Movie night at Gaumont Opera

Alice in Wonderland!!!!

A real treat for us. We even had salted popcorn(the French love their sweet popcorn)! As you can see the theatre was very empty, the reason being that the movie was in English(VO).
We were the only ones munching popcorn.

Chateau de Versailles

This outing took us 7 hours. It was worth the walks as there was just so much to see and we also had time to just sit next to the lakes and watch everybody around us. When walking to the lakes they have all these hidden entrances, almost like various mazes and you would see allot of statues and gardens. Hidden treasures!!!!!

Vendredi 30 Avril 2010

Another 2 weeks have gone by,we only have 3 weeks to go and then we are back home. Hip! Hip! Hooray!!! These last few days have been difficult and we are really missing everybody back home.

Lize-Mari is doing very well and when we had our meeting with the Dr. on Thursday, he said that he is amazed at how strong Lize-Mari is and how resilient her system has been so far. They are very happy with her progress so far. The Dr. was quite strict this week in explaining what can be done and what not for the next 6 months. He said that she only has one skin, meaning she only has one life and that we must be careful. He explained to us about the history of medicine in France and how serious they are in their profession and taking care of their patients.

On a lighter note we have had 2 brilliant outings in the last 2 weeks. We went to see Alice in Wonderland in 3D(it literally felt like the leaves were falling around us), it was amazing and really great entertainment.
We also went to the Chateau de Versailles in Versailles and this was absolutely a breath of fresh air. We went to Marie-Antoinette's 2 castles and the main castle of Napoleon Bonaparte. We had to walk for miles and it was a beautiful summer day. We even got to see some sheep and horses, the first real animals that we have seen since we have been here. Would def. go back there to visit again.

We have made friends with a couple from Romania, Daniella can speak 5 languages of which one is English. Florian her husband is currently receiving treatment and he is a real gentle soul. He is a retired Professor at one of the University's in Romania and Daniella owns a kindergarten. This week has been a treat as we have just been talking, drinking coffee and getting to know each other better. They are both wonderful people and we have really enjoyed our time together so far.

Next week we will be moving and we are looking forward to the new scenery.

A beautiful sunny Sunday along the River Seine

On Sunday we went to San Michelle(near the Notre Dame) They have many little sidestreets filled with coffee shops and restaurants. We had lunch in a restaurant filled with sunflowers(really made us think of home)!!! The atmosphere was very festive and the food good. After lunch we went for a long walk next to the Seine, what a beautiful day. People were sitting along the embankment tanning and just chilling. We then went on a ride on Les Vedettes Du Pont -Neuf. This lasted an hour and it was very interesting to hear about the history of the different buildings and museums.

Mardi 20 Avril 2010(Tuesday 20 April)

We are now counting the weeks. 5 More to go and then we come home. The treatment has been going well and Lize-Mari is still re-acting well to the sessions. We meet with the Prof. every Thursday and so far they are very happy with her progress. We finish the sessions in Orsay on the 5th May and then go to The Institute Gustave Roussy as from the 6th May until the 20th May. We will then re-locate to Villejeuf where they have arranged accommodation for us. Looking forward to it as we will then get to know another town.

Lize-Mari still has double vision and we are arranging for her to see specialists in SA when we are home. I am sure that this will also sort itself out.

We have been treating ourselves at least once a week and go sightseeing. There are so many museums to see. The weather has changed and we are now able to walk around in short sleeves. There are so many colours and the flowers are beautiful. Everything is transforming into the most vivid colours, yellows, pinks, purples and reds. The houses have vines on them and all of a sudden the leaves are coming out and it looks awesome. Almost like allot of the homes in Heidelberg, most of them built out of rocks and stones.

We have been so fortunate. When we came to France we were still worried about the finances and I still said that it does not matter as we will have just the right amount of money(taking a leap in faith) and guess what, we do. The medical aid is giving us more money towards Lize-Mari's treatment. We are so glad because the costs have gone up and the sessions have increased. When we tallied the amounts we were surprised and ecstatic to see that we will just just make it. Is it not wonderful! Miracles do happen. Thank you again to everybody for all your generosity. Without all the assistance we would not have had this opportunity to bring Lize here for her treatment.

The Notre Dame

The Notre Dame was beautiful with all its crosses and sculptures. We were lucky enough to have some photo's with the Hunch Back. Definitely worth the visit.

The Louvre

The Louvre is Majestic, there are so many different things to see, you literally need 2 days to see everything. The paintings, sculptures and royal treasures seen here is unbelievable. We would definitely visit again.

Photo's of The Opera House

The Opera House

07 April 2010

No, we have not been hiding, I have just been very bad on updating the details, but I have had a very good excuse, our Family came to visit. Anton, Danielle and Damian arrived last week Monday and it has been absolutely fantastic to have them here. They have filled up all the quiet spaces and we have just been enjoying each other.

We have behaved like real tourists these last couple of days, we have been to visit The Louvre, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower and the Opera House. We have literally just walked the streets and looked into all the little shops. The kids have been in awe and have had to ride on trains and busses (something that they have never done). It has been awesome, the museums are beautiful and there is so much history here. Today after Lize's treatment we will go to the Arc De Triomphe and tomorrow to end of we will go for a river boat ride on the River Seine. We will all remember these times for always.

Tomorrow night Anton, Danielle and Damian go back home and we are not looking forward to it, we wish we could turn the clock back a few days as the time has really just skipped past us.

Lize is still going for treatment everyday. We have had a meeting with the Professor and he is very happy with her progress so far. The area that they have to treat is rather large, even though a large portion has been removed, there are still particles floating in the different areas. He wants to infiltrate all the areas as he does not believe in leaving anything to chance. This means that she will have more sessions than anticipated. She is having 27 sessions in Orsay at the Proton Centre and 9 sessions at the Institute Gustave Roussy. Her side affects so far have been minimal and we are ecstatic about this as it makes it easier for her to cope with everything.

Onwards and Upwards