Sorry guys. I should have done this Wednesday, but I had to go back to work very soon after arriving.

Let us see....I left Warsaw early on Monday. I had a long walk from my apartment to the subway station, and then a devil of a time getting there! I kept getting on the wrong platform. But, thankfully, I eventually got it right, and I was on my way. I first flew from Warsaw to Copenhagen by way of Scandinavian Airlines. They were rather late in getting the plane off the ground, which made for a rather tight connection schedule. I managed to get on the plane for Washington just in time!

I had a really good flight back here. No one was sitting next to me, which made for a nice amount of personal space. The seat was very comfortable, too! I do recommend flying Scandinavian for trips from America to Europe. We had some slight turbulence while flying over Greenland, but other than that, it was great. (Not everyone had so good a time though. A small boy sitting across from me had a miserable time with air pressure as we descended over Pennsylvania, and eventually vomited, poor guy.)

We landed at Dulles right on time, (I got to watch the landing with the onboard cameras too, it was awesome!) and everything went really smoothly from there. I went through customs like lightning, and got my bag almost immediately from the baggage claim. I then took the airport express bus to Whiele-Reston East, which is the nearest Metro station to Dulles at this time. I wanted very much to tell my parents I was home, but wouldn't you know it? My phone picked right then to demand payment before use, and it gave me no way to pay it until I reached home! But other than that, all was well.

Ahh...Europe was lovely. I likely will go back again this time next year! But also, I am glad to be back home.

Very tired. Will tell you all more in the morning.

I confess, I kind of thought Warsaw would be boring. Thankfully, I was proven wrong! I discovered the best parts of it on my last day.

First, it being Sunday, I went to Mass. It being in Polish, naturally I didn't understand a word, but that was fine. Afterwards, I took a pleasant walk around this pond in a nearby park called Park Szczesliwicki. (I'm not even gonna try and pronounce that.) After that, I went back home and had lunch.

I was almost gonna spend the rest of the day being lazy, but I thought I should do one more thing. So I looked up Google Maps and came across this mideavel section of Warsaw called Old Town. I had nothing better to do, so I went! Glad I did too- a lot of colorful old stone buildings, a several castles and cobblestone squares- what's not to like? One thing that got me though- I thought at first I had encountered a golden statue of a witch. It wasn't until I got close I realized it was a person dressed in gold paint! And on top of that, she winked at me!

I had wanted to find the boundries of the old Warsaw Ghetto and visit the memorial, but alas, it was closed today. So I did the next best thing- I visited this museum called the POLIN Muzeum Historii Zydow Polskich. Its a really cool museum dedicated to the history of Jews and Jewish life in Poland. It covers everything- from the arrivals of the first Jews in the 10th century, different attitudes Poland's kings and queens took to them, Jewish social life, Jewish contributions to Polish society and culture- the works! I highly recommend visiting it if you get the chance.

Ahhh...tomorrow I return home. I'll be flying Scandinavian Air from Warsaw back to Dulles. Europe has been fun, and lovely, but I also looking forward to seeing home again. (I do hope my coworkers at the library haven't been too beleaguered. Apparently they had a nasty encounter with an opera singer.)

Hi guys. So, yesterday I took the train from Osweicim to Krakow, and then again from Krakow to Warsaw. Not a lot to report there- am mostly glad for the fact I got there well and in good spirits, considering. I hadn't had quite enough sleep the night before. And wouldn't you know it, half the entrances to Osweicim station were blocked off because of construction! But nonetheless, I made my train, and away we went.

I took the EIP Premium Service from Krakow on to Warsaw. I kind of had to switch seats because someone else had already taken mine. But other than that, couldn't have been better. (Incidentally, if you decide to visit Poland, most people under 40 know at least a smattering of English. I managed to tell one of my seatmates about where I'd been, and she got it perfectly!)

Once I got to Warsaw, I took a taxi to the airBNB. Sigh...I would say this is the one check-in that hasn't gone so well. The owner wasn't terribly clear about what sector of the apartment compex he was in, and it took me a while to figure it out. Thankfully, one of the neighbors was able to help me. Very kind of her, too! It was a relief to finally rest my head and relax.

As for today? I visited this thing called the Museum of Communism. If you didn't guess from the name, its basically a memoir of daily life in Communist-era Poland. It wasn't terrible, but man was it annoying! Imagine being lied to about the most perfectly obvious of things every day, coupled with having to queue for hours for basic goods like food or toiletries! But, on a more positive note, I did have a good time seeing communist paraphenelia- including a set of medals from North Korea of all places! That, and a Polish-made fiat! Studebaker it ain't, but it was still pretty nice.

