Countryside.

Well, I promosed a quick runthrough of the days I couldn't write...so here it is.

Our second day in Paris involved much the same as the first, except we were much better with the subway system. We started out at 8 o'clock with hopes to get into the Louvre before it got to packed. When we got there, the line was pretty small and better yet, we found out that on the first Sunday of the month, visiting the Louvre was free, so lucky us! We walked around and viewed paiintgs like the Mona Lisa and Libertie Leading the People and , my favorite, the Raft of the Medusa by Gericault. It was a great experience, but after two hours I was exhausted and had to opt out for a short nap at the hotel. A week straight of running around in foreign cities nonstop can definately wear you out...

After the nap, we enjoyed things like the National Assembly, I went up the Eiffel tower, the Catacombs - which probably was one of my favorite things (Thanks for the tip, Michael!). The story goes that once upon a time, Paris' graves were so full and many had begun to smell, so some smart guy got the idea to dig up all the graves and stack the bones and bodies in underground tunnels. Now, they let you wander through the tunnel - which is literally chalk full of bones, bones, bones -often stacked to the ceiling! It took us a good forty five ,inutes to walk through the whole thing - pretty crazy if you ask me. I nearly stole a skull, but figured I'd have no room for it in my pack...

Now I am sitting in Rennes, France, at Tims aunt and uncles house. It has been great to be here and our hosts have been extremely kind. Yesterday we enjoyed relaxing, great French food and breads, pastries and playing games, as well as touring the beautiful city of Rennes.

Today Tim and myself took a trip north to Bayeux and Arromanches, little towns near the D-Day beaches. It was fun to see and I love the history that is so alive in these places. The port of Arromanches was awesome. During the war and after D-Day, it was used by the Allies as a major port. They built a hugh floating dock that allowed tanks, jeeps and other equipment to be easiy loaded on to land. Some of the dock still rests out in the channel. We also took a picture on a tank, which had probably been a dream of mine since I was 6.

After we went to see Mont St. Michel, one of the seven wonders of the world. It is a huge castle that was built on an awesome island of rock. We went at night, so it was all lit up and also very empty, which was great. But, today was also the first day of rain for us and it was very windy and cold, so after being out for a little we went to a Crepéry and had a very good meal.

The French countryside is beautiful and train rides through are very enjoyable, especially when it is bright and sunny out. Tomorrow we leave Rennes and will head to Paris where we will either connect with a train to Bordeaux or to Italy - we havent decide yet. Oh the joys of the non-tourist season and being able to travel on a whim! Either way, I may not have internet for a few more days. Tomorrow I'm hoping for a nice bright day...and perhaps a few more crepes?

Au revoir!