Saint-Denis

We had a very short and easy trip this weekend but such a FASCINATING one! In a suburb just north of Paris and still reachable through the Metro stands the Saint-Denis Basilica Cathedral. It was originally built on the site of a Gallo-Roman cemetery which held the remains of Saint Denis, first Bishop of Paris, martyred 250 AD. Over the years it became one of the most powerful Benedictine abbeys during the Middle Ages. Sorry if this sounds like a history lesson. Gaulish rulers and French monarchs have used this "necropolis" since the 6th century. It holds the kings, queens, princes and princesses from every dynasty through the revolutions. It even displays the heart of the boy king, Louis XVII, who died in prison. Amazing numbers of recumbent and praying statues showing the styles and glories of each era are unbelievable. Definitely not to be missed when/if you come to Paris!

After visiting the cathedral, we stopped and ate at Anthony's favorite restaurant--Breakfast In America (can anyone say Parisian IHOP?) and browsed through the Red Wheelbarrow (an English language bookstore) and Thanksgiving (a store selling American foodstuffs). Then it was home for a leisurely evening.

Chantilly

To celebrate Valentine's Day we headed north, just out of Paris to the town of Chantilly. It is known for its beautiful chateau, home to the Ducs of Bourbon and the Prince of Paris, their marvelous stables and the whipped confection known as Chantilly cream. The town also gained prominence through their production of exquisite black lace known as--what else, Chantilly lace.

The chateau hosts the Musee Conde, considered the second most significant museum in France and the stables an amazing museum dedicated to the history of the horse as well as equestrian exhibits and shows. It is also home to the Chantilly racetrack (kind of like France's Kentucky Derby). Unfortunately, the stables and their museum were closed for reconstruction and we will have to come back after the beginning of April to visit. (We have two horse lovers in our family so this wasn't to be missed--just poor planning on our part.)

We loved the art galleries, enormous spiral staircase, AMAZING library, private chapel and elaborate gardens. However, we couldn't leave without lunching and trying some of that famous Chantilly cream. A fun trip for all and we look forward to going back.

That Little Blue Box...

Except for a pair of Guess jeans in middle school, I can never remember wanting something purely for it's name. I have never been one for labels, from clothes to cars they seriously turn me off.

However, there is one almost mythilogical branding icon that has always been imbedded in my subconscience as the be all, end all in luxury. It may not be the same for everybody but from old movies to modern advertising, I have always been entralled with that little blue box from Tiffany's. I've never talked about it, never chased it, but always hoped that someday, I might get my own.

Well today it happened. Anthony presented me with my own little bag with included said box. I was dumbfounded and beyond comprehension. (I had given him a new Baylor t-shirt and his favorite American candy.) I just sat there and looked at it, not wanting to disturb the ribbon to open it. Anthony laughs and said he could have saved money and just bought the box! However, I did open it and the sweetest valentine on earth gave me a beautiful pearl bracelet.

Holland cont.

Saturday, we got up early and headed to the Anne Frank museum. The lines can get bad and that is not how we (or the kids) wanted to spend our time. We ended up being first in line and it was very nice. I had been here in 1998 when I did my college tour but they had completely re-vamped the entrance to the museum. It is now all glass, steel and modern. I was very dissappointed because I had remembered the entrance to the house the way Anne would have. However, the rest of the museum still maintained its authenticity and the visit was rewarded.

A friend (and ex-co-worker) of Anthony's and his family are now living and working in Rotterdam so they drove up to see the Anne Frank house and spend the day in Amsterdam. It was a quick visit but very nice to see friends from the states. The girls loved their litte "Sam".

We then hopped on a train and headed about 15 minutes out of town to one of my favorite memories from that earlier trip. It is a Dutch town called Zaanse Schans. It is known as a conservation village that has fought to maintain a traditional Dutch lifestyle through architecture, traditions, livelyhoods and handicrafts.

The town is so quaint and authentic you actually feel like you are visiting "real" Holland.

They are know for having the largest collection of working windmills.

We visited a traditional mustard mill and brought home a jar of the marvelous product.

We also visited a cheese farm and sampled their wonderful cheeses. (Anthony and I both liked these better than French cheeses.)

A traditional wooden shoe maker...

and even found a pair that would fit Grandpa Roger.

The kids each took home their own pair. Bella picked pink, Brooke orange and Andrew red.

We ate a traditional pancake lunch and headed back into Amsterdam to catch our train back to Paris.

I snapped these pictures of the "parking garage" next to the station--thought you would get a kick.

