Coming Home Today!

(The Final installment in Jessica's European Excursion.)
An apple tart I got from a nearby bakery.
The Charles de Gualle airport in Paris.

Here is our airplane. I saw it as I walked down the hall.
Lunch on the airplane included foods such as a roll, pasta, and salad. There was apple cinnamon cake for dessert.The airplane dinner was grapes, pizza, and cookies.
The beautiful sunset I saw out of the airplane window on our way home.
I'm glad I got to go on this amazing trip! Thanks to everyone who made this trip possible!

Paris Day Six (Almost Done!)

(Jessica resumes her dialogue.)
Inside the Musee de Louvre. I am looking at the amazing glass pyramid upside-down.
The statue called Winged Victory.

The famous Mona Lisa, probably the most popular attraction in the Louvre. The security tightens more and more around it as time goes by.

Underneath the pyramid. It gave a nice view of the outer museum.

Napoleon III's apartments. They are very luxurious and are definitely fit for a king.

The majestic Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart) church.

I am standing in front of a fountain at the Sacre Coeur church.
An authentic Parisian chocolate eclair! Can it get any better than this?

Paris (Day Five) (Part Two)

(And now back to our regularly scheduled post.) (Jessica continues telling of her trip through pictures.)

The outside of the Musee de Louvre, including the glass pyramid. We didn't go inside the Louvre until the next day. Outside Notre Dame. It was so big I couldn't take a picture of the whole building!
We got to see the three doors up close. You can see from this picture that the doorways are very detailed with pictures of Christ and His ministry.
One of the many beautiful stained glass windows of Notre Dame. We got to go inside while they were performing a Sunday service.
Standing in front of a statue and pond in the garden of Versailles.
The amazing fountains of Versailles.
An amazing view of all the lush green gardens of Versailles.
A view of Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower.

(Important Service Announcement) Food Co-op for July

We interrupt our regularly scheduled post of Jessica's Trip for this health food update.
Half -share for $14.
2 lbs. chicken drumsticks
1 lb pkg. salmon fillets
1 green pepper
2 corn
1 bunch romaine lettuce
3 apricots from Tagge Farms (local)
3 peaches
1 lb bag rice
1 loaf Stone Ground Bakery Whole Grain Bread
1 mango

For more info on the food co-op please visit www.foodco-op.org Order for August is due August 8th for the August 23rd pick-up.

Paris (Day Five) (Part One)

Les Invalides in Paris where ill and elderly soldiers were housed. It is also home to the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte. I thought the spire was very pretty.
The Arc de Triomphe was built after one of Napoleon Bonaparte's war victories. We were able to see it from all sides as we circled around it in our tour bus.
The obelisk given to France by the Egyptians in the Place de la Concorde. It even has Egyptian hieroglyphics engraved upon it!
The fountain next to the obelisk at the Place de la Concorde.
The Academie Nationale De Musique, home of the Paris Opera.
The Moulin Rouge, or the Red Windmill.

A Real Picture of the Eiffel Tower (Day Four)

(Jessica continues her narration.) We got to see the amazing Eiffel Tower. It was even bigger than I had imagined and it was awesome to be able to see it with my very own eyes!

The Atomium was built for the 1958 Brussels World's Fair. We were privileged to visit it on our way to Paris.
A view of the Paris metro. On our trip we traveled a lot on the metro and it was often very crowded.
The first museum we visited was the Musée d'Orsay. We had to leave earlier than expected because someone left a black bag and the museum officials thought that there was the possibility of a bomb threat.
An Impressionist painting at the Musée d'Orsay. I love how the artist used so many different colors.
Here I am standing in front of the Eiffel Tower. (With the step behind me it almost appears as if the Eiffel Tower is just a backdrop but I really am standing in front of the Tower.)
Notre Dame at dusk. I took this picture on a sightseeing boat ride on the Seine River.
One of the many bridges crossing the Seine River in Paris.
The Eiffel Tower is very beautiful at night. For ten minutes each hour, the Eiffel Tower sparkles with glittering silver lights.

Third Day in Brussels, Belgium (CHOCOLATE!)

Mmmmmmmmm, chocolate....... Belgium chocolate. At one of the hotels there were dark and milk chocolate and fruit sprinkles for toast and chocolate hazelnut spread in the little packets. (I brought this home to share.)

Employees at the Delft Porcelain Factory in Delft showing us how they made the porcelain.
A fancy government building in Brussels, Belgium.
A statue we saw as we toured Brussels.
A statue called The Lonely Man. He does look like he could use some company...
An authentic Belgium Waffle from Belgium! I just had to say that .
Standing by the statue of a man with his dog sitting on the edge of a fountain. There was a little market nearby.
You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream! Because everyone loves ice cream, right?! I was able to taste the yummy peach flavor.
We were able to go on a night tour of Belgium. This is the Grand Plaz (Grand Plaza) of Belgium. On the Friday night we went there, a rock band was performing with the theme of "Together in Diversity."

Amsterdam Second Day

(Jessica continues her narration.) (We're glad Jessica got to go on this trip with a small group from school. It was hard letting her go on a trip to Europe by herself though. Fortunately we knew a few of the other people who went on the trip including her French teacher whom we trusted with our precious daughter.) We took a trip to a family-owned cheese and clog factory.

A woman there explained to us how they made the various kinds of cheese. I especially enjoyed taste-testing the Stinging Nettle cheese, which was spicy, but tasted good.

Here I am sitting in a giant clog. I never thought that I would be able to sit inside a shoe.

We visited the little city of Volendaam and I even had the chance to wade in the North Sea.

Here are a few of the many windmills that have been preserved in Zaanse Schans.

We were able to go inside of a windmill and see how it worked. There are so many mechanisms involved in working a windmill!

One of the most interesting things we got to see today was the Anne Frank House. Here is the statue of Anne; the girl who wrote the famous diary and was always optimistic. Her story has touched the lives of people all over the world.