Today was....long, but rewarding:-) The reason it was particularly rewarding is because last night we «missed» our train from Krakow to Prague. We were there at the train station 45 minutes before our departing time, but the problem was we do not know one lick of Polish. So we did what we usually do and looked at the departure board to figure out our platform. It prompted us to go to platform 1, but we decided to ask a nice Polish man who worked at the train station, just to make sure. He proceeded to just point in the general direction of platform 1. So we waited....and our departure time arrived and there was no one else at the platform and most importantly, there was no train!!!!so we asked another Polish lady and sher just spread at us in Polish. At that moment or hearts dropped because there was a train from platform 2 that was pulling out of a station. The most frustrating part was running to another man who worked there, showing him our tickets and getting a response of a shrug...FROM A MAN WHO WE WORKS THERE!! Shrug after shrug....despair. Daniel was very upset, Tim was trying to figure out a solution, and I was frustrated. We knew the train had left so we got last minute tickets out to Prague in the morning. There was not one hostel left that had availabe beds so...we stayed in a hotel:-) Good thing we were in Poland, or else it wouldve cost an arm and a leg.
The train ride was probably the most exciting and interesting one yet. We met a med school student named April who is studying in Poland. We had this great conversation about traveling, people, books, and funny stories aboutour lives. She gave us some great tips about Prague which have already proved to be great suggestions.
When we got here, FINALLY, we checked into our hostel, decided to grab a quick dinner (yummy sausage), and then we went yo mass in a gloriously beautiful church at 9pm at Our Lady of Tyn. I wish I could understand the homily because the priest looked soo joyful!! After we went to get some yummy hot chocolate which tasted like chocolate pudding soup. It was quite lovely. We had a great conversation about opportunities in our lives and having the courage to seize them!
Now were in the hostel playing cards, and im drinking a giant carton of orange juice because I have a sore throat:-(. More mystical, medieval Prague tomorrow!!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Krakow, Poland
Hey guys! We had a fantastic day in Poland! I started the day by filling out at police report for my stolen iPhone. It took a while because we used a translator and the secretary used 2 fingers type. Because my phone was stolen, I unfortunately won't be able to post anymore pictures, but don't worry Daniel will be replacing me. Even more importantly, we have lost the ability to play Catan. Hopefully we don't go insane on the remaining train rides!
Meanwhile, Daniel and Maria started part 1 of out walking tour extravaganza. I caught up to them after I took care of business. We learned about St. Mary's, the bishop palace (where JPII lived), the Wawel (royal castle), Royal Cathedral, and a dragon.
In between our tours, we hade some delicious pierogis and a restaurant recommended by our guide. We also stopped for Kosher ice cream before part 2 of the tour!
Fun fact: Maria drys her hair with paper towels.
For the second part of our tour we walked through the Jewish quarter (or old Jewish quarter, since there only 200 of the original 68000 Jews before WWII). We saw synagogues, Broadway Street, a corner where you could see different times of the area, the alley where the famous scene of the boy saving the woman in Schindler's List was filmed, the old Jewish ghetto and part of the wall surrounding it, and Oscar Schindler's factory. We really enjoyed this walking tour because our guide was native to Poland and was super knowledgable. He also founded the company and is only 25!
We ha great time in Poland, partly because it is so cheap, but mostly because of it's uber Catholic and has a vibrant history.
We still need eat dinner before we catch our train for Prague!
The Tres Amis (Tim)
Ps: we all may come back with annoying accents!
Krakow, Poland (29.7.11)
Sorry for the delay on this post! Because it is a day late, today's post will immediately follow (yay!)
On the 29th of July, 2011, Tim Norman, Daniel Harrison, and Maria Landry woke up at 5:30 AM. They proceeded to walk towards their hostel. They walked for about 30 minutes in the rain without a map. They later discovered that the hostel was about 10 minutes away from the train station (yay 2X!!).
On a serious note, yesterday was awesome. We got to our hostel, checked our bags, and (without a shower) headed to Auschwitz (which I will not attempt to spell in Polish. In fact, I will not attempt to spell anything in Polish for the duration of our stay here. I still do not understand how you can put the letters S, C, H, Z, and P next to each other in a word and still make a word. Where are the vowels?)
Since probably middle school, I have been particularly interested in the concentration camps, death camps, and the Holocaust in general so I had been anxiously anticipating this day for our whole trip. We toured both Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II (Birkenau), which took about 4 hours all together. Auschwitz I was not at all as I expected it to be. It was small, had brick buildings, and only one gas chamber. Birkenau is the death camp most Americans imagine : massive, 4 gas chambers, wooden barracks, and a train track running through its center, where Holocaust victims were separated : those fit to work, and those deemed "unfit" who were taken directly to the gas chambers.
We've all read about what happened during the Holocaust, in fact, some people reading this blog were alive while it happened, so I won't go into all the details of what we learned and relearned on our tour. I will talk about a few of the things that were special to TheTresAmis in general. St. Maximilian Kolbe is very important to me because he was my confirmation saint. He died at Auschwitz I, either from lethal injection or starvation, in the place of another man who had a large family. On our tour, we passed by the cell where he died, which has been transformed into a sort of sanctuary. We did not get to spend as much time with my confirmation saint as we were able to with St. Bernadette or we will be able to with Padre Pio, but I will never forget the moments in which I came as close to Kolbe's life as I probably ever will.
We were particularly moved by the remains of the victims of Auschwitz. In one of the barracks on our tour we saw piles of suitcases, children's shoes, and even human hair that had been confiscated by Nazis before their possessors were executed. Hearing the details of the "experiments" that some of the victims were put through and even the amount of time that some spent in the camps (as little as a few hours before being led to the gas chambers) was also difficult.
Visiting Auschwitz was exhausting. Mentally and physically. However, none of us will regret this stop on our trip.
With disregard to our fatigue (after a poor night of sleep on a train) we made an impromptu stop in at the Sanctuary of the Divine Mercy. We only learned that this even existed a few days before our arrival in Krakow (good work Maria!), and are very lucky that we got to have this experience. We went to mass in the same chapel that houses the remains of St. Faustina. We were ugly, smelly, and improperly dressed (Maria was given a cloth to wear over her legs because she was in shorts... whoops...) Also, we didn't speak Polish. Also, we were in the front row. Also, we were on live TV. We got over all this reasonably quickly (the cameramen just didn't put their cameras on us when we should have been moving our mouths). At the end of mass, we said the chaplet of the divine mercy (in Polish) and venerated the relic of St. Faustina that was on display in the chapel.
