Louie Louie

Not only was the Louvre closed, (break my heart)...

But Louie closed RIGHT as we walked up. It was 8pm. But didn't they know I had 75 Euros to spend???? (I mean I could have at least bought some tissue paper?? Right???)

There were still people in the store. There were guards at the door letting the lucky ones out, making sure no one else came in.

Look at the size of that store! Amazing!

I've heard that somewhere in Paris there is a LV factory outlet.

One day I will find it.

Love The One You're With

Well fortunately for me this time Benji and I got to travel together. I would say most days that Benji has the best job on the planet. In a few days we will pack again and head to the beach for our summer camp with the youth.

Now, for a moment, I would like for you to put yourselves in my shoes. Try to imagine what it would be like to spend a week in a foreign country with these guys....



This one deserves a caption: Here they are on the side of the fortress ruins. Very high up. On top of the mountain. Having a 'bromance' moment. Lord help me, I had to look away. I just knew one of 'em was gonna get pushed off the side....thankful no one did.



Yes. I had the privilege of being group together with Benji and the boys he felt would benefit the most by being by his side the entire trip. I like to call them the rowdy group. I survived, but just barely. The experience brought back many memories of my own high school years dealing with adolescent boys on the brink of manhood. I would say that not much has changed. Boys are still the same at that age.

Thank God they made it back to the states all in one piece.

A Mighty Fortress

The same day we went to the Monastery we also visited a fortress. It was quite a hike, but it was so worth it once we finally reached the top!

A View From Here

View we woke up to every morning. With the fresh, cool mountain air blowing through our windows.

Coke: A Proper View

One of the many news stands that we visited numerous times throughout the week in Serbia.

Anyone who travels internationally understands the wonderful universal taste and availability of Coke.

It is everywhere. And it taste the same.

And that is a good thing when you are days away from anything familiar.

Zica

Zica was the name of the amazing 800 year old monastery we visited while in Serbia. One of the highlights of my life. I love ancient art and Zica did not disappoint. We weren't allowed to take pictures once inside but we got some beautiful ones of the outside and of the grounds.

Serbia

Serbia???? Isn't it like really cold there????

No. That is SIBERIA. But thanks for playing.

Okay now that we've cleared that up...Serbia is the former Yugoslavia, that should help most of you. Here's the link to Wikipedia if you are really interested in the history.




Above is the Flag and the location of Serbia. Basically between Italy and Russia.

It's about the size of South Carolina.

The town we were in was Krajevo. It was gorgeous. I was definitely not expecting such a beautiful town. It is a mountain town (the Balkans Mountain region)With a large river running through. Local legend is the cold mountain winds called promia can cause health problems. So no one keeps there windows open, or rides with their car windows down.

Another legend is that if a woman sits on the cold ground without something under her, her ovaries will freeze. We were told numerous times by locals(while we were painting in the city) to sit on something.

They also did not drink beverages with ice because it would cause tonsillitis.

I loved loved loved all these idiosyncrasies about this town. I wish we had local folklore!