Franco Fridays: The Last Day

First, Ella asked me to share her newest blog post, and I forgot on Wednesday.  She loves it when you leave comments on her blog.

Second, this is the last day of our anniversary trip in France last May!

We began the day with lunch in Reuill-Malmaison. I guess beginning the day with lunch means that we were pretty tired at this point.

I feel like French dining is such an experience.  They relax and go slow at the table, and nothing beats their food presentation.

 

After lunch we went in to Paris with no big plans for the day.  We did a little last-minute purchasing and walking by the Seine one last time.  It's a pleasant and relaxing way to spend an afternoon.

I told KJ yesterday as I was looking through pictures that when I saw the photo of him in front of the bookseller I thought, "I like Paris KJ's style."  Then I saw the gray New Balances in this picture and realized the style transformation didn't make it all the way down to his feet.  They say you can always tell Americans by their footwear.  They are generally correct.

I can't remember where I read it, but I read some funny thoughts on American travelers recently, about how we look like we're prepared for a day hiking through the jungle instead of a civilized western city.  We wear our hiking gear, carry our backpacks with snacks and bottled water, as if those amenities can't be bought as needed along the way.  It was a startlingly accurate and hilarious depiction.  There are probably many reasons for this, maybe one of which is when Americans come to Europe, they're not usually there to relax in one place, they are on a mission to fit in seeing as much as they possibly can.

 

We couldn't decide what to do next, but after I bought a made-to-look-old map with the monuments of Paris on it I got an idea.  Oddly enough, we used our vintage tourist map to guide us on our way.

 

We walked all around the river near Little Lady Liberty.

 

You can't get away from that tower; it was a constant reminder to me that "Hey!  I'm in Paris!"

I didn't expect to see a boat named Mississippi floating on the Seine.  I think the views on this dinner cruise are just a tad bit different than what you'd find on the Mississippi River.  It made me wonder, "Who comes to Paris to experience a Mississippi-like paddleboat cruise with Southern style cuisine?"

After Lady Liberty we met Cedric at La Defense and did a little more work for our timelapse video, followed by dinner and Bible study with the young adults of EIC.  And then it was farewell to Paris for 2013.

It's a pretty amazing thing to look back over the past year and realize that our partnerships and connections with believers and churches in Paris was only just beginning. It's exciting to get small glimpses of what God is doing in different parts of the world.  We have so enjoyed getting to know the people of Emmanuel International Church and hearing their stories.