Backlog: Paris Round Two

I'm curious to know what counts as hitchhiking? I decided to risk not buying a return ticket back to Paris in hopes of finding a ride with someone else on their way to or through Paris. I found a group of Arizona University students who were flying out the same day that my night train left Paris, and scored a ride with them (I didn't even have to pay for gas money!). The bus left at 4:30 in the morning, but a free ride was enough to get me up at such a ridiculous hour.

My train didn't leave until 8:30 in the evening, so such an early arrival in the city left me with the day to do some more exploring. I returned to the Louve to visit the Babylon special exhibit that hadn't yet opened on my first visit.

In the area around the Notre Dame, the Seine River is filled with street vendors selling used books, posters, music, and a plethora of artists displaying their work. I followed the Seine River from the Louve back to the Eiffel tower for more photo opportunities. Along the way I got caught in a lovely downpour and of course didn't have an umbrella on me and was far from any metro stops which could have provided cover. Luckily I dried out before needing to share a small space with cabinmates on the train.

The rain did make for some fun picture opportunities though, with the reflection of the Eiffel Tower filling the puddles.
Looking up
Eiffel Tower by night.

Backlog: Taize

Before leaving the States, I made a list of the top places that I hoped to able to visit during my time here in Germany, many of which I have been able to check off during this trip, one being a visit to the Taize community. Wanting to do something intentional for Easter, Taize seemed like the appropriate place to spend Holy Week.

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Taize is a monastic ecumenical community of brothers, who share common community and desire life to be a sign of reconciliation between divided Christians and separated peoples (as taken from their website). Their community is open to young people, those aged between 16 and 29 to come and join them in prayer and bible study. I have seen church signs offering Taize prayer services and had even sung a few Taize songs before coming and knew that they attracted young people by the thousands to join them in prayer. My curiosity was high upon arrival!

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I arrived at the beginning of Easter week with about 3000 other young people, and ended the week with about 5000 other companions. Coming from the quietness of Chartres, this was a bit of a shock! The routine and life in Taize was simple. We joined three times a day for prayer, ate simple meals, participated in bible study and acquired a job for the week (I helped distribute the food, and feeding 5000 people in 30 minutes is a sight to be seen!). There was also plenty of time for reflection and stillness.

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A highlight of the week was meeting up with a friend who spent the entire month of March in Taize and sharing in daily walks and conversations. There are times when I find myself downright amazed at the people I have been priviledged to meet in life, and their willingness to share of bit of theirs with me.

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I also joined in choir practice each day. I have not sung in a choir since 5th grade, and while I still can't sing, it was pretty awesome to be able to see the harmony of voices come together and to pray not just through song, but in the actual way we sang. The prayers of the community have become a meaningful part of my own personal prayer life, and for that I am grateful.

I think that the actual town of Taize has about 20 people, what you see here is pretty much it.

After the morning storm

Easter life

A small French town. Notice the snow on the hill. Easter morning, we woke to huge snowflakes falling out of the sky (although, nothing like what you Clevelanders experienced last year!). I brought no winter jacket with me this trip- it was a bit chilly.

Backlog: Chartres

When I arrived here in Germany, I was very grateful for the visual arts that were within the church walls of the church services that I attended. I couldn't understand much of what was being said in the services, and although the litergy is different, there are similiarities that I could follow along (or at least make up my own, whatever I thought was appropriate at that particular place in time). During the sermons, when I could no longer concentrate on trying to follow what was being said, I let my eyes wander around the space, paying attention to the alter pieces or the stained glass windows, doing my best to interpret their meanings. I allowed their pictures, their stories, to teach me something.

Following my brief stay in Paris I spent three days in Chartres, France, a nice quiet town about an hour outside of the big city. I was practically the lone person in my hostel, so the visit really was a retreat of sorts. My purpose in visiting the city was to experience the Chartres Cathedral. The cathedral is unique in that it's gothic grandeur has remained largely intact as it has always been, not having been changed by the reformation, vandalism, or war.


Inlaid into the floor is a labyrinth. On Fridays the chairs are pulled back and the labyrinth exposed for the public to walk through. It was a real treat to be able to see it uncovered and to walk through its path.


The Chartres Cathedral was influential in the world of gothic architecture, as it reached new hights with the development of the flying buttresses providing enough support to build higher than ever before.

I was lucky enough to get in a tour with Malcolm Miller, who first came to Chartres 50 years ago as a student from England and fell in love with the Cathedral, so much so that he decided to pick up and move to Chartres and dedicate his life to researching the cathedral and giving tours to those who are interested. He's not your average tour guide, however, and it may have been the best 5 Euros that I spent on my trip, as we spent 90 minutes hearing the history of the cathedral and learning a bit of the story that the Cathredral stands to share.

The Chartres Cathedral was built in a mere 30 years, which is astounding really, considering that it is the largest cathedral in France, and its walls and windows are incredibly detailed with theological stories. The Milano Duomo took 500 years to complete and Barcelona's La Sagrada Familia is 125 years in the making. Each window highlights a different biblical story: creation, the flood, the passion of Christ, the birth of Christ, the miracle's of Christ... the list goes on. As Malcolm Miller described it, it truly is a storybook, built to teach the biblical story through pictures and images to the common person and theologian alike. Visiting the Chartres Cathedral is nothing less than an interactive experience. I spent three days there, and spent a majority of my time exploring the cathedral, where there was always something new to discover.

