Brain Spill Book Reviews #2

Larklight

Setting

Larklight is a book written by Philip Reeve that takes place in the 1800s if Isaac Newton had invented space travel. The story begins in a house which is a satellite in space. In thsi world, the British Empire has expanded to the moon, Mars, the Asteroid Belt, and the Moons of Jupiter. Most of the (human) characters act like people out of a Charles Dickens novel, but in space.

Summary

 The story starts when giant spiders attack the (floating space) house of Myrtle and Art Mumby and they escape to the moon, where they are taken onto the ship of pirate Jack Havock. The book, told from the viewpoint of Art Mumby -- with some excerpts from Myrtle -- and tells of the tale of how Art, Myrtle, and Jack try to discover who the giant spiders are and what they want with the house of Art and Myrtle.

Characters

Art Mumby

Art is the narrator of the story and the main character. He dreams of exploring deep space and going on adventures, but is stuck in his floating house, Larklight, listening to his sister play piano. He is a fun character, but even as the narrator, very little is learned about him.

Myrtle Mumby

Myrtle is the most annoying character in the entire book. Not only does she insist on playing piano all the time, she always tries to be lady-like, which drove me mad about halfway through the book. She changes more than most characters, but it is a very sudden, unusual change and is probably not the book's main character.

Jack Havock

Jack Havock is the most famous pirate in all of the British Empire, though he is younger than he is thought of in the papers. He roams the Solar System with his very eclectic crew of alien-escapees from a lab in London. Havock has a sad past, that I will not spoil, and is one of the deeper characters in the story. He saves just about everybody in the entire cast of characters from certain death.

Mr. Webster

Mr. Webster is the name of the head giant spider who attacked Larklight and kidnapped the Mumby children's father. He is the antagonist of the story and his race and intentions unfold very nicely as the plot continues.

Nipper

I just put Nipper in this character summary because he's a giant crab.

Conclusion

The book is well written and unfolds very nicely and evenly. I enjoyed the majority of the book as well as the hover hogs. The characters do not develop much throughout the story, but this more of a 'show-me-a-new-world' story rather than a hero's journey story. 8.5 out of 11 pancakes.

*Pancakes are not provided by blogger.

Picture from http://www.scificool.com/tomas-alfredson-to-direct-larklight/

Super Parking Lot

We recently came back from a trip to Seattle. When we got off the plane back home, we were tired, bored, and easily amused. We came up with the idea of having a super parking lot. This parking lot would have many special abilities, including the ability to fly. He also would be able to turn invisible and breath under water. This parking lot would also wear a cape to show he is a super hero and would ride around in his invisible jet. This super parking lot has vowed to protect parking lots everywhere from oppression by cars and would allow all parking lots to be free. His arch-enemy would be the terrible army of buses and the parking meter. Of course, being a superhero, we had to give this parking lot a super special, top-secret, epic and awesome superhero name of power and justice. We named him Dave, the Super Flying Parking Lot.

The Philippines - Day 4

Monday, November 15, 201o; 7:45pm

Today, we had something forgot breakfast.It rained a lot and created a giant puddle around the house next door. We didn't do much today. Our three oldest cousins, Jacob, Jeremy, and Liwliwa (Who are still younger than us), went to school. The camera stopped working. We were invited to a large ceremony for Shannon at Alinunu School. It was all about thanking her for setting up a project to send books and supplies to the school. When we left, all the kids waved at us. We had sort of a fish dish for dinner.

It was also Riza's birthday today. Riza is our youngest cousin. As a result, we got a squishy rice read along with our breakfast. It was nice. Jacob took me to a shop after his school was out and we got corn chips. Its kind of strange to be there, because I am a tall white boy and many stare at me.

Oh, well. Its not like I haven't been the strange one of the bunch anyway! To learn more about the Alinunu Book Project and how to help out, go to the following link:

http://alinunubookproject.blogspot.com/

The Philippines - Day 3

Sunday, November 14, 2010; 8:35pm (Philippines Time)

Today, we had noodles and pineapple juice for breakfast. We all dressed up nice and went to church. Church there was long and the songs were really long. Someone in the back kept clapping very loudly. We then went and met some more of our mom's relatives. We then went back to the house and had

pancit (more noodles) for lunch. We went to the beach after that, but on our way, we went to see relatives. They are our Lola and Lolo, which is the equivalent of great uncles and aunts in America.

They had

pigs, piglets, puppies, and doves. Everybody there was sitting around watching Manny P

acquiao. Apparently, he had a big match that day. Afterwards, we went to the beach and played. It

was fun, wet, and sandy. When we got back, we played with our cousins until the Alinunu Elementary School principal came to see us (My sister had started a book project a short while back, whose goal was to giv

e books to the Alinunu Elementary School for the kids there. For more information on this project, go to http://www.alinunubookproject.blogspot.com/ ).

