So, the girls have settled in to college. Their dorm room looks great and they are getting involved in some seasonal decorating. Here are some pictures of the latest: In addition, they have both been published on the Healthy Bishop blog here and here. They have received their official OWU gear for swimming and it looks awesome! All is good at OWU!

Last Day in Paris

Today we started the day with a tour of the Louvre. We saw some of the most important and famous works of art, but we also saw some new features of the museum, like the ceiling and hearts from the stone masons on the old castle. From the Louvre we went to lunch at a cute creperie and walked along the latin quarter. We then went to the Cluny museum. The museum was a medieval museum; our favorite part was the tapestry of the woman and the unicorn. We then accidentally ran into the gay pride parade. It was a fun experience because we had to walk through it to get to our next destination. It wasn't to different from our school. We walked along Notre Dame, got some ice cream, and saw the Pompidou center before dinner. Lastly, we took a ride on the Seine and saw the Eiffel Tower once more. All in all it was a good day.

Paris- Day one

Today we woke up early and traveled around Paris. When we got to our first stop Musee d'Orsay a strike was going on, and they didn't know when it was going to open. So we decided to travel to the Rodin museum instead. It was a euro each and we got to see the sculptures in the garden. It was really nice. We then traveled past Les Invalides (Napolean's tomb) and learned a little history about Paris itself. We then took a quick stop on the metro and got to the Arc de Triumph. It was a gorgeous day and we could see for ever. After getting a quick lunch we headed to a shopping area of Paris. Our family looked at the Art Nouveau and traveled up to the top to see the sights. We then went back to the museum and it was open! We saw some cool new pieces by Monet and Degas. We couldn't take photos, but we wanted to capture the moment so we bought some postcards. Once we were done with the museum we headed towards the Notre Dame area. After resting our feet a little we went up to the church and walked along the Seine. At nine we headed up the Eiffel Tower. We were excited because we had never done the tower before at night. We actually went all the way to the top, but we found that we liked the view from the bottom much better. When we came back down the lights turned on, and we walked down with a bright Eiffel tower. When we reached a viewing area across the river the little sparkly lights went off. They were mesmerizing.

Vezelay, Chartes, and Paris

Today we woke up early so we could once again get on the road. We left the rolling hills and headed towards Paris. We stopped at Vezelay and saw the cathedral. It was really pretty, but the rest of our group got to experience rural France a.k.a the bathrooms were holes in the ground. Anyways at the church we saw the crypt and a tympanum. After grabbing a quick snack we headed to the road again. About an hour away from Chartes we had to go to yet another public restroom. This time, with some help about half the group got to go in the handicapped restroom with an actual toilet. When we arrived at Chartes it was under reconstruction, but its immense beauty was evident. Although the main rose window was covered, we got to see traditional gothic areas. We also got to see what restoration can do to an old church and how important it is to restore old buildings. We also saw first hand the damage done by smoke to churches. Our final leg of the day was Paris. We arrived and almost immediately set of to Montartre. We sat down at a little restaurant at the bottom of the hill and had a good meal. Then we headed to see the view. As the sun was setting the area was beautiful. We also spent time at the Place du Terte to finish out our trips shopping, and get a taste of Paris' night life.

Lyon and Autun

Today we woke up early and started our long journey to Paris. At our first stop, we visited a textile museum. It was interesting. We then stopped for lunch in the best place for food in France! It wasn't the best food we had, but it was obvious Lyon was the food capital of France. We then walked along the river and got some good photos. It was windy, but it was the opposite of a Mistral wind (wind from the north). We then rode on some scenic roads to Autun. We captured some fields of lavender and saw some sunflowers. When we arrived we went to a cute little museum and saw a beautiful church.

