Thirty-One Days Remain

There are many people around the world, in third-world countries and in first world countries (whatever happened to second-world?) who suffer great difficulties. Some people face famine, poverty, wildfires, war, cancer, terrorism, death, abuse, insufficient housing or complete lack of housing, and lack of support from family and friends if they have them to begin with.

When people in first-world countries look around the world to places like Africa and parts of Asia, there is a momentary bit of pity, then a simple statement of "there's nothing I can do about it," and then they start to worry about problems less severe but they begin to talk about as if it's the worst thing in the world: broken-down car, lack of internet, being unable to afford a vacation, unfulfilled dreams, difficult children, too much laundry, out of work, difficulty sleeping, and feeling like we're "too fat."

We all do this. That's not to say people in first-world countries aren't suffering with poverty and abuse, there are. As a matter of fact, I find it appalling that some people would rather help people in Africa rather than help people in their own country.

Now there's nothing wrong with wanting to help people in other nations around the globe. However, one should make the effort to volunteer at a homeless shelter, food pantry, or other non-profit agency in their own town, neighborhood, or country before thinking about their own problems or traveling to Africa to help. In a way, the more you're able to learn about where you come from, the more you learn about yourself.

Why am I mentioning all of this? Remember how in my last blog post the ST (Squishables Trio) mentioned me having a bad week? This past week was worse. Probably number one on my list of worst weeks ever. But! There is a silver lining.

I got paid, so this means I can start doing my "list of lasts" that I have. I also plan on giving gifts to the children so I have to get to work on those. Today I'm taking it easy, it's the last day of June and I plan to start getting up to speed with everything come this Monday because tomorrow is Sunday. I have two new recipes planned that should get me through the month, I have some last things to buy, bags to pack, planes to catch, children to play with... all within the course of 31 days. I can do it!

This also means my blog posts will likely come at a bit more frequent pace so that they aren't so jam-packed with information. I hope everything goes well!

Since I don't want to talk about my week, and since nothing really worth mentioning happened anyway, I'm going to let pictures do the talking. A picture's worth a thousand words right? There aren't many pictures, but there is a recipe to be had!

Think positively everyone!

Something neat that I did over the last week or two was go to Maria Einsiedel Naturbad. What it is is small runoff that was made from the Isar River here in Munich and filtered using ONLY natural resources. This leaves a naturally clean, non-chlorinated swimming water. You can either swim in the runoff shown above or...

... you can swim in one of the designated pools! I chose this one to swim in for two reasons:

1) It was the least crowded and
2) I only wanted to do some laps. It was perfect!

I took this picture with my cell phone. It seems like every time I see these little guys I don't have my camera with me. What they are are slugs. Some are fat like this guy, some are thinner. They come out by the boatload when it rains. They also have snails the way we get worms in America. I saw worms in the spring, but I haven't seen any since. Only snails and slugs.

I thought this was hilarious. What you're looking at is a newspaper box. What they do here in Munich is if you want a paper, put the money in the slot, then just take it. However, the money isn't a release for the door, meaning you could open the door and pick up a newspaper without paying, however people here are generally honest. That being said there must still be some people who abuse this because the newspaper people put this picture of Uncle Sam on the box with a message. Roughly translated it says: "Expect at anytime a controlled number." I'm assuming what they're trying to say is that they know when the money doesn't match the number of taken newspapers. Pretty funny though in my book.

I haven't posted a picture of my plants in a while. This is one of my harvested bean pods. I have four beans so far, with what looks like three more pods on the way.

My sad collection of plants. Unfortunately with the exception of the bean and apple trees, I will be composting them soon.

I kept walking passed these flowers on the way to church and I thought I'd like a picture to remember them by because they're so pretty.

 Holly's Potato Salad!

I know what you're thinking: potato salad is supposed to be white, not yellow. I ask you: WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE?

First off, I want to mention that I can only take credit for a portion of this recipe. I actually got the idea from my June copy of Natürlich Magazin. I altered it a lot, but I feel like I should give them credit for the idea because I did use dill, potatoes (duh), and a cucumber, all three ingredients were in the original recipe.

