France: Days 7-11

Day 7: Drive to Paris
So many mornings waking up very early to get on a bus and then going to sleep on said bus until early afternoon. Today was no exception. Good thing Jess can fall asleep anywhere. Andrew, on the other hand, has issues with needing fluffy pillows and soft blankets. The crazy schedule makes it even harder to keep track of the days! We were a little sad to leave England so soon but with St. Brice, Paris, and Luxeil-des-Bains ahead, who could really be that upset?

We took a ferry to cross the Channel, which was pretty cool. Jess had never been on a ferry before and got a little sea sick but it worked out alright. After the ferry, there was of course more riding in the bus. Finally we arrived about 5 pm to a little camp outside of St. Brice. What a feast our French hosts prepared for us! After England's fare, Jess was super excited to see vegetables! There was also plenty of champagne and wine, and lots of hosts who kept pouring it. RCJ ate and drank and talked until very late; then Andrew and Jess watched a movie on the laptop under the stars.

Day 8

The next morning we woke up early again, this time to head to Paris for the day! Jess fell asleep on the bus when Andrew went to go pick up a drumset; unfortunately we were separated for a bit, but were able to reconnect at Notre Dame. We didn't climb the tower because it was over 90 degrees F (no idea what it was celsius but it was ridiculously hot and very dusty). We grabbed a quick bite for lunch then headed to the Louvre. It was ridiculously hot and crowded inside even though it was a week day (we think?) so we just picked a few pieces we really wanted to see: the Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, and Venus de Milo. We did see a few others en route but Jess doesn't really remember it as she was close to passing out on a few occasions from the heat. Finally we made our way to the air conditioned Starbucks for some calories and some rest. Maybe it was cheating, but we'd rather cheat than faint. It was also here that we hit the jackpot on some gifts :-)

We caught up with some of the other members of RCJ who had stopped at a pub for wifi and had gotten rather shnockered, which was amusing. Then they were walking too slowly and we still needed to do the Arc'du'Triomph (sp?) and the Eiffel Tower and dinner, all before the meeting time at 10:00 pm. So we lost them for a bit on the Champs de'Ellyse (sp?) and grabbed a pizza; then booked it to the Arc d'Triomph. It was so intricate and ornate: the sun was starting to set a bit. We also saw the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier there from WWI, and his eternally burning flame.

Then we took the metro? subway? whatever they call it in France. To the Eiffel Tower. The lines for the elevator were far too long for us to make it in time for the meeting so we opted for the stairs. Jess wasn't feeling too well after sprinting up staircases, so we sat on the first level and watched the sun start to set on the people down below. From there we could see a Basilica, the Basilica du Sacre-Cour, which we planned to see the next day. It was a marvelous sight, and we were sad to have to go back to St. Brice to spend the night. But! we'd be back tomorrow. Of course, that designated meeting place, the Hilton hotel, didn't exist anymore, so that... was fun. Anyway, we found where they meant.

Day 9: Sacre-Cour
What a mixed up morning this was, mainly because of the bus needing to get its "air-con" fixed and having to find a shop and the French take 3 hours lunch breaks which irritated our English driver to no end, so on and on and on... But finally we made it into Paris and took the train to Sacre-Cour, a basilica on the very top of a high hill. We climbed stairs after stairs (Jess will have thighs of steel before the end of this trip) and finally made it to the Basilica, but then we couldn't get in because Jess was wearing shorts (the hussy). So we wandered around the shops and the Square where the painters were painting and trying to sell their pretty paintings. We each bought one for our apartments when we get back to Wisconsin so that we can remember the scenery when it is cold and grey and white for months on end :-) We also bought a scarf for Jess to wrap around her legs as a skirt to be decent enough for God.

