One Week In

Bonjour! 

So sorry for the delay. Paris was a sightseeing blitz...we jam-packed every day with crepes, great views, lots of unsuccessful communication exchanges, and long walks (often getting lost) in the winding streets of the city. A few highlights:

- An evening tour on the Seine where we got to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night

-A beautiful 360 degree view from the top of Notre Dame (close up gargoyle photo-ops included)

-Leisurely two hour lunches at sidewalk cafes throughout the city

We were so busy trying to figure out the best cafe for lunch that we bypassed the (few and far between) internet cafes for the sake of packing in the sights. From the grandeur of Versailles to the bohemian vibe of Montmartre, we saw it all. I will miss Paris.

Now, a high speed train ride away, we are in the pages of storybook Germany. We are staying in Bacharach, a tiny little town along the Rhine, about an hour and a half from Frankfurt. Along the one main cobblestone street are gingerbread looking houses, small shops selling beer steins and embroidered table cloths, and a handful of local restaurants. Last night we wandered past the old church and the castle on the hillside (seriously) to another small town up the road. We came across a neighborhood wine fest where the local specialty--Riseling--was generously flowing. We tried a sampling of vintages along with some bratwurst and currywurst while attempting to converse with the locals and listen to a live German cover of "Save the Last Dance for Me." It was one of the most surprisingly delightful nights of the trip.

One difficult transition is from one country's pronunciations to the next--in French, you see lots of letters in a word and only pronounce about a third of them (s'il vous plait = see voo play). A good rule in German is that all the consonants and vowels count. Even in a word like fussballweltmeisterschaftqualifikationsspiel.