Okay, this blog is too long. I'm ending this quickly. Later, we had dinner. It was good and Polish. Tim lost his phone. Maria dried her hair with paper towels. I am still the perfect (Tim disagrees). That is all.
Love you. Miss you.
Daniel
On the 29th of July, 2011, Tim Norman, Daniel Harrison, and Maria Landry woke up at 5:30 AM. They proceeded to walk towards their hostel. They walked for about 30 minutes in the rain without a map. They later discovered that the hostel was about 10 minutes away from the train station (yay 2X!!).
On a serious note, yesterday was awesome. We got to our hostel, checked our bags, and (without a shower) headed to Auschwitz (which I will not attempt to spell in Polish. In fact, I will not attempt to spell anything in Polish for the duration of our stay here. I still do not understand how you can put the letters S, C, H, Z, and P next to each other in a word and still make a word. Where are the vowels?)
Since probably middle school, I have been particularly interested in the concentration camps, death camps, and the Holocaust in general so I had been anxiously anticipating this day for our whole trip. We toured both Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II (Birkenau), which took about 4 hours all together. Auschwitz I was not at all as I expected it to be. It was small, had brick buildings, and only one gas chamber. Birkenau is the death camp most Americans imagine : massive, 4 gas chambers, wooden barracks, and a train track running through its center, where Holocaust victims were separated : those fit to work, and those deemed "unfit" who were taken directly to the gas chambers.
We've all read about what happened during the Holocaust, in fact, some people reading this blog were alive while it happened, so I won't go into all the details of what we learned and relearned on our tour. I will talk about a few of the things that were special to TheTresAmis in general. St. Maximilian Kolbe is very important to me because he was my confirmation saint. He died at Auschwitz I, either from lethal injection or starvation, in the place of another man who had a large family. On our tour, we passed by the cell where he died, which has been transformed into a sort of sanctuary. We did not get to spend as much time with my confirmation saint as we were able to with St. Bernadette or we will be able to with Padre Pio, but I will never forget the moments in which I came as close to Kolbe's life as I probably ever will.
We were particularly moved by the remains of the victims of Auschwitz. In one of the barracks on our tour we saw piles of suitcases, children's shoes, and even human hair that had been confiscated by Nazis before their possessors were executed. Hearing the details of the "experiments" that some of the victims were put through and even the amount of time that some spent in the camps (as little as a few hours before being led to the gas chambers) was also difficult.
Visiting Auschwitz was exhausting. Mentally and physically. However, none of us will regret this stop on our trip.
With disregard to our fatigue (after a poor night of sleep on a train) we made an impromptu stop in at the Sanctuary of the Divine Mercy. We only learned that this even existed a few days before our arrival in Krakow (good work Maria!), and are very lucky that we got to have this experience. We went to mass in the same chapel that houses the remains of St. Faustina. We were ugly, smelly, and improperly dressed (Maria was given a cloth to wear over her legs because she was in shorts... whoops...) Also, we didn't speak Polish. Also, we were in the front row. Also, we were on live TV. We got over all this reasonably quickly (the cameramen just didn't put their cameras on us when we should have been moving our mouths). At the end of mass, we said the chaplet of the divine mercy (in Polish) and venerated the relic of St. Faustina that was on display in the chapel.
Okay, this blog is too long. I'm ending this quickly. Later, we had dinner. It was good and Polish. Tim lost his phone. Maria dried her hair with paper towels. I am still the perfect (Tim disagrees). That is all.
Love you. Miss you.
Daniel
Friday, July 29, 2011
Krakow, Poland
The last day in Berlin was bittersweet, because we all didn't want to leave, but we knew we would be back in a few days to see Munich. Our last day of Berlin was rainy like usual, but nevertheless we got to see some exciting things. We started the day by going to see the portion of the Berlin wall in the east, where artists around the world painted murals of triumph and passion. It was beautiful to see the strong feelings of those who had experienced the wall first hand. Some of these artusts could have been trapped in the Soviet occupied side for more than 20 years, seperated from their friends and family. I loved Berlin so much because there is soo much history that makes its identity. Its gone through two World Wars, The Berlin Wall and Cold War, and recent reunification. It has changed so much, but all of its scars and bruises are still visible.
Later we visited the Olympic stadium where the 1936 Olympics were held and where the world cup took place in 2006. It was really cool to see where an actual Olympics took place. The 1936 Olympics was indeed hosted by Nazi Germany with Hitler at its head. Hitler was excited for this opportunity to prove that the Aryan race was superior to the rest of the world. It was a very beautiful thing that that year, Jesse Owens, a black man from the United States earned more gold metals than any other athelete.
After a very long overnight trainride, we finally arrived in Krakow. Today we will be be going to the concentration camp of Auschwitz which we will definitely blog about later. Tim, Daniel, and I are doing great. Its been a long journey!! Big hug! TheTresAmis
Later we visited the Olympic stadium where the 1936 Olympics were held and where the world cup took place in 2006. It was really cool to see where an actual Olympics took place. The 1936 Olympics was indeed hosted by Nazi Germany with Hitler at its head. Hitler was excited for this opportunity to prove that the Aryan race was superior to the rest of the world. It was a very beautiful thing that that year, Jesse Owens, a black man from the United States earned more gold metals than any other athelete.
After a very long overnight trainride, we finally arrived in Krakow. Today we will be be going to the concentration camp of Auschwitz which we will definitely blog about later. Tim, Daniel, and I are doing great. Its been a long journey!! Big hug! TheTresAmis
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Berlinstratte Van Housen, Germany-Faderlandenstein
Today we tried a new a lot of new things. Here they are :
Woke up early (okay, so that's not new)
Ate breakfast at our hostel (wait, that's not new either)
Took a walking tour (it was only our third with the same company!)
Saw a monument (monument number 254 of our trip)
Saw another monument (255!)
Got on the metro (we are metro champs)
Ate local cuisine (like brisket and hot dogs. wait, what?)
Went back to our hostel to get wifi (gotta text mom! running out of money...)
Okay, so it was a pretty typical day, but it was a good day. We saw some cool stuff (Tim really liked Paris Platz : a plaza dedicated to making fun of France). Maria liked the hot air balloon and bought a butterfly lanyard (...) And I really liked the holocaust memorial. I'm really pumped to see Auschwitz (only 2 days from now). We also saw what's left of the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin Dom, Reichstag, the War Memorial, museum island, the opera, gendarmen platz, the site of the nazi book burning, and probably some other things we've already forgotten.
It's time to play cards so I'm wrapping this up. Thanks for reading and be sure to check out our pics from today ;)
Daniel
Woke up early (okay, so that's not new)
Ate breakfast at our hostel (wait, that's not new either)
Took a walking tour (it was only our third with the same company!)
