we went 56 stories high (196 meters) in 38 seconds, and could look out over all of Paris. We hit the trifecta! No crowds, air-conditioning, and a 360 degree view of Paris! We were able to get aerial shots of all the places we’ve visited and those we hadn’t, because as Rick Steves says, you can’t do it all! Tomorrow we leave tomorrow for Lourdes and are unsure of internet access, but we’ll blog as soon as we can. We’d like to thank mommy-to-be, Fran, for helping to set up this blog, and giving us the confidence to try it! Good night to our readers, and farewell to Paris!

Paris Day 4

Today was all about walking, sweating, and climbing stairs! Versailles is an awe-inspiring place. The gardens were so “tres large” that we were strolling and sweating for over four and a half hours and we didn’t even see them all. Since it was the weekend, they ran the fountains in the garden and that really added to the beauty and grandeur. All we could think about was how hot the women of that time must have been with all those big dresses and petticoats. When we returned from Versailles, we had to take time out to rest in our air-conditioned hotel room. After a brief nap we decided to conquer Sacre Couer. Our one mistake on the metro was NOT taking the elevator at the stop at Montmartre. 142 steps later we realized our mistake. Won’t happen again. After riding the funicular, (Thank God it was running!) we joined the party at the top. It was hard to believe that there were people dancing, playing music, and drinking on the steps of the Basilica. Amazingly, inside the church, it was quiet and reverent. The main alter was lovely and we enjoyed all the side chapels of the saints. Back outside we decided to head home but our growling stomachs made us stop at the Four Seasons Pizza Bistro. It was so delicious!!! Tomorrow is the Louvre! Au Revior from France!
PS Thanks for the comments!

Paris Day 3

Today started with a visit to Musee Rodin. (see pictures) We only knew about a few of his works, but after spending time there, we are impressed with his talent. There was a small art class of elementary students sketching while we were there. We then rode the Metro to Rue de Bac to see the incorrupt saints, St. Catherine and St. Vincent de Paul. We'd like to thank Mike for sharing his knowledge of the Metro in helping us get around and Theresa for her knowledge of the incorrupt saints. It's hard to believe they've been dead for over 100 years! (see pictures) We then went to what turned out to be the highlight of our day. Yesterday we saw Monet's paintings of water lillies - today we got to see the real thing! While the house and flower garden were beautiful, we spent the bulk of our time in the water garden- curved green bridges and all. It looks just like in his paintings, except the willow trees are over 100 years older (bigger). Cindy posed on the bridge, Sharon spent time sketching and we tooks TONS of pictures. (We've included two.) After the hour ride home, we did a little shopping. Then

we had dinner in the Tuileries Garden, which consisted of a footlong hotdog in a baguette with fromage (that's sheeze!) and pomme frites (french fries)- pretty tasty! We were both surprised that there was a little carnival there. Following a quick ride home on the Metro, we're now watching and answering Who Wants to be a Millionaire in French. Loving it! Bon Soir from Paris (that's good night!)

PS Could someone please leave us a comment here to let us know if you're enjoying or reading our blog?!?! All you have to do is click where it says comment and type!

Paris Day 2

We started with a typical French breakfast in our hotel - warm milk for our cereal and croissants and baguettes. It was spitting outside so we both bought umbrellas and shockingly enough, the rest of the day was sunny. We rode the bus to Notre Dame (see pictures) and spent several hours looking at the cathedral, taking pictures, and attending Mass. The readings and the homily were in French but at least we understood the consecration. Back to the bus and on to L'Orangerie Museum where there were two interlocking oval rooms, that housed 8 of Monet's Waterlillies, measuring 91 meters long. They were magnificent! (see pictures) Cindy was so excited she couldn't stop smiling. As we were leaving, we noticed Rodin's The Kiss (see picture). We crossed the Seine back to the Musee d'Orsay. It was lovely. We saw Renoirs, VanGoghs, Cezannes, Degas, Gauguins, Pissarros and many more! We had our evening meal at a bistro across the avenue from our hotel. We sat outside and had a Coke for about 7 USD with - wait for it - three whole ice cubes! We ordered a sheezeberger and a ham and cheese baguette, because we wanted to be sure to have something we'd like since we skipped lunch and were really hungry. Both were delish. We talked for awhile, in typical French fashion, with a grandma, mom, and daughter from Seattle. They were really nice. After dinner we strolled down Rue de Cler. We checked out a jewelry shop and a cheese shop, but only purchased ice cream for dessert and bananas for tomorrow. We spent the rest of the night figuring out the Metro schedule to get us to the Rodin Museum, Sacre Couer, Rue de Bac, and of course, Giverny (and blogging this to you). Good night from Paris!

Paris Day 1

We made it! We had some terrible turbulence on our first flight and we vote the Frankfurt airport not user friendly but our trip was a success. We landed right on schedule and after a harrowing taxi ride, we checked into our hotel. It's cute and has air conditioning. We then navigated the metro and train to get ourselves to the Musee d'Orsay. We 'hopped' on the hop on hop off bus to take a basic tour of Paris. We got off at the Trocadero by the Eiffel Tower. That is where we got our picture taken and about two minutes later, we got caught in a thunderstorm. How fun! After the deluge, we walked to the Eiffel Tower. Sharon had a chocolate, banana, and whipped cream crepe. Delicious! Next was an hour long cruise on the Seine. Unfortunately for us, a large group of school kids joined us. We just can't get away! After the cruise, using just our map and our brains, we found our way back to the hotel. Go us! It's nearly 11 pm, Paris time. Good night to all of you who want to be us right now.

today is the day!

we're all packed and ready to go! Robin will be picking us up in a few hours! Fran will be so proud of our use of free wifi at panera! Our next post will be from Germany or France!

The trip is becoming a reality!

Tonight I had dinner with Msgr. Neuhaus (the previous pastor at my school). He had great tips for our time in Paris and lent us a plug adapter (so I can now take my hairdryer if there is room in my luggage) and a variety of secure money holders for under our clothes (because we must watch out for pick pockets).

He also loaned me several books to look through before we take off on Wednesday the 24th, and a book on walking tours of Paris to take with us. I also got insights into the best places to sit at on the left bank, a great ice cream spot by Sacre Cour, and a wonderful restaurant on the Ilse de St. Louis (I know that is not in French but I don't have my books with me now).

We have been getting lots of advice from lots of different people about what to see and do during our five days in Paris. I know we won't be able to fit it all in but we'll do our best. Only five more days to go!

T minus 11 days and counting!

This is where we will be blogging (bragging) about our freakin' awesome trip to France! Stay tuned for pictures and updates about our travels.