Bonjour!
This morning our group of world travellers left the comfort of our German host homes with hugs a plenty and backpacks overflowing with fruit, sandwiches, and German gummy bears. Although somewhat reluctant to leave such wonderful people who had become temporary family for most of us, all would admit that we were excited to continue our journey to Paris to sample fresh cheese and baguettes while putting to use years of what many would call pointless (until today) French classes. The three hour train ride went by quickly, producing a plethora of painted nails in shades of pink and open mouths at Matthew’s engaging card tricks (apparently it’s not the magician who controls the cards, the cards have a mind of their own!). In what seemed like only minutes thoughts of the calm green fields of Dietzenbach were replaced by a pulsing throng of bodies weaving in and out of one another, breathtaking architecture, the smells of food, shouts and car horns; we were in Paris!
On our way to the hotel, we experienced a taste of what the rest of the day would bring: a street performer serenading us with the accordion on the metro, a string ensemble playing Vivaldi in a courtyard, men on rollerblades doing front flips, the summer sun reflecting off of each and every one of our Canadian bodies as we took in the wonder of the city.
To the surprise of many of us, the hotel is clean, the rooms are spacious, and (to the delight of many of the girls…me included!) there’s a delicate one person iron elevator that runs from the bottom floor to the top. I have yet to test it out, but I hear it’s incredibly romantic. The only drawback of our lodging is that the floors could be in contest with the leaning tower of piza, though I think it just adds character.
The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring the gardens surrounding the Louvre. I can speak for most of us when I say that we had never seen so many statues, gold leaved architecture, ponds, fountains, and people! Every time we turned a corner, there was a new sight to see, a new smell to experience. Open mouths were aplenty, and many cameras lay abandoned; as taking a picture couldn’t capture the beauty we were experiencing.
For the evening, we all went our separate ways (in groups of course dear parents) to search out food for our hunger laden bellies and do some more sight-seeing after which we met up at the hotel just in time to escape the rain. It was a day to remember (like every other day so far… :P), and I know we all look forward to another tomorrow! But for now, Bon Nuit J
Kathleen
Wow, What a great group to be travelling with. It is so refreshing to see the enthusiasm in the youth of our parishes towards their faith. Germany was awesome. The people there were such terrific host. They served and cared for our group well beyond expectations. My favourite part of the trip so far remains when we got a behind the scene view of St Augustines church. (can’t spell it by memory in germane!) We were reminded of how young Canada is when we are told of the centuries that this church has been around. The tabernacle was spectacular. There was a wonderfully crafted crucifix. It was life size and had a relic that the priest believed had a piece of the actual cross of Christ. But the best part was a when we spontaneously song a couple of songs. The sound was more than beautiful. The acoustic seemed to make the sound vibrate through you in such a beautiful harmonious tone. That alone was worth the trip for me. I will now compare all beautiful sounds to the sound in that church.
Today Andrea and David started our day by doing a great job leading our prayers just before our trip. Hanna and Marcus went over our buddy system and safety procedures and we were on our way to Paris. Kathleen already commented on the fantastic architecture and some events, however it is surprising that so far even with all the people in Paris it doesn’t feel crowded. Maybe the huge buildings have something to do with that. Tomorrow morning some of us are going to 8:00 morning mass at Notre Dame Cathedral. How good is that to start of your day?! We miss our families…all right…. I miss my family at home….. Thanks for all your prayers…
Daniel
What a wonderful memory of your visit in Germany!
ReplyDeleteI'm grateful for the time I could join with you all!
God bless you!
Brigitte