8 euro and some change...

 

a baguette to share:  1 euro
one used miniature billiards table:  7 euro
a new French friend:  priceless.

Thank you God for Leopold!!!

skate park as a mirror to life in france

i know we're getting a little existential, but that's what they do here!  (usually over a cup of "express"...)

cookies.

we finally figured out who had been taking them!

 

the dungeon

Dad said if we behave properly and learn to speak French, he'll let us play in the dungeon!

from up above

this church is right up the road from our flat.  to the left is the Citadel.  spreading out to the right is Centreville, or the town center.

new hometown

Besançon has an ancient Roman fortress overlooking the city, called The Citadel.  Here we are about to go visit way up there.  About a thousand steps up.  Or at least it felt like it.  And far below, to our right in the photo, is, according to our dad, an ancient Roman recycling bin with ancient Latin grafiti on it...

 

thankfully, the beetles did not cut their way through the steel handrails until Grace had the chance to bolt a good 23 meters away... (you should see the mosquitoes here!)

forest

after we fought much traffic to get out of Besançon, the French forest was growing dark, and seemed slightly forboding.  Until we looked up and saw what looked almost like a heart-felt welcome from the trees themselves!