Ingredients:

Potatoes, boiled until just cooked through (about 15-20 minutes) then peeled and cubed

Cucumber, chopped into bite-sized pieces

Dill

Mixed Salad Nuts (the recipe asks for hemp seeds, this works too)

Mustard

Mayonaisse

Apple Cider Vinegar or Lemon Juice, optional

Onions, optional

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Take ingredients and mix at will! Why no specifics? Because everyone likes their potato salad in a different way. I used mostly mustard with a but of mayo to even it out, but you use all mayo or all mustard for that matter. I liked my potato salad without the onions but do like it with the occasional spritz of vinegar. I used quite a lot of dill because I like dill and mixed salad nuts for variety. These nuts included pine, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, soy, and I think another one which I can't think of offhand. The recipes actually only called for the use of oil and no mustard or mayo whatsoever. I can't eat potato salad that way. If you like it that way, go right ahead. I believe that potato salad should be fun and flexible and the way you like it!

Eat healthy!

The Squishable Trio Intellectual Discussion #1 - Natural Remedies

Peanut Butter: Welcome to the first ever Squishable Trio Intellectual Discussion, henceforth referred to as STID. Today we will be talking about natural remedies. What are they exactly? Do they work? Can they be used as an effective replacement for chemical treatments?

Julius: Ugh. Why are we talking about this?

Yulysta: Here playing the negative role will be Julius, as always.

PB: It's okay Yu, I'll answer his question. Simply put, Holly had a very rough week. Instead of depressing the world with all the bad things that happened, we will be discussing a topic of interest to her and hopefully provide readers with a better understanding of the natural and organic world.

J: So basically every time we have a STID it means that Holly had something bad happen to her that she essentially wants to forget about.

PB: I guess if you want to look at it that way, sure.

Y: I'll open the floor with actual information. A "natural remedy" from this point on will refer to a combination of naturally occurring substances that when taken in any form that a "traditional" medicine would be taken, creates relief from an ailment or sickness, temporary or otherwise.

PB: Holly has had an interest in natural remedies, obviously because of her desire to become more eco-friendly, organic, and sustainable.

J: Okay, but do natural remedies work? So, like, say I get a rash or something on my skin, under my fur of course, could I apply like blueberry paste to it and have it go away?

PB: No, not exactly, but you could combine an even mixture of honey and cinnamon to it and it should disappear in about the same time span as a traditional medicine.

Y: It would be a good time to point out that just because "traditional" medications are considered "stronger" doesn't mean they are weaker or take longer to work. In fact, it can be argued that some herbal or natural remedies may be stronger than their chemical counterparts.

PB: If you read any book or novel that was written 80 years ago or more, you will see the different ways people used to treat ailments. Witch Hazel was used as an antiseptic for wounds, for example. More recently, soaked tea bags can be placed on eyes to reduce puffiness.

J: Wasn't there a court case a while back about a woman who wanted to put her child who was sick with cancer on herbal treatment instead of chemotherapy?

PB: Yes. A mother was seeking alternative treatment and was going to flee to Mexico to get it, however the courts overruled her (article here).

J: Maybe it's just me but sometimes I think chemical medicines are beneficial. I mean, haven't you seen Balto?

Y: For those of you who haven't, Balto is a movie about children who will die from diphtheria if they don't receive a shipment of vaccinations.

PB: I firmly believe there is a place for everything in moderation.

Y: In my opinion, I think people have taken medications too far. If someone gets a headache, instead of thinking to themselves "Hey, maybe I haven't had enough water today," they grab a bottle of Tylenol and walk away. This not only makes it so our bodies can't fight off diseases and the like on our own but it can create additional problems, like not realizing the problem behind the ailment.

PB: Plenty of foods have medicinal qualities. Holly has shared many with you as she gives nutritional information about food. Bananas are not only excellent sources of potassium, but they help rebuild energy and stamina.

J: Honey helps soothe the stomach and throat as well as provide an anti-septic coat over scrapes and cuts.

Y: Ironic that you're talking about honey.

J: ...

