France

Saw:
An ancient walled city on a hill completely lit up at night. (Helps enlighten Matthew 5:14)

Did:
Sketched Roman ruins while perched on stone ramparts above a 100 foot cliff. unfortunately the sketch paled in comparison to the locale.

Learned:
I listened to a sermon on the train in by Dave Gibson talking about the picture of heaven created in Revelations. In it he quoted this idea of "divine discontent"- that while on this side of heaven we are longing for home, and proposed that the greatest reality of heaven is not the percfection, the lack of pain, the golden city, but it is that our Father will be there. I was powerfully struck by the reality that one of the most discouraging parts of this trip for me has been that my own father is not here with me...and i realized even more that the great discontent of this life is that I am not yet with my true Father.

• the reformed wont appreciate the first half, but the sermon, entitled "A Discussion About Eternity", can be found at

www.corkingoodsermons.com at the bottom of the page. "

Saw:
The most picteresque riverfront thus far. (Bordeaux is apparently a candidate for the 2013 European Capitol of Culture)

Did:
Experienced the largest open air street i have ever seen. I opted for a cucumber the size of my forearm over a fresh shark's head...but only because of cost.

Learned:
The difficulty of trying to reconcile the splendid architecture of the French enlightenment with the reality that it was born of a violent and utterly humanist movement. Wondering at cathedrals seems a logical way of giving praise to God, but were it not for common grace, praising the great works of secular hands would be praising the enemy.

Saw:
A 500 year old castle with moat and drawbridge right in the center of downtown.

Did:
Tried to escape a torrential downpour while high up on the ramparts of said castle. We didnt make it.

Learned:
That it is difficult to put a price on experience. Some friends and I went to a nicer restaurant for dinner and it is hard to say if my asparagus pizza warranted its price tag. Its like asking how many hours are in a 5 gallon barrel. Price and value of experience measure 2 completly seperate quantities

(Wikipedia article on Nantes here)

What I saw:
Possibly the most beautiful blend of architecture and landscape on this planet: Mont St-Michel, an island fortress in the ocean

What I did:
Ate blackberries while walking a French countryside road. (hopefully they were blackberries)

What I learned:
That having people who speak your language is easily taken for granted, and that not having anyone who speaks your language is suprisingly lonely.

What I saw:
The Big Three (obviously)- Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Louvre...and 47 other notable buildings-- google 'centre pompidou' for example

What I did:
Fed pidgeons in front of the Arc d'Triomphe, attended mass at the Cathedral of St. Ambrose, watched a waltz at night on the banks of the Seine. (pretty much anything you do in paris seems like something out of a postcard)

What I learned:
That there comes a point when one reaches sensory overload- almost a dazed numbness where you just can't take in any more new sensory information.
After processing my own overload, I was observing peoples response to such overload in the Louvre. I think that people some how inately know when they are in the presence of something great, but quite often they don't know how to respond- hence the thousands of people staring at blank walls, trying to videotape there entire walk, or photograph every single painting.

(editor's note--due to the difficulty of getting photographs, I will supplement these blog posts with photos from various sources. Don't worry--when Nate actually sends his own pictures, I'll make sure you know it!! This photo is a postcard that he sent us from Paris.)