I will own a European vehicle.

Okay, first off let me apologize that pictures will not be accessible for this portion of the blog, and it's really a shame because some of the most incredible pictures yet are in this batch. Having Melody along to take photos is such a blessing. She's also been a great source of knowledge, good company and conversation, and just a comfort, though she's had to put up with me. I've become so introspective and meditating. It's probably the result of having traveled on my own for almost a month and having stretches of hours where I don't say more than a few words.

France is honestly amazing, though the country, as with all places, has its share of faults. I almost feel like Voltaire whose book I am currently reading and happens to be his thoughts on his three years in England. Only a fleeting week has passed for me to analyze and try to take in more than a thousand years of culture, architecture, cuisine, and beautiful villages. Melody and I have flown around Paris and the surrounding country side in our little Renault and I can say one thing for sure about driving in France--It is SO MUCH fun. I even drove around the Arc de Triomphe and up the Champs Elysees. We had a whirlwind tour by car of the Opera Garnier, the Madeleine, the Place de la Concorde, the Louvre, le Centre Pompidou, and other sites. I have to get myself one of these little cars. They're amazing.

I want to talk a little about my birthday, probably one of the most unforgettable days of my life, let alone birthdays. It started out with wonderful letters from friends and family that buoyed me and gave me a lot of peace. As an appetizer to the day, we toured le Musee d'Orsay, my new favorite museum, where I fell more deeply in love with impressionism and art in general. We went to church at the Paris branch where I felt a great amount of peace after not having been able to make it to church for over a month. From there went out to Versailles, famous for its luxury, gardens, and painted ceilings and walls. I have to be honest when I say that it only helped me to more deeply understand why the people dragged Marie Antoinette and Louis to la Place de la Concorde to feed them to Madame Guillotine. How can you live in such a place when your people go starving? I'll reserve further thoughts on this topic for personal conversations. The real blessing of Versailles was that we had recently found out that President Uchtdorf would be giving a fireside that night, so we went and got wonderful seats. The meeting strengthened my testimony of the gospel and the leadership of the church. What wonderful men we have at the head of the Church of Jesus Christ. I was in more...humble...clothes than most of the rest because of my status as a traveler, but as the meeting ended I walked towards an exit that appeared to be in the direction he would exit and we were able to shake his hand and greet him. Way cool birthday. There's more, but it involves getting a bit lost in the French countryside, a lot of rain, our proposed hotel being closed, and not finding a place to stay until 2:30 am. Unforgettable =).

The rest of the French countryside involves Mont Saint Michel, D-day Beaches, Ponte du Hoc, tiny french towns, Caen, Roeun, Bayeux and its tapestry (amazing and way good audio guide), and Giverny. That's very brief, I know, and you're probably wondering what all those places are or what significance they have, but that will be explained in person so as to save you time reading.

I'm now in Ireland. This place is my Mecca, but that will be saved for later. A preview will be the Irish flag flying in Belfast, Falls Road, and a monument to fallen IRA soldiers. If you don't know the significance of those, PLEASE go read something on the troubles and Irish Nationalism. Please. This place is almost holy ground to me. Until next time.