PB: Ginger is also known for it's stomach soothing qualities.

J: Okay these are small ailments though. What about the cancer case? Is there a natural remedy for that? What about joint pain?

PB: There are possible remedies for cancer ranging from oysters to broccoli in various forms but the problem is people feel that these treatments won't be as effective as chemicals because they're "not as strong." Research is lacking in this area. (Source 1 and Source 2.)

Y: Joint pain is much easier to talk about as it's traditionally not life-threatening. There are many possible treatments from bananas to turmeric in hot milk (Source). Another difficult thing to remember is that since everyone's body is different, not every treatment will work. This also makes people skeptical to try natural remedies despite they can actually be more effective since you're discovering something that will work especially for your own body.

PB: Another thing is sometimes people expect miracles to happen when they don't necessarily happen. If someone claims they have difficulty sleeping and decide to take Valerian root and it doesn't work, consider the circumstances. Does the person not move around enough? Is the person drinking coffee at dinner time? Are they eating too much or too little? Natural remedies work particularly well on people who make an effort to eat a balanced diet and have moderate movement during the day. (Source.)

J: They work better on those people because then the person isn't filling their body up with junk. Extra junk is hard to get rid of. Which reminds me, if you ignore a symptom for a long time, it can become more difficult to rid based on a natural remedy alone.

Y: Detoxing the body from "junk" (as Julius says) is a good idea, but watch out for crazy diets and medicines. They'll do more harm than good. Look for a good tea, or better yet, just change your diet to healthier foods and your body will do it on it's own with no side effects (except for the side effect of feeling good!).

J: Okay so is there like a website or something with remedies?

PB: Holly's favorite is Home Remedies for You which she finds to be very concise and researched. Plus they have topics on just about everything.

Y: Our suggestion? Just check it out. Who knows... during your next flu or cold you'll skip the Tylenol and keep the chicken soup and maybe add some other herbs and spices!

J: Or better still maybe just let your body heal itself. You have white blood cells and T-cells for a reason.

PB: That's another blog post Julius but good point.

J: Hey just trying to help.

Y: We hope you enjoyed our first ever STID. Who knows what we'll talk about in the future!

PB: Stay tuned for the next Holly blog post!

J: Oh and I'm sure we'll write again in 39 days about our flight home in the suitcase...

Y: Oh Julius...

PB: Talk to you guys later!

Picture Day #5 - Crafts, Recipes, and Walking Around

Hello everyone,

Many, if not all, of you know that this past week has been extremely hard. I want to acknowledge those who have been a support to not just me, but my grandparents during this time. I know probably all of those who read my blog are close family or friends and I am very grateful to those who have been caring. I will not name names lest I forget someone and feel badly about it. Thank you all for your support.

Today I want to give everyone kind of a brief outline of what's been going on and what will go on until I leave.

First, I'm posting a picture day because it gives a better representation as to what I've been doing and I've been doing exactly as the title states. Be prepared for some fun, delicious, and pretty pictures. (I even found some pictures I should have posted a while ago... I hope you like them.)

Next... well, what happens next? At the time of writing this blog post I have 45 days left until I fly back to the States. That's a month and a half. And here's the question I know everyone wants answered: What do you have planned? I have seven things on my list I definitely have to see before I leave, one thing I really hope I can see (the host family may be taking a trip there and bring me with them... where is a surprise), and one thing that I'm hit or miss on as to whether or not I want to see (the Bavarian Forest, not as exciting as the Black Forest which I hope to see).

Something else that's been bugging me is that the children have clearly expressed their desire to have me stay. This is extremely sad for me as I have never been with a family that has children for this long before (other than my own family). I have many more places in the world I want to see though, plus I do want to go home and take a break (not to mention see the three F's: friends, family, and fiance). Who knows what will happen in the future.

As far as food goes, I have two new recipes below, plus I have two recipes I plan on making: a special Holly potato salad and (believe it or not) a chickpeas recipe. This should take me pretty much into July where I'll probably only be able to make one more new recipe. We'll see how timing works out.

I think the Squishables are itching to do a blog post... they might get the floor next time...