Saw a monument (monument number 254 of our trip)
Saw another monument (255!)
Got on the metro (we are metro champs)
Ate local cuisine (like brisket and hot dogs. wait, what?)
Went back to our hostel to get wifi (gotta text mom! running out of money...)
Okay, so it was a pretty typical day, but it was a good day. We saw some cool stuff (Tim really liked Paris Platz : a plaza dedicated to making fun of France). Maria liked the hot air balloon and bought a butterfly lanyard (...) And I really liked the holocaust memorial. I'm really pumped to see Auschwitz (only 2 days from now). We also saw what's left of the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin Dom, Reichstag, the War Memorial, museum island, the opera, gendarmen platz, the site of the nazi book burning, and probably some other things we've already forgotten.
It's time to play cards so I'm wrapping this up. Thanks for reading and be sure to check out our pics from today ;)
Daniel
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Amsterdam, The Netherlands and Berlin, Deutschland
Wowwwwwwwww Amsterdam. Hate to love it and love to hate it. Lets just say as soon as I stepped off the train I was ready to get the heck out of there. I feel like I could just not open up my heart even enough to give Amsterdam a chance. Walking through the city on the way to the hostel, all that consumed me was the stench of cannabis and the smell of greasy food joints, there to satisfy the "munchies". I felt like everyone roaming the streets were on a search for something to satisfy a deep hunger within. I was at peace from my panic when we walked into our hostel that was very self declaringly Christian. While I was there I talked to many people about what they thought about Amsterdam, and how it has effected them. I particularly enjoyed talking with two UT students I met that are spending their entire summer working at this Christan hostel as sort of a mission trip. One of them is going to law school and wants to work with social justice issues such as human trafficking. I began to see Gods love through her as she passionately told me about groups in Amsterdam that are working hard to help prostitues by providing counceling and a way to get passports so they can get out of The Netherlands. Nevertheless I learned that out of every bad situation, God is always working for good. With all this said, out of all the cities we've visited so far Amsterdam definitely is the one the tres amis have the most differing views on. This is only Amsterdam through Maria Landry's eyes.
Today was a very special day for us because it was indeed Tim's birthday!!!!! We had yumny Dutch pancakes this morning, did some last minute shopping and hopped on a train to Berlin!! The train was alright. The only problem wasthere were three very obnoxious teenage Brits that felt like the train was all theirs. It wasnt too big of a bother to us though. I was so excited when we arrived in Berlin. Tim and Daniel navigated us sucessfully through the very confusing Berlin metro system to our hostel. By then it was 10pm and I was sooo hungry. We headed off for a FABULOUS birthday dinner at the Hard Rock cafe. It was soo awesome to have a good ol American hamburger and to see a menu in English!! Thank you sooo much mom and dad!!!
Tomorrow we have a busy day of seeing Berlin, with a fabulous walking tour in the morning! Thanks all of you for reading our blog.
Love to the top,
TheTresAmis
Today was a very special day for us because it was indeed Tim's birthday!!!!! We had yumny Dutch pancakes this morning, did some last minute shopping and hopped on a train to Berlin!! The train was alright. The only problem wasthere were three very obnoxious teenage Brits that felt like the train was all theirs. It wasnt too big of a bother to us though. I was so excited when we arrived in Berlin. Tim and Daniel navigated us sucessfully through the very confusing Berlin metro system to our hostel. By then it was 10pm and I was sooo hungry. We headed off for a FABULOUS birthday dinner at the Hard Rock cafe. It was soo awesome to have a good ol American hamburger and to see a menu in English!! Thank you sooo much mom and dad!!!
Tomorrow we have a busy day of seeing Berlin, with a fabulous walking tour in the morning! Thanks all of you for reading our blog.
Love to the top,
TheTresAmis
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Brussels part 2
Lots of chocolate. Win.
Daniel survives being pickpocketed from Tim. Win/fail.
Eat good kebabs and falafel. Win.
Go to science museum designed for 8 year olds. Fail.
Try to rent bikes but our cards don't work. Fail.
Go to peeing kid statue. Really small and unimpressive. Fail.
Go to flee market. Closed. Fail.
Play cards at Cafe. Win.
Daniel takes nap. Maria uploads photos. Tim plays Catan. Win.
Daniel survives being pickpocketed from Tim. Win/fail.
Eat good kebabs and falafel. Win.
Go to science museum designed for 8 year olds. Fail.
Try to rent bikes but our cards don't work. Fail.
Go to peeing kid statue. Really small and unimpressive. Fail.
Go to flee market. Closed. Fail.
Play cards at Cafe. Win.
Daniel takes nap. Maria uploads photos. Tim plays Catan. Win.
Amsterdam tomorrow for my birthday. Hopefully win.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Bruxelles, Belgium
Hey guys! Sorry we haven't been so great about posting lately. We've just been SUPER busy with really important things like Catan, Stress, and Rummi. Cut us some slack.
We took yesterday as a sort of off day. We were all tired, sore, and wounded (blisters) from a long day in Paris and took full advantage of our private, 3 star hotel room. After arriving in Belgium around noon we checked into our hotel, made a few quick stops for lunch and Belgian chocolate, and retired to our room until dinner. Back in the room, we partook in fun activities such as Catan, cards, and personal hygiene upkeep. It was our first time to do these things in s while (except for cards and Catan)!
We went with our hotel's recommendation for dinner and it was fantastic. We've pretty much unanimously decided that Belgian food is our favorite so far. After dinner the fun began. We decided to do our laundry in the bathtub to save money. Big mistake. 3 hours, a room full of wet clothes, and a flooded bathroom later, we had finished our work. We thought.
I will always remember how I woke up today :
Maria : Guys... we have a problem.
Not the most pleasant way to start your day. Turns out none of our clothes were dry. Bruised and beaten, we carried trashbags of wet clothes to the laundromat to dry them the right way.
After our battle with our laundry (a battle we will hopefully never fight again), our day really began. We had a lunch of Belgian waffles and free ice cream. Super healthy. Then we headed over to the EU headquarters. The EU headquarters was awesome! But there's no entry on weekends so we looked at the building for about 3 seconds and went to the park across the street. The park was beautiful and Maria found some nice flowers to look at. We also found a Belgian war museum in the park that we poked around for about an hour (Maria and I really enjoyed the interactive exhibits).
