Momiji: Is this REALLY what you listened to in the 80's?
Yanagi: Bon Jovi? Sure was, and I still do.
Momiji: hmmm... I guess it's not that bad...
A couple hours later...
Momiji: Mom... how long is this flight going to take?
Yanagi: About 5 more hours.
Momiji: *sigh*
Yanagi: And the boy is out...
Next day:
Momiji: Wow!!! Look at all the buildings... and the red buses... and the phone booths...
Yanagi: I know, cool isn't it?
Momiji: *nods*
Momiji: Where are we?
Yanagi: St. Paul's Cathedral.
Momiji: *looking up* Who's the lady statue up there?
Yanagi: Queen Victoria.
Momiji: She's in that anime you've been watching.
Yanagi: Kuroshituji isn't exactly historically accurate though...
Momiji: Mom mom mom... look... a raven!!!!
Yanagi: I know. They were one of the things I really wanted to see here at the Tower of London.
Momiji: Castles are awesome.
Yanagi: I wouldn't want to climb that spiral staircase everyday though.
Momiji: True.
Couple days later...
Momiji: Soooo... who lives here?
Yanagi: Nobody now... but Versailles was the palace for the last few kings of France.
Momiji: I get to go on the tour too?
Yanagi: Yup. They don't allow backpacks so I'm going to have to carry you.
Momiji: YAY!
Needless to say, Momiji LOVED the tour and thought it would be fun to bounce on Marie Antoinette's bed... I vetoed that idea. >_<
I didn't get a chance to get a picture of him with the Eiffel Tower, I'll have to Photoshop him into one later. Again backpacks weren't allowed at the Louvre, so he stayed in the hotel that day. After a couple days we headed up to the Normandy region.
Momiji: So where are we now?
Yanagi: Rouen.
Momiji: And what's so special about this spot?
Yanagi: This is where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake.
Momiji: HERE?!
Yanagi: Well... maybe not that EXACT spot, but around here.
Momiji: That's okay then... why did they burn her?
Yanagi: It's a long story...
Our day at Pointe du Hoc, Omaha Beach, and the Caen Memorial museum was dreary, drizzly, and cold... so Momiji didn't poke his resin nose out of the backpack.
Yanagi: Momiji, what are you doing?
Momiji: Just looking out the window... It's pretty, but I really want to go home.
Yanagi: Me too... I think we've been away long enough. Just one more day in Honfleur, then we'll head back to Paris and fly home.
Momiji: YAY! I can't wait to tell the others all about our trip. And send that special gift to Omi.
Yanagi: The 'special gift' we bought at the Tower of London?
Momiji: THAT one!
Yanagi: I'm sure everyone will be suitably terrified at the idea...
It was a good trip... we were delayed AGAIN coming back through Newark... my new least favorite airport. Nobody lost their passport, no one's luggage when AWOL, no one was mugged on the Metro; but I'm really glad to be home. (Trying to keep track of 18 teenagers, not to mention the ones from the other two groups we were teamed up with, on the Metro was exceedingly stressful.) There were only two days that I wasn't hauling Momiji's resin butt around in my backpack, but still didn't have as many opportunities for photos as I would have liked. At some point I'll get the rest of my pictures uploaded and post a link in case someone wants to see them.
Haiyang Shirin 