The Philippines - Day 2

Saturday, November 13th, 2010;6:36pm (Philippines Time)

Today was a very fun. We woke up and had a breakfast of rice and chicken. After that, Miriam, my sister, Jacob, my cousin, and I went out into the rice field, where we got almost completely dirty, though we did get a lot of snails. My mom was pretty mad at us. We got back in time to change for the bible study hosted at our aunt and uncle's house. My uncle let me drive his Kuliglig, which is basically a two-stroke engine connected to wheels and a wagon. We drove the Kuliglig to pick up kids from around the town to go to the bible study. The bible study was bilingual and they sang songs and learned about Elijah the prophet. Afterwards, we gave the kids Kool-aid and lollipops. For lunch, we had the best fried fish that I have ever tasted. It was delicious. We then drove to see another bible study by the same teachers, but at a different place.

We did this to support their ministry, and we passed out more lollipops. After seeing this bible study, we went to our mom's old high school and met one of her old teachers and some more of our mom's relatives. After that, we came home, where I played with my cousins and found out that they like puzzle books. We had Lumpia for dinner. Lumpia is a food that is made of a meat that is rolled in a bread and is fried. That was also good.

The Philippines - Days 1

In November of 2010, my family went on a trip to the Philippines. The reason was partly to sight-see, by mostly to visit family. Half of my family lives in the Philippines, and I haven't seen any of them since I was 3, so I had a lot of catching up to do with them.

November 12th 2010; 4:14am (Philippines Time)

We are in Manila after flying through Hawaii. My ears are plugged from the last plane ride and I can only hear a little. We are about to fly to Cagayan and then drive to Abulug. That's about it.

November 12th 2010; 7:51pm (Philippines Time)

Today, we flew to Tuguegarao, where we me our uncle, two of our aunts, and one of our cousins. Then we drove to Abulug and met five more of our cousins, our most closely related aunt in the Philippines, and our uncle. We went out with our uncle to harvest coconuts and we caught frogs and snails in the rice field. We then had fresh coconut milk. The kids found that my older sister is afraid of spiders and went around chasing her while saying "Spider!" or "Lawalawa!" It was hilarious. I feel kind of sick, having a stuffed nose, plugged ears, and major jet-lag. I told my dad that if I could learn drive in Tuguegarao or Manila, I could drive anywhere. The lines on the street in these places are optional and almost completely ignored.

Rabk - Part 17

Teatime in the Country
Rabk
Part 17

"Ah! Here we are!" said the Doctor happily as he ran around the console, flipping switches and pressing buttons. "The north road of the City! Off you go then. I can't keep you here." So out the travelers went, into the world. As they walked off from the blue box, a vworping sound came up from the box , and when the four turned around, the box was gone. "So we just go down that way?" asked Burt, pointing down the road. "Yup," said Dodgers confidently. "We need to go right down there." "What? Have you been here before?" asked Beowulf. "Sure I have. I have a friend that lives just down here." Burt look at Rabk with eyes that asked, "Of all the people we could have picked up...", but Rabk shrugged and kept walking. Soon, Dodgers led them to a large, early 19th century mansion. Dodgers walked right up to the front door and knocked. Burt leaned over to Rabk, "How could a lowly thief know people who live in this grand estate?"As Rabk shrugged, the door opened. Behind the the door was a tall, black-haired man with a continually amused look on his face. He looked down at Dodgers and said, "Ah... Mr. Dodgers..." Dodgers tipped his cap. "Jeeves." he responded. Jeeves gazed over at the others, and looked back at Dodgers. "Mr. Wooster was quite... upset... with you the last time you... left..." Dodgers shrugged, "Well, Jeeves--" "...With his car." Jeeves interrupted. The other travelers looked at Dodgers with questioning eyes. Dodgers shrugged at them and then looked at Jeeves. Despite his obvious disapproval, Jeeves allowed them in. He showed the travelers into a lounge and then left. Soon afterward, a thin man burst into the room. Dodgers stood up and took off his hat. "Dodgers, my friend, why must you be so youish?" Dodgers tried to speak, but the man continued, "Last time I let you in here, I thought you were clean, done with your stealing, but no! Now Aunt Petunia thinks that I stole her jewels! Me!" The man slumped down into a chair. Dodgers spoke, "Wooster, I'm terribly--" "And don't try to tell me I'm sorry," Wooster interrupted, "Cause I know you're not." Dodgers gave a devious smile, "You got me there, Wooster" Wooster scratched his forehead and sighed, "What are we going to do with you, Dodgers?" Soon, he noticed the other three and hopped right back up, "Oh, and I see you brought some friends, too! More kleptomaniacs, presumably!" "Actually," said Dodgers, "These are travelers, not thieves a--" "And you want me to host a dinner party for the weak and weary, do you?" "Actually, I was hoping you'd give us a car..." "A car?! What did you do with the last one you took? Eat it? Would you like some chips with that car, sir? Oh, yes and maybe some sauce on it for the looks! No, Dodgers, I can't afford it." "but you have, like, 10 of them!" "Yeah, well I won't have any once you're done with me! I just can't--" "Mr. Wooster," said Jeeves, who was at the door to the room with another man, "Mr. Teatime is hear to see you." If he was inspected more closely, the man next had an eye that was completely black. Wooster looked at Teatime without surprise. "Oh, you again, Teatime?" he said, and with that, he made a mad dash for the other door. Teatime was right behind him with a knife. As the commotion went on with furniture being overturned and gentlemanly knick-knacks were smashed, Jeeves set out some scones and tea. Dodgers whispered something into Jeeves's ear. Jeeves nodded and left the room. Dodgers started at the tea. The other travelers followed his example, and they had tea in the lounge as Wooster flew across the desk behind them. After a while, Jeeves reappeared and said to Dodgers, "Your vehicle is ready, sir."

