The End of Barretstown....The Beginning of Paris

Hello Everyone!

 I am writing on a lovely evening in Paris. I just finished a baguette and cheese picnic in the Jardin du Luxembourg for dinner after a full day of exploring.  But...we'll get to that in a minute.  First...the end of camp.

twinkly tower - just for you lily!

Wednesday was a wonderful and emotional day. It was the last full day of camp, and the cottage 3 girls lived it up!  We did some archery and discovery (which is basically like a cool science class).  The campers also had time to get autographs and exchange contact information with each other so they can stay in touch outside of camp.  There was also a time for packing and cleaning.  Lots of clothes, art projects, photographs and memories to pack away!  At dinner, we had our final dancing time.  I was sure to write down the names of the songs so I can teach you guys the dances next year! For evening program, the camp photographer put together a slide show from the week for the entire camp.  We gathered in the theater to watch.  There were pictures of all the campers, and whenever someone from our cottage came up on the screen, the whole cottage cheered for them!  It was quite fun to look back on the week and see everything we had done at camp.After our evening program, there was one last time for all the kids at camp to gather together.  (Campers started leaving at 2:00am!) There were many tearful goodbyes.   Although it was sad to see the children so upset, I was impressed with the very close friendships that formed in just over a week. However, I completely understood because I felt the same way.  I met so many wonderful people, many of who I hope to see again and keep in touch with!  Needless to say, I had many teary goodbyes as well!

I was sad to say goodbye to camp, but I knew that I was just starting on the next part of my adventure.  I made my way to Paris on a plane and got to my hotel late Thursday night.  I was up bright and early Friday morning to go on a bike tour around Paris.  We spent three hours riding around the back streets of Paris and seeing the sights.(For those who know Paris- we went around Marais, Ile De La Cite,  and the Latin Quarter) After this, I went to the Cathedral of Notre Dame (loved the stained glass windows), Centre Pompidou (saw Matisse and Picassos!) and the Louvre (so big and crowded, I only saw a few exhibits).  I went home for a little rest before going back out again to explore the Eiffel Tower (very big)  Jardin du Tuileries (lovely statues), the Champs de Elysee (excellent shopping) and finally, the Arc de Triomphe (magnificent!). By the time I got to the Arc, it was pretty late in the evening. I got some wonderful pictures on the city from the top! 

versailles palace

arc

Today, I went on a bike tour of the Palace of Versailles (http://en.chateauversailles.fr/discover-estate)  It was a gorgeous place.  We biked all around the grounds, ate lunch by the canal (we stopped at the farmers market to get lunch), walked through Marie-Antoinette's former house, went inside the palace to see the grand, ornately decorated rooms and saw the famous Hall of Mirrors. I made it home in time to walk around the Jardin du Luxembourg and have a quick bite to eat. Pretty soon I will be off to do a little evening exploring of the Latin Quarter.  I have a few hours in Paris tomorrow before I leave for my flight to Milan!  Not sure what I will do...I'll keep you posted.

Hope you are all having an amazing summer!

-Katy

gardens of versailles

Math Challenge - During archery at camp, an arrow in the target means different points for different colors - yellow = 10 points, red = 8, blue = 6, black = 4, white = 2

Who would win?
Katy - 1 yellow, 1 blue, 2 white, 1 blue
Vlad - 2 red, 2 blue, 1 black, 1 white

also went to the rodin museum!

Lisa - 2 yellow, 2 white, 1 black