Thanksgiving Reflections

So, I swear that my intentions were good when I was in France to blog while I was there...unfortunately, trying to see France, care for the kiddies, keep two journals, and sleep and recover somehow seemed to get in the way of blogging...so with deepest apologies, some more about France...

France is a beautiful beautiful place. In regards to people saying the French are rude; I found quite the opposite to be true. When we got into the airplane leaving DC I had that "oh crap" moment, when I realized that around me I heard much French being spoken, and didn't understand even a bit of it. It's somewhat incredible to see how far you can get not speaking the same language as the people around you, but it's also terrifying, and can be quite frustrating. Frustrating when people are ushering you off a bus a mile from your destination, and there's no way to find out why...frustrating when you're trying to pay for groceries but aren't allowed because you haven't weighed your fruit...frustrating when your 8.5km from the Eiffel Tower and have 35 mins to get there. And so when people say the French are rude, I beg to differ. I can't call the cashier or the woman behind me in line who helped me weigh the fruit rude. I can't call the store clerk who found an english-speaker to help select clothing rude. I can't call the woman who missed 4 opportunities to cross in the crosswalk so that she could instead pull up directions and maps and metro stop listings on her iphone to help me get to the Eiffel Tower rude. It's incredible to see how very generous and kind people are, if only you're willing to abandon the stereotypes that you've adopted and held onto. 

I can't describe France in words alone. Cue the slideshow!

By night

Inside Notre Dame

Some really cool grafitti

The Louvre

By night

Montmartre art square

Venus statue

Inside the Louvre

The Mona Lisa

Mont St Michel

Thanksgiving Dinner attire

Chateau D'Audrieu (where we stayed in for our time in Normandy)

Utah Beach

Horse training- to make them fast trotters (weird)

Ship remains at Utah Beach

Pointe Du Hoc- craters formed by US bombs shot from boats at German Bunkers

Pointe Du Hoc

Pointe Du Hoc

Omaha Beach

American Cemetery 

Flag lowering ceremony at the Cemetery 

Arc de Triomphe

mi crepe! (yum)

Getting artsy with the Eiffel Tower shot

So, basically, my time in France will be forever unforgettable. I don't think words can actually describe the way it felt to be there. There was the incredible rush of being somewhere new, the adventure of discovering a new place, but also a strange familiarity, like having an old friend greet you. I felt like Europe was embracing me in a hug and saying "welcome back, Rachel, we're so glad you're here!" Hey Europe, I'm glad too! 

xoxo

Rachel