The Sepia Post…...

 PARIS….loved every minute of it…and the sepia/blurring tool made those minutes as timeless as Paris herself….

view from the top of Montparnasse Observatory

view of Notre Dame from Montparnasse

view of the Effiel Tower from the Tracadero

Basilique du Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre…built to cure the country's spiritual ills in the face of  military defeat at the hands of Bismark's Prussians in 1870 (the Germans have always had a thing for Paris)…they had originally pledged to build a church there if they escaped unscathed from the war, and when they didn't, they still built a church there as their defeat felt like a moral condemnation of the sins of Paris.  Possibly.  There's no doubt about the sin, it's true of us all, but their defeat was more likely to have involved inferior military tactics, numbers and timing; regardless, it's always a good idea to acknowledge the Lord and call the people's attention back to their Maker.  After an architectural competition, the construction for the basilica began in 1876 and it took 40 years to build.  The hilltop Montmartre, north of downtown Paris, is best known for its many artists and writers who have enchanted the art & literary worlds and been omnipresent since the 1880s.  The architectural style, Roman-Byzantyne, apparently stands in sharp contrast to the rest of Paris which is Romanesque……which, as I'm not a well studied art historian,  I guess just means Paris itself doesn't have the Byzantine flare.   All I know is that it's a stunning site in person & because it's on the hill, it stands higher than the Eiffel tower as among the highest points in all of Paris…..and because it's a church, we know it's even higher still.  During WWII, 13 bombs are said to have landed on the church, but caused no casualties, so it has special significance in the memory of locals.  This is one of the many sites left unexplored by our students as time did not permit, so it's something they can add to their list when they return!  I was there last Memorial Day weekend in 2013 for my EF "training" weekend and soaked up every minute of it, wandering the same streets Van Gogh, Degas, Picasso, and countless others 20th century artists and writers too.  Much of it has been over-commercialized of course, but if you wander away from the crowds & over-priced craze, it's a significant gem in the crown of travel.

BONJOUR! BONJOUR!!!

Although this picture doesn't capture it, I loved the ecstatic joy on these faces and in their voices as they cast their very first gaze at the Eiffel Tower…..

WE WERE READY TO TAKE PARIS!!!

Fantastic birds-eye view from the observatory deck of the Montparnasse Tower….

Lovely parisian sub-urb…..we passed through in route to our hotel.

The chateau next door to our much more ordinary hotel…...

CHEERIO, London!

   
After our excitement and the long wait in Sherwood Forest, we bid our new favorite city goodbye, we were sure to "mind the gap!" and we took our final ride in the Tube in search of enough food to tide us over til we could find Parisian croissants on the next day's adventure!!!   Paris….!!  We're coming!!

Bring it!!

Calzone for 1 or 15?!!  A fitting way to interrupt the steady flow of convenience store sandwiches!!

You Know You're Homeschooled (or under the influence of homeschoolers) When…..

….you're on a chartered bus heading down a major highway on your way back to London from Bath, England and the bus blows a tire and you're on the side of the road, and of course, as you gather safely away from traffic off the side of the road, you notice that if you really stop and think about it, the space off the side of the road may as well be Sherwood Forest, you are IN England after all, and really, if you're going to be stuck on the side of the road waiting for a chartered tow or tire replacement, and you're stuck there with your new favorite friends with whom you're having the time of your life, and you're with your all time most favorite teacher ever, why would you not break into groups & bust out spontaneous renditions of your own Shakespeare plot twists?!?!  I mean, you are IN England after all - so you can't help yourself!!!  THAT'S when you know you're homeschooled (or hanging out with those who are, cuz your school friends would never have this much fun geeking out over this kind of thing), and it's also when in your heart of hearts, you know God is unfolding this part of your education exactly as He wants it to be and you never want this part to end...…..or something like that.

 

the plot thickens…"ok, let's DO this!!"

who knew literature could bring this many laughs?!

adventure warriors at heart - see their pointy ears?! - a horse with a dwarf hanging from the side just passed….

Homeschooled, most of us,  and loving every minute of it…..at least right now!

Being Bathonian for the day…..

It's difficult to travel Europe and come to anyplace that the Romans long before did not occupy first!  Throughout history, Bath has been both the birthplace, home, and an escape resort of sorts for many notable literary figures; most well known among them, Mary Shelley, Charles Dickens and Jane Austen.   The latter two used the setting in literary novels such as, The Pickwick Papers, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion respectively.  Before traveling there I didn't know that royalty had also found the  baths to their liking; Queen Anne, Edgar of England, Queen Elizabeth I, Mary of Modena, Queen Victoria, Princess Claire of Belgium and a Stuart or two all visited on various occasions as it was believed that the water possessed unique health benefits.  That may be what's changed most; a close look at this water did not convince me of such benefit!

Jane Austen lived here from 1801 - 1806, beginning at age 26.  The City of Bath at that time was a meeting place for the who's who of high society where one went to see and be seen; it was the hub of all things fashion, and urban development thrived with elegant and spectacular Georgian buildings and Palladian architecture.  Surprisingly, today's Bath remains more or less the same as it was in Jane's day.  The buildings have all been so well preserved that a visitor to Bath today can actually walk the paths Jane walked and view the same sites; utterly romantic!

Nicole: several of these photos are her's!

Jane chose Bath as the setting for the aforementioned novels, which were both published posthumously for her satirical critiques.  According to various sources (specifically Claire Tomalin's biography Jane Austen: A Life, and a blogger named Arti at wordpress), she did not like Bath, as she felt the superficiality and frivolity of high society were unbearable.   Perhaps her disdain was caused by the very purpose she suspected of her parent's decision to move there: opportunities to meet favorable suitors for their daughters, of course!

I never tired of this group's smiles (though they likely tired of my camera!); I could take their pictures all day….
and did!!

Emilie

Mother/Daughter Moment…had to take 'em when I could get 'em! 

As we did nothing less throughout this whole adventure, we continued to learn as Miss Schroeder had so much to share with us about this compelling oasis which has transcended British history as thee place worthy of spending one's leisure.  The Romans had such a knack as destination trendsetters! 

Unsolved Mystery….

 It was surreal to pull into this wide open space where the land simply meanders so open and free, and then to see this iconic figure….I've seen it in books, on posters, magazines, and  on TV undoubtedly more times than I can count…..but to behold it in person is totally different…..the stones are so massive, the land surrounding so green and so relatively free of pebbles, let alone boulders, let alone rocks sized for giants.  Fascinating.  It's a mystery for sure with many interesting suggestions in an attempt to offer explanation.  It remains a mystery in my mind however, and is a beautiful memory….it's an early chapter in man's story of asserting his significance, and a lasting reminder of his drive for legacy….another example of his need to know and be known.  It's a story from another time and place, but it sounds a lot like my own story……without the intersection of physics and crazy heavy rocks.