After that, I toured this huuuuuuuge park called the Łazienki Królewskie. (Bigger than Central Park in NYC, I swear!) I believe it must have been a Polish king's estate before the parition in the late 18th century. It was certainly quite lovely to walk through all that forest and lakeside in the middle of the city! The only annoying part was trying to get back. Ugh, the public transit system in Warsaw is as bad as it is in DC back home! The entire time, I kept getting contradictory directions from my phone. Eventually I gave up and walked 4 kilometers.

But, as soon as I got home, I had dinner- pasta, wine, and sauteed olives. That was good. As for tomorrow? Mass, visit the Warsaw Ghetto Memorial, and tour what little of Łazienki Królewskie I did not see, and then pack up and go home.

Europe has been very kind to me! But at the same time, I look forward to seeing home again!

Today I visited Auschwitz. Quite honestly, it didn't feel proper not to see that place as long as I was here. A lot of people feel sad or scared when visiting that place. Not I. I can honestly say I never felt that. But instead, I felt a quiet sense of anger at the cruelty of it all.

I first visited Auschwitz II, also known as Auschwitz-Birkenau. If you have never been to Osweicm, it is a sad irony that a town so beautiful most be forever synonymous with horror and despair. Anyway, Birkenau is very large, I would cautiously estimate at least 8-10 football field-sized. It is estimated that no fewer than 1.3 million met their deaths there, 90% of them Jews. I saw almost everything there was to see. The tracks that lead to nowhere. The gates of hell and destruction. And the ruins of the former gas chamber, which the Nazis attempted to destroy in a cowardly attempt to cover up the traces of their hellishness.

I promise I am not making this up. I swear that I could physically feel the sheer aura of hatred and despair as I walked near the ruins of the gas chamber. As if demons resided there! I dared not stay there for more than 7 minutes, it was that intense.

After that, I saw someplace that was, in my opinion, far worse. I saw the barracks where Mengele, in his evil, tortured more than 1,200 people to death in the name of science, the bulk of whom were children under 5. That struck me as far worse than being gassed. If you were to be gassed to death, at least you had the consolation of knowing that your end would be quick. Mengele and his medical experiments served no purpose, none, other than to slowly destroy you in the most exquisitely cruel way conceivable.

And then there were the children's barracks. In which several hundred Polish children, along with their mothers, were gathered into one, and then murdered by having molten phenol injected into their hearts while they were still alive. This was as punishment for their cooperation with the Warsaw Ghetto Rebellion. Incidentally not a single one, not one, of those murdered in this way was even Jewish.

Have I scared you away by now? Take comfort, for it does get easier. I attempted to visit Auschwitz I, after lunch and a long rest. I say attempted because, as it turns out, you need to pay to get in, and they only let in a certain number of people who have not reserved ahead of time. That strikes me as more than a little tasteless! But all the same, I managed to get some good photos. One photo that stood out to me was from a survivor. It said "What I learned from my experience in Auschwitz is to believe in kindness. Be good to the people around you."

I really like that. I would add, saying that death is not the end. Sin and evil do not have the final say. Only God does. However tempting, never give up hope.

Sigh...this is by far the longest entry I have made. It is also the most demanding of energy. I hope you will forgive me until tomorrow. Goodnight.

Edit- I can now say I have stared evil and hatred right in the face and turned my back.

All right guys, here's another journal.

I checked out of Krakow at 11, and then tried to take the tram to Krakow Glowny station. I say tried because I kept getting on the wrong one! First it was one tram, and then it was another. Then, when I finally got on the right one, I went past my stop because I was expecting us to go over, not under, the train tracks. But I got there at last. In a way, I'm a little glad I got lost, because it would have meant a two-hour wait in the station.

I got on the train at 1:25. Its operated by Polregio- it was really little more than an upgraded subway service. I spent most of the way sleeping, and pulled into Osweicm two hours later. After that, I checked into the airBNB- I have a top floor suite all to myself- and after languishing a while, went to buy dinner from Lidl. Alas, the periogi turned out mushy, and I have yet to find the corkscrew for the wine. Ah well...

Tomorrow I visit Auschwitz. I don't feel scared, exactly. More like, I feel angry that there are people out there would could do that to the innocent. But we'll see what happens.

I didn't have the chance to do as much as I'd have liked yesterday, so I made up for it today. I saw two places of great historic interest. One was the Convent and Basilica of St. Faustina, and the other was Oscar Schindler's factory.

