Weapons of the World

Speaking of weaponry and my son's love of swords last night reminded me that I promised to post pictures from the weapons cache in the Louvre during my son's visit to Paris. He took some great pictures of Greek and Roman helmets, breastplates, and swords. There's even a pic of a couple of dueling pistols and full-body armor, but I'm not sure from what era. This was where he was in his element.

Loving the Louvre

There were so many pictures to choose from with my son's shots of the Louvre, but here's a small sampling for your viewing pleasure. Find enclosed a picture of the Mona Lisa - it's surprisingly small. He said there was so much ceiling art, but I'll only offer up a few choice pieces. His favorite part was the room with all the historic weaponry and Roman armor, but that will probably require another post. After tomorrow, I'll take a break from posting a bunch of pics and get back to more important matters. Like writing!

Cruising Through Paris

I promise I'll get back to posting proper articles and stories again very soon. Here's a few pics of the Arc de Triomphe looking down Champs Elysees, the Paris bridges and a few sites they saw on their Seine River cruise while in France. Can you guess which one is known as the Napoleon Bridge? Ah Paris!

The City of Lights

Well now that we’ve enjoyed some pictures of England, I figure it’s time to see the sights of Paris, the City of Lights. Once again, my son showed what a natural talent he has for photography. Someone even mentioned that the one of Sacre Coeur and one of the Eiffel Tower pics look like postcards. Nope, all were from my son’s camera (as my bank account groans from processing all 638 pics).

The Continuing Stooory

Welcome to the blog of Europe, the continuing stooory of a boy who left his mother for the great beyond across the blue.

Okay, enough of the theatrics. Figure it's been awhile, so many of you would probably like an update on what's been taking place on my son's trip to Europe. Every morning when I get up, I look to see what he's been up to that day and every night I look at the next to see what is coming up for the group.

Figure you, my readers, may only want a summation instead of a daily play-by-play. So here goes!

Last we left off, the coaches were preparing for the boarding of the ferry for the channel crossing over to Calais, France then onto Paris. They should have arrived in Paris Tuesday evening (for them). Wouldn't it have been neat to see what it might have felt like for early sailors to leave the shores of England behind and yearn for the shores of France through that rough channel? I can only imagine (dadgumit).

So Wednesday morning they awoke to the beauty that is Paris, the City of Lights, the home of La Vie En Rose, sidewalk cafes, and delicious croissants from your neighborhood patisserie. Their first stop of the day was Montmartre, a village within the City of Paris. The village is so old that the coaches cannot navigate through the narrow streets, so they truly experienced this area up close and personal, including Sacre Coeur and the Artists Quarter, where budding painters continue to gather in the haunts of the Impressionists that lived there near the beginning of the 20th century.

After a light lunch in Montmartre, the group boarded their coaches for sightseeing at Notre Dame Cathedral then a walk to St. Severin Church for their late afternoon concert. The exciting part of the day was just waiting to begin, however, as they left their concert venue to board at Pont d'Alma for their evening dinner cruise down the River Seine. I can hear the accordian now!

Thursday was jam-packed. The morning consisted of two hours at the fabulous Eiffel Tower, where over 200 million visitors have walked through the turnstiles. Did you know there is a smaller version of the Statue of Liberty nearby? If you didn't know that the French were responsible for the wonderful gift we Americans hold dear, you should get out your history books (or search it on the internet). The Luxembourg Gardens were the venue for their lunchtime performance, then onto an afternoon at the Louvre Museum.

My son was especially looking forward to this part.

So today was another early morning as they bopped out of bed to load the coaches for their departure from France. But not all hope was lost, for the venue the next several days is nestled in the beauty of the mountains, cradled near Lac Leman (better known as Lake Geneva). Yes, it is time for the transfer to Switzerland. My son will probably like this venue best - why you ask? - it's because of the mountains, snow, and cooler tempertures.

I can just taste the Swiss chocolate right now. I warned my son to be sure and sample several varieties and explore all that chocolate has to offer here. MMmmmm!

Their visit to Switzerland coincides with the annual Swiss Folklore Celebration, of which they will be honored guests.

But that's for another day.