europe pics

Europe summary

these are just a fraction of the pics i took in europe. tried to spare you guys the full 400+ pictures i took there, so these are a few of my favorites...

the trip itself was such a gift...i was so struck by the beauty of each of the cities we visited. started in paris, then headed to venice, florence, siena, rome, cinque terre, and back to paris. loved the museums, architecture, churches, walking around and getting lost...

some details about the trip:

- walked around a ton. got lost. wandered around and inadvertently stumbled on amazing sights. walked up and down many, many stairs. got in shape. am no longer in shape. but seriously, i loved being able to walk around those cities...
- almost fell victim to pickpocketing once...but the guy wasn't very good. he tried to make me take my eyes off of my friend's stuff by dropping coins and trying to get me to pick them up for him. since i saw him drop the coins on purpose (like i said, he wasn't very good), i didn't fall for it...but he kept on insisting that i pick up the coins for him, so at one point, i even said, "you pick them up." hehe...he gave up after that.
- free stuffs! on the first sunday of every month, admission to some parisian museums and landmarks are free! got into the louvre, st. chapelle, and arc de triomphe for free. then, we decided to go to palazzo pitti our last day in florence, so we go to pay, and were given free admission 'cuz it was international women's day! that was a nice little surprise...
- so many beautiful churches. from the stained glass windows to the mosaics, paintings, sculptures...and as i stood, sat, stared, and wondered at the beauty of these chapels, i marveled at the incredible talent and creativity that God has given man...and then i realized that all the beautiful architecture and artwork are nothing compared to God's most beautiful creation - us. cheesy, i know...
- in those churches, there's such a reverence and awe that i think is lacking in our worship sometimes. yet, at one point i was asking God what was missing...and soon afterwards, i saw a little boy with his parents, unaware of the hushed surroundings, just playing and giggling, and it hit me...joy. celebration. it reminded me that God is a God who delights in the delight of His people.

so much more, but i'll spare you, at least for now.