We made it!

We are now in Berlin, after a 12 hour train ride. Unfortunately, we made the reservations too late and were not able to get a sleeper car, but we did get seats. We were on a train that had little compartments (like the Harry Potter train), so it was the three of us and three other people. We got amazingly lucky with our "cabin-mates." It was three sisters from Atlanta!

The seats though were not that comfortable for 6 people to sleep in, so Emily and I actually slept on the floor of the dining car... ah the stories we will have to tell. But, we made it to Berlin, and we were able to check into our hotel early, so we are getting showered and refreshed before we explore the historic city of Berlin.

Our hotel is half a hostel and half a hotel. We have already seen every age range represented here and the receptionist couldn't have been nicer. Our room has a bunk bed and two other beds, along with a table, a full bath and a half bath. We are loving it and it helps us relive our days in the dorms! Plus, we go the wireless internet to work on Mary's computer!

Alright... back to Paris. There is so much to tell!

I must tell this story first. We went early on Sunday morning to the Musee d'Orsay, which I fully recommend. It is a much more manageable size museum than the Louvre, set in an old train station. I say works by Monet and Van Gogh, lots of works that I recognized. Plus some photography exhibits from the early 1900's. I truly enjoyed the museum! My favorite part though was coming upon a teacher.

I looked over the railing at one point to the floor below me and saw a woman with about eight 4-5 year olds sitting down in front of a painting with their crayons and paper out. They looked completely comfortable. As I grew closer to them, they had begun another project with string and straws. I was so impressed, and I must admit, envious, that a teacher could take a group of children to a museum where they would be surrounded by incredible works of art and let them do their own artwork. The children were very well behaved, and if the teacher had not been so in depth in her directions for the next step, I think I would have joined in. My heart is always drawn towards children, and of course teachers too. Now, it was a Sunday, so I'm not positive what the story is, but never the less, an opportunity for learning.

Besides seeing the Mona Lisa, we were in awe of the amazing size of the Louvre and wondered why Louis XIV would ever want to move out of there. That was until we saw Versailles... We immediately understood that Versailles, in its grand estate was much more grand than the Louvre, although that was hard to do. The Hall of Mirrors, where important treaties were signed, the impressive bedrooms, throne rooms, entry ways... it was incredible. And of course the gardens only dwarfed the buildings, which also included a second, smaller, but still very elegant home for Louis, and a small one with a lovely garden for Marie Antoinette. None of us were surprised that the people of France revolted. One could easily tell that the royalty had forgotten the commoners and were living a life of extreme luxury.

Well, its my turn for the showers, and as Mary said... "I must go wash all the crud of Europe off of me!"

For those of you enjoying the Alabama summer weather... we did hit 80 yesterday in Paris, but here in Berlin we are back in the upper 60's and low 70's... I'll try to blow a breeze your way! Love to you all!