Perfect Parisian Weather (A Day or Two at a Time)…

The month of May proved to be slightly cooler than I had first hoped.  There were not two days in a row that offered sunshine and warm temps together for the majority of the month.  And sometimes we’d be treated to overcast skies and drizzle and wind for days on end.  Needless to say, when the sun did appear, my friend Heather and I tried to take full advantage of it.  Heather had long wanted to capture some iconic shots around the city and it’s really difficult to do that alone.  So armed with my camera, the two of us frolicked here and there around Paris, posing and experimenting with angles and light, and genuinely had a blast during some of our last days in our favorite city…

(The following pictures were tweaked and formatted by the fabulous Heather, so I give her all the credit.  I love all the ones she used in her “Parisian Antics” album, and they are just too good to not include here…)

Pot de Départ…

With the end of my contract came the inevitable goodbyes to my students and French colleagues.  Each class was very sweet in the way they chose to say goodbye.  Some sang lyrics to the songs I had taught them, some made cards and drawings, and some joined together to throw a festive luncheon!  I was so touched by their thoughtfulness.  The teachers and directors were wonderful, too!  At one school, the director presented me with a bouquet of flowers and the teachers had little gifts for me.  And at the other school, champagne was uncorked and a toast was given in my honor in addition to an offering of lovely gifts.  I was quite spoiled during the months I spent at both schools!  I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first began and some things ended up unfolding differently than I had first been led to believe.  But, in the end, everything worked out quite well.  I do miss all those kiddos, and the teachers and directors.  But I have lovely souvenirs to remind me of my time with them, and I look forward to keeping in touch with notes and postcards, and maybe even a package with some children’s books for future English assistants to use in their lessons…

The American Church in Paris…

One of my favorite buildings in Paris quickly became The American Church in Paris.  Not only was it the location where I worshipped each Sunday, but also the place where I was involved with a number of activities during my months in the city.  I am not known for any sort of culinary expertise, but I found myself in the church’s kitchen on a regular basis…I was involved with everything from helping with the holiday bake sale to preparing homemade pizza for the Young Adult meetings every other Tuesday to helping with the set up and break down of dinner each week for Thurber Thursdays.  I so enjoyed meeting new folks with each new activity and it was comforting to start seeing familiar faces after a short while.

The church in the spiritual sense is certainly composed of the members of the ‘body,’ rather than the actual building itself.  However, in the case of The American Church in Paris, I was always awestruck by the beauty that surrounded me each time I entered the sanctuary.  I stayed after one service to hear volunteers share the history behind the building and congregation and was thrilled to learn more details about the church’s background...How the congregation began meeting in a different location in the early 1800s, and the actual building where the church now stands was not built until the early 1900s.  How Nazi officers were pursuing one of the church elders, but he escaped detection by concealing himself in the old organ.  How the chandeliers are lowered for cleaning by turning a crank located in a small crawl space between the ceiling of the sanctuary and the roof.  How the two Tiffany stained glass windows are part of the fewer than 20 that are installed outside of the United States and were a special commission by a former parishioner to be given to ACP in honor of his wife.  So many intricate details and stories…I fell even more in love with the space after listening to the knowledgeable guides.  I wasn’t able to capture as many photos of the windows as I would have liked, but what I did capture will remind me of the beautiful friends and community that I made and enjoyed there during my short stay in Paris.

Springtime view from quai d'Orsay...

Versailles 3.0

I so enjoyed my visits to the gardens of Versailles during my stay in Paris.  I was able to go for the third time in the middle of April and was fortunate to be in the company of my friend Julie.  Julie hails from California and was on the last leg of her "European Vacation," an almost 3-week trip throughout the continent!  The morning that we arranged to meet was one of the first spring days with water coursing through the fountains and classical music filling the air.  It was magical!  After wandering all around for a bit, we were collected at the entrance to the palace grounds by the mom of the family with whom Julie was staying.  The entire family invited me to join them and Julie for the afternoon.  We boarded the commuter train and headed back to the city...me, Julie, the mom, the dad, 3 of the 5 children and grandpa!  We ate a delicious restaurant (Le Komptoir) in the Beaubourg area before entering the Centre Pompidou to see the Matisse exhibit.  It was such a lovely afternoon, and I was so spoiled to spend so much time with such wonderful company.  Thank you again, Julie and the famille Latil!!

In and Around Paris...

The days have been passing more and more quickly.  I can hardly believe that my time here is drawing to a close :(

Over the past few weeks, I've been wandering here and there, taking all sorts of pictures...in no particular order...

Gone Dubai-bye…

Question:  Which vacation spot is the obvious choice for a fair-skinned, be-freckled, overly dehydrated traveler?

Why, the desert, of course.

Obviously.

I couldn’t wait for my desert adventure to begin.  We have family friends (Tara and Michael) who are living in Dubai, UAE for the next few years.  When they visited Paris during the Christmas holidays, I was fortunate enough to spend Christmas Eve with them.  I was curious to know more about their experiences and asked for their thoughts about having visitors (read: I pretty much invited myself over…shameless, I know…a more gracious family you have never met!)  I made my travel arrangements in January and looked forward to April with great anticipation.  The day of my departure finally arrived!  The week that followed flew by, but I feel like I saw both the expected touristic sights, as well as aspects of everyday life in Dubai…

Easter Bells…

I had the opportunity (and honor) to ‘ring dem bells’ (as my Gramps says) at two of the Easter services at The American Church in Paris.  I had heard that approximately 1,000 people (combined) would be expected to attend the 9am and 11am services.  I meant to look out into the sanctuary to see all of those faces when our group went forward to perform, but the adrenaline took over and the only thing I could focus on was my music and furiously counting!  The musicians were asked to arrive at 715am in order to adjust robes and rehearse a few more times before the first service began.  Happily, I was early enough to attend a few minutes of the Sunrise Service out on the quai.  I have never been to an Easter Sunrise Service before, nor have I seen the sun rise in Paris before, so that was a very special experience!  It was forecasted to rain that day, but what a blessing that it stayed clear all day – Praise the Lord!  After church, Heather and I spent the rest of the afternoon together.  We grabbed a very nice brunch at a restaurant near her place and eventually wound our way to the apartment of her friend where we visited with other new acquaintances for a few hours.  It was so nice to meet them all, and particularly nice to meet Heather’s friend, Tamara…

Originally from Australia, but grew up in Dubai…

Was going to be heading back home for the upcoming 2-week vacation…

The same exact time frame when I was going to be spending one week in Dubai (!!)

What?!

Such an amazing coincidence!  We made plans to be in touch during my visit…more to follow on that wonderful trip!