Because we love museums so much and have no money, we went to the free bank museum next (again, interactive exhibits, highly entertaining). We did not stay long, however, as we wanted to go to the vigil mass next door in St. Michael's cathedral. The cathedral was sick. The building itself was very old (gothic architecture : picture a taller, but smaller and brighter Notre Dame de Paris), but the inside (stained glass, organ, etc.) was all very modern. Mass was awesome, and we talked to the priest (nice man) for a minute afterwards. We ended our day with another fabulous (and cheap) dinner by the Grande Place and a long game of rummy.
Sorry if this post seemed rushed--I'm ready for bed :p Look on my FB wall for a video of our laundry adventure (if the stupid thing will ever post...)
TresAmi Love,
Daniel
We took yesterday as a sort of off day. We were all tired, sore, and wounded (blisters) from a long day in Paris and took full advantage of our private, 3 star hotel room. After arriving in Belgium around noon we checked into our hotel, made a few quick stops for lunch and Belgian chocolate, and retired to our room until dinner. Back in the room, we partook in fun activities such as Catan, cards, and personal hygiene upkeep. It was our first time to do these things in s while (except for cards and Catan)!
We went with our hotel's recommendation for dinner and it was fantastic. We've pretty much unanimously decided that Belgian food is our favorite so far. After dinner the fun began. We decided to do our laundry in the bathtub to save money. Big mistake. 3 hours, a room full of wet clothes, and a flooded bathroom later, we had finished our work. We thought.
I will always remember how I woke up today :
Maria : Guys... we have a problem.
Not the most pleasant way to start your day. Turns out none of our clothes were dry. Bruised and beaten, we carried trashbags of wet clothes to the laundromat to dry them the right way.
After our battle with our laundry (a battle we will hopefully never fight again), our day really began. We had a lunch of Belgian waffles and free ice cream. Super healthy. Then we headed over to the EU headquarters. The EU headquarters was awesome! But there's no entry on weekends so we looked at the building for about 3 seconds and went to the park across the street. The park was beautiful and Maria found some nice flowers to look at. We also found a Belgian war museum in the park that we poked around for about an hour (Maria and I really enjoyed the interactive exhibits).
Because we love museums so much and have no money, we went to the free bank museum next (again, interactive exhibits, highly entertaining). We did not stay long, however, as we wanted to go to the vigil mass next door in St. Michael's cathedral. The cathedral was sick. The building itself was very old (gothic architecture : picture a taller, but smaller and brighter Notre Dame de Paris), but the inside (stained glass, organ, etc.) was all very modern. Mass was awesome, and we talked to the priest (nice man) for a minute afterwards. We ended our day with another fabulous (and cheap) dinner by the Grande Place and a long game of rummy.
Sorry if this post seemed rushed--I'm ready for bed :p Look on my FB wall for a video of our laundry adventure (if the stupid thing will ever post...)
TresAmi Love,
Daniel
Friday, July 22, 2011
Paris, France
I can't believe that I've FINALLY been to the top of the Eiffel Tower!! I'm sorry we delayed blogging about this epic day, but our last night HAD to be spent admiring the Eiffel Tower from the big grassy area in front of it called the Champ de Mars. Yesterday was soo packed with sightseeing Paris, our feet literaly never got a rest. We started off at the Musee d'Orsay which houses the most fabulous impressionst art in the world. I totally loved seeing Degas' obsession with ballerinas, Monet's lilly pads, and Van Gogh's vibrant masterpieces. I took an amazing Art History class last year and it made me so excited to see works that I studied right before my eyes. After, we ate lunch at a yummy sandwich stand in the Latin Quarter. We took our lunch with us to stand in line at Sainte Chapelle. Sainte Chapelle was Saint Louis' royal chapel, and what makes it so special is that it is practically made out of pure stained glass. Standing in the middle if the huge glass room, we admired glass dipuctions of the Old and New Testaments and of cironations of French kings, since they believed that their kings recieved their power to rule from God. Leaving Sainte Chapelle, we ran over to Notre Dame de Paris, admired the classic gothic architecture, and tapped our feet on Pointe Zero of France, which means we are destined to come back to Paris;-) After we stopped by some beautiful Parisan parks, shops, and ofcourse we had to get some Parisan icecream! I got pear, and the boys got salted caramel, yummmm. After, I was dying to to go see where the epic beginning of the French Revolution took place, the BASTILLE!! Even though there is only a monument there today, I was still inspired with the feelings of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity:-). Despite the amazingness of all that, the most epic part was still to come...the top of the Eiffel Tower.
So everyones feet were hurting, everyone was exausted, and we knew we had to climb hundreds of steps but we pulled it together and started our venture to the top. I was obnoxiously excited. I still am thinking about it:-) So lots of lines and stairs later, the momebt arrived. The elevator doors swung open and I RAN out. So I didnt end up shedding any tears of joy but I still cant explain how happy I was. After staring at the view for a LONG time, we headed down to eat one last French dinner. It was lovely, but the Champ de Mars was even lovlier.
We said aurevoir to France and now we are in Belgium «eating choclate that is made by God» as Daniel would say. This trip is so exciting so many great memories already.
Happy Birthday Kelley!!
Love, The Tres Amis
So everyones feet were hurting, everyone was exausted, and we knew we had to climb hundreds of steps but we pulled it together and started our venture to the top. I was obnoxiously excited. I still am thinking about it:-) So lots of lines and stairs later, the momebt arrived. The elevator doors swung open and I RAN out. So I didnt end up shedding any tears of joy but I still cant explain how happy I was. After staring at the view for a LONG time, we headed down to eat one last French dinner. It was lovely, but the Champ de Mars was even lovlier.
We said aurevoir to France and now we are in Belgium «eating choclate that is made by God» as Daniel would say. This trip is so exciting so many great memories already.
Happy Birthday Kelley!!
Love, The Tres Amis
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Paris and Normandy in the rain, France
This morning we woke up extra early (sometime in the five o'clock hour) and hopped on a train to the American cemetery and the D-Day beaches in Normandy. All of us, but especially Tim were looking forward to this historic and reverent experience. After a two hour train ride of doozing off, we arrived and ofcourse it had to be raining. We started in the museum at the entrance of the cemetery, and then decided to make or way down to Omaha beach. It was tranquil, eery, and very thought provoking. I stood there imagining the events on June 6, 1944. Americans, Canadians, and British storming up the coast and charging the enemy. This beautiful beach is the symbol for Europe's liberation, but really France's existence truly shows the meaning of this day.
After the beach we walked through the cemetery and saw its monuments dedicated to liberty. The rows of white crosses and Star of David were absolutely awe inspiring. What an incredible experience!
