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We took the train out to the Chateau de Vincennes to check out the old castle. There’s something about the circular turrets that makes a castle authentic to me. It had a drawbridge, keep and large moat which was fun to explore. It was pretty sparse inside, especially compared to what we have seen this past week, but it was great to walk through.

There is a chapel inside the walls that has amazing stained glass windows. The windows were blown out by a big wind storm in 1999 and are being replaced.

Right off the main chapel room there was this sculpted piece.

We walked through a bus station to explore the park around the castle and I came upon memories of home. (Note the lone tire locked up)

The building we are staying in has the smallest elevator I have ever seen. I’m not sure how people with small children live anywhere but the main floor. It was a good thing the kids still had energy at the end of the day to climb the stairs as they wouldn’t have fit.

There are fire places in almost every room in our apartment. It is interesting to think of how it would have be used when it was first built and how society has changed so much.

The apartments we’ve stayed at our different than at home but it’s interesting how some things are similar. I’ve used the same green, IKEA cutting board at both of those apartments which is also the same one I have at home.

Today we checked out Luxembourg gardens. It is a nice park with statues, water features, trees, grassy spots, tennis courts along with a playground. The amount of statues all over the town amazes me.

There were some little sailboats sailing the water blue this morning.

We saw a police car.

There are so many magnificent buildings here, inside and out. We walked a little ways from the gardens and saw this church.

We went to an international church this afternoon. It felt a little odd, and nice, to know most of the songs even though we are in a foreign country.

There are many stores and brands I recognize. Globalization can have so many benefits but walking around seeing a Disney advertisement for the latest kid’s movie in French makes me wonder at what price. Are we going to lose valuable parts of culture because we are all digesting the same things?

This trip has made me think a lot about cultures, our perceptions of each other and our emotions towards foreigners. In Ireland we stayed with our friends so we could ask away about typical life there. We are partially immersed in Parisean culture as we shop and walk around town but we also spend most of our days hanging out at tourist stops with other tourists. We’ve learned a lot about their history but now I want to learn about what family life looks like here. Maybe it’s time to look up a blog or two.

Today we were off to the Lourve. The museum is full of art in a building that is art itself.

We talked about how the king used to live at the Louvre and Joel decided he would like to be king and had some thoughts on how he would run this place.

If Joel was king, he’d invite you to his birthday party room. If you were really polite you could eat smarties out of the fancy red bowl. If you were only a little bit polite, you could have smarties out of the blue bowl. He would invite Leah the queen, daddy, who would be the king’s helper and mommy, who gets to be the princess.

We had downloaded a great audio guide that pointed out works of art throughout one wing of the museum. It kept us fascinated as we journeyed through.

Some of the art work reminds me of what I remember from textbooks in elementary school.

As art speaks to the people’s values back in their day, I wonder what people will think when they look back at the art produced today. I wonder how the art produced during that day was received.

I used to have framed pictures around our house when we lived in a house but now we rent and have concrete walls and I haven’t put in the effort to hang anything up. The kids have used scotch tape to put up their artwork around the living room. I’m not overly proud of how art is and isn’t present in our house but I don’t think anything is going to change anytime soon.

Visiting the Louvre was a great experience. There was so much variety of art and the kids were engaged with everything to see. I feel a bit more cultured now.

This week has been quite the experience. We’ve picnicked at the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Louvre and Versailles. It still feels a little unreal that our family is seeing some of the big sights in Europe.

In Amsterdam we kept a good pace. We went out right after breakfast and came back during the late afternoon. Our days were full and lovely and it was a great balance of experiencing the city and having time at the apartment to cook, do laundry and relax.

In Paris we’ve been going out right after breakfast but there is more of a rush as the sights have long lines if you don’t arrive early. We’ve also been doing a lot more walking, generally just stopping for lunch and have been getting home a lot later.

It’s been fun and great but I knew a rest day would be needed. At home during the summer I usually take the kids out all day on an adventure and then the next day is spent with some quiet time at home and a visit to a playground combined with an errand or two. The kids are still full of energy and not tiring of all the walking or sightseeing but I definitely needed some time to recharge today.

This is how we spent our morning.

(Truth be told, Morgan slept in but this was him once he woke up.)

Today we left mid morning, visited a playground and went out for crepes.

There are a ton of scooters. It feels like all the bikes in Amsterdam have been replaced with motorbikes and scooters.

In keeping with trying to capture pictures of emergency vehicles throughout the countries we visit, here is an ambulance.

