With that said, on to my most recent update of When Pigs Fly Zville happenings! Remember that glorious weather mentioned in the previous post? Well it followed us across the ocean to London where we spent a few days sampling the drawn ales and taking in the city on a Fat Tyre Bike Tour,
which we highly recommend if your travels take you to London, Barcelona, Paris, or Berlin!
The tour includes all kinds of facts and stories. I was surprised that London has over 7 million people, and "The City of London" which is the one mile square at the very center, (where we were staying) has over 300,000 people working in it every day.
The tour includes all kinds of facts and stories. I was surprised that London has over 7 million people, and "The City of London" which is the one mile square at the very center, (where we were staying) has over 300,000 people working in it every day.
The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, and Big Ben were just of few of the sights we took in. We wound our way through St. James Park, Green Park, Hyde Park, and Kensington Park where we walked thru the Princess Diana Memorial gardens.
From London, we left on a train heading SE through the lovely English countryside then under the English Channel (which only took about 20 minutes to do in this high speed train) and into France arriving in Paris two and a half hours later where we were thrilled with the opportunity to witness Sarah in her everyday environs. It really fills our hearts with pride as we watch our "little girl" maneuver in a big city using a second language as comfortably as her native one. She took us through the Louvre which serves as her classroom one night a week. If you have to take a Renaissance Art class, where better? Many objects on display are really breathtakingly beautiful.
Once again we jumped on bikes and headed out to see a city, this time at night - what a sight it is. The grand architecture well lit against the night sky dazzles the eyes. The night was capped off with a Seine River cruise seeing the monuments, churches, and buildings from a different perspective. What fun we had, and Kevie did a spectacular job keeping the tour moving from the "deirriere" earning himself a T-shirt!
I just can't say enough about authentic French chocolate crepes, fresh
baguettes, and chocolate croissants - other than they are the reason my clothes currently do not fit!
We enjoyed meeting Sarah's host mother, Patricia, a native Parisian. Her lovely apartment is located in a quiet neighborhood (17, for those of you familiar with the city) and has a wonderful sports center right across the street where Sarah has joined a Track Club and runs each day.
Our visit had to end too soon, as it always does, but we left Sarah feeling confident that she is maximizing her opportunities and absorbing the culture all around her. If you find yourself in Paris before Christmas, she makes an outstanding tour guide!
We left the great weather behind and came home to wet, windy, and 40s. The rain gage has risen to the 3" mark, so I do believe our draught is officially over! I guess it's time to dig out the gloves and scarves.....
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