The Basilica is made of a stone that whitens and hardens as it ages, and it sparkles in the sun. It is beautiful (there's that word again) and the climb was well worth it. The train ride back to St. Brice, however... now that is an experience we would not want to repeat. We were supposed to meet up at the same meeting place as yesterday to take the bus back but then it was switched to taking the train all the way back from Paris. Then we got a big confused going between the Paris metro to the suburban metro. And then we accidentally got on an express train that skipped our stop and the next 3. Oh, and it started to rain. But, at least that broke the heat wave, which was a massive relief to all. The metros aren't air-conditioned and don't even have fans, and I honestly don't think the French have invented deodorant yet.
Jess
After we got back to St. Brice, there was a gig at a theatre nearby. Jess got the whole thing on video, except for one song, Aquarius, which Andrew has a solo in. Oops. But, there are many other copies of it from previous gigs, so don't be too mad at her. Plus there is still Montreaux! It was a wonderful time, very well received. The audience loved it and sweltered in the heat (the poor band members had to deal with the heat as well as the lights, which exacerbated the problem greatly). Apparently because it so rarely gets that hot there nothing has any air conditioning. Which makes sense, except when one is irrationally overheated. No one fainted though, thank goodness, and afterward there was a reception with lots of wine and champagne. As Lynn, one of the saxophonists often remarked, when we get back to the States we're going to need a little blood in our alcohol stream. Because, when we got back to the camp where we stayed, the chef, cooks, and other camp staff were drinking beer out on front outside the kitchen area. Andrew's French came into good use here; he remembers a good deal more than he thought he would. However, we both think we're going to redo the American school system's method of teaching a foreign language because the way they do it now is silly and impractical.

Day 10
Wake up very early. Drive 8 hours on bus. This has become habit. Today we were driving to the South of France, Luxeuil-les-Bains. It is a darling little town, and there is a distinct difference in their French from the Parisians. The RCJ played at the Basilica there. It was very boomy, but the sound guys did an excellent job at controlling that. The gig was the most well-advertised of the ones RCJ had played so far, and there were about 400 people in attendance. Maribeth (Mitch's wife) sold about 50 CDs, the most we had sold so far. There were posters all over town when we had gone exploring before the gig, which was fun to see!

That night we were with host families, as we would be for the next night as well. Our host family was composed of Elizabeth and Jean-Phillippe, both of whom did not speak a lot of English, but between what they knew and what Andrew knew of French, we got along just fine. There was a small incident in which we couldn't figure out how to tell them that we were full and not hungry, but when it was all sorted out it was very funny.

Day 11: 4th of July!
Today we toured the little museum and climbed the tour of Luxeuil-les Bains. There is history everywhere in Europe, and this town was no exception. Then we boarded the bus to see a cherry distillery where they produce kirsche and absinthe. That was interesting. The next part was, Jess thinks, the best part. We visited a WWII memorial and cemetery, because our hosts thought it was fitting given the date. After visiting, we heartily agreed. It was haunting. The guide was a wonderful Californian; it was almost strange to hear English in an American accent. He explained who is in charge of the overseas memorials, how many they are, and what their purpose is. He also thanked us over and over for visiting, because about 90% of the visitors who come to the memorial/cemetery are French. He said, tell everyone you know if they go abroad, to visit a war memorial/cemetery, because they are all over Europe, and the French haven't forgotten what we did for them--we shouldn't.

Jess stumbled on the grave of Cleon Newsome, and the state he was from is Georgia, which is where her paternal grandfather's family is from. She's planning on doing more research on it when we get back to the States. Andrew took lots of pictures. We were there at 5, which is when they play the French national anthem, the Star-Spangled Banner, and Taps. It was a solemn thing to experience. Not exactly fireworks, but we thought it worked just fine.

We boarded the bus to go to a nearby town (the name of which escapes us both at the moment) where they were having an annual cherry festival. The region is famous for their kirsch, a liquor made from cherries, and much of their income comes from then. The festival was very similar to a county fair in the States, and it was a lot of fun. Our hosts had prepared a special surprise for us: some of the dancers had learned some line dancing. That was amusing, and we hope they weren't disappointed that none of us knew any line dancing :( The food was wonderful, and of course, lots more wine.

It was after midnight when we got back to the host family's house, yawning and ready to fall asleep. The next day, we headed to Switzerland!

PS. Haven't been able to upload photos in Switzerland; we're working on it, though, and will hopefully have some up soon!