Orléans

Last summer, I told Matt that before we left Germany, we had to go and visit Orléans. I spent six months of my mission there, and I was dying to go back. So, last August, Matt took leave and we went!!!
A friend was in the states and was letting us borrow her van for the 6 weeks she was gone, so we drove that to Orléans. It took a little while to get there, but I was so excited that I could hardly stand it!!!

Here are some of our pictures of our trip. It was our longest family vacation/trip we've had with the kids.

Lucy is the one in brown, and Marianne (the daughter of a friend in Orléans) is in purple. They look a lot alike.

Trying to get a picture with all of the kids.

With Patricia, Marianne, Paul, Lucy and me chez La Famille Le Floch. They invited us over for lunch after church on Sunday. I knew Patricia on my mission, and I was there when her now husband was baptized.

Patricia, Marianne, Paul, Thibault, Lucy, Me, Andrew. Matt was taking the picture. I love this family. The next time we go there we are going to stay with them.

Our little family in front of Jeanne D'arc. (she liberated Orléans. Every year in May, they have a huge Fête de Jeanne D'arc for two weeks to celebrate it.)

La Chapelle St. Mesmin was next to the Loire River, and we would ride our bikes past it a lot.

The view from La Chapelle looking out to La Loire. Can you see the Cathédrale?

The view of La Loire from our apartment. We would run/jog/walk/ride next to the river almost every day.

Andrew in front of a fountain in Place de Martroi. Can you find the Cathédrale in this picture?

This is Lucy in front of La Chapelle St. Mesmin. It is an old church that we used to ride our bikes by.

This is Matt with the kids in front of the Cathédrale in Orléans. It is huge!!

This is a picture of our balcony to our apartment that we lived in. It is the middle one.

This is a picture of the whole building of our apartment conplex. When we lived there, the parking lot wasn't paved.

This is my favorite store in Orléans. Palaf. I got a pair of Doc Martens on my mission there for only 200 francs. Which is about $30. And we got all kinds of other cool stuff there for hardly anything.

This is Andrew and I on a carousel that was in La Place de Martroi. It was an old one, and it was really cool!

Me standing where I fell on my bike. My tires got stuck in the rails and I took my companion down with me!! I had bloody knees and everything. It was pretty cool.

(below) Me and the kids sitting on the steps of the Cathédrale.