My life in words and pictures...

Here are some pictures from the last few days here in France.

Me and Andrew and me and Alex roasting at the slate museum near our "home" in Angers... the museum is actually in Trelaze.


That's me and Liz in front of an ancient wall in Angers.






















Above, Ian gazes at the magnificent Chambord castle where we had a picnic. Lizzie and Ian grin and clutch the fence at the tippy top of the Eiffel Tower. What a tremendous view!

This past week we went back to Paris. It's a three hour drive but we took two days to accomplish it. We toured several castles. Versaille is breath-taking but eventually the opulence became repulsive, as did the evident and arrogant self-aggrandizement of the last king who lived there, France's Louis XIV, Marie Antoinette's hubby. My favorite castle was probably Chenonceau. You can click on the picture below to go to their website. It is so beautiful and the gardens are fantastic.


I have found going to the cathedrals to be a very moving experience. On the one hand it is sad to see how the people of France have been exploited in the name of a God whose Son came to earth and died with His most valuable asset being a woven tunic. On the other hand the splendor of the cathedrals does inspire awe and a sense of the majesty of God that our modern churches lack.

We visited Chartres, the gorgeous cathedral in Orleans, and a couple here in Angers. One of the cathedrals here in Angers has a relic that dates back to the 1st century, the skull of an unknown martyr, quite stirring.

In Paris we went up the Eiffel Tower with Ally which was fun. We also took in the Louvre in hyper speed. It broke my heart to have to speed past so many lovely paintings and sculptures. Ian really wanted to see the Mona Lisa which we got to do. On the way out of town on Friday we drove up the Champs-Elysees and around the Arc d'triomphe where 12 roads come to a big circle with no lane markings or anything! How fun. I also enjoyed speeding along the autoroute

Some highlights for the kids included getting their portraits done in Montmartre, and watching some break-dancers at the Trocadero.

It's been great to see Ally and I leave for now with this picture of Andrew hanging out the window of the car. I think the kids are enjoying themselves although a couple are really beginning to feel home sick. Continue to pray for us friends. Thanks.