L'abri and Paris

Okay, I know my titles are boring, but I don't care!

L’abri- This is a Christian community dedicated to people (primarily young people) with questions about God, the Bible, social issues, etc... You name it... We began each day with breakfast at 8:00 (except Sundays and Thursdays, which were our days off and we started at 9:00). After breakfast we had a little time before we were expected to be at our assigned place from about 9:30-12:30. Each student was either assigned to work in the mornings or in the afternoons. If you weren’t working, you were down at Farel House to study. Everyone pitches in and helps at L’abri, so work assignments consisted of various tasks, from cooking and cleaning to making sack lunch for days off and taking care of the grounds. At lunchtime, everyone was divided into two groups, going to their respective chalets. Here we ate while one of the workers facilitated a formal discussion. During formal discussions, someone asks a question and the entire group focuses on that question for the hour. The afternoon session then goes from 15:00-18:00. If you worked in the morning, you study in the afternoon and vice versa. 18:30 is dinner and after that everyone retreats to whatever activity most suits them, usually ping pong on the deck or games in the common area. A little later, someone might organize a group to go to the pub in Villars, which is the town nearby.

On Sunday afternoons and Thursdays, we each participated in various activities...hiking, shopping, sleeping, skiing in the winter, etc... We went hiking one day up Death Hill. And, yes, there is a reason for that name and there are three of them. Death Hill #1, Death Hill #2, and Death Hill #3. I climbed them all...slowly. But it was breathtaking, so I forgive whoever suggested the hike.

Our time at L’abri was wonderful. I especially loved the study time. They have a huge library with books on a wide array of subjects and tapes upon tapes with lectures by Dr. Schaeffer, his wife (they started L’abri), and others who were invited to L’abri. There’s just a lot of time to read and reflect and as we approached the halfway mark of our trip, I found myself in need of that!

We tacked two extra days onto our time at L’abri (mainly because they were showing Pride and Prejudice...the BBC version, of course...on Sunday night). Well, okay, that wasn’t the only reason. Anyway, we left reluctantly, as we always do, and continued on to Paris.

Paris in the Fall...it was beautiful. And we had no problems with the train station this time. In fact, the guy who helped us was friendly and even funny! Our hostel was nice and in a great location! We did the major things, of course...the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. Valerie had recommended going up the Eiffel Tower at night, and I have to thank her for the suggestions. After awhile, the panoramic views begin to all look the same (after all, how different can one big city really look from another?) Anyway, the night view of the Eiffel Tower as well as from it, was breathtaking! I wasn’t especially fond of the elevator because I could see out, which had a dizzying affect!

We took a short ½ day trip to Versailles where we saw the palace of Louis XIV as well as the gardens. We weren’t able to make it to Marie Antoinette’s home...slightly disappointing, but you can’t do it all! The Louvre was incredible...beyond huge. We got a bit lost, but once we found ourselves again, we were able to follow the map rather well.

We also really enjoyed the Rodin museum. Sculptures are a lot of fun and they let you take pictures...even better!

We left Paris, excited to meet Jake’s aunt and uncle in Germany (for those of you who don’t know, Jake is a friend of ours back home...although you probably guessed).

Picture Explanation:

1-3 These are just pictures of the scenery at L'abri...just to give you a taste of what we saw when we looked out our window every day... : - )
4. Cows are cool...and they make pretty bell noises!
5. This is Chalet Bellevue, where the students lived at L'abri.
6. The Louvre at night is even more beautiful than during the day. You head down into the glass pyramid and there it is...a labyrinth of rooms filled with all kinds of art!
7. The Mona Lisa...what can I say? Rebecca can vouch for me, I stared at it, trying to get it, but to no avail (ducks throwing items from those artsy people reading this).
8. At the Rodin museum: The Thinker...what is he thinking about? You decide...
9. A view from the Eiffel Tower...Paris at Night!
10. The Eiffel Tower...bet you didn't know that one, did you?