Meandering the Country

November 6, 2025 As difficult as it was to leave Lisieux, we were all excited to be heading back to Paris where we spent our next three nights.  Our bus had a 7:30am departure which, when announced the evening before, brought forth a collective groan from the group.  In the end, the early start was so worth it!   Commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 As our bus entered Paris, we found ourselves unexpectedly circling the Arc de Triomphe via the Place Charles de Gaulle roundabout not once, but a couple of times!   What a thrill!  This is not any ordinary roundabout!  Place Charles de Gaulle has the distinctive title of being the largest roundabout in the world.  Rules for this massive wagon wheel are different from any roundabout I’ve ever driven on, as vehicles entering the roundabout have the right of way.  Just to make things a little bit more of a challenge, there are no lane markings on the enormous roundabout.  Place Charles d...

November 5, 2025 This was an amazingly fun and interesting day, filled with many unique and new experiences for me!  Certainly NOT a new experience was hearing of St. Michael.  I pray for intercession from him regularly to “protect me from the wickedness and snares of the devil” who is certainly alive and well in today’s world. What was new was learning of St. Michael’s appearance to the Bishop of Avranches in 708 AD.  St. Michael appeared in a series of three dreams to him.  In these dreams, St. Michael ordered the bishop to build a sanctuary at a specific location.  The bishop believed it was a demon telling him this and promptly ignored the first two of these dreams.  It made absolutely no sense to him as the location he was to build on was the rocky islet of Mont Tombe.  This mount is located where two rivers converge and enter a bay that leads to the English Channel.  On St. Michael’s third and final visit (again in a dream), St. Michael touc...

November 4, 2025 Today was a day of remembrance.  Each of us in our group had prepared for a day trip to the shores of Normandy and were at our bus in time for an 8:00am departure.  Along the route, we stopped in Port-en-Bessin where Fr. Chinna celebrated Mass at Eglise Saint-André Catholic Church with us.  This was our first peek at some of the effects of June 6, 1944.   Built between 1880-1898, this church replaced a 12th century sanctuary to accommodate this growing fishing community.  This is a most unique church, as it definitely has a maritime theme going on.  Giant seashells, used as holy water fonts, greet you when you first enter the church.  If that didn’t strike you as unusual, the scale models of ships mounted to the walls and the banners adorning the interior with the names of ships lost at sea certainly will!  With a more careful look, you’ll see the community’s dedication to its seafaring lifestyle continue in many of the stai...