We arrive in Paris, Friday, 07-08

Our canal boat set sail early in the morning on Friday, July 8th, heading for Paris. We traveled through several locks, the first time on this trip that most of us were on board rather than riding our bikes.

The captain hoped that we could make good enough time as we approached the city that he could take us on a tour of Paris on the Seine. Although we had a slow start, waiting 2 hours for the first lock, we made great time after that.

From our own canal boat, we took the river tour of Paris, all the way to the Eiffel Tower and back to the Arsenal lock. It gave us all a sense of the city, and a good chance to think about how we would spend our time over the next few days.

When we docked, a group of us set out with our guide to visit Montmartre, the highest point in Paris. We spent time inside the Sacre Coeur, the remarkable church begun in 1875 and not completed until 1919, and then wandered through the artist's market before walking down through the winding streets to a cafe and then the metro.

I chose these earrings in honor of the wedding anniversary of my daughter Kathe and her husband Jim. My mother-in-law gave me this set of two small orbs and the matching necklace. They remind me of the possibility offered by marriage: two small individuals who gain the strength to grow and thrive through each other. 07-08-09. A date to remember!