I went to the convent first. St. Faustina was a Polish Catholic Nun and seeress who lived during the 1930's. During that time, she had a series of visions from Jesus telling her to tell others about his Divine Mercy. And specifically, he gave her two commissions. One was a type of meditation called the Divine Mercy chaplet, which is done with a set of rosary beads. Except, on the Hail Mary beads, you say 'For the Sake of His Sorrowful Passion, Have Mercy on Us and on the Whole World.' THe other was to have a certain painting of him done as a holy image, and spread devotion to it. On this image, you have Jesus, and there are two rays of light emanating from his heart- one red, for his blood shed for all sinners, and the other blue, to represent his mercy and compassion.

(I plan to have something up for Faustina tonight, god Willing.)

I had the pleasure of seeing Faustina's convent and resting place. I also had the privilege of being able to confess there. Not having had the chance for Mass last Sunday, I was most grateful.

After that, I visited Schindler's factory. It is a museum and monument to the Jews and non-Jews of Krakow who suffered under Nazi occupation. It was thoroughly detailed as well as somber. Besides telling of Schindler's coming to Krakow and his activities to save the Jews there, it also told of daily life. To be certain, it was extremely dangerous to be a Jew. There was the constant chance of being killed, of course, but also having to watch others die, and being subjected to daily humiliation.

It was not that much better if you were a non-Jewish Pole. Things like school, business, and the like were strictly for Germans only. Poles were there only for slave labor, and in fact, one of the other goals of the Nazis was to murder the Poles after they had finished with the Jews. Kidnapping for forced labor was common; such a thing happened to Karol Wojtyla, who later became Pope John Paul II. In 1943, he was kidnapped by the Nazis and forced to do backbreaking labor in a quarry. Many of his fellow Poles had to suffer likewise.

So yes, that was a small fraction of my history lesson. I'll make sure you all get to see the photos, one by one.

Moving on, I travelled back to the airBNB, bought pirogi and wine for my dinner, and then ate. I now plan to spend the rest of the evening languishing. Tomorrow I leave for Osweicm by train. For those of you who do not know that town, it would be the Polish name for Auschwitz. I don't plan on visiting the place first thing after I arrive, but the day after. (I plan to tour the inside of Walwel Castle in the morning if I can, though.)

Here is what I did yesterday.

I always seem to have a curious sense of timing. I arrived in Poland just as she was celebrating her independence day! On November 11th, 1918, Poland became independent from Germany and Russia as WWI was drawing to a close. They had a big military parade around Walwel Castle that I managed to hear about online. It was due to start at 11:30, and I was at first worried I would not make it in time.

But no, I cam just in time after all! There was a big parade with horses, and soldiers dressed in uniforms from all Poland's military history. (Think 13th century and onwards.) It was a really big shindig, and I managed to get some good photos.

After I went back and rested for a while, I went out again. This time I visited Kasimierz, which was the old Jewish quarter of Krakow before WWII. I also walked across the Vistula river to the Krakow Ghetto Memorial. It was rather somber. It is built in this city square not far from where the Krakow ghetto once stood when the Nazis were in town. You have a number of steel chairs, each one commemorating the 70,000 Jews (and unknown number of non-Jews) who died in the ghetto, either by deliberate murder or Nazi mistreatment. I also walked over to Oskar Schindler's old factory, but did not go in. (I did visit it today, though- more on that later.) On the walls outside as you walk by it, you see a few of the Jews Schindler managed to save.

Finally, I walked home. I had a video call with my Mom and Dad, since it was her birthday. They're doing well! Mom is looking really healthy; she says France was a lovely birthday present to her. They'll be returning home tomorrow, I think; I for my part will return next Monday.

Hi guys. Apologies for not doing this yesterday. I had a loooooot of traveling to do, and I was bushed when I checked in to the airBNB. Anyway, here I am in Krakow. I think I can say I've been looking forward to this the most. Walwel castle, St. Faustina's convent, and Schindler's factory are all on my to do list.

But, concerning yesterday. I took my first train from Berlin to Warsaw. I rode 1st class, since I'd never done anything 1st class before, and I wanted to see what it was like. We had a lot of legroom, but it still wasn't as comfortable as the French Thayls or the German ICE. (Pretty good, though!) I had lunch on the train- scrambled eggs and periogi. Usually I hate eggs, but these tasted pretty good. In all, I traveled 6 hours from Berlin to Warsaw.

I transferred at Warsaw to get to Krakow. That was another 4 hours. I had a rather aggravating time, trying to connect to the onboard wifi. For some reason, all I ever got was 'connected, no internet access.' That was frustrating! It was a good thing the station at Krakow had wifi, or I might not have been able to check in.

