F is for Friday (and Family in France)

To start our grand vacation, we flew to Paris, arriving on a Friday morning.

Next we took a train to Lorraine, which we learned was a fairly new TGV station built between Metz and Nancy, so out in the middle of nowhere.

That was followed by a bus to Metz. I was surprised at how green the fields were for being below freezing in January.

Look who was waiting for us in the bitter cold!

We walked through the Metz train station to get to the city bus stop.

And before we knew it, we were walking up the street to Brad's apartment (the white and yellow building on the right).

Brooke was eager to share the chocolate coins she had saved from Christmas just to share with Grandpa. She was also excited to play doctor and help replace Grandma's bandage on her finger. She's going to be a great doctor some day.

Once Brad was home from work, it was time to brave the cold again (now it was snowing!) to go do some exploring.

First on the schedule was visiting La Porte des Allemands, or the German Gate. It was part of the city wall in the 13th century, but now the town has grown around it.

The Seille River

Looking through the window to see the river.

Waiting in the warmth for Grandpa to finish reading the signs!

Our second stop was the Maximin Church, found down a narrow alley. At this stop I discovered I really don't know how to take good pictures inside dark churches. The stained glass was quite beautiful, so maybe one day you can visit and see it for yourself. 

Then it was time to walk back to the bus stop and go home for a yummy dinner.

After dinner we opened belated Christmas presents. As you can see, I haven't figured out how to take good pictures of active little girls either, but I thought this one was quite fun. 

Finally it was time for Grandpa to be tucked into bed by two darling little girls.

It was definitely a fun-filled Friday in France.