3 months in 1 blog.

Well again its been a while and i know the last post was about Christmas in Berlin. So for the last 6 months we have got up to quite a bit and had lots of adventures. After Christmas it was back to work for Kel and I, and we started getting a bit more involved with our Connect group at church. At the end of the term Kelly's parents came out for a week. I think it was Kelly's mom's (Cheryl) first time overseas and Don's first since 'Nam. When they got here we did all of the normal stuff including 3 trips to London and an excursion to Oxford.

Tower of London

 We ended up going to Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Tower of London, Trafalgar Square, The Tower Bridge, and Buckingham Palace.

 We also went to the Imperial War Museum where Don and I had fun looking at all the implements of war and Don truly knows his stuff. Also they had a Holocaust exhibit which was amazing in a depressing way but moving none the less, well worth seeing. Don was also very taken with the British traditional food the Pasty, which is a type of Meat pie. All in all we had lots of fun and I'm pretty sure Don and Cheryl are going to come see us again next year but probably when the weather is fairer than a British February.

 After their trip it was back to work for both of us and 6 weeks until our next trip. School at this point was going much better for me, but Kelly's work was starting to grade on her and she began looking for a new job. I was also getting increasingly busy with my new role at school and hanging out with our new found and ever expanding group of friends over here. Our connect group at church also was growing and we decided to split into two smaller groups. I agreed to lead one of them and its been like a second family to us ever since. But time passes quickly as it tends to do and my parents trip over here was upon us. Now my Mom has never been overseas either but my Dad had been to China, Mongolia, and Cuba but never to Europe. Also my parents managed to come here during the hottest two weeks we have had before or since. The first day they were here we took a long walk up to Cookham which is about 5 miles and got a pint.

Needless to say it was on an empty stomach so me and my dad were in good spirits on the return journey. It was really cool to see everything through the fresh eyes of my parents and after 8 months it was great to get to hang out with them again. The second day of the visit we started our trip out of the UK and into Europe which started with an 8 hour bus ride to Paris which was not much fun especially due to the fact that sleep didnt come easily, and we were in a coach with a bunch of people who thought it was a great idea to get on the coach first, and then eat incredibly smelly food and stink up the entire bus. In the end we got there and checked into our apartment that we rented which ended up being great. We used AirBNB.com to book the flat and if you have a few people to split the cost its a great way to travel. When we checked in with the owner (who Kelly and my Mom thought was cute...whatever) we were able to drop off our bags but had to wait a few hours until the apt. was ready. We then walked down to the Luxembourg gardens which is my favorite spot in all of Paris and read our books and just generally had fun time seeing the sights. Also we had breakfast where my mom discovered just how good a fresh made French Croissant really is. 

Chilling at the Luxemboug Gardens

After that we were able to check in and I immediately fell to sleep while my parents and Kelly spent quite a bit of time out on the balcony seeing the sights. Afternoon we went to see the Notre Dame and then went and got some Crepes for Dinner.

Hot day in Paris

Inside the Notre Dame

Cool lighting inside the Notre Dame

We also walked to the Eiffel Tower at night after taking a stroll from the Arc de Triomph down the Champs Elysee. There really is nothing quite like the Eiffel Tower. It shouldnt be as amazing as it is when you get up close. It really is a feat of engineering and absolutely beautiful in its own right. Theres also this cool element that you are at something that is iconic and recognizable all over the world, and people watching there is amazing since everyone else there is a tourist and really excited. We had some ice cream and then retired to our flat.

The second day my dad and I woke up early and went to get some assorted French pastries all of which were amazing. That day we went to the Lourve which is amazing but way overwhelming. We got lost for a bit as well and had a hard time finding our way out. I was also able to take my favorite picture of my dad ever which is below. It became a running joke that the picture is him with his two favorite things to hunt: Stags and Naked girls. 

After this we walked up to Montmarre and saw the Sacre Ceur and the breathtaking views of the city that it offers. We headed back that night and had a late dinner at the apt and then took our nightly walk and went to the Notre Dame to take some more goofy pictures. 

Sacre Ceur and my parents are on the railing to the right. 

Notre Dame by night

Wine is a Helluva drug....makes girls act silly

This is a great pic except for some reason my forehead got messed up and i look like Quasimodo

The last day we decided to go to the Catacombs which none of us had ever done before. Its cool to see 6 million skeletons and doesnt seem at all real that these were living breathing humans a few hundred years ago.

For some reason i dont have those pics on my computer so you'll have to look it up for yourself. After that we had a French lunch of bread and other goodies and hung out at the Luxembourg gardens for the afternoon. That night we walked from our apt to the Eiffel tower and had a great dinner along the way. We had ice cream under the tower again and had a very fitting goodbye to the city of love. On to Barcelona......but not until a few days from now. Thanks for reading and i promise to get caught up over the next week or two. Really this time....I will. Love you and miss you all. 

-Casey and Kelly