The apartment I'm staying at is a real palace! I'm quite glad to have encountered it. I was happy to be able to go to sleep after such a long day. I'll tell you guys more about today later tonight!

So, like I said, here is what I did today. It so happens that this weekend is the 30th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall. So of course, I had to do something for that! I went out to this place called the Palace of Tears, near the Fredrichstrasse subway station. It was called that because back in the day, it was the main border crossing between East and West Berlin. It was were families from different sides of the city would go to meet, and then cry when the time came to depart, hence the name. As of now, it is a museum of life in East Germany. There were a lot of artifacts- old Communist uniforms, old East German passports, personal interviews on life in the GDR, etc. Speaking of which, Fredrichstrasse was also the subway station that crossed between the two Berlins. And, Westerners trying to enter that way were frequently subjected to strip searches, especially if the guards thought they had money. God, can you imagine? Having to subject to that kind of degredation just to get from point A to point B?

After that, I went to one of the few remaining sections of the Berlin Wall. Its called the East Side Gallery. Its mostly an exhibition of street art celebrating German reunification. There were a lot of paintings that moved me- one had a caption that said "No more wars, no more walls." I like to think that was a final denunciation of Germany's two past scourges, and an embrace of a joyful future.

Another thing I saw was a Trabant. It was a type of car East Germany produced that was meant to counter Volkswagen. It did not work. Either as a counter, or even as a car. It guzzled gas like no tomorrow, it was terribly uncomfortable, its horsepower was pathetic, and it was downright ugly! And not only was the soup terrible, but there wasn't enough of it! If you wanted to buy one, the car company would make you wait between 10-15 years first. And why? Well, for one, communists make terrible economic planners. For two, they would spend that time investigating your family background to make sure you wouldn't use the car to escape. (Quite a few did escape with the Trabant, actually. They'd drive into Hungary, and then into Austria before entering West Germany.)

After that, I came home and made the entry, as you saw. I tried to go out to vigil mass, but it turns out the church wasn't open. I tried to compensate by visiting this nature park, but it closed early. Drat! Ah well, I ate nicely, so it wasn't a total waste of time.

And tomorrow, I depart Germany for Krakow. Wish me luck! We're looking at an 8-hour train ride here.

Hi guys. I made it to Berlin, safe and sound. I really like it so far! Here's what happened yesterday.

So it turns out, after I get to Berlin HBF (Haubtbanhoff) that this weekend is the 30th anniversary of the Fall of the Wall. Really big deal there! The president of Poland was visiting, and thus a number of roads were cut off. It took nearly 20 minutes for my poor taxi driver to clear the station! But once we were on our way, all was made well.

My airBNB is located in the former East Berlin. Its in a neighborhood called Fredrichshain. I could rapidly tell the difference between East and West Berlin as soon as we crossed over. The apartments in the former East Berlin are very tall and imposing, but not very pretty to look at. Well, that's not quite true- a lot of have been repainted and refurbished in the years since 1989. But I'm saying, you could definitely see a difference.

I checked in with my hosts. They are a most charming couple around my age! I will have to thank them for helping me, especially when it came to checking in. Most of East Berlin, and especially Fredrichshain has been colonized by hippies- you can see vegetarian restaurants and yoga places all over. I definitely think that's a big improvement over communism! Later, in the evening, I went looking for this church, but alas, never found it. My phone was no help either. So, I went to eat dinner at this Indian restaurant instead.

I spoke to my Mom and Dad over google hangouts. They're doing really well! They've visited this old French town that used to make silk back in the 17th century. Its really picturesque!

And that's just yesterday! I'd tell you what I plan on doing for today, but I'm not quite finished. That will be tonight!

Today was a very nice day. I got into Cologne at 11:20, only 5 minutes late. I checked my luggae into this locker service at a hotel, and the first thing I did was explore the Cologne Cathedral. It is without question one of the most beautiful churches in the world! It is this very, very big, distinctive black structure that you can see for miles. The inside is even more wonderful. It has a lot of religious iconography that stirs the devout soul. One that especially moved me was this sculpture of Our Lord being buried after his crucifixion. And his Mother was there, and most of Jesus's female friends, looking rather sad.(I hope I don't sound too morbid.) And I know most of you probably aren't religious, but it still moved me deeply- God our Father loved us so, so much that he became a human being. He became one of us, his little playthings, to know our joys and sorrows on this earth; we are more united to his heart than any of us will ever guess! Who can say then, that God does not know us or our needs?

Ah, but moving on. After that, I checked into the AirBNB. It wasn't exactly easy. I was assuming it would be on a certain side of the street when it wasn't. The reality was, it was facing somewhere else entirely, and it took me a while to figure it out. Then, it took me some time to retrieve the key. But, once I got in, I had a nice, long nap. (I had had to get up at 6:00 A.M in Paris earlier today.)

