On to France

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But first, we had to stop by King's Cross station and take a picture.

This is what it looks like to travel at 180 mph on a train. We went from London to Paris in a little over two hours.

Some Highlights of our 5 day stay in Pars

Notre Dame Cathedral

From the top of the cathedral. As Christi called it, "A gargoyle's view of Paris."

At the Louvre. Recognize the Mona Lisa off in the distance? The crowds were CRAZY.

The Eiffel Tower, of course

We climbed the stairs as far as we could, then took the elevator the rest of the way. 

Here's the view from up top. The tower is almost as tall as the Empire State building.

A bridge over the Seine where people lock their hearts.

The Arc de Triomphe and, below, the girls at the top of it.

Tamsyn loves this picture.

A handsome family. Do you see the word "American" on their foreheads? I don't either, but somehow all the native French seemed to know it. They began speaking English to us before we'd even opened our mouths. Imagine their surprise when we answered in French.

The best part of the Paris stay was seeing some old friends. This couple, the Piquets, was in the ward I served in for six months in the suburbs of Paris. They came to visit one evening at our villa and we had a wonderful time catching up.

The next day we met Vincent--remember him?--his wife, Celia, and their two kids at a park. Here he is with 3-year-old Hugo.

The girls, astride a hippo, with cute Lola.

We went to their apartment after the park and they fed us a typical French meal, with pate, and other meats, baguettes, some salads, lots of different cheeses and pastries for dessert. Delicious.

Megyn looks a little undecided about the pate, doesn't she? But she liked it.

Josh with Celia and Vincent in the background. Josh got a chance to practice his French throughout the afternoon and evening. Even Tamsyn got a few words in.

We had a great time with the Jajolets. We're hoping they'll come to visit us someday and you'll get to meet them, too.