Each figurine that surrounds the door is highly symbolic and together they tell the story of the apostles.

While the cathedral had certainly captured my attention, the city was full of charm as well. I daily enjoyed a stroll through its streets.

The French have half-timbered houses too!

Chartres Windows

The town square by night

My favorite time to window shop was at night. There was something much more appealing about them as they were all lit up (and safer for the wallet).

Backlog: Paris 2

Before leaving on my trip a friend was sharing his experiences of being in Paris, and described it kind of like being at Disneyworld- there is just attraction after attraction as you walk down the streets. Each main tourist attraction isn't that far from the other. I had a morning in Paris before I would catch my train to Chartres, so I set off to experience the sights of Paris.


From my hostel it was a straight shot past the Louve, and from there straight on to the Arc de Triumph.

The Eiffel was the next stop and I must say it just looks French. It's funny how a tower can create so much excitement, but it really is unique and fun to look at, and even more fun to take pictures of.

This was not my first trip to Paris. My family had come together, back when we lived in Bad Aibling. It's always interesting revisiting sights that I had seen as a kid and comparing memories. Munich was much smaller than I remembered it. Musuems are much more facinating to me now than they were then. There are many places that I've revisited that my previous memories are vague, but Paris had made an impression on me during our first as a family. Mostly I remember seeing parks and walking along the Seine and wishing there was more time to explore. In that first visit we climbed the Eiffel Tower and I was struck by the view and could see the parks that surrounded the tower and thought to myself that it would be wonderful to just be able to walk around the parks. So this visit, I did just that, saving the memory of climbing the tower to my first visit.

After the Eiffel Tower it was back to the Hostel to pick up my bag, but not before taking a stroll through the surrounding neighborhood.

And of course a stop in the backery for some delicious croissants (and maybe a chocolate crepe too)!

Backlog: Paris

After a wonderful last time stroll through the streets of Barcelona- it was onward towards Paris. Apparently I arrived following a horrific storm, which made for quite the windy landing, and quite the windy tour of the city. My stay in Paris was short, which was quite alright with me. I didn't find the city all that amazing, although, still felt the need to visit the sights. My hostel was a 5 minute walk from the Notre Dame, so that seemed like a good place to start.

The Gargoyles keeping watch of the passerbyers

The reason I really wanted to stop through Paris, was to see the Louve. It is truly as big as everyone says that it is. I had a grand time walking through the halls and admiring the collections that lie within its walls.

The building itself was facinating to walk through, as each room and hallway had its own character.

And of course- the obligatory stop to see the Mona Lisa

More of the inside

From the inside looking out

Backlog: Barcelona to Girona

My last day in Barcelona was spent making one last walk through the city streets and up to Park Guell to try and get some morning daylight pictures. Here's a few last shots that were taken in the city.

The contrast between Guadi's more modernistic, expressionist art and the ancient Corinthian columns and Roman walls that were just around the corner from the hostel, hidden with the narrow cooridors of the Barri Gothic district was wonderfully unique.

A Roman Wall- it was impressively massive, and just right there standing quietly in the middle of the city

A view of my hostel room, which I shared with 6 other girls. My next flight flew out of Girona, so I made the hour or so train ride back to the little city, making it in time for an evening stroll and a beautiful sunset.

Have I mentioned that I love the narrowness of the streets?

Houses along the city wall

One one side of the city the houses are built into the city wall. On the other, they sit at the edge of the river.

At day's end. Next stop... Paris.

Backlog: Barcelona 4- Gaudi Continued

Guadi has left his fingerprints all over the city of Barcelona and I did my best to see as much of his work as possible. The Sagrada Familia was definitely my favorite, with his Park Guell being a close second. I loved it so much that I made a second trip on my last day in Barcelona. I am convinced that Gaudi is the inspiration of all the paint your own pottery- build your own mosaic places. Gaudi's architecture is meant to be experienced. It serves much more than the purpose of providing a useful space or a roof over one's head. There was one such studio in Cleveland that always made for a fun place to go and make birthday gifts. I could pick out a piece of pottery or a mold for a mosaic and create something to gift someone else. One year a group of the confirmation students and their mentors from my church chose this as their place to make their faith statements. The students chose mosaic moldings and filled them with colors and designs that expressed faith. I hope that it was a meaningful experience for them. It was for me. I was priviledged to join them for pizza and watch the creation process.

There are tons of different pathways throughout the park, and it would be possible to wonder for quite a while, never taking the same path. Here is the central gathering place of the park. Above is a veranda of sorts, with benches and a view overlooking the city. You can go and just hang out or enjoy the cafe'.

There were all sorts of entertainers, entertaining us: musicians, tricksters, and popular among the kids- bubble makers.

The trademark of the park- the dragon at the entrance

The mosaic-filled park benches

A path through the park- I think it's supposed to be like the underbelly of a caterpiller. Gaudi really liked to depict nature.


Not in Park Guell, but also noteworthy- Gaudi was also commissioned to design several apartment buildings throughout the city. They're immediately recognizable as they tend to be quite different in appearance than those standing at its side and much more colorfull than the rest of the block.

Gaudi's most famous apartment building

And by night