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July 8-9, 2005 (Friday) — From Iowa to Paris

It was a long day! We were able to sleep in a bit, had our waffles again, loaded our things and headed to Minneapolis. Since the Minnesota rest stops are closed until they approve a budget, we had to make sure we went to a rest stop in Iowa, and ended up at the same one we went to on the way down from St. John's. We had a snack on the bus so we could make it until a late lunch at the Mall of America. Boys got to shop some more, and we headed to the airport. Our driver Mike brought us right to the curb so we could unload. We said goodbye to Carey and Gareth, and went to find our Iceland Air flight.

The first flight was a little less than six hours, to Rejkyavik. On the way, the sun set, and then rose again about 15 minuutes later. We were in Iceland for only about an hour. The flight to Paris was actually the same plane, and the second flight was three hours. At Paris, the airport was very crowded and confusing. We loaded our bus and headed straight for Notre Dame. The boys were not too tired, but not exactly alert. We warmed up in the basement of Notre Dame and rehearsed in the cathedral before the service. In the service, it turns out the priest for the day was from New York. We definitely got to see some unusual parts of Notre Dame. They announced who we were during the service, and on the way out of the cathedral, all the people in the cathedral (1500?) clapped as we processed out. We turned a corner to go back to the choir room, and there were more people clapping. We went outside to take a photo in front of the cathedral, and were greeted by about two dozen family and friends.

After the service we headed to the Latin Quarter for a crepe dinner, then to Levallois to meet the billet families. A long day but what amazing things to see!