We walked through the city this afternoon. We stumbled across a few very cool sights. Here is a church.

We walked through a big cemetery with a variety of small and large headstones, monuments and mini-chapels. This one even has a stained glass window that you can see through the door.

I’m not sure what is up with the couple lying in bed.

Another church which was open so we took a little walk through.

Today we went to Versailles. It is an expansive property of gardens, palaces, fountains, outbuildings and even a farm.

Leah and Joel were excited to feed a donkey.

This was one of the houses for those who worked at the palace or on the grounds.

We spent quite a bit of time walking through the grounds admiring the gardens, water features and wandering down paths on the way to the Trianon, a place of retreat for the royalty.

The rooms were all very fancy with elaborate furniture, paintings and sculptures. The grounds were designed with the palace in mind. Looking out a window was just as extravagant as the room you were in. There were beautiful gardens and views of the canal.

There were many trees that they would have to shelter from the winter so they had expansive space set aside for these plants.

Joel wanted a turn at taking a picture. He directed us well. First we had to make silly faces and then we had to smile nice.

We also learned about how the US got their independence and other history from that time. We also heard a lot about the many King Louis’s of France.

Here are some pictures from inside the Palace.

Leah is hanging out between buildings at the Trianon.

We are all getting strong legs from lots of walking and stair climbing.

It’s been pretty amazing exploring all of these places with my family.

Today we went to Notre Dame Cathedral. It is amazing. We found a lady with an organization offering a free tour of the cathedral. It was amazing to have a great tour guide to point out and explain some of the more significant areas of the cathedral. The German tour guide even gave Leah her scarf for the tour as Leah was cold. Joel was enamoured with the flag and was the official flag bearer as we walked through the tour. I’m not sure if he learned anything during the forty five minutes besides the flag of the United Kingdom. His Granddad will be very proud.

The workmanship and detail are astounding.

The view from the top of the tower is pretty cool too.

It’s fun exploring with these two.

After the cathedral, we walked over to the Pantheon.

Joel was in the mood for silly pictures after waiting around at the top of the Pantheon for our tour to wrap up.

From the ceiling this pendulum swings and keeps time accurately. I have no clue how it works but it was neat to see.

There is art everywhere you look here. The ability to sculpt something has always amazed me and to see statute after statue with such fine detail and so well crafted is mind blowing. The stained glass windows, massive paintings and general architecture is astounding.

We are amongst lots of people these days as we explore cities and we have had the joy of some conversations. Today while standing in a long line for Notre Dame, we got talking a Dutch mom and daughter. Yesterday we got talking to a family from the UK. It is so interesting to hear about their stories and country and their perceptions of our side of the world.

It feels a little odd that in a small way we represent Canada to the people we meet. Everyone we have talked to so far seems to like the Canadians. I was feeling quite Canadian when I told Morgan I only needed about three words in French – sorry, please and thank you.

It is assumed just by the fact we are Canadians that we are nice, great people. There are a lot of assumptions that go into our perception that are conceived only by knowing our nationality. It feels a little odd and even wrong to be judged by something I have no control over, even if the judgment is a positive one.

As we walk into these massive buildings with amazing art surrounding us in so many forms, I feel small. Yet there is also this cool sense of being with people from many parts of the world all being able to share in the pleasure of experiencing these places of old regardless of language, belief, nationality or age.

I also think of other nationalities that aren’t as represented. There are also developing and developed nations with people who are struggling for daily sustenance, never mind a vacation.

I feel spoiled, like I won the lottery. Why is my family able to experience this when many others can’t? I’m not sure how to reconcile all my feelings right now except to be thankful. No matter where I find myself, thankfulness has not lead me astray. It keeps me grounded and finding joy whether in a fancy church in Paris or washing the dishes in Vancouver.

From yesterday – I find the first day of travel into a city a bit stressful. We have a schedule to adhere to along with security clearances, a plane ride, lots of waiting and a new place to orient yourself to.

By the second day, we’ve figured out a good grocery store, have food in our fridge, found the best mode of transportation around the city (and how to use it) and we are back to our normal schedule. We found a much better grocery store today that seemed much more like at home, returned to the amazing bakery a few steps from our apartment and went out on a grand adventure.

We started the day by visiting the Eiffel Tower. We walked up all the stairs to the second floor.

We ate our lunch while enjoying the magnificent view.

After the Eiffel Tower, we walked a block and two and visited Morgan’s work office in Paris. Several important business meetings took place and many significant business deals were made during our time there.

