Foreign Frolickings...

Day 63 - 71
This will probably be my last post on this trip. I take a train (TGV which is very fast) from Le Cresout to Paris tomorrow morning and then chunnel under the English Channel to London Waterloo. Wednesday I will be flying back to America! I hope to be back to normality soon :)
I need to get back into routine and inteo regular excercise!


This last week has been CRAZY. Camille and I left Poitier early Tuesday morning. We arrived in Paris at about 8.30 AM and then took the Metro and finally found our hotel, we checked into the hotel and then made our way to the EIFFEL TOWER. We were supposed to meet our friends Brooke and Ashley there, but we couldnt find then in the MASSES of people that we lined up at the different Piliers! We decided it was better to get tinto line and take turns to walk around and take pictures and get some lunch. We stood in the base line for about 2 hours - my feet really hurt - talking, playing a guessing game, admiring a really cute Italian or Spanish looking man :) We finally made it to the elevators and paid the 11 Euros (by this tie i wished I had of walked up at the South pilier instead of waiting in this stupid line). We were excited to go all the way to the top. We stopped at the 2nd level to take pictures adn admire the exquisite view of Paris - I began feeling the wait had infact been worth it. We met some boys from New York and we took pictures for each other. Then we made our way to the top and WOW! It is gorgeous from up there. Inside at the top is a rim all the way around with different county flags and their capitals with the distance and direction from the Eiffel! I took a picture of South Africas part. We then had to get back into a line to GET DOWN!!! It was crazy and by this time I felt as if my feet were SCREAMING at me! It shall remember it being the tower of PAIN and BEAUTY! lol.


We went back to the hotel to see if Alison our other friend had checked in yet. She had and we all decided to go out on the town, and to see if we could get into an Opera. We went to the wrong opera house and were not going to be able to see Figaro as intended, so we dicided to go to the Arc de Triomphe and do some shopping along the Champs de Elise (sorry my spelling is aweful).

After that it was dusk so we went over to the Louvre and took pictures of it in the evening light. It would have been very romantic if i was there with a person of the opposite sex, however it was still wonderful to admire. We took MANY pictures and could also see the lighted ET in the distance. Off to the one side there was also a HUGE Ferris Wheel. We went over to check it out but i got distracted by the harnesses trampoline! I decided to give it a try adn let it suffice to say - it was NOT comfortable at all. I tried to warn a guy that went after me and he gave it a bash but quickly asked to get down - lol - his friends were watching and they had some very interesting comments - i had a good laugh - Camille and Alison seemed a little shocked - hee
hee.
We got back to our hotel by midnight and Brooke and Ashley came to our room an we swapped sotires of the day and caught up. We talked till about 2AM, but it was great.

Wednesday morning they all left for the airport, and I slept in as I only needed to be at the train station by about 12.30 in time to make my 1pm train. The Metro gave me a few hassles but no one bothered me infact some italina boys helped me - we didnt understand each others languages, but with a map and body gestures and a few words in french they showed me how to get to Gare Lyon on another route!





I finally arrived in the Gare and caught the train to Le Cresout and there was met by Aunty Dagmar and Uncle Colin. I have enjoyed the past 5 days with them and I am even sad to be leaving. We habe done some great things together. We have gone to visit and baby sit their granchildren - Laura and William- and we went for walks watched a movie and went shopping. We had a great dinner together - I love how the french have cheese and bread for dessert adn sometimes they have yoghurt (and even put jam intoo it for variety).
We also went to a nature park (Cruppa) and i went running. We went to see a Chateau (Digoine) in the country. We walked the grounds and had a tour inside and the owner even let us pick and eat framboise (rasberries) from his garden. They were DELICIOUS! I even tried the yellow ones which we SO sweet!!! I loved it.

On Saturday we rented bikes and cycled along the canal for about 3 hrs. We took it slowly and enjoyed the view and had a picknic for lunch. I drove past a guy that gave me the mose dashing smile I talked about it or half and hour afterwards :) hee hee
That night I babysat the kids with their grandpartents and then I stayed to sleep over.
Yesterday we went to see Mont St Vincent. I sang for them in the church and we walked around, patted the hourse, climed the tower and just enjoyed the day. For the rest of the afternoon I showed them things on the computer and internet.
I found a cool website called YOUTUBE and watched some videaos for a couple hrs. We also watched some of the FIFA World Cup Soccer Final ofItaly VS Gemany. THye got to the end being 1:1 so had a penalty shoot out and unfortunatley for France (but fortunately for me who got a better nights sleep with no celebration noise in the streets) lost by one goal!

I have had a wonderful time here in rural france. I am not looking forward to the next 2 days of trevelling, but I have been well rested and am getting antsy to get back an finish up ALL the work I have. I will be presenting at the BYU Family History Genealogical Conference at the beginning of August so I have that extra push! I am happy and very blessesed to have had this oppertunity. I hope to return to France in a few years to conduct more intense research as I am going to learn French starting this Fall.

posted by Jacqueline @ 7:54 AM