Riding Into the Countryside

"As the symphony of cranes flew north in their endless V-formations across the twilight sky, we knew we weren't in Paris anymore. The crescent moon stood motionless in the periwinkle blue when the birds decided to pass through our country walk. It was a beautiful reminder of the natural order of instinct against the backdrop of the perfectly created heavens." - An American Strolling Through the French Countryside (okay, it was me)

Limoges Benedictins Gare

Welcome to Limoges (say "lee-moge"), a large, yet overlooked city in West-Central France. Toulouse, Bordeaux, and Lyon tend to receive more tourist attention than this fresh-aired country, but Marc and I were able to experience its charms this past weekend. We were able to visit because we have been very fortunate to have connections with various American missionaries before crossing the Atlantic. My mom's best friends in Belgium, a student from my college whose family lives in Geneva, and now most recently from working at Simpson.

I had been looking forward to this trip since last July when I first found out we were probably moving to France. I had immediately gone and talked to Ray and Carol to let them know and hoped to make a visit sometime soon. Soon became later, and during this holiday we were finally able to make the 3-hour train ride south.

The main purpose behind our trip was to lay the groundwork for the Amplify missions trip the Simpson guys are taking in May with Marc. You can go back to the Give to the Giving blog to remember and to help finish up their fundraising. A portion of their trip will be spent in Limoges with the team of Christian & Missionary Alliance (CMA) church planters.

We were able to even attend their church, and we both were able to understand most of the service with the help of the Power Point slides in the background for when we couldn't listen quickly enough. Everyone was extremely kind and welcoming to us, and we even had a hysterical conversation in English with another Parisian who insisted we visit all of the beautiful sights around Limoges.

Carol was a splendid hostess, and we felt like we'd won a weekend away at a quaint bed & breakfast with the delicious meals we kept meeting at the table. We even got to have our own crêpe smorgasbord!

But the shining highlight of the trip for me was my first ever motorcycle ride. Granted, this motorcycle was no Harley, but it was still my first time on a bike with any sort of engine. Ray secured the massive helmet on my head, and all I could think about was Stacia's old "Match Stick" stories from NBC Camps. Oh, the legends of camp...

Jeans and flexibility do not mix!

I have been thinking about getting a small Vespa-type scooter for next year (remember that blog?). Now I am SURE I want one because it is so much FUN! I literally could not stop smiling like an idiot the whole 15 minute ride. I even let out a freedom yell when we hit open road. The wind was whipping all around us with the sun beaming down its warmth as the fields and trees just rolled on by. It was perfect.

All three days were filled with great talks, great food, and great fun. We are so blessed to have brothers and sisters in Christ who open their hearts and homes to us here in France. Please keep the church in Limoges in your prayers, for their growth and strength together and in their city. We are also very excited we get to share their ministry with our Simpson guys who will be here in barely two months!

One thing I definitely learned for certain; while I am not yet sure how the actual driving of it will be for me...

I was born to ride a mini-motorcycle.

Watch out, August '12! This is happening.
  

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VLOG: U Can't Touch This

Dear Viewer,

This is a video mash-up of free time in my Belgium apartment last year and the gradual lighting of the Eiffel Tower from tonight.

Take notes.

Sincerely,

MC Hammer, Eiffel Tower, & Swags

You're welcome!

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Playing the Travel Game

Part of being an American overseas is making friends with other Americans who have made similar life decisions to be out of the United States for the time being. In Munich, there was another California girl in my hostel, and Eugenia and I spent a very fun day freezing to death and watching a Germanized Super Bowl. Eugenia's vagabonding brought her to Paris this past week, and Saturday we created another memorable day, albeit 30 degrees of Fahrenheit warmer than before.

She had already completed the main sights in our illustrious city: Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, Champs-Elysées, Louvre, Versailles, etc. I pulled out my pocket pop-out map Friday night and asked myself, "Where to?"

Surgeon General's Warning: the following eight hours are only achieved with Euro Legs.

First quarter: MONTMARTRE
The "Mountain of Martyrs" is one of those places we always associate with Paris, but have no idea what it's called or where it is. But no trip to Paris is complete without it.

Moulin Rouge

It's the Paris with artists, painting and selling their goods. It's that place in Paris movies with the white domed church and great views of the city, but no one remembers this church's name. It's the Paris of steep and narrow cobblestone lanes, and the Paris where the real Moulin Rouge actually exists.

The Basilica

I had only been up to Montmartre one time - the time I got a private tour by happenstance. Despite my anti-sense of direction, we managed to stumble upon all of the sights my guide had shown me: windmills, Basilica Sacré-Coeur, the last vineyard in Paris, and the artists' square. The Sacré-Coeur had a live service going on, and we reverently meandered through the massive halls. To leave Montmartre, we decided to simply wander downhill, and through the luck of the tourist, ended up back at our original metro stop.

Quarter one: done.

Second quarter: SAINT-GERMAIN-DES-PRÉS
This is one of the oldest parts of the city, but it doesn't really have any landmarks, so if you don't know about it, you'll never find it! It's the Paris with restaurants and cafés literally every other storefront, including Le Procope, which claims to be "the oldest café in the world," and The Moose, our favorite-slash-only Canadian pub. We busied ourselves reading every chalkboard menu for an entire block before deciding upon Chalet Grégoire because of it's cheaper pricing options, and promising tagline of "Cuisine de la Montagne et Traditionnelle." (I am not translating that; be smart and figure it out.) We enjoyed salads, duck, fondue, and some spongy fondant au chocolat (not the best I've had, but still chocolate!).

Okay, so our second quarter was more like a really long halftime, but either way, we were ready for the second half to start after our amped-up French coffees (equivalent to caffeine shots).

Third quarter: QUARTIER LATIN

Palais du Luxembourg

Since we were already south of the Seine, we strolled into the Latin Quarter to get our first looks at the Palais et Jardin du Luxembourg. Again, this is another one of those things on the map that just looks like a massive park with a random huge building, but it's too far away from the Eiffel Tower to matter much to normal tourists.

I beg to differ.

This is one of the coolest places I have ever been to in the city! These are not your ordinary Parisian gardens, people. Yes, of course, there is the run-of-the-mill garden stock: fountains, benches, walking boulevards, a museum, and so forth. But the Luxembourg Garden has real things happening there, all against the flawless backdrop of the gorgeous sculptures, trees with orchard-like intensity, and zigzagging footpaths. We passed by tennis courts, multiple full playgrounds, a basketball court, soccer games, covered picnicking areas with chess boards, and a very competitive bocce ball tournament. There were a few tourists around taking pictures, but for the most part, this was a park full of locals enjoying their Saturday. This is the Central Park of Paris - the sacred ground that has been saved from the "citification" of its surroundings.

Saint-Sulpice

Some towers and domes were also visible from the gardens, luring us away from the Parisians at play. We first hunted down Saint-Sulpice, the church from the story/movie Da Vinci Code. No, we did not find any clues, but we did find this church in particular to be very majestic in its presentation.

Then we found the Panthéon, and now I can finally explain that while it was first built to be a church, it now houses...a lot of famous dead French people (Victor Hugo, Voltaire, Marie Curie, etc.). We actually found the small church behind it to hold more intrigue and beauty, but I am sure the Panthéon is an interesting trip if your hero is buried there.

Fourth quarter: OPERA
Fitting, as this was our grand finale. L'Opera Garnier is always a beautiful sight, and we arrived with just enough light to still see the golden angels on the corners of the roof shine brightly. We then walked to La Madeleine church, intent on finding the elusive macaroons another tour guide had told me about last year. "Behind La Madeleine church..." was all I ever remembered, and for as many times as I had walked next to it, up to it, in front of it, and whatever other preposition exists, I had still never circumvented the entire building.

This day finally brought us to Fauchon, the maker of macarons, where we spent way too much money on what are essentially flavored cookies. The lemon and salted caramel ones were my favorite, and the chocolate was a serious letdown. But all was not lost because we ate our beautiful macarons on the steps of La Madeleine, watching twilight set upon the Place de la Concorde. We parted ways in the Concorde metro; Eugenia to her next adventures in Belgium and Holland, and me to my favorite loft apartment in Melun.

"Anything, everything, little or big, becomes an adventure when the right person shares it." - Kathleen Norris

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Why Aren't YOU There Yet?

"Just do it."

Thank you, Nike, for putting it so plainly.

Back in October, at the French consulate in LA (more like a corner office, NOT the glorious embassy I imagined), I met a retired couple who was going to move to France this spring. When I asked them what brought them to this decision, the woman said, "Because we didn't travel when we were young like you." I expressed that it was "better late than never," which is definitely a life truth.

But what that lady said reminded me yet again how fast the time goes and we must fill it when we have it - not when we hope we will.

