Departing (Paris Part 6)

Here endeth the Paris blog (for now at least.... we have been home for about a week now).

Versailes (Paris part 5)

The bike rentals were a nice temporary escape from walking everywhere... and there was a very long distance to walk at Versailes....

Peddlers of the Seine (Rambling on about our experiences in Paris part 4)

It's hard to hit a monument, museum or historical building in Paris without being harassed by peddlers of cheap Eiffel Tower trinkets (etc)and in some cases outright scammers.

On Monday at Sacre Coer Basilica (a cathedral type church at the top of the highest hill in Paris) I was cornered three times by guys with colorfull string. That's right, string. I was with a group of four and they always signalled me out for attention. They greet you, and grab your hand to try to tie this string on your finger. If you protest they say it is for the church. If successful (so I'm told) they expect payment. You couldn't ascend the hill without passing a couple of their check points. I learned my lesson after it happened a couple times to me, and the next time I walked near them I didn't even make eye contact. "No thanks" I mumbled quietly. They persisted with the routine and even blocked my path.... so I belted out a forceful "NO" (in what Jessica tells me is a similar tone to what I use with my dog). Anyway, picture below is of a group of them cornering another innocent tourist.



A couple nights later, we sat on a bench on the river Seine across the street from the Eiffel Tower, munching on fries and waffles. From there, we watched the police chase down the guys who were peddling Eiffel tower trinkets.... the entertainment lasted about fifteen minutes and involved four police (in car, on foot, on bicycle) and about a dozen peddlers. Very entertaining...

Liberty at Luxembourg (Rambling on about our experiences in Paris part 3)

We came to this park (Palace of Luxembourg) specifically to try to find a replica of the Statue of Liberty located there (one of three in Paris). We walked around for about half an hour before we found it, finding a class or large study group sitting on chairs in front of it.

Rambling on about our experiences in Paris Part 2

More similar videos from our experience in Paris. Enjoy! (or ignore...)

Rambling on about our experiences in Paris Part 1

While on our trip, I recorded some short (15-60 second) videos narrating our experiences in Paris. Here are the first three...

Using blog to shamelessly promote upcoming book study at our house....

So....we have this awesome group meeting at our house twice a month. We eat together and everything. Do you like food? You plan on eating those nights? That's what I thought. You (that's right, both of you, my loyal blog readers who are in Jackson) should totally come. Besides, we're starting a sweet new book study. Here's some more details:

Conversations (you got it, that's our group name. thought of it myself)

Meets 2nd and 4th Thursday Nights - 6:00pm
Location: 619 Webb St. Directions Here

We start with a shared meal at around 6PM (potluck style: bring a dish, snack or drink if you can) and continue with conversation and prayer (we’ve experimented a bit on the contemplative side with the Divine Hours). Beginning March 26 we will be going through Jesus Brand Spirituality by Ken Wilson. Copies of the book are available for $10.

"Jesus wants his religion back. And he wants it back from the orthodox, the Bible-believing, and the defenders of faith as much as from anyone else. So it can be for the world again."