Day 12

Another Sunday, another church. Today, it was the American Church in Paris.

I woke up to a quiet apartment, which was, in a way, relaxing. I had breakfast (more pain d'epices & tea), then got ready to head to church. The church is right along the Seine river, which made for a pleasant walk from the metro stop nearby. I got off the metro, and this is what I saw:

Les Invalides: Famous for containing Dead Napoleon Bonaparte, among other things

Now, the weather's not helping this picture any, but this is Les Invalides, a home for war veterans, the French military museum, and a burial ground for some old, dead dudes, one of which happens to be Napoleon Bonaparte.

Before the bottom really dropped out, I scurried on to the church. I walked in, and was welcomed in both French and English, separately. Now, being a preacher's kid (& grandkid, for that matter), churches are no new thing to me, but usually I'm attending with family. Walking into the ACP, I felt a little nervous, but once worship started, I began to feel more comfortable. There was one moment of hesitation (for me) when the pastor asked all the first time visitors to stand up, but I gathered myself and joined the few that were standing.

The service was quite nice, with a familiar feel, and with songs that I actually recognized (which meant more to me than I expected it to!). Also, the interior of the church is beautiful, which never hurts (though it's not a requirement):

They were setting up for a contemporary service, thus the screen

After worship, there was a social time with coffee, so I ventured into the crowd and picked up a cup. I sipped it, soaking in the environment & the people around me, and then got a refill. I was almost done with it when a group of 3 girls came up to me & introduced themselves. One lived in California a while back, came here as an au pair, then got married & has lived outside of Paris for 3 years now (don't worry...I'm not getting any ideas). The other two were Austrailian; one was an au pair, like me, and the other was assisting a man in a wheelchair. We conversed for a while, but breakfast didn't hold me very long, and everyone already had plans, though we agreed to meet next week after the service, so I returned home & had the yummy pizza leftovers.

After lunch, I went to my room and tried to nap but the coffee didn't do me any favors, so I settled on reading some more Sherlock Holmes. The ACP hosts a free concert every Sunday at 5, so I headed out to hear some music after my reading time. The program was good, and included two of my favorite composers, Vivaldi & Handel. When I returned from the concert, the family had all returned, and dinner was in progress, so I greeted everyone, changed out of my Sunday clothes, and joined them for dinner. Tonight, it was veggie soup (carrots, tomatoes, and zucchini) & pasta (with pesto, for me). Dessert was a pear, along with some real brie (the mother brought it back from her visit with the kids to her mom's house), which was absolutely delicious.

Fall is coming, in all its glorious colors :]