After my nap, i fiddled around with my laptop for a while, then went out for a long walk along the Rhine. It was very pretty, to see the moon shine along the river. There are also some really nice bridges- one in particular is really good for trainwatching! I had a nice time with that. I saw a number of trams, subway trains, and commuter trains pass by. I'll be riding the high-speed ICE train to Berlin tomorrow morning!

After still more walking, I had dinner at this place called Bay Area Burrito Company. It was delicious! (Spicy though! Germans seem to have a higher appetite for it than we Americans do.) And after another 30-munute walk, I am back here, writing you all.

When I come back to Europe, I think I will spend more time in Germany, and especially Cologne. Its such a pretty city, imo prettier than Paris! But in the meantime, as I said, I'll be boarding the ICE for Berlin tomorrow, and that will be a lot of fun. I''m really getting to know Europe's trains!

Good night for now!

Charles.

Hey guys. Have an update.

So, on Tuesday, we were planning to visit Versailles. Alas, Dad wasn't feeling very well that day, so Mom and Dad decided to go back to the apartment to rest. But I was instructed to go do something I really felt like doing, and I decided to do something I think most of you would try in Paris. I climbed the Eiffel Tower!

If you decide to do it, I hope you have stamina. It means 349 meters up by stairs, which is what I did. (Its also 19,40 Euros to enter.) That, or taking a long line in an elevator. But! The price is well worth it, I think. I got some great views of Paris when I got up to the top. There are also a number of restaurants on the 2nd and 3rd levels, which is good if you want to conserve stamina.

But boy, were my legs ever sore! That was definitely my exercise for the week. Interestingly, when it was built, the Eiffel Tower was expected to be only a temporary structure. Many Parisians complained it was ugly! But I think it looks good.

After that, I had a really nice dinner with my parents. We had wine, soup, bread, cheese and salad. Dad talked about going to New Zealand next summer! They're going to go to this place called Milford Sound in July. They are also going to be seeing a waterfall that one of my ancestors apparently found in 1910.

As for today? We went out to this museum in Paris dedicated to the works of Claude Monet and like-minded artists. I really liked it! I've always liked impressionist painters, especially those of little kids. After that, and a long bus ride home, we rested. Some time later, I walked out to this old park I used to play in as a kid called Square René Le Gall. (It was so much smaller and greener than when I remembered! But then, I was rather small when I went there, and it was much colder.) I really enjoyed walking along the garden paths, and listen to the little kids laugh.

We also used to own a small apartment on this road called Rue des Tanneries. I walked along there, too. I'm 90% sure I found the enterance, but not 100. It had a courtyard on entry, and I couldn't quite remember the place having one. But! It was still pleasant. There was also a Dominican convent next door- apparently it was founded by English monks escaping the wrath of Queen Elizabeth, and later, during the 1940's, two of its priests were arrested and tortured by the Nazis when they occupied the city. (Fun fact- the Nazis hated Catholics almost as badly as they did Jews. More on that later.)

Finally, I am here at the apartment. Mom and Dad are out at a dinner party. I stayed here because 90% of the conversation would be in French, and thus be above my head. So, I had dinner, packed, and gave you this update.

Paris has been very kind to me, but at the same time, I look forward to seeing Germany tomorrow. I'll be taking the high-speed train from Paris to Cologne while Mom and Dad take off for Avignon. I'm a little nervous, but I know what to do regardless.

Bye for now!

Charles

We had a really good day today! Dad went off to the library, and then my Mom and I went off to this neighborhood of Paris called Montmarte. Its really historic! Back in the 19th century, this was where all the artists of note liked to rent their apartments, including Van Gogh and Picasso. (We actually passed by Van Gogh's apartment along the way.)

Montmarte is reeeaaaallly hilly! We were huffing and puffing our way up the entire time. We passed by the Moulin Rouge, and a certain vineyard I can't remember the name of. It has the distinction of being the only vineyard in Paris, and if you feel so inclined, you can buy the wine for 30 Euros. (Roughly $33 U.S Dollars.)
We didn't partake, but it was still nice to look at. We also visited this art museum that celebrated the art of Montmarte. There was this French cartoonist I really liked, called...ah darn, I forgot his name...but he did a series of comics about the First World War from a child's perspective. It was cute, but also kind of sad. There was one of a young girl mourning at someone's grave, and I couldn't help but wonder whether that was her brother.

