Home again! We arrived safely yesterday (Thursday) afternoon a bit tired from the 9-hour flight directly from Paris. All is well here; just had to mow the grass this morning.
Our TGV train ride from Valence to Paris was delightful; fast (2 hours and 10 minutes for 300 miles) and comfortable with pretty scenery along the way. In Paris we stayed at a Protestant Mission guest house; it is in an old building but very clean, comfortable and convenient. It was only a 5-minute walk to the train station that connects to the massive subway system in the city. We had no trouble getting around. 
In the two and a half days there we saw a lot of the usual sights (Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Sacre Coeur, Louvre, Arch of Triumph, Sainte Chapelle, Opera House) as well as walking some local markets. We didn’t go into the Louvre as we had done that years ago, but did the long walk all the way from Notre Dame to the Arch of Triumph which takes you along the Seine River, past the Louvre and up the Champs Elysees. 
One day we met Rosie’s sister and her niece and husband and his mother. We had arranged the meeting as they were in Paris after a tour of Germany. The niece did not tell Rosie’s sister about getting together so it was a big surprise for her. She wondered if it was just a chance meeting! We met them at the Eiffel Tower and spent the afternoon and evening with them. That was fun to do.
There is so much to see in Paris but we didn’t want to visit a lot of museums and palaces, so we walked the streets a lot and rode the subway to get around to the highlights.
We did take an evening boat ride up and down the Seine River; that was ‘cool’ in more ways than one! Also saw the Eiffel Tower lit up at night. Fun. 
Yesterday morning we woke up early and took the subway/train to the airport which is a long way from the city. It was nice to not have to rush but do the check-in, security checks and boarding in a rather leisurely way.
Our month in France was wonderful! We enjoyed Valence, the people we worked with, the work that was accomplished, the many people we met, seeing some interesting sites in that part of France, and the few days in Paris. We would gladly do it again! But as volunteers we had to pay all our own expenses, including the food in Valence; only the housing was provided. But we believe in the worldwide Bible translation ministry so are glad for the small part we can have to make it easier for the dedicated translators to do their thing.
Thanks again for traveling with us. This will be our last blog until we go to Orlando, Florida in early January with our RV to work at the Wycliffe center. Thanks to those of you who have left comments on the blog. It is always good to hear from you.
Abner and Rosie
