We change planes at London Heathrow Airport - the morning of Thursday the 9th

The boys engage in a round of hacky sack in front of our hotel waiting for the girls to regather for our trip into the Paris center

And here we are - on the Ile de la Cité in the heart of Paris

At the Notre Dame Cathedral

Doc giving us some Paris info

That evening - our first meal at a Paris restaurant

Friday April 10th

Visiting the Musée d'Orsay

We regroup outside the museum to head for lunch in the Latin Quarter

In front of the Sorbonne (University of Paris)

Jammin' with some locals along the Seine River that night

Saturday April 11th

Waiting for the group outside the hotel in order to head into the city center for a visit to the Louvre Museum

Waiting to get into the Louvre Museum

We meet up with a French family (friends of the Hodges) for the evening

The Hodges, the Baers and the Weavers (Bob - on the right - was a chaperone on our first trip in 2005)

Sunday April 12th

Easter worship service at the Notre Dame Cathedral

Outside the Cathedral with our guide, Crystelle Noelle

Joining in an on-going university-sponsored protest-walk in support of ???

Then our fearless leaders head us off toward lunch in the Latin Quarter

Then we head over to the Eiffel Tower

That evening we visit the ritzier part of Paris (the Place Vendome) and then the Champs Elysees

Monday April 13th

The next morning we take the train outside of Paris to Fontainebleau

Waiting for the bus to take us from the Fontainebleau train station into the center of town

In front of the Chateau of Fontainebleau

And just think ... the French kings considered this to be merely a hunting lodge!

Tuesday April 14th

We take the 'Chunnel' train under the English Channel to London

A wonderful chance to catch up on some much needed sleep

Waiting (hacky-sack!) for our first fish-n-chips lunch outside of London

Picadilly Circus (roundabout) - London

The boys make a new friend (a drunk Irishman) just before dinner at Covent Garden

After dinner - Trafalgar Square

Paul helping Thaddeus get into the picture with some charming oriental dolls

Wednesday April 15th - our last full day in Europe

Abbey Road:  Ringo, George, Paul and John

Along the Thames River

Westminster, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben

We then head over to Buckingham Palace

Fish-n-chips lunch at a very nice pub in the financial district

Waiting in Hyde Park for the group to gather after an afternoon of shopping or whatever

Trafalgar Square again that evening

From Trafalgar we head over to Westminster and the Thames River

Then Thursday April 16th - home again!

Miles H. Hodges - 2009