Arles, Aixe, and St. Remy

Today we had a typical French breakfast. It was delicious. We headed on the road to go to Arles. Today was market day. Our group had a fun time shopping. Instead the three of us chose to photograph the market. We also tried some fresh raspberries. We wandered around some alley ways and got some great photos of typical buildings in southern France. We then went to the Museum Granet. It was the perfect size. We went in and viewed some famous French artists that were influenced by Cezanne or influenced Cezanne. We grabbed a quite bite to eat and had a picnic in the square. Then we went to the bus and headed to Aixe. After about an hour drive, we went off the bus and toured the historic Roman town of Aixe. We toured around the whole town and saw the city with its many windows and shutters including the place Van Gogh loved to paint, our final stop in this town was a wonderful ice cream place that served ice cream that had honey and olive oil in it. From there we went to St. Remy, the town that Van Gogh's work was in. Unfortunately, the museum was under repair, so we only got to see replicas and a video, but we did get 2 books out of the deal. And because we were in St. Remy in the afternoon we got to listen to "Honky Tonk Woman" in a french accent.;

Figueres, Nimes, and Avignon

Today we did a lot of traveling by bus. We first went to the Dali museum in Figueres. We enjoyed seeing the painting of Abraham Lincoln and paintings about Don Quixote. After spending time looking at his work, we found a little shop to buy waters for a great bargain and headed towards France. On the way across the border we saw some old forts from both Spain and France that were run down. We also saw some sunflowers and lots of olive trees. Three hours later, we arrived in Nimes. It was a beautiful little city very much like those we saw in Italy. The Roman Arena was the center of the old walled in city. We reviewed Roman history then rushed to the Maison Carree that we had studied in Art History last year. We took a few pictures then got back on the bus and headed on a 1 hour journey to Avignon. We barely made it to our entry time at the Palais des Papes and walked through the rooms that were the home of popes clement and Benedict. From here we went to the nicest hotel of the tour(so far) just outside the city. We will stay here for two nights before we explore more parts of France.

Barcelona

Today we slept in a little, but still managed to cram in a lot of stuff. After breakfast we hit the town and headed to Parc Guell. This park is one of Gaudi's famous sections of town. Originally it was going to house 60 homes, but today it houses mosaics, Gaudi's home, and a gift shop. We then headed down to the Mediterranean to take a short dip. It was still a little chilly! :) Wasting no time, we headed to another famous Gaudi called La Sangrada Familia. The church was beautiful. But, this Guadi is not even finished yet. Our tour guide was amazing and the history behind the church was also very entertaining. We learned that Gaudi's architecture in the church resembles trees, light, and flowers. He is even considered a genius in the world of architecture.
Tonight we are staying in Figures and tomorrow we start our trek into France.

Day One Barcelona

Ahora D,T, Y H estamos en Barcelona.
Yesterday, we enjoyed the sights of Barcelona. We visited the Casa Batllo after arriving at the hotel. We then walked around Las Ramblas, and the gothic quarter. It was beautiful. We then stopped for lunch in a traditional market. Ham and cheese sandwiches! We then visited the Barcelona Cathedral and witnessed the older generation dancing to traditional music.

Traveling Again

This is a short trip abroad, but so far we have:


caught the train from London to Edinburgh
climbed a "mountain" in Edinburgh
visited the Edinburgh Castle
visited the National Museum of Scotland
visited the Georgian and Gladstone restored homes
visited the Edinburgh National art museum
visited Loch Ness and the Scottish Highlands
walked along the royal mile, shopped and saw the child's toy museum
caught another train to York
visited York Minster
visited the castle museum
walked all over York, including on the walls
caught another train to London
visited the Tower of London
visited the Churchill and War room museum
visited Westminster Abbey
visited the National Gallery of Art
and, there's lots left to do!

More pictures

We went to Michigan a week ago and went jet skiing, water skiing, knee boarding, and tubing. We also crossed Lake Michigan on the SS Badger. Here are some pictures of H and T on the jet ski with d and dadad.

Hilton Head

We also went to Hilton Head island for a week. While we were there, we caught up on our drawing homework for the summer (70 drawings) and our summer reading. It was really fun and quite relaxing. While we were there we went on a 9 1/2 mile bike ride across the island and walked on the beach.
H

Maine pictures

Look at the view.