Enjoy the pictures everyone!

I decided to decorate my door... with my colored pictures! I have two more I colored today... they'll go on the back of the door.

A project I did with the children was an "All About Me" montage. The children (except the boy who didn't want to for some reason) did hand and feet prints, cut out pictures they thought represented themselves, added stickers, etc, etc. This section is mine.

Okay for those of you who DO NOT know what this is, click here and then look at the picture below. Then, go to the store, pick up the two ingredients shown above, then perform the infamous "Diet Coke and Mentos Eruption." The little boy saw this on the computer and wanted to do it with me. So I did.

I do NOT in any way shape or form take credit for this picture! This picture is from Wikipedia and I give them full credit for this image. (I used the URL directly from the source.)

This is all that's left from the aftermath. As you might have noticed, this is not the same Coke I started with. That's because the original Coke I was using kind of went off too soon... anyway, this one was slightly better... except I got sprayed in the face...

We have also done paper airplanes. The little boy loved them especially. The littlest girl liked them too, but decided to make a giant one on the floor. She asked me to decorate. So...

... I started drawing what I have called my "Stick Figure Equations." The oldest and youngest enjoyed it so much they started drawing their own. I think they're pretty funny. I might even start putting them in my blog posts regularly!

The littlest girl is the biggest fan of my craft "projects" so I remembered this one from my early years. What you do is take a plane piece of white paper and draw on it with a white crayon. Then take a set of watercolor paints (not acrylic, not oil, not outdoor... watercolor!) and paint over your creation to reveal your hidden picture! (The little girl loved it!)

Okay, so I also really wanted to do little mini cardboard people. This is Mini Holly. Cut out a paper person and paste it onto a non-corrugated piece of cardboard. Color, use embroidery floss for the hair, and cut again to reveal your mini you!

 And now...

Holly's Apple-Honey Chicken Wraps!

This is the inside of the wrap.

 I can't take any credit at all for the sauce of the recipe. I got it here and I'm very grateful Food Network! I roasted the chicken in about the same way they did, except kept the sauce separate and pulled the meat from the bones. I layered lettuce, shredded carrot, steamed broccoli, some chopped onion, the chicken, and then either poured the sauce over it or used it to dip. Super healthy and delicious!

This is the full meal. Protein, veggies, little honey sauce... perfect combination!

 My most recent meal was made this evening and is below...

Veggie Mac and Cheese!

The original recipe is from iVillage. All I did was make a few substitutions and BAM! Perfect Holly dinner.

This was so amazing. I followed the directions perfectly but substituted cheddar cheese for a local tasty variety, the four mixed cups of veggies to one small head of both cauliflower and broccoli, and about 6 medium carrots, and lastly the breadcrumbs for crushed plain cornflakes... which made the whole meal in my opinion. Plus, this could very easily be made gluten free.

My dinner tonight... yummy!

I took this picture with my cell phone. It was the first time I had ever seen people in water bubbles! I want to try someday!

I know I've shown pictures of Olympia Park before, but I never really got to show the amazing glass architecture.

Today and tomorrow is Stadtgründigsfest which has a long history with the city. Click on the link to learn a tiny bit more!

Quite busy today. I was actually expecting a bit more, but it was still considerably busy.

Also at the festival I got to see an actual Irish band play! That was kind of cool.

Asamkirche or Asam Church. It was really beautiful inside but I forgot my camera and all I had was my cell phone. I may go back.

Sendlinger Tor or Sendlinger Gate. There are a few "tors" in the city (I think three) and they're all famous.

This is the local church. It was taken a little while ago and it was a beautiful day... I didn't want to waste it!

As I said before, there are a couple "tors" in the area and I found out that this famous one (shown previously in another blog post I believe) is called Siegestor...

... and here it is!

This is St. Kajetan church. I just happened by it and was rewarded with very pretty architecture, as pretty much everything else has in Munich!

This is my last picture. I found this butterfly while walking and I think it's the same kind of butterfly as the one I took and put in an earlier blog post. I don't know the name of the type of butterfly... I'll have to find out!