We headed back for an evening in Paris to explore Montmatre and Sacre Coeur. Sacre Coeur competes with Notre Dame as the most gorgeous cathedral in Paris. Her domes and her status as the highest point of Paris are striking. After we headed to eat in the artsy Montmatre and we did indeed have a fabulous Parisan meal. After our lovelt meal we ventured out into the eain once more. We wanted to get to the Effiel Tower before it closed but we were a bit to late. We will be heading up tomorrow evening as the perfect ending to our adventure in France. I cant waittttt!!
Love, Maria
After the beach we walked through the cemetery and saw its monuments dedicated to liberty. The rows of white crosses and Star of David were absolutely awe inspiring. What an incredible experience!
We headed back for an evening in Paris to explore Montmatre and Sacre Coeur. Sacre Coeur competes with Notre Dame as the most gorgeous cathedral in Paris. Her domes and her status as the highest point of Paris are striking. After we headed to eat in the artsy Montmatre and we did indeed have a fabulous Parisan meal. After our lovelt meal we ventured out into the eain once more. We wanted to get to the Effiel Tower before it closed but we were a bit to late. We will be heading up tomorrow evening as the perfect ending to our adventure in France. I cant waittttt!!
Love, Maria
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Paris, France
After a long overnight train and surviving the broken air conditioner
of our coach, we arrived in the city of love to find it raining. And
rained all day, it did.
of our coach, we arrived in the city of love to find it raining. And
rained all day, it did.
Out first adventure of the day consisted of a thirty minute ordeal to
try to find a way to London that was economically feasible, but it
just wasn't meant to be. After hearing the advice of our ticket agent,
we agreed to travel to Brussels, Belgium in lieu of London. Chocolate
and waffles here we come!
After settling in at our hostel, we ventured out for lunch to a place
Daniel frequented when he was studying abroad in Paris. La Top Gun was
excellent.
We then met up with the New Europe walking tour for a three hour wet
adventure through the city. We had a really funny Australian tour
guide, but the rain and our combined knowledge of the history of Paris
made it seem like we could have benefited more by frolicking on our
own. At least we can say we have walked through Paris in the rain!
Afterwards, we took some well needed showers. Daniel and I discovered
that we managed to sunburn ourselves pretty decently in Nice (ouch!)!!
We better use more sunscreen next time!
We headed to dinner on the Champs Élysées, courtesy of my parents! We
found a Belgian restaurant that served superb mussels, and we had a
great time picking away at those and talking over breaking bread.
Thanks Mom and Dad!
To end the night we watched the last Harry Potter movie. We originally
planned to see it in London, but that plan went south fast after 500
euro Chunnel tickets. We all enjoyed the last installment of our
childhood series and are very sad that it is all finally over.
Mischief Managed!
Tomorrow we head to Normandy!!
Tim
Monday, July 18, 2011
Nice, FRANCE!
Hi everyone! Today was such a relaxing day, and it will probably be our last until we get back home. All we did was hang out on la Cote d'Azur in the touristy but lovely Nice, France. At first we weren't too sure about coming here because the beaches are ROCKY instead of sandy. We took Daniel's word on coming here and boy am I so glad we did, Nice is the ultimate Medeterranian/Provencale spot with really delicous food; its llike France and Italy had a food baby.
This morning we checked out of our hostel and headed to the local market to buy some wholesale breakfast. We got four pains au chocolats and four croissants for four euro. After, we headed to the beach to spend the day in the sun and eat our breakfast. The view on the beach was gorgeous! The water was a very vibrant light blue with a deep dark blue color in the distance. The rocks really weren't bad because they are very small and smooth. The water was so cold, but we all ended up going for a nice swim. We just layed on the beach and popped in the water whenever we needed, it was so refreshing!
For lunch we went to another café and we all ordered pizza AGAIN!:-) I orded a pizza Provencale with olives, eggplant, peppers, basil, and lots of cheese, and the boys got a simple but delicous Pizza Magurite. As soon as we finished lunch we went to get some amazing icecream. I must say I am absolutely in love with Passion Fruit icecream so I get it every single chance I can. After we just headed back to the beach to enjoy the sun even more. Daniel and Tim got a little sunburt but hopefully it will turn to tan ...really soon! We decided to head to the Monoprix once again to try and buy dinner. I am very proud I bought a ggreat one for only two euro. Nice was so amazing. We are off to Paris in an hour and a half!
This morning we checked out of our hostel and headed to the local market to buy some wholesale breakfast. We got four pains au chocolats and four croissants for four euro. After, we headed to the beach to spend the day in the sun and eat our breakfast. The view on the beach was gorgeous! The water was a very vibrant light blue with a deep dark blue color in the distance. The rocks really weren't bad because they are very small and smooth. The water was so cold, but we all ended up going for a nice swim. We just layed on the beach and popped in the water whenever we needed, it was so refreshing!
For lunch we went to another café and we all ordered pizza AGAIN!:-) I orded a pizza Provencale with olives, eggplant, peppers, basil, and lots of cheese, and the boys got a simple but delicous Pizza Magurite. As soon as we finished lunch we went to get some amazing icecream. I must say I am absolutely in love with Passion Fruit icecream so I get it every single chance I can. After we just headed back to the beach to enjoy the sun even more. Daniel and Tim got a little sunburt but hopefully it will turn to tan ...really soon! We decided to head to the Monoprix once again to try and buy dinner. I am very proud I bought a ggreat one for only two euro. Nice was so amazing. We are off to Paris in an hour and a half!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Nice, France
It's late. I'm tired. Our day:
5:30--Wake up
6:00-- Walk through Lourdes in the pouring rain to the train station
6:30--Get on train
8:30--Wake up again
8:45--Sit in train station
9:45--Sit in train station
10:45--Sit in train station
11:45--Sit in train station
12:15--Get on train
12:16--Begin playing Catan
13:15--DANIEL WINS CATAN!!!
13:16--Begin playing cards with Guillaume, a small, cocky, French child.
14:15--Play another game with Guillaume.
15:15--Play another game with Guillaume.
16:15--Guillaume gets off the train. We are sad.
16:16--Begin playing game 2 of Catan. Completely forget Guillaume existed.
17:15--Still playing Catan. Daniel has 37 rock and nothing else.
18:30--Get off train.
19:00--Check in at hostel. Consider showering. Go to dinner instead.
20:00--Eat the best pizza of our lives. Is that really how you spell pizza?
21:00--Eat the smallest crème caramel. Ever.
21:30--Watch the Women's World Cup Final.
21:50--"I hope we go into overtime!"
22:10--"We're gonna win!"
22:30--"Okay, now we can't lose!"
23:00--Daniel feels urge to strangle Australians rooting for Japan behind the bar.
23:01--Quickly leave the bar.
