^ One last snap of Whisper Valley. We miss it.
^ I found this on the camera - Ashoka looking buff, the day we shipped him out.
Here are some pictures from our trip to Paris and during the first few days back in Charlotte.
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^ In a park
^ Jonah with a hot chocolate
^ Aidan and toast
^ Tara and seltzer
^ Notre Dame
^ Jonah praying for something
^ Notre Dame
^ Stained glass in Notre Dame
^ On the Seine
Below, the beauty of Paris.....
^ Aidan holding up the Eiffel Tower.
^ Jonah holding up the Eiffel Tower.
^ Why is this famous?
^ Last time when I came, pictures were not allowed of the Monna Lisa.
^ Last supper.
^ Aidan in the Louvre
^ Liam with an Easter Island statue
^ Venus de Milo
^ Tara seeming very Parisian
^ From the top of the Tower, and below are shots taken from the top....
^ A mini Statue of Liberty. There is actually a third in the world, as well....
^ I told the family that we would end the two year adventure on the top of the Eiffel Tower, so here is that. Drinking champagne and enjoying it. Our friend Krishnan said that this observance at the top of the Eiffel Tower should be seen as a comma. Perhaps an ending, perhaps a comma, or perhaps welcoming in the next adventure?
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Many of you know we are from Charlotte, but have never seen the city. Below are some pictures of the uptown area. It is a small uptown area and a pretty nice one.
^ Tryon Street
^ Old and the new...
^ Lunch, I have always loved this small Japanese grill in Latta Arcade.
^ A typical Charlotte look to these buildings. There is a big emphasis on looking sleek, glassy, modern.
^ A recent addition and an ugly one is "Epicenter". It is a mess of development intent on fulfilling every need. It is not my favorite. It has been built since we left.
^ At the corner of Trade and Tryon are four statues, represnting North Carolina. One is a settler-looking white woman holding a baby aloft. A second is a strong black man with a hammer. The third is a dusty-looking propsector guy (Charlotte was founded during a gold rush), and the fourth is a modern-day accountant type. More on these later, they are revealing pictures of how the Carolinians see themselves.
^ I took the train home. Yes, the train! This has been out in since we left, in Charlotte's never-ending search for becoming a "big city".
^ The light rail.
^ All types of citizens use it. This was pretty early, so not many folks on it.
^ Clean, efficient.
^ I enjoyed the "Rider's Code of Conduct". It has various rules, most amusing among them is a reminder not to "Excrete bodily fluids at or on another person on the vehicle."
Well, that is enough for now. I will put on more Paris pictures tomorrow.
