no post since ireland?

"Every child is born a naturalist. His eyes are, by nature open to the glories of the stars, the beauty of the flowers and the mystery of life." R. Search
We have been enjoying the last week surrounded by the beauty of the hills and mountains of  Germany, Switzerland  and now France, specifically the town of Chamonix. The boys, especially seem to be appreciative of our new scenery, wanting to write and get out cameras. it is off season right now, which amazes me as it isn't until December 20th that things re open, and the streets are bare and dry. We can see snow up on the mountains but have no way of achieving those heights! We may take a cable car half way today to a hike that is open and see a bit more of this valley. The train ride up to this village was something else, Amber and I were not prepared! While we clung to the edge and stared at the wall beside us, Ross dove from his seat with us to the one on the side with Sheldon and dad that hung over the precipice of the mountain we were climbing. It was crazy! It drifted slowly through, stopping at these tiny villages that it links through the mountains, people getting on and off acting as though it were nothing to be so high! Anyway, I am happy that my boys are happiest in nature, that they get the connection. I am happy that we've had this opportunity to bring them here, to see some different mountains. I know that we have all this back home, the streams, the rivers, the hills, the mountains, the beauty...and I am truly grateful for that as well, that when we leave these gorgeous places we get to return to a different but similar, beauty.

"Today I will stop and listen to their laughter, I will breathe in their joy. I will play and be a part of their memories, not just the memory maker."
Now you are thinking "what about Amber? Doesn't she like nature?" Of course she does, she appreciates it differently though because she is herself. If given the choice of going out or staying, she will probably choose to stay, but once out she is happy and silly and makes us laugh and enjoys being with us and being outdoors. However she WOULD pick hanging out, playing board games, drinking hot chocolate and laughing over a funny movie. That is perfect, because we need that balance between hiking and rest. While we were in Paris I had a wonderful day with her, the boys, tired of museums and not city dwellers themselves stayed home for a change and Amber and I hit the Louvre! It really is an amazing building, something that would take a month to get through but we skimmed it, and had a nice snack in the cafe and then later lunch out in the park in front of the museum. It was surreal, lunch with my baby in a park, in Paris. We watched the people and remarked on the fact that roses were still in bloom and that we were looking at Paris! It was interesting having this time just her and I, it almost felt like being with a friend rather than my child, watching her grow and change right before my eyes.

Sometimes when you see things for the first time, there is a moment where you may feel a little bit of disappointment, you know, it's not what you built it up to be in your mind? I felt that at a couple paintings in the Louvre, but then some other painting that I never knew existed would have me gaping and breathless and completely enthralled. The Eiffel Tower was one that I wondered if it would be like that, but from the moment we saw it on the horizon as we walked towards it I was impressed. It was bigger than we imagined (really big when we started to climb it!) more impressive, and really pretty and intriguing. It completed the landscape, it is what you picture when you think "Paris" and here we were, immersed in that landscape. It was surreal for me. I bought a baguette while it was still hot and we ate macaroons. We also ate McDonald's, hey, it can't all be perfectly parisienne. I got ripped off at a store, we saw a guy peeing on the street and we encountered a few "schemes" but we made it through unscathed...except for the 50 euros...oops. Maybe 'we made it through a bit wiser' would be a better phrase.

"If adventures do not befall a lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad." Jane Austen
We have seen so many neat old places, more castles than I could have imagined, most when we are whipping by on trains! Germany and Switzerland are SO beautiful and the people friendly and helpful. The train rides are amazing because of the scenery, it is unfortunate that I can't stop at ALL the towns that take my breath away! France has proven to be beautiful as well and we are regretting our stubbornness in high school when we could have kept taking French as a class and communicating with the people here.

So, we are off again tomorrow for another French town and then on to our final destination in Spain. Right now we are excited to 'stay put' and as Kelsey has mentioned we have a week of Spanish lessons to stay for, but I have a feeling we may take a couple of day trips before our rail pass runs out and see some other areas of Spain. On the other hand, having a "home" for more than a week sounds good too! Missing you all and thinking of you everyday, love Wendi