The last of France and the beginning of Italy

Sorry for not blogging for a long time. the Wi Fi was dumb in our last hotel. We have done a lot since our last post. We visited an American cemetery on French soil, we got a tour of a perfume factory, and we had two days to explore Nice. Finally, we visited Monaco today.

The American cemetery was very American, white, and had two mosaics. The history lesson was a little boring and Colin had a hard time because cemeteries are hard for him to be in right now. None the less, it was educational and provided time for self-reflection.

The perfume factory was fun. Kona actually smelled good for once... ;-) We talked about how perfume is made and then took a quiz which we both missed one on. Then we had time to shop but the perfume was way too expensive :(

Nice was nice...
We got to tour the city and even go bowling as a team!

This morning we went to Monacco. It is one of the richest countries in the world but also the second smallest. We had free time to shop but most of our time was spent taking pictures of the beautiful houses and the sweet cars.

The days are flying by. Our time in France is now done. We just arrived in Italy. So far, Italy and France look a lot alike. Most of today is going to be spent in the coach. Hopefully none if us will get carsick. The road is very windy.

As our trip moves foreward we are maintaining the 'be here now' mentality. Please pray that homesickness and normal sickness don't get in the way of this.

Enjoy the below pics!
Colin and Kona







Kona likes her some green beans!






Awesome perfume factory






Overlooking Nice



Creedalicious









Sweet bowling





Monaco...so many yachts



Don't worry, Creed and I split the costs 50/50









A bakery in Monaco



Hmmm...I was a little sketchy when Kona bought 4 bars as souveniers...






First glimpses of Italy!

The rest of day 8

Wanted to update everyone about how the rest of the day went! The castle and town in Carcassonne was really cool. The scenery was beautiful. During our free time there, a group of us got French crepes. Colin accidentally ordered one that was made with alchohol. It was very funny!

After that we went to Avignon. It was an old city that housed the Pope's palace. It was interesting to look at but the audio guides prooved to be pretty dull. We got more free time to walk around Avignon. It was very crowded and exciting due to the fact that today is their independence day. We heard a lot of musical instruments, saw a lot of plays going on, and had a fun time just experiencing French culture.

Although today was very fun, we are looking forward to going back to the hotel so that we can eat, relax, and shower. Please continue praying for joy and energy.

Colin and Kona

A Funny thing that we witnessed today:

- one of our team members peeing on the Pope's palace

Pics: The castle, wall area, and town of Carcassonne. Also, fun times in Avignon!

Carcassonne:
















Avignon:

Colin hasn't changed his clothes yet!

Today the skies are grey. So is the mood of our team. We have hit that wall where the adrenaline is fading and we still have half of the trip left. Drama has increased little by little, and people have moved closer and closer to that line, that ledge we call rules. Some of our team has defaulted to having a bad attitude- not overtly and suddenly, but gradually.

We don't feel like our attitudes are getting worse but we can tell that rest is definitely something that we need to take into account. Each day we feel more tired than the last. We are definitely still having fun and making great friends but next time we have free time at the hotel we will be taking a nap to make up for lost sleep.

Today is another full day. We are on our way to a Medievil city. This is where part of the movie Robin Hood Prince of Theives was filmed. After that we will go to Avignon where we will see the Pope's palace. The overcast skies will be nice for walking around outside. Pleae pray for energy for today.

Kona and Colin

PS- if you want to hear the song that we wake up to every morning look up "Love Today" by Mika

Quick post about France day 1

Hey everyone! It's late and I need to sleep, but I wanted to throw up some pics of today, and a brief summary. We drove from Spain to France today then spent all afternoon in a 'prehistoric' cave. Afterwards, we swam in a river and used a sweet rope swing. Creed, Alex, and I tried to get all 3 of us on at once. That attempt ended in failure ;)
Dinner was at the hotel tonight, and those that brought dressy clothes got all dressed up! We had a yummy dinner, then headed off for bed.
Which is where I need to be! Night!

Colin

Pics of teaching and French scenery: