Music Night

Last night we went to the French Cultural Center to see some dancers from Foubon. They were amazing and performed two separate acts. I did not take any pictures as we were too far back. Afterwards we went to a local Cabaret to listen to live music. This is Nina in the shot with me.

Weekend Activities

Yesterday I went with several coworkers to an artist's shop. He specialized in wood carvings. The objects were beautiful, but I refrained from buying anything at this time. We have to start thinking about how we are going to ship this to our next location.

Aerial Cableway

One of the funnest and most adventurous things we did was to ride on an aerial cable way. We hooked ourselves up with the harnesses and then flew through the tree tops from platform to platform. It was nerve-wracking the first few times, but then we wished it would have lasted longer in the end. I have more shots, but I love this one with Stephanie, Pete, and I.

Zulu Dancers

These young fellows were outside the gate of the first game reserve we went to. They have an older boy play the beat of the drum and then they dance. They were able to jump amazingly high and were a sight to see. We gave them all our loose change and they seemed happy with that.

Back to Africa

I am now going to start to blog about our trip to South Africa. It was an amazing time and I would highly recommend going to anyone. The trip was so great because Marianne and her sister Renee were fantastic tour guides. These are some flowers we saw in Kruger Park.

Hard at Work

A great advantage to working here is the small class sizes. I actually have enough materials and manipulatives. The kids are working on their critical thinking skills in these shots. Fifth grade Rocks!

Pep Assembly

Yesterday we had the first pep assembly of the year. My class started it off with a fantastic cheer (yes, I wrote it) and then built a human pyramid. Fifth grade ROCKS!

Happy Birthday Betty!

Sorry this is a day late! We were thinking of you yesterday and hope you had a fantastic birthday!!!! Enjoy some cake for us!

The entrance

The glass pyramid is one of the entrances to the Louvre. It was in "Davinci Code". While we were there we saw how they clean the glass. The museum itself is the giant building in the background. It takes weeks to go through the whole place. Our visit was chaotic as the crowds were so bad.

Outside the Louvre

This is a large walkway and garden where Monet got his inspirations. Statues, fountains, and flowers are everywhere.

Views from above

The city surrounding the Eiffel Tower.

Eiffel Tower

It was absolutely freezing on the day we went up the tower. It was very windy and that didn't help when trying to look out over the city and almost being blown off. My mom was ill, but was determined to go up and see the views.

More of Paris

The river in the background is the river Seine. I am still not sure how to pronounce it, but it was a main drag for us to walk up and down.

Notre Dame

In these shots we are now in Paris. The famous cathedral is even better in person.

Bus Views

This is us in the front of the bus. It was the last long travel day and my mom wanted to make sure we got the views. It was very spacious and open--just right to fall asleep as I always do when traveling!

Lucerne

Yet another boat ride. Still beautiful, historic, and rainy. I wish I was there right now.

Huka or Heritage?

Any one in the mood for a Ricola cough drop now?

Ahhh tthe Alps

We took a little cog train half way up the mountain. Then we got into an overhead gondola, all glass to see everything as we went up.It was cold and misty, but the fog over the mountainside was just breathtaking. These were some of the best views we had the whole trip. We kept hearing bells everywhere and found out it was the bells on the cows' necks. There were so many that we could even hear them at the top of the mountain!

Fountain of Youth

After Venice we headed off to parts of Switzerland. I think this lake is the city of Lugano?!? It was yet another gorgeous view, but it was hazy from the rain.

Still Venice

After our gondola ride we took a motorized boat back. It was nice to see all the buildings on the water. We were also able to go up in a church tower to see the city from above. The tiled roofs in the sparkling sunlight were wonderful.

Streets of Venice

We did not venture too far around in Venice as the streets are either a narrow water-way or side alleys. The shops are all around these narrow roads. It would take more than a map to find any place. The tour guide took us on a winding path to find the glass-blowing shop. Then we had to find our own way back to the main square.

Venice

These shots are the ones my dad took. They are much clearer than the ones I already posted. We took a ride on a gondola and were serenaded by someone singing on another boat, but traveling with our group.