Monday, we got Bella into a ENT who was SUPPOSED to speak English. However, he did NOT and it was quite an event. But the jist of it is that Bella blew out more than 50% of her ear drum. She was put on an anti-biotic and ear drops to clean up the infection and then we called our ENT in Dallas to see what he wanted to do (and to talk about it in English). They usually wait 6-9 months to let the perferation heal as much as it can and then do reconstructive surgery. She will have surgery as soon as we return in August. She can not go outside without covering her ears and will need to wear plugs to bathe and be around water. Further infections can be very bad and dangerous. She will suffer some more hearing and speech delays but should catch up later. I feel for this precious baby who has spent so much of her young life "catching up".

Holland

Friday, of course, Anthony had to spend the day working so the kids and I visited Amsterdam's ARTIS zoo. I have loved zoos since I was a child and have visited them all over the world. This zoo is unique in the fact that it is located in the center of the city, not very big--only about two city blocks but very well planned. Buildings line the perimeter that hold the aquarium, planetarium, museum, etc and the "yards" and additional buildings are scattered throughout the interior. It is also a very old zoo and the architecture is from that period. We had a beautiful day, the zoo nearly to ourselves and the kids enjoyed getting to run free for a change. (We always hold onto them so tight in these cities).


Check out the unique little stroller we rented. It only lasted a couple of hours and then we checked it back in but the kids got a kick out of taking turns.

I have never been to a zoo where we could get SO close to the animals. If we had allowed, many could have reached out and bitten us.

Check out this litte monkey...

This is what Europeans call a Longhorn...

We had lunch at their brand new cafeteria--very fun.

After dad got through working for the day we went out and had dinner, enjoyed seeing the Amsterdam nightlife and headed back to the hotel for a good night sleep.

I knew that Bella had been working on an ear infection earlier in the week with all her congestion but she blew out her tube on this morning and the draining started in earnest. We tried to keep her ear covered while outside and got her to the doctor on Monday. (Check next post for results.)

Belgium

Anthony had to work in Amsterdam on Friday so the kids and I tagged along and made it a long weekend to see a few sights. The kids and I had all been congested so we just stayed inside the first part of the week and tried to dry out. Thursday, we trained to Brussels and spent a few hours there. Unfortunately, we locked the camera in with our luggage at the train station so only have a couple of postcards to share...


We started at the center of life in Brussels, their Centre Place, with beautiful old buildings including the Hotel de Ville, several guild houses, a brewery and a cathedral. We then headed for the Museum of Cocoa and Chocolate for a look at the history and a taste of that famous Belgian luxury. We continued to further gorge ourselves on another delightful confectionary treat, the Belgian waffle.

Last, we headed to the sight of all sights in Brussels, the fountain known as the Manneken Pis. It is said to have been donated by a father who lost his son during a town festival and found him two days later at this intersection doing exactly what the statue has done non-stop for many years. This little boy even has an entire wardrobe donated by crown heads of Europe which now reside in a museum dedicated to his collection.

Anniversary

Today we celebrate being here six months! This is the time that everyone told us it would get bad...our neighbor and friends who had lived here before, people at work, school and church as well as experienced ex-pats--they all said at six months we would be soooo over Paris and France and ready to go home. Well, it hasn't exactly worked that way for us. Our first couple of months were VERY difficult. We went through a lot of culture shock and adjustment. We have continued to struggle with many aspects of living here but have found a way to deal with most of them. Now we just seem to ride along on an even keel, living a low key life until something (usually to do with school) blows up in our faces. We now have the public transportation system down to a science, get through basic communications with others and have settled into our lives. God has answered MANY prayers along the way.

We spent today (being the first Sunday of the month) going into Paris to see another piece of the Louvre. Today we focused on Napoleon's apartments and objets d'art from the Middle Ages and Renaissance as well as German, Dutch and Flemish paintings. We saw many beautiful masterpieces and some rather unique ones as well. One more trip and we will officially have seen all of the museum. Grabbed some McDonald's at La Defense for the kids and headed home for rest time. All in all-a good day.

We have many more things to do and see before the kids and I come home in August. As it begins to warm up we look forward to several sets of company coming to visit, various trips in Paris and around France as well as Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, England, Italy and Monaco. In fact, every weekend between now and when we come home is booked. That in itself is the best medicine for me. I love the history and sightseeing. Some of these places I have been before but for many it will be the first time. July 31st will be here before we know it. Thanks so much to all the friends and family who have kept up with us on our journey. We have loved hearing from you and cherish your prayers.