23:15--Walk home along the beach.
23:45--Meet a kid from WashU. He was cool. Can't figure out why he didn't get into Emory. Too bad...
1:09--Going to bed!!! Goodnight :)
5:30--Wake up
6:00-- Walk through Lourdes in the pouring rain to the train station
6:30--Get on train
8:30--Wake up again
8:45--Sit in train station
9:45--Sit in train station
10:45--Sit in train station
11:45--Sit in train station
12:15--Get on train
12:16--Begin playing Catan
13:15--DANIEL WINS CATAN!!!
13:16--Begin playing cards with Guillaume, a small, cocky, French child.
14:15--Play another game with Guillaume.
15:15--Play another game with Guillaume.
16:15--Guillaume gets off the train. We are sad.
16:16--Begin playing game 2 of Catan. Completely forget Guillaume existed.
17:15--Still playing Catan. Daniel has 37 rock and nothing else.
18:30--Get off train.
19:00--Check in at hostel. Consider showering. Go to dinner instead.
20:00--Eat the best pizza of our lives. Is that really how you spell pizza?
21:00--Eat the smallest crème caramel. Ever.
21:30--Watch the Women's World Cup Final.
21:50--"I hope we go into overtime!"
22:10--"We're gonna win!"
22:30--"Okay, now we can't lose!"
23:00--Daniel feels urge to strangle Australians rooting for Japan behind the bar.
23:01--Quickly leave the bar.
23:15--Walk home along the beach.
23:45--Meet a kid from WashU. He was cool. Can't figure out why he didn't get into Emory. Too bad...
1:09--Going to bed!!! Goodnight :)
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Lourdes, France
When we arrived in Lourdes, France last night I was more excited than I have ever been in my life. Lourdes is this beautiful city tucked into the rolling Pyrennes Mountains. Today was possibly the most beautiful and holy day of our lives so far. We filled every single moment of today with prayer mass prayer prayer and more mass. We woke up bright and early (7am) to catch the morning pilgrim service. We didnt know exactly what this pilgrim service entailed, but we ended up doing different things with it all day. At first we thought the English speaking group was not going to show up, but they did at the very last minute (good thing, or else Tim wouldve had to deal with French all day long).
The first thing we did was go to the English daily mass in a chapel where we met a priest who met Chris and Stephanie Lafitte while they were here! I love doing things with English groups in Europe because we get to hang out with a bunch of British, Irish, Canadian, and Austrailian travelers too!:-) After mass we went exploring, and then we participated in Stations of the cross with our group. The stations in Lourdes are all situated on a mountain, and they are huge and made with beautiful gold looking metal. They statioms were probably the thing that fed my heart the most today, it was just exactly what I needed! After the stations we went to lunch and ate some REALLY yummy sandwiches for super cheap. I love French sandwiches beause they put lots of butter on it along with the ham and cheese! After lunch we did some intense rosary shopping, and then we went back to the sanctuaries to go to the grotto and pray in the cathedrals and basicilas. The grotto was such a holy experience. We stood in the exact place where Mary appeared to St. Bernadette. We stck around and prayed and filled our containers with holy water to bring back.
We stopped in the cathedrals and the crypt where the relics of St. Bernadette are. We then met up with our English group again to go through the footsteps of St. Bernadette. We visited where she was born, where she grew up, her parish church, and the convent where St. Bernadette studied and became a sister. Being where she was, created such a feeling of closeness that I have never had before with my beloved saint. After we finished that we participated tha Eucharistic procession through Lourdes and it concluded with a wonderful hour of adoration in the huge underground basilica. Strait after that we headed to Vigil mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Rosary because we will be on the train most of tomorrow. We had a ravishing three course French dinner for super cheap. Vevelty French potato soup, chicken with amazing crisp skin, French green beans, bread ofcourse, and icecream and creme caramel for dessert. Our waitress was soo amazingly nice, and kept complimenting our French:-).
The grande finale was the breathtaking candlelight procession that all the sick and other pilgrims participate in. Everyone lights their candle and we all say a rosary in 5 differnt languages together. It was so beautiful to begin and end Lourdes with this. During the ceramony a cute little French nun came up to us and just started talking to us. She was soo cute, it made my night.
As we end our trip here in Lourdes we want everyone to know weve been praying for you very hard, especially those on Aggie Awakening, The CRHP retreat and all our family and friends back at home.
Big Hugs,
Love,
The Tres Amis
Friday, July 15, 2011
Lourdes, France
So today we got on a metro. And then a train, and then another train, and then another train, and then we walked. This took up about 90% of our day.
Pros:
We discovered that we can travel together and not be cranky. Kind of...
Sailors of Catan? Sweet.
5€ lunch. Dessert included.
Tim the Spaniard is born.
Cons:
It is HARD to sleep on a train. Except for Maria. She's got it down.
Banks on strike in France=no cash. Food? Maybe we'll become gypsies...
We discovered that Maria can not get her backpack down from the luggage storage spot on the trains.
Tim's phone does not hold charge long enough to finish a game of Catan. Not even close.
Of course, we are now in Lourdes. I won't say too much about this though because Maria is going to do a big blog entry on the city/our pilgrimmage tomorrow. I will say that we went to a candle-light service tonight that was pretty cool... despite the fact that our candles were malfunctioning :p
Look for videos on my FB wall going up later tonight!
En-FRANCE en-core,
Daniel
Pros:
We discovered that we can travel together and not be cranky. Kind of...
Sailors of Catan? Sweet.
5€ lunch. Dessert included.
Tim the Spaniard is born.
Cons:
It is HARD to sleep on a train. Except for Maria. She's got it down.
Banks on strike in France=no cash. Food? Maybe we'll become gypsies...
We discovered that Maria can not get her backpack down from the luggage storage spot on the trains.
Tim's phone does not hold charge long enough to finish a game of Catan. Not even close.
Of course, we are now in Lourdes. I won't say too much about this though because Maria is going to do a big blog entry on the city/our pilgrimmage tomorrow. I will say that we went to a candle-light service tonight that was pretty cool... despite the fact that our candles were malfunctioning :p
Look for videos on my FB wall going up later tonight!
En-FRANCE en-core,
Daniel
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Madrid, Spain
Today, we discovered something that we will be partaking in rather frequently throughout the rest of our journey : free walking tours. We met our tour guide (and about 20 other tourists) in Madrid´s Plaza Mayor at 11 am to start our 3 hour trek through the city. Fiona, our little Irish tour guide, was great--she shared gems of knowledge such as the popular suicide spots in Madrid and facts about King Carlos the Useless. But seriously, we learned a lot. We saw the oldest restaurant in the world, some restaurants that Hemmingway ate in (that would be all of them), and statues explaining how Inquisition victims were strangled. We also ate one euro ¨bocadillo de jamon¨ at the ham museum for lunch. I had two. I could have had more. Trip highlight for sure.