But, we also saw a lot of the impressionists, the history of the cancan, (of course) and Erik Satie's gymnopedies. It was a very beautiful museum, well worth seeing! After that, we climbed to the top of this mountain in Montmarte, and at the top of it was this enormous white cathedral called the Eglise de San-Coer. We got an excellent view of what looked like nearly all Paris! We went inside too- we saw a lot of religious statues, and I lit a candle in honor of the Lady of Guadalupe.

Anyway, after that, I had a most pleasant lunch with my Mom, and then we took the Metro back to Rue de Lalande. I had to get a new shirt on the way home, since the elbow in my good white shirt had ripped, and we were going to a fancy-ish dinner party with the LeGoff Family and other friends of my Dad.

Once we were all ready, we went on to the party. We had it at this place called Zayer. I had an excellent time, chatting with Tim LeGoff. He makes for a very warm conversation partner! We had a good time, talking about history and family. (I remember telling him, his daughter Pauline looked super cool to me when I was 4! She would have been 15 at the time!) I had a nice veggie platter, better cake, and really nice wine! I'll be sure to show the photos if I can.

Anyway, tomorrow we tour the palace of Versailles. I'll let you know how that goes!

(On a side note, I look forward to Cologne, though I also admit to being a little nervous. I do hope I can get internet so I can use my phone to translate if need be.)

Apologies for not doing this sooner. It wasn't until now I had the change to charge my laptop.

Yesterday, my Dad went off to the Biblioteque Nacional (I think,) to do his research while I accompanied my Mom on a small walking tour through this neighborhood called St. Paul.

Oh! But first, we took the Parisian subway called the RER, and then changed to the RATP. (Paris has two major subways, the RER being for long distance travel to the suburbs and the airport, and the RATP for more local journeys.) I hadn't ridden the RER in years so I was pleased to ride it again. You know how I am about trains!

Anyway, after the journey, we split up according to plan. Mom and I visted this cathedral called the Eglise Saint-Sulpice. It was very, very pretty! I will make sure the photos are known. I had a lovely time, lighting candles before the saint's statues.

After that, we did a whole lot of walking. Mom was very interested in these old palaces and abbeys, I somewhat less so. (#To be honest, it was because I kept having terrible flashbacks of less fortunate times. I will explain later.#) We eventually came to this yiddish bakery. I made my first purchase, despite my limited French. Alas, I assumed it was self-service when it was not, which got me a gentle scolding from the cashier. Still, the Pantoufle à fromage was delicious. Its a type of sweetbread stuffed with raspberries and dessert cheese.

We had lunch together afterwards. Mom had mussels while I had a veggie burger. I also ordered onion soup, but I don't think the waiter got it. (#Sigh...and then I asked Mom why she was so interested in my Church all of a sudden. She said whenever she is in Paris, she makes it a point to visit one church and museum per day. And then she said while my Dad doesn't understand my religion, he respects it. She may not have intended it to be hurtful, but I'm afraid it still was. I remained rather sad for some time after, though it never seemed to show. I don't want to be tolerated. I'd prefer to be hated outright before being tolerated.)

Anyway, we took a taxi back to the airBNB after lunch, and then Mom went out for a walk. I too went out some time later. I walked about 25 minutes to this park we used to go to when we were kids called the Parc Montsouris. (Zee-Zee, if your reading this, I think your fursona would like it very much!) I remember it had a large play structure shaped like a rhinocerous that was huuuuuuuge! (At least to me!) I looked all over, but alas, I never found it. I did see some other familiar sights, though! I saw a stone racetrack for tiny toy cars that the kids still liked. I also saw a carousel and a play area with a giant toy train. I remember distinctly it was red in my childhood days, but now its been painted green. Also, lots of ice cream places for the kids.

That was the 3rd day. Now here is what happened today.

I'm afraid none of us slept well last night. (Maybe it was the jet lag waiting until just now?) But thankfully, it did not slay us, and with a good nap and meal, we all eventually felt better. (I'm afraid Dad wasn't feeling so well- his Parkinson's makes it hard for him to walk very long distances- so we didn't travel too much today.) The main order of the day was, we took the RATP to the Montparasse train station to buy my ticket for Cologne. I'm really looking forward to that! I'm definitely going to the Cathedral, but I wouldn't mind seeing one other unique thing before I take off for Berlin. I'll be taking this high-speed train called the Thalys, which departs Paris, passes through Belgium, and then continues to Cologne. I'll be sure to get you guys some pictures!

In between now and beddtime, I think I'll go for a brief walk somewhere. Talk to you all soon!

Good morning, everyone! Here's what we did yesterday.