Not Everyone Knew Their Great-Grandma

Not everyone gets to say they knew their great-grandma. Even fewer people can say they knew her for 20 years.

Family comes in all different ways: by choice, by marriage, and by blood. Despite how family members enter into your world, true family members are those who love you and care about you and whom you love and care about in return.

My great-grandma passed away this weekend. I am not good at handling bad news but I so badly wanted tell the world what she meant to me. I loved her very much and I will miss her for the rest of my life.


When I was very young, I remember celebrating various holidays with my great-grandparents. I remember walking in a kitchen where the counters were still taller than me, I remember seeing old pictures on tables, I remember sneaking up carpeted stairs to go exploring on the top floor. But the thing that stood out the most to me was my great-grandma's specialty: cheesecake. Many people who know me know that that is my favorite dessert, but I only think one or two people know it's because of my great-grandma. I could eat the entire cake, and I probably still could today. I actually remember asking for the recipe not too long ago, and now it's stashed away in my recipe folder to be forever cherished by me. No matter how I make it though, it will never taste quite the same.

My grandma created a yearly tradition when I was very young of going to see the Nutcracker ballet. Every year, I would climb into the back of my grandma's car and sit next to my great-grandma while my grandparents sit up front. She always carried candies with her to be shared during the performance and frequently brought her opera binoculars so we could see the show better. My great-grandma also was an active part of other festivities, such as Easter, where she would prepare various foods from ham to potato salad. As I was talking to my friend Justin, he remembered her story last year about how she accidentally poured ammonia into her potato salad and the whole recipe turned black. She had a great way of telling stories that made everyone laugh. She had a really great sense of humor.

My great-grandma was also there for every major event in my life, from birthdays to graduations. She never failed to give me a card for every holiday, birthday, and occasion. The last card she sent me was for Easter and she told me she loved seeing the pictures on my blog. Seeing the card now makes me terribly sad. I wish I could tell her right now how much I love her.

It kills me to know I cannot attend her funeral because I am here in Munich. As I was talking to my grandma, she said the one wish my great-grandma had that was not fulfilled was to see me get married. I so wish she could be there. I truly loved my great-grandma with my whole heart. She meant so much to so many other people, but she held a very special place in my heart and I wanted to be able to share that with everyone.


Typing this makes me realize how very lucky I've been. I've had many people love and care for me and my great-grandma was not only an amazing person, but she loved and cared for me very much. I am so thankful to have had her be part of my life for so long. As my sister said, she was a very tough lady and she definitely has a special place in heaven.

I miss her very much.

Fred der Frosch - A Tribute

My fellow friends and family, I write to you with a heavy heart today.

Fred der Frosch has passed away.

Fred der Frosch, First Week of May, 2012 - June 2, 2012

The cause of his death is unknown. He was alive around noon on Saturday, June 2, 2012, but when he was checked on again around 5:30pm-5:45pm the same day he was discovered dead, belly-up, on the floor of his little yogurt jar home.

Paramedics (myself) immediately attempted to restore life by performing frog CPR with the back of a pencil to no avail. He was officially pronounced dead at this time.

Fred der Frosch was place on the lid of the yogurt jar as his open-casket which was regularly visited by his owner and caretaker (me).

Visiting site.

The funeral service was held on Monday, June 4, 2012, which was also to be the day of his release as he had matured from tadpole to frog. He was buried at pond.

He was carried in his temporary yogurt jar home by a one-person hearse down to the pond of his birth and capture, which inevitably also became his final resting place.

Beginning of hearse.

It was a fitting day for a frog funeral. The walk to the funeral site began about 11:45am, just after it had rained fairly heavily that morning. The sky was still dark with clouds and the paths and forest were still quiet. The funeral site was reached at approximately 12:15pm.

"The sky was still dark with clouds and the paths...

... and forest were still quiet."