After our tour we went to check out the Cathedral de la Almudena and Palacio Real. The cathedral was awesome. It was very brightly colored on the inside, unlike most of the cathedrals we´ve seen at home and abroad, and it was huge. We spent about an hour inside exploring and praying. Palacio Real is supposedly the largest palace in Western Europe. After having seen Chambord and Versailles, I refuse to believe this. Admittedly, it was very cool. Again, the inside was very brightly colored, which was very different than the chateaux of France. We spent about an hour here as well poking around the bedrooms, dining rooms, and hallways of Spanish royalty.
Currently, Tim is asleep and Maria and I are taking a bit of a breather as well. Tonight we will do a little bit of souvenir shopping, check out the Museo Reina Sophia, and eat some tapas. We have an 8am train to Lourdes tomorrow morning so we will either be waking up at 6am or not going to sleep, and I REFUSE to wake up at 6am... but we´ll see if Tim and Maria can´t talk some sense into me (translation : Maria will later tonight talk some sense into Tim and I, and we will all be in bed early and well rested for our travels tomorrow. This is exactly how it will happen.)
Again, pictures to come in a bit! The Spanish don´t like tourists taking pictures so we weren´t able to get them everywhere today, but we will post what we have!
I still miss cheeseburgers,
Daniel
After our tour we went to check out the Cathedral de la Almudena and Palacio Real. The cathedral was awesome. It was very brightly colored on the inside, unlike most of the cathedrals we´ve seen at home and abroad, and it was huge. We spent about an hour inside exploring and praying. Palacio Real is supposedly the largest palace in Western Europe. After having seen Chambord and Versailles, I refuse to believe this. Admittedly, it was very cool. Again, the inside was very brightly colored, which was very different than the chateaux of France. We spent about an hour here as well poking around the bedrooms, dining rooms, and hallways of Spanish royalty.
Currently, Tim is asleep and Maria and I are taking a bit of a breather as well. Tonight we will do a little bit of souvenir shopping, check out the Museo Reina Sophia, and eat some tapas. We have an 8am train to Lourdes tomorrow morning so we will either be waking up at 6am or not going to sleep, and I REFUSE to wake up at 6am... but we´ll see if Tim and Maria can´t talk some sense into me (translation : Maria will later tonight talk some sense into Tim and I, and we will all be in bed early and well rested for our travels tomorrow. This is exactly how it will happen.)
Again, pictures to come in a bit! The Spanish don´t like tourists taking pictures so we weren´t able to get them everywhere today, but we will post what we have!
I still miss cheeseburgers,
Daniel
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Toledo, Spain
and nuns in habits bustling around the streets and the most beautiful
cathedral I've ever seen (yes even more beautiful than the ones in
France). The alterpiece is absolutely glorious along with its 20 side
chapels! I also saw the biggest monstrance I've ever seen, it was the
size of a Christmas tree! After the cathedral we set off to find the
Hospital Tavera which is not a hospital but a renaissance palace. We
hiked close to a mile to find out it is under renovation!! But it
wasnt easy. At first we thought everyone was just on their siestas,
then we thought we were at the wrong place. It was quite the
experience. It is particularly rough hiking around Toledo with its
cobblestone streets and crazy elevation changes. Toledo is basically
built on a mountain and we were very thankful for the five story
escalator running up the side of it.:-) So this morning we had a train
to catch to Toledo at 9:20. Unfortunately there was an alarm mix up
this morning and we missed our train by 5 minutes!! But yayy for
eurail; we just ended up catching the next one. We are determined
never to miss a train again! As the day continues on In Toledo we are
enjoying a cafe and plan to go to mass at the cathedral at 6:30. Of
course, after that, we will try and catch the USA verses France
women's soccer game:-)
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Madrid, Spain
Hi everyone! You´ll be happy to know that Tim, Maria, and I are all safe and TOGETHER in Spain. I had been so anxious to meet up with everyone for about a week now, and it was music to my ears to hear Maria yelling at Tim on the top floor of our hostel (okay, not really yelling... we´re not sick of each other... yet...)
We had a lot to take care of today, mainly finding each other and buying train tickets for the next few days, but we had a lot of time for fun as well. We took the metro a couple stops west to the Plaza de Ramales to look for the Cristiano Ronaldo statue that I had wanted to see so bad that, sadly, does not actually exist. We also stopped in at Plaza Mayor and have even bigger plans for Madrid on Thursday (we will be in Toledo tomorrow).
After our little adventure, we all took showers (finally!) and headed out to a Tapas crawl with our hostel, where we ate more Spanish dishes than our stomachs were meant to hold. We ate at 4 restaurants over a course of 3 hours--this is turning out to be my kind of trip ;)
We´ll blog again tomorrow de Toledo!
Daniel
P.S. Photos to come soon!
We had a lot to take care of today, mainly finding each other and buying train tickets for the next few days, but we had a lot of time for fun as well. We took the metro a couple stops west to the Plaza de Ramales to look for the Cristiano Ronaldo statue that I had wanted to see so bad that, sadly, does not actually exist. We also stopped in at Plaza Mayor and have even bigger plans for Madrid on Thursday (we will be in Toledo tomorrow).
After our little adventure, we all took showers (finally!) and headed out to a Tapas crawl with our hostel, where we ate more Spanish dishes than our stomachs were meant to hold. We ate at 4 restaurants over a course of 3 hours--this is turning out to be my kind of trip ;)
We´ll blog again tomorrow de Toledo!
Daniel
P.S. Photos to come soon!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Newark, New Jersey
From: Maria and Tim
Making our way to Europe has been such a breeze...so far:-) As my mom
dropped us off at the airport this morning I knew it would be a long
but good day because I knew I would have lots of bonding time with
Tim! The flight to Newark was busy as we bustled through our
guidebooks once again! When we got here I was determined to find an
alternative side bag, because I decided I really just don't like the
one I'm using now. It's too small. Sadly our search was not fruitful,
and I'll gladly get one in Europe instead. Now we are sitting waiting
for our flight later this evening. Once we arrive in Madrid we will
finally meet up with Daniel at the hostel to put up our backpacks.
After that, since we are arriving on the morning, we will have a full
day of sight seeing in Madrid! We'll post again soon! For now I'm just
going to learn how to whistle and make a bridge shuffling cards lol.
