My Favorite Weekend... So Far!

Last weekend was stellar! After picking up the youngest child from school, taking her and a friend to the park, and making all of the kids dinner, I had my first night out on the town! My host family's former au pair knew exactly where to go-George's Cafe on Rue de la Huchette in the Latin Quarter. What a fun bar! When we walked in to sparklers and chanting, we knew we picked the right spot for a fun atmosphere!

After a drink there, we wandered to Notre Dame. I love going there at night-so much more peaceful! We sat for at least half an hour watching a street performer.

And to my relief, the metro ride home wasn't scary at all! Who knew RER A would be so bustling with normal people at 12:30 on a Friday night!

Saturday (September 24th) was such a good day. I had the day to myself to explore some churches. I ended up checking out St. Severin, St. Sulpice, and St. Germain-des-Pres. All absolutely gorgeous! My favorite that day was St. Sulpice. I couldn't believe I'd never before stumbled upon the beautiful cathedral and its square with a fountain.

Somewhere in between all my cathedral visits, I took a much needed break for lunch. I went the cheaper route and stopped at Monoprix (France's grocery store version of Target). I ended up taking a cup of pineapples, a cookie, and a water bottle to Luxembourg Gardens (one of my favorite places in the world). I can't describe how good it was to be there. As I was walking up, I heard music. Yes, you guessed it (but probably not), there was a live orchestra in the middle of the gardens playing a free concert. The day was absolutely gorgeous, with the sun shining and the leaves just beginning to change... ahh! So I plopped down and stayed there for two hours, eating and reading ("The Help"-wonderful book). Really, one of the most lovely couple of hours I've ever spent.

the orchestra:

the audience:

When I arrived home, not having any plans for the evening, the family invited me to go to dinner and a movie with them. I realized then that this was clearly an indication that God wanted to bless me with my perfect weekend :) We saw a French children's movie called "La Nouvelle Guerre des Boutons" ("The New War of the Buttons) that was set in WWII times in France. What a well done movie! Then we went out for pizza! Yum!

Sunday was another amazing day. Hillsong for church at 11, sushi lunch with more new friends, a delicious latte at a new cafe, and a Hillsong worship service that night with Luc Dumont! God is awesome.

This week I had my first few French classes! The teacher's great, but the class is a little too easy! I'm just going to stick it out, knowing that there's always more to learn no matter what level.

The kids continue to be wonderful. I plan to write more about my experiences with them in my next post!