The pond had no other human visitors, only the caretaker of Fred was present. She walked to the spot where Fred was captured, and slowly poured him into the water. Fred's other friends and family were there, still in the developmental process of becoming a frog. Holly has this to say about her frog friend:

Fred der Frosch, although only had a short time in my life, meant a lot to me and was well loved by not only myself, but the children as well. His presence was a comforting source of life in the windowsill opposite my plants. It is very sad to watch something grow and mature only to pass away a day and a half before his release, but it was obviously his time to go. I had tried to take good care of him, but it seemed to be unsuccessful. The guilt that I had on the day of his death was very strong and will stay with me forever. I loved Fred der Frosch as my own pet even though I knew that at some point he would leave me, I just did not expect him to leave in this manner. Fred, I will always miss you. Thank you for being such a good friend.

The service concluded at approximately 12:30pm. His frog home was recycled at the nearest recycling containers to hopefully be used for a better purpose (Fred would have wanted that).

"The pond had no other human visitors..."

"Fred's other friends and family were there..."

Fred der Frosch's final resting place.

Below, please remember Fred der Frosch's life and development by looking through his past pictures.

Holly would also like to remember her past animal friends: Sugar - her beloved kitty of almost 17 years, Kao Jai - her Betta fish friend that had been a gift from her fiance, Reiyn Ru - Kao Jai's attempted spouse, Hasani - the African dwarf frog who had been adopted her junior year of college (survived by his brother Husani), the other unnamed tropical fish who had been adopted her freshman year of college who did not survive, and of course Spotty and Shiny - the goldfish that started Holly's animal tributes, funerals, and eulogies at the age of eight or nine.

I hope you remember all of your past loved animal friends today. Please be sure to click on the pictures to enlarge.

May 5, 2012

May 10, 2012

May 14, 2012

May 27, 2012

May 28, 2012

May 29, 2012

Living Your Dreams - A Trilogy

Part Three - Paris, France

Dreams are difficult to talk about.

Why is this? Dreams are a very abstract concept. It requires us to think very deeply about ourselves, how we feel about ourselves, and what are abilities actually are.

An important thing to have is support. No one can carry their dreams out alone. Having a dream also means sharing it with someone. It is wonderful to finally accomplish a dream, but then what? You're very excited and proud of yourself... but then you want to have other people share in your happiness. Even one person in your life is good to have. People who are close to you will also help you see your strengths and weaknesses, give advice, and the best part: encouragement. And if they don't encourage you, don't be discouraged. Keep with it. Think of it this way: if everyone tells you your dream is a bad idea, but then you're able to accomplish it, how much more proud of yourself will you be? Unfortunately, support is not always a positive thing, but it is better than none at all.

It should be noted that there is a distinct difference between a "want" and a "dream." A want is something temporary, usually something physical, and something that will not stay with you throughout your life. A dream is something that you want, yes, but also something that will help you develop as a person. For example, me traveling throughout Europe has opened my eyes to cultural, political, and social differences which I will take with me and be able to utilize throughout the rest of my life. It has added to my personality. Had I just, say, taken a vacation to Munich only lasting me a week or so, I would not have been able to gain the same experience, and thus my dream would not have been fulfilled. (I do have a new dream by the way, I wish to work on an organic farm. Preferably in a Spanish-speaking country. I would gain a whole new level of knowledge and cultural understanding!)

All of this brings me to my overall point: how do you know what your dream is? Sometimes, it's something you've thought about your whole life but never realize it as a dream. The best example I can give here is my first dream of finding romance. I had always dreamed about how I would find my future husband. I invented countless scenarios in my head since I was little and lo and behold my dream ended up coming true at a time I did not expect it to.

Another way of finding out is having the idea put into your head by an external force. My example here is when I discovered my passion of traveling starting with the research project I had to do with Hawaii. Other examples include when people are talking to you about something they've done and you realize that you want to do the same thing very badly. Or perhaps you read a novel and they talk about an activity they enjoyed and you want to become a part of. The possibilities of accidentally coming across your dream are limitless and probably the most common way dreams are discovered.