Making our way to Europe has been such a breeze...so far:-) As my mom
dropped us off at the airport this morning I knew it would be a long
but good day because I knew I would have lots of bonding time with
Tim! The flight to Newark was busy as we bustled through our
guidebooks once again! When we got here I was determined to find an
alternative side bag, because I decided I really just don't like the
one I'm using now. It's too small. Sadly our search was not fruitful,
and I'll gladly get one in Europe instead. Now we are sitting waiting
for our flight later this evening. Once we arrive in Madrid we will
finally meet up with Daniel at the hostel to put up our backpacks.
After that, since we are arriving on the morning, we will have a full
day of sight seeing in Madrid! We'll post again soon! For now I'm just
going to learn how to whistle and make a bridge shuffling cards lol.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Finally Packed!
It's my first blog entry, so here goes nothing!
First off, I'm super excited to have this opportunity to travel Europe
with two great friends, Maria and Daniel. The trip was originally my
idea, but I got it from my parents, who both completed similar trips
in their college years. Although I didn't concern myself too much with
the attractions we are seeing (besides insisting on a day for
Normandy), I did take point on traveling between cities, finding
places to stay, and helping everyone get organized for the trip
(surprisingly). I let Daniel and Maria plan the fun (as I am too
indecisive/can have fun anywhere), while I hope to get us from point a
to point b without getting lost (although that's half the fun) or hurt
(it's ok I am an EMT)!
Today I traveled back from Slidell, Louisiana where I was celebrating
my Grandma's 80th birthday. The whole family was there and we had a
great time! I met the Landrys for dinner, and Maria and I spent the
rest of the night going through our packing list and fitting
everything into our bags (followed are some before and after
pictures!). It was a tight fit, to say the least!
I can't believe we are finally beginning our journey tomorrow! I doubt
I will be able to sleep tonight, but who knows that may help with the
whole time difference thing! Wish us luck and stay tuned for more!
-Tim
From : Daniel
To : Everyone
Message start.
Hey guys! I felt like it was finally time for me to make my first post on our blog before Tim and Maria get here and we start sprinting our marathon. I'm currently in Nice, France and LOVING IT. In fact, we may actually change our trip plans to Nice in lieu of Antibes now that I've seen both cities.
Just as a heads up, in addition to posting here, I am going to keep up with a video blog sort of thing on my facebook wall. Posts from each city at least, if not daily :) As a side note, I am indeed capable of doing the laundry. People make mistakes.
Tim, Maria, and I are going to make some awesome friends over here. In fact, when I got to Nice, I met 4 Australian guys that I hung out with until they left the hostel this morning. They're names were Tom-O, Dave-O, John-O, and Harry (who doesn't get an -O at the end of his name. Poor guy...) Australians are apparently big into wagers. For instance, if John-O doesn't cut his hair until February, he'll make 40 dollars! And Tom-O got an eyebrow piercing 2 weeks ago. I don't really know what he got in return for that though... Anyway, they all turned out to be good guys, and I'm pumped for all the people we're going to meet while we're over here.
That's all for today. I'm heading to the beach to catch a "Sandball" tourny. Don't forget to check my FB wall for vids!
Message end.
To : Everyone
Message start.
Hey guys! I felt like it was finally time for me to make my first post on our blog before Tim and Maria get here and we start sprinting our marathon. I'm currently in Nice, France and LOVING IT. In fact, we may actually change our trip plans to Nice in lieu of Antibes now that I've seen both cities.
Just as a heads up, in addition to posting here, I am going to keep up with a video blog sort of thing on my facebook wall. Posts from each city at least, if not daily :) As a side note, I am indeed capable of doing the laundry. People make mistakes.
Tim, Maria, and I are going to make some awesome friends over here. In fact, when I got to Nice, I met 4 Australian guys that I hung out with until they left the hostel this morning. They're names were Tom-O, Dave-O, John-O, and Harry (who doesn't get an -O at the end of his name. Poor guy...) Australians are apparently big into wagers. For instance, if John-O doesn't cut his hair until February, he'll make 40 dollars! And Tom-O got an eyebrow piercing 2 weeks ago. I don't really know what he got in return for that though... Anyway, they all turned out to be good guys, and I'm pumped for all the people we're going to meet while we're over here.
That's all for today. I'm heading to the beach to catch a "Sandball" tourny. Don't forget to check my FB wall for vids!
Message end.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
From Maria:
Right now, Tim Norman is in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, I am back at home, and Daniel is waiting it out in Nice, France practicing his laundry skills (if you guys haven't seen his video on facebook it's totally hilarious. nevertheless, I will probably be doing the laundry from here on out;-).
I spent this past week on my family reunion trip in Florida, and I really loved sharing with my family all about our soon-to-be trip of a lifetime. I have to say, the more and more I talked about the trip, the more real it became! This will truly be a time where I discover myself, the experience glory of God in Europe, and make really amazing memories with Tim and Daniel. I know many think I and maybe Daniel too are French purists, and it's true I AM MOST excited about Lourdes, but I know we will be overwhelmed beyond our wildest imagination by the rest of Europe.
So, in less then two days we will all be together beginning our trip in Madrid, SPAIN!! Between now and then, I've got a lot of last minute things to do (pack to perfection). Tim and I will be taking off Monday morning at 10:45 on a flight to New York, and after a good 5 hour lay over we will take off for Madrid. Hopefully this 16 hours of travel time will be a great start to the trip for Tim and I :-). As we are heading east, Daniel will be taking a train west to meet us. And there it will all begin...
Right now, Tim Norman is in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, I am back at home, and Daniel is waiting it out in Nice, France practicing his laundry skills (if you guys haven't seen his video on facebook it's totally hilarious. nevertheless, I will probably be doing the laundry from here on out;-).
I spent this past week on my family reunion trip in Florida, and I really loved sharing with my family all about our soon-to-be trip of a lifetime. I have to say, the more and more I talked about the trip, the more real it became! This will truly be a time where I discover myself, the experience glory of God in Europe, and make really amazing memories with Tim and Daniel. I know many think I and maybe Daniel too are French purists, and it's true I AM MOST excited about Lourdes, but I know we will be overwhelmed beyond our wildest imagination by the rest of Europe.
So, in less then two days we will all be together beginning our trip in Madrid, SPAIN!! Between now and then, I've got a lot of last minute things to do (pack to perfection). Tim and I will be taking off Monday morning at 10:45 on a flight to New York, and after a good 5 hour lay over we will take off for Madrid. Hopefully this 16 hours of travel time will be a great start to the trip for Tim and I :-). As we are heading east, Daniel will be taking a train west to meet us. And there it will all begin...
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