Monsieur Souris in Paris

M. Souris with Julie's new sweater

Bonjour mes amis!

We have had a trip to Paris.  Très agréable.  The weather was rather cooler than expected (see new sweater above) until the last day when it really warmed up.  We did not visit any of the museums, but we saw a good portion of the city by doing a lot of walking (Julie did a lot of walking -- Monsieur Souris was a pocket passenger) and from being on the T O P of the Tour Eiffel.  Here are a few of the sites that we saw . . .

M. Souris at the conference we attended

M. Souris on the Tour Eiffel (2nd Stage) with some of the city behind (and far, far below) him

A dog and his owner going for a walk . . .

. . . then the dog decides to go for a swim a few blocks later.

We are just getting everything cleaned and ready to be packed back in the suitcase for a trip to Bordeaux.  This trip the computer is coming with us so there will be much more to see and read about.  


à bientôt!

trains for the boys

Monsieur Souris on the train to Lyon early in the morning

From our train window -- we are passing another passenger train

Passing a freight train

Back of the freight train engine

Front of the engine as we pass

In Lyon -- this tram is leaving -- not going to our destination

Here comes our tram -- you can see the electric wires overhead that make them run

After a late night, Monsieur Souris did not want to get out of bed.  He knew we were going to have another busy day.

I figured that trains are a favorite of most boys, so here are a few pictures of them.  There are a lot of fascinating and quick transportation options in Lyon.  We took a train to get there, took the Metro (aka subway -- not pictured) around town, took a tram to University Lyon 1, and took a short bus ride while we were in Lyon.  We also did quite a bit of walking, so we were all tired and ready for bed each night. 

37 sq meters . . . it is cozy

The great part about living in a small place is that you end up knowing just how much stuff you can live without, as well as what things you really want/need.  We are cozy here but not cramped.  If we were going to be in France long term I would really want an oven, but it is fairly easy to live without one with bakeries and pastry shops everywhere.

Here are the pictures of the apartment . . .

From the outer door a view of the curtain screening the laundry room

The clothes washer -- lid closed

The clothes washer with lid open --- works like a front loading machine (no agitator)

Coming in from outer passage (door on left leads to bedroom, on right to bath)

Bedroom with radiator, bedside bureau, and bed

Closet

View of entry and  bedroom window from kitchen

Bathroom -- complete with shower, toilet, sink and cabinet

Kitchen area -- sink, stove top (4 burner) and dishwasher

View from living room -- it is a B I G fridge and good freezer (we have ice cubes!) :)

View looking back toward living room of kitchen

The other side of the kitchen -- the white rectangle beside the fridge is our air conditioning

View of living room from kitchen

View of desk and window from back of living room

View from couch of opposite side of the room

View of Loire River from sitting at desk

 

 

Clothes dryer :)

So as you can see it has all the room we need.  Having the windows open is very comfortable and if needed we can turn on the fan to help circulate the air (especially handy for drying clothes).  There has not been a day warm enough to require AC since we arrived.

Hope you enjoyed the tour of Chez Youngblood!

for my sister, Laurie . . .

The bell tower for Cathedrale Ste. Pierre

Cathedrale Ste. Pierre, Geneva Switzerland

Pipe Organ inside the cathedral

The pulpit in the main cathedral

Fountain in courtyard at Reformation Museum

The Lord's Prayer, carved into the Reformation Wall -- Geneva, Switzerland

We went to Saint Paul's Cathedral (Cathedrale Ste. Pierre) where Protestant Reformation history  is honored.  John Calvin is especially remembered at this site.  The Chapel of the Maccabees that is inside the Cathedrale Ste. Pierre is beautifully restored, but as it was crowded with people I was unable to take any pictures.  The stain-glass windows were exceptionally beautiful.  I understand that the entire Chapel was restored to what it may have been originally, and if that is the case, it was (and is) a very beautiful room.

here is something interesting . . .

This one is for Ryan and Cam ---

Sometimes you see things in a different country that look very strange and yet slightly familiar all at the same time.  I took this picture because I thought you might find it interesting.  They are all over town.  Some of them are not as bright red as this one, but they are all the same size and shape.  Have you guessed what it is?

It is a fire hydrant -- a key fits into the square metal piece on the front, the container opens, and the hydrant is inside.  Here they don't use 911 -- calling an ambulance is 115 and calling the police is 117 if you have an emergency.

Monsieur Souris says:
    Le mot aujourd'hui est (the word for today is) -- pompier (fireman)


(Monsieur Souris is teaching me a lot of French, so I will share some with you, too.)

Au revoir -- je vais devoir vous laisser.

Bon jour!

Monsieur Souris and a very helpful book to have