Day 13 Easter Sunday

Wanting to go to Easter Mass at Notre Dame de Paris was on our list of things to do for our trip. So we chose to stay with Mary and Brent even though a floor spot was all that was open at their place. We woke up and readied for mass getting to the Cathedral 45 minutes early to stand in line our odds looked good. With 15 minutes left till the start of mass we were close but then for some reason it looked like 4 or 5 other lines had started and were prepared to enter for mass in front of us. So sadly, since we did not embrace the French way of not waiting in lines and just cutting to the front we were denied entry. After much consideration we chose to walk back home and see a few sites on the way.
Hotel De Ville, Paris' city hall and the center of all things political in Paris.
Centre Pompidou, a modern art museum with a very unique exterior. The building was created to be inside-out. Meaning that all the duct work, electricity, and utilities are on the exterior of the building instead of the inside hidden within the walls.

Near where Mary and Brent live in Paris there is a square and Metro station stop called Place de la République, this is where the Statue of Marianne is located.

Marianne is to the French as the Statue of Liberty is to the United States, but theirs is not surrounded by water. "Why is this an important fact to point out?", you ask. because this is where many of the protests begin in Paris and once they have gained mass and strength they typically march to Place de la Nation. Everyone remembers this past year when the french went on multiple strikes, and large protests were occurring.

Day 3

So before I get into day 3 a quick recap of Day 2... We started the day out with a crescent and crescent de chocolat, a crescent with dark chocolate in the middle it was very good! From there we decided to go walk around Troyes and look at the parks which are extremely beautiful. We also went to see the beautiful cathedral of St. Pierre and St. Paul, an amazing experience since it was my first old cathedral. The stained glass and the the way the light illuminated the sanctuary was really amazing. Here is one of the beautiful pieces of art inside the cathedral which is 3 pieces of glass but when looking at it from the front it makes an angel with golden wings. Here is the Kabob we shared for lunch it was delicious. Ashley says she will miss them when she leaves and I know I will miss them when I leave too!

Here was one of my favorite things so far on the trip. Ashley and I planned on grabbing a quick coffee before we went to her last class. We asked for an espresso and a cappuccino. Ashley then proceeded to ask for a "jug of water" or a pitcher of water. Little known to us we had just ordered a crepe with mint ice cream! Moral of the story is... even if you know the language ordering food is always an adventure. It sure did taste great!

After finishing our afternoon desert we made it to class and I made sure Ashley had a picture in front of her school on her last day. It reminded me of my mom when she always made sure to get a picture of me on my first day of class.

Day 3- I think I will just wait to update the day after so I will be able to post pictures. Hope all is well with all of our family and friends. Aurevoir!

P.S. A quick shout of Congratulations to Miss Cassie Brown! We are super proud of you, you are going to be an amazing teacher!