Lastly, you could go look for it. People who are natural-born dreamers (there are few of us left in this world) have experienced all three methods of dream-finding, but this is the way we go about looking for deeper meaning. Others who are looking for something more to life also do this. Today, we have the internet to help us find topics and areas we want to explore. In the past, however, people went searching for dreams everywhere. They would work different jobs, meet different people, explore talents and hobbies, and this could continue for years. Trying new things is hard for many people but going outside your comfort zone will help you realize whether your dream is possible for you. If it is then pursue it! If it's not, come up with a different dream. Dreaming is good for you. Don't ever give up on who you are!

I believe that having a dream makes you into the person that you are supposed to me. Stay true to yourself (God made everyone perfect!). You'll find yourself to be healthier, happier, and more confident and assertive. Go find a dream today!

As with the other cities I visited, Paris, France took my breath away. When I saw the Eiffel Tower for the first time, I could have cried I was so happy. When I was in the Louvre, I was so excited to find art that I've only seen in movies and pictures. There were a couple downsides though, pedestrians do NOT have the right of way, and I found that out when I was very close to getting hit by a motorcycle. Parisian sellers are very persistent and will keep trying to talk to you and follow you even when you say no. The train system is very quick, but a little tough to follow at first. All of this was minor compared to the cultural experience I got, and the little hotel I stayed in (even though it lacked a shower on my floor) was in the perfect location for public transportation. I was so excited when a woman called me "mademoiselle;" I felt so authentic.

I have a LOT of pictures to share with you, but I hope you enjoy them. I will also be posting a very sad blog post tomorrow.

Don't forget to dream!

We all know and love this classic symbol of Paris. The Eiffel Tower! I got to climb it and I had a dream come true...

I GOT TO HUG THE EIFFEL TOWER!

And here is a view of the Seine River that flows through Paris.

Then I went to the Louvre. This is a view of the inside of the pyramid.

This is an inverted pyramid in the Louvre.

I've noticed in Europe they have a serious thing with painting and decorating their ceilings. My ceilings will be painted some day.

"The Winged Statue of Samothrace."

"Aphrodite - Venus de Milo."

"Mona Lisa." It is a LOT smaller in real life than it seems. I was still excited to see it.

They had a whole section devoted to Egyptian life, and I got really excited about the tablets.

"Psyche and Cupid."

The outside pyramid of the Louvre.

Here is the coolest Metro sign I saw.

Look who came with me... the Squishables!

So I went to the Saint Chapelle church to see the stained glass windows. It was somewhere around 9 Euros to see them, and when I first walked in, I thought that this was it. I was kind of annoyed, but then I saw there were stairs to climb. So I climbed them...

... and I was rewarded with absolutely AMAZING story telling stained glass! It was incredible!

I also got to see the Notre Dame chapel.

I know this picture looks tilted, but if you look right in front of me, the people are all standing straight. So I'm not sure if it's the angle of the hill or if it's me. Either way, the picture is of Sacre Coeur, which was shot in a scene of the movie Amelie.

I went to Place de la Concorde and got to see this: "Obelisk of Luxor."

Fountain in the Place de la Concorde where Anne Hathaway threw her cell phone away in the move "The Devil Wears Prada."

A lantern in Concorde with the Eiffel Tower in the background.

Bridge over the Seine River.

The Musee de L'Armee. It was a total chance I went here. I had no intention of going inside originally, I just wanted to know what the building with the shiny gold cap was. Well, after I found out it was a museum, I had to know what was in the shiny gold cap...

... so here's the ceiling of the gold dome...

... and here's what's inside it. It's the Tomb of Napoleon I. It was actually kind of cool. I'm glad I went. The whole rest of the museum was filled with French and other world history. I took lots of photos, but I didn't want to post them all.

Which brings me to the Musee de la Mode, which is temporarily closed for renovations until the spring of next year. But the building was really neat and it houses historical fashion trends. I would like to visit someday. (This place was also in "The Devil Wears Prada."

St. Martin's Canal. It looks very picturesque and peaceful, which it is, but it doesn't smell that great and I didn't feel too safe walking along it alone.

The last picture of Paris I took was of a Metro station. Most of the metro stations look kind of like this, some cleaner and some not, but they all bear about the same resemblance. (By the way the first picture I took was of the Eiffel Tower, but not the picture shown at the top.)

I'll write again tomorrow!