The first thing was, I went with my Mom to buy breakfast- including pan d'chocolat, which for those who don;t know, is a type of pastry stuffed with chocolate. We used to have it for breakfast all the time when I was small, so it was lovely to do it again! I remember Mom was so nervous with her French, but she performed beautifully.

After that, and after we had both gotten dressed, we went to this parish called St. Pierre de Montrouge for All Saints Day. It was very ornate! I'll have to post the pictures here. I didn't really understand it much, but that was okay. I remember Mom admonished me for prodding her during the sermon; I thought she had fallen asleep. We also bought a really nice red scarf on the way home. Very chic, as my godfather would say!

In the mid-afternoon, we visted this cemetery called the Cemetery Mountrouge. Its where a lot of famous French people are buried. I remember seeing Alfred Dreyfus's tomb. I put a stone on top of it and thanked him for serving his country in her time of trial, twice at that. (If you don't know who he was, go to wikipedia and type in the Dreyfus Affair. You'll find it both fascinating and infuriating, for the scandal had profound consequences for French society in the late 19th century.) Mom, for her part, gave her respects to this guy who had been shot in the Charlie Hebdo massacre. (Sadly, I forget his name.

(I do hope I'm not babbling.) In the evening, we went to have dinner with the Le Goff family. They are the friends of my Dad I mentioned yesterday. We had couscous with wine, and glace (pronounced 'glass') a type of ice cream for dessert. We had a good time reconnecting, for I had not seen them in 18 years! It was very charming, watching my Dad and Tim Le Goff have their intellectual conversations over food. We'll be eating together again on Monday.

Plan for today is, Dad is going to visit the national library for his research, while I accompany my Mom as she goes shopping. I'll let you know more tomorrow about what happens there!

Good Morning, everyone! Forgive me for not doing this sooner. I decided to go to bed early last night, and it took me a bit of time to figure out the WiFi.

Anyway, I flew from Dulles to Copenhagen by way of Scandinavian Airlines, (SAS) and then took a connecting flight to Paris from there. SAS is no Emirates, but its still pretty comfy, and the food was great. (One thing I got to do on the plane that was unique was I slept!) Mom and Dad took Aer Lingus to Dublin and transferred from there. They apparently had a worse time of it- Dad complained it was crammed and they overcharged for coffee.

After a looooong drive from De Gaulle, we checked into our airBNB. We're staying in a one bedroom apartment in southern Paris. (Its very well hidden from the street too!) We almost didn't make it- we were confused as to which place to check in to, and it turned out the owner had entrusted the key to a local cafe owner, so we had to wait into the entrance hall for a while.

But once we were all settled in, and after a nice long snooze, we went grocery shopping. France takes food seriously, and it shows! There are a lot of individual specialty shops for certain food groups. Boucherie- for meats, Boulongerie- for baked goods, Formagerie- for cheese. We had a good time, shopping for things I hadn't seen in years! We got enough food for the next two days, since tomorrow is All Saint's Day, and we expect most places in Paris will be closed for that.

We had a lovely dinner- pasta salad with bread, cheese, and wine for me, ham, cheese, and wine for Mom and Dad. Also a nice salad. Even the simple things on a French table are to die for!

Today of course is All Saints Day, so my Mom and I will be celebrating that. In the evening, we will be having dinner with a friend of my Dad's. Not sure what we'll do in between, but I'll let you all know more tonight!

Until then, see you soon!

(I used to travel to France with my family all the time as part of my Dad's work- he was a history professor- but I hadn't been back since I was 10, so I'm glad to be reacquainted with old sights and tastes.)

Hiya guys,

So its time! Starting tomorrow, I'll be departing from Dulles for Paris by way of Scandinavian Air. Plan is to stay in Paris with my Mom and Dad for a week. After that week, I'll be taking the train from Paris to Cologne, Germany, and staying for one night. After that, Berlin for two days, then Krakow, then Osewicim, and then Warsaw before flying home. (Going to be seeing a loooot of trains while there, which I think is the best!)

This I expect will be two and a half weeks total. Wish me luck!

Edit- Unlike India or Uganda, this time I expect to have internet. So I should be able to give updates.

I was 10 years old on 9/11. It was a Tuesday. And I had only recently started 5th grade. Around 11 a.m or so, I remember a sudden announcement came over the p.a. They said that school was cancelled for the day and that we were to go home immediately. But they didn't say why. I'm not quite proud of this, but most of us cheered- me included. Well honestly, what else could be expected?

It wasn't until my Mom and Dad picked me and my younger sister up that I finally got that something very, very big was happening. They had this dreadful worried look on their faces. It wasn't until we were safely on the road- which was jam packed by that point- that we were finally told that an airplane had been crashed into a building. I was still bewildered- why would a plane crash be cause for so much trouble? Then I was told it was a bit worse than that.