Not a bad view from one of the office windows.

We walked around looking at old buildings that looked cool. We checked out where Napoleon went to school. The building was magnificent. There are bullet holes from the Second World War.

We walked over to the Hotel des Invalides. It was an amazing sight.

Inside there were also many museums about war over the ages. Joel got to see what a knight actually looks like and what a bomb is. He has referenced both before without knowing what they are. Both kids, but especially Leah, got to know some of the harsher sides of history as we walked through exhibits of the world wars.

Here is the entrance to the metro to catch our train to take us home. Everything is older here which gives it so much character.

It was a great day that left us tired and satisfied. We ended our night on our small deck trying to make ourselves be at home in Paris.

Even our apartment building has some art built in.

Our lovely view.

I’m sure we will all sleep well tonight as we look forward to more adventures tomorrow.

We woke up early, ate a quick breakfast and then we were off to the airport. The flight was smooth and uneventful.

The airport is called Orly, named after the city it is in. The kids thought this was pretty funny as our vacuum robot is also called Orly.

After we figured out transit and got to our home for the week, we were all tired and hungry. After unpacking my backpack, we set off to find some food. We came across an amazing bakery very close by and indulged in some fabulous baking. Then it was off to the grocery store to stock up.

It is interesting shopping in a country different than your own as they carry different products as well as packaging things differently. The milk and eggs aren’t refrigerated and the produce was really packaged.

We eventually found everything, though there were a few substitutions.

When people talk to me in a different language my natural inclination is to just answer in English, even if I know a phrase or two in the language they are speaking to me in. I’m so used to just speaking in English. The kids like to practise their language skills.

Morgan took the kids to a playground this afternoon while I had a nap. (I’m sure hoping I’ll still be able to sleep tonight.) The kids made some friends and played well. They are awesome at travelling.

Tomorrow we are off to see some sights!

Yesterday morning we rode on our bikes around Amsterdam. I felt very Dutch.

If you enlarge this picture (by clicking on it), you can see the two statues on the building. The modern man is such a juxtaposition against the old architecture. It seems like he is a real man pulling off a stunt rather than part of the piece.

We dropped off our bikes and then went to church at Hillsong Amsterdam. It’s pretty amazing to be able to attend church all over the world. The past four Sundays we have attended church in four different cities in four different countries (Port Moody (Canada), Oroville (USA), Carickmacross (Ireland) and Amsterdam (Netherlands)) and not one has been our home church where we regularly attend with our family.

All of the churches have had a different feel with varying music styles, attendance and speaking styles but all of them love Jesus and want to follow him. It’s been an honour to be welcomed in.

After church we went to Van Dobben which is a famous place for Dutch fare including croquetten. We had some chocolate milk, croquetten and soup. The soup reminded me of the soup my mom, Oma and aunts make. It was delicious. Joel really wanted to our receipt in the picture.

During the afternoon we walked to an open air market and visited one of the many, many great playgrounds before heading home to bathe, pack and eat some Turkish take out. We all loved Amsterdam. Now it’s off to Paris.

Van Gogh loved most to paint the simple, the ordinary and the everyday. He looked to nature and people working with nature as subjects for his passion of expressing emotion and feeling through paint strokes.

As I stood in front of one of his most famous paintings of sunflowers in a vase, I noticed something I’d never seen before. Most of the prominent sunflowers don’t have petals on them.

In his art he didn’t seek perfection or the height of beauty yet in some mysterious way by showing the life of a sunflower in various stages, even wilting, it exemplifies beauty. It not only ignores the standard for beauty but defies and surpasses it at the same time.

I have to wonder what went through his mind as he choose his subject matter and how he would convey it. How did his current life circumstances dictate what he choose to paint? Did he find strength to express his beliefs and values through his thick, strong brush strokes?

As much as Van Gogh is known for his mental state, after walking through a museum his nephew helped establish and learning more about him my view has been broadened. His mental health obviously wasn’t stellar but there is so much more to Van Gogh than him cutting his ear off and shooting himself in a wheat field.

He saw beauty where others passed by. He esteemed those who the higher class snubbed their noses at. He was passionate about art and worked extremely hard to improve. He devoted himself when others didn’t see the value in his work.

He’s made me think.

Where do I see beauty? Who do I esteem? Why? What do I devote myself to? Is it worth my devotion? Is my devotion whole hearted?

How about you?

Where do you see beauty? Who do you esteem? Why? What do you devote yourself to? Is it worth your devotion? Is your devotion whole hearted?