I understand some people just aren't wired for change and jumping into the unknown, but I think I know more people who are wired for it, but hang back from the action because of fear, apathy, or the "I'll do it later" mentality.

Fear, apathy, and procrastination can ruin our lives, and they are only as powerful as WE let them become. But these things don't just ruin our lives - they steal it away from us.

Adventures in San Francisco

Last year, on my jaunt to Geneva, I wrote in my journal: "At some point you just have to figure it out and DO IT. Maybe it will be about being decisive, committed, and idealistic - at least fail trying to do really cool things - it's a way better story than failing at something lame! Ask questions - even the ones that don't make sense or seem completely unanswerable. Then either find the answers, find someone who knows the answers, or make up new answers! Why not shoot the moon? There's never been anything really wrong with being a dreamer - especially when your dreams come true."

It's all about finding your "spark." I have started using this term ever since I read a blog last week about the movie Dolphin Tale. I may never see this movie, but I really liked what Jared (the blog author) had to say about what he learned from it. Read Parenting, Dolphins, Sparks and that's pretty much it to see for yourself.

I am resolutely anti-apathy, which may explain why I never had problems finding sparks in my life. I have my energetic Mom and committed Dad to thank for this. I find life completely fascinating, and I am interested in so much of it! But my main sparks are Jesus Christ, laughing, playing sports, writing, action photography, dessert, and traveling.

Victorious view of the castle in Salzburg

I tell everyone to travel. Travel, travel, travel, TRAVEL! I believe it is a crucial life experience that can be repeated but never replicated, thus making it an ever-growing and ever-learning endeavor.

However, I do understand that travel is not the spark for everyone. For some, like my whimsical sister, Lindsay, the spark of adventure is found in creating lovely things: songs, music, art on walls, food, cards, gifts. For others, like my beautiful friends, Jenn and Kevin, the dream is in their home life: parenting, raising a tall family, planting roots and watching them grow. And there are still those whose spark is found in fostering change, helping people, conquering the great outdoors, and thousands of other things.

Scaring the locals in Oostende

If you are currently searching for a spark, I do suggest trying travel on for size. You can learn about how other people choose to live, believe, and experience the world.  It's something you can go back to, time and time again, and smile because your memories are yours to keep forever.

Stay fascinated, people! There's great stuff all around us!

Questions for the Comment Land below!
What's your spark?
What might be holding you back from it?
How can you share your spark in a positive way with the world?

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The Bavarian Ice Kingdom

Once upon a time there lived a young woman next to the most beautiful city in the world.

One day she decided to journey outside of her beloved kingdom, and chose another land far, far away. She had to see for herself if the tales of her childhood were true. She rode for hours through fields and trees and mountains to finally arrive in the medieval village known mostly for their fall festival of local brews.

She made a lovely new friend who spent the day with her, discovering fantastic adventures around every clocktower and marketplace. With more new friends they staged the Glockenspiel joust and listened to the legends of this strange land. They delighted themselves with the foreign feasts, and took a liking to the people of the village.

Later that night, they devoted their time to one of the most important traditions of their home kingdom's knights in plastic armor. The brave men made a well-fought battle, but in the end, the knights of the city with the most towering of fortresses prevailed.

The next day, her new friend departed for warmer country in the south while our young heroine prepared for her trek into the Bavarian countryside. One particular king and castle had always stood out to her, and on this day she sought her quest. As she rode deeper and deeper into the forest, then higher and higher into the mountains, the land brightened into a glittering white under the icy sunshine.

She stood at the bottom of the Alpsee, intent on ascent. She toiled and climbed the slope, seeking her elusive castle. The frosted ground and trees continued coaxing her toward the peak, whispering promises of grand vistas and the magical palace. When at last she laid her eyes upon the mountain fortress, she understood why the romantic towers had called to her as a child. This castle made all of the beautiful fairy tales come true. The past and present had shifted once again into perfect harmony with the single view of one king's dream castle.

Her sojourn complete, she returned to her City of Lights. Even though she had been enchanted by this faraway land, and would gladly find it again in times to come, she would always know her beautiful city was the only kingdom in the world that could ever truly have her heart.

And she lived happily ever after.

THE END.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Someday, fair reader, you too may rest your sights on the fantastic Neuschwanstein. This narrative will keep hidden the splendors of the handcrafted interiors, and refrain from sharing the mysteries of the kingdom to preserve the charms of your own future voyage. Until your trip, you may view for yourself some of the magic of Bavaria in this film...Bavarian Holiday on YouTube.

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