I'm sorry. I don't really know how to write more about that part.

When I got home, things were much worse. I learned about the Pentagon and the crash in Shanksville. Now, my best friend's mother was in the Pentagon on that day. (I live right next door to D.C.) Thank the Lord, she wasn't hurt- she was on the other side of the building when the plane crashed. I remember she told us later she thought it was an earthquake at first!
But there was one more thing. This was probably the worst part. It turns out that one of the families, who had kids who went to my school, were on that plane. And the entire family was murdered in the most cruel and barbarous way possible. The mom, the dad, and their two daughters, aged 8 and 3- killed.

I had no clue what to make of any of this. None. I didn't cry- not out of having no sympathy- but I remember this dreadful feeling of sadness and fear that weighed on what felt like everyone in the whole country for years afterward. And it must be understood- there was bad news on the doorstep what felt like every other month for ages after. Not even a year later, we had our very own serial killer- the Beltway Sniper, aka John Allen Muhammad, and we had schools releasing early all over again. The Iraq war. The Afghan war. Legion after legion of hateful trolling towards Muslims for what only a few actually did.

Life is very short. Use it for God. Use it to make the world a better place for others, so that the darkness of fear may not overcome you.

I'm definitely going to Poland this November. I told my Mom and Dad about it. They think its a great idea! They also mentioned, since they're going to Paris in late October, perhaps I'd like to join them partway? I think that would be pretty cool. Either way, this is going to be fun!

I've been thinking its been long enough since I went somewhere new, and Europe hasn't gotten much of my attention lately. I was thinking I'd visit Warsaw, Krakow, and the memorial of Auschwitz. I'm not sure if I'll definetley do it yet, but the idea seems good. (Air France is looking pretty good right about now as far as airfare.)

It was a warm summer afternoon. Charles the cat had the day off from work, and he was celebrating by doing something librarians rarely have the chance to do- read! The book was very good, and next to him by the window was a pot of fresh green tea and a plate of cookies. He squirmed comfortably in his armchair. What could possibly make this better?

Just then, his 4-year old daughter Melissa the wolf walked in. She looked very sleepy. "Daddy?" she asked.
"Hiya honey. 'Sup?" Charles asked, not looking up from his book.

"Daddy? I...I wanna take a nap..." said Melissa.

"Oh?" Odd. Surely she was big enough to get into her jammies by herself. "You can get yourself ready for a nap, honey. You're big enough for that," he said.

"No, um..." Melissa hesitated. Then she held her arms out. She looked like she really wanted something special!

Now Charles understood! "Ohhhh!" he exclaimed. He gave a gentle smile, and held his arms out too.

Melissa crawled into her Daddy's lap, and laid her head on his chest.

Charles wrapped his arms around her, and gave Melissa a soft, warm hug. "Good baby," he murmured.

Melissa sighed happily. She could hear her Daddy's heart beating. It was very gentle and soothing.

She stuck her thumb in her mouth, and drifted off to sleep.

"Nighty night, Melissa. I love you!" Charles said.

"Mm ov oo too," Melissa mumbled sleepily.

Charles went back to reading, one arm holding his book, and another cradling his baby. He could hear her breathing softly, in and out. He looked at her suckling her thumb in the warm summer sunshine. He smiled and thought he was the luckiest Daddy in the world!

There was a soft humming of cicadas, and a meadowlark's whistle through the open window this late summer afternoon.

All was well.

Happiness is for everyone else. I'm just along for the ride.

Today friends, I depart for Uganda. Wish me luck. I'll send news at the first opportunity.

Even for Silver Spring Library, it was terrible.
First, I had to deal with this idiot who called me a f***ing f*ggot twice when I told him he couldn't eat in the library or swear. Said idiot then claimed to know where I live in a threatening tone of voice. Hope he gets hit by a bus. (I hope he does come back, because then I will have the sadistic pleasure of serving him the paperwork that legally bans him from our property.)
Then, there was the non-parent who thought working on the computer was more important than comforting her crying baby. She let the poor thing sob her heart out for at least 7 minutes before I talked to her. And she still didn't do it right away.
Finally, there was this homeless moron with half his teeth missing who we banned for drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes in the library. He decided to come back in, even though we've made it clear to him that he's not welcome until the 22nd. I told him if I had to deal with his butt one last time, I would be getting the police involved. He took that as an invite to accuse me of being racist.

But, I had dinner with my parents tonight, and that improved things a little. So there you go.