College Road Trip -Days 3 & 4

On days two and three of the College Road Trip were the first official days of seeing colleges. We saw UC San Diego and UC Irvine.

Monday, July 19, 2010; 7:18pm

We finally made it to one of the colleges on our list of colleges to go to. We made it to UC San Diego. UC Merced is puny compared to UC San Diego. I liked the fact that UC San Diego is broken into 6 different colleges based on your wants for your classes. I also liked the Geisel Library, the buildings, and the fact that you can sign up for a radio slot. We went to a restaurant called Currants and then drove down to Irvine. Too bad we are miss Comic Con by only one week

Tuesday, July 20, 2010; 8:38pm

Today we made our way to UC Irvine. UC Irvine is one of the most fun colleges because it has an Ant Eater as its mascot. It had a nice eating area out behind the student center. It also had a nice fine arts area which was design by the architect of the Vietnam Memorial. My dad can still remember where the Starbucks was located. We also started heading towards Santa Barbara. On our way, we stopped at one of the friends of our family on our mother's side. We met them, saw there humongous garden, and then went to dinner with them. It was a long, but fun day.

College Road Trip -Days 1 & 2

From the 17th to the 23rd of July of this year, my family and I went on a road trip to see some of the colleges on the list of colleges my sister wanted to go to. The first two days were the days that we spent driving from Sacramento to San Diego.

Saturday, July 17, 2010; 8:51pm

We are in Bakersfield, California on Day 1 of my older sister's college road trip. Today we are just driving down, but we have already starting to see colleges. We saw UC Merced as we drove and gave it a quick walk-through. It is on a pretty plot of land and looks somewhat like Folsom Lake College, but with modern art and a small river around the outside of it. Unfortunately, it is in the middle of nowhere.

Sunday, July 18, 201o; 9:34pm

We are on Day 2 of the college road trip, but we saw no colleges today. After leaving Bakersfield, we went down to San Diego, but we went through the Mojave Desert, where we saw nothing but trains, windmills, and Joshua Trees. (There was seriously nothing but shrubs and a whole bunch of windmills out there in the desert. It was a very good time to just listen to music or watch a movie. My mom was the only one really interested in the desert because she loved the Joshua Trees.)

Rabk -Part 14

Rabk
Part 14
The Library

Burt jumped back and let out a yelp. "Aah!" he exclaimed, "Why is that thing not falling on us?" Beowulf pointed. "look for yourself. With all the books, the Library had to be very tall, and it became so tall, that it leaned over and the top of it is resting on the ground somewhere else, balancing the middle right on top of us." Rabk turned to thank the giant turtles that had helped them, but when he turned, they were not there. Rabk looked around for a moment, then shrugged and turned towards where the entrance of the Library should have been. "Let's get going," he said to the others, so off they went, walking off to the Library. When they got to the end of the Library, they found that they had gone to the wrong side of it, and that they were at the ceiling instead of the base. The ceiling had made a little crater where it had landed, but nobody in the city seemed to care. When the travelers made it to the other side of the Library, the went into the Library and found and extremely old man sitting at a desk. Beowulf went up to him, "Where can we find the Librarian?" he asked. The old man leaned back, startled, "Can I help you?" he said. "Yes, can you tell us where the librarian is?" "Would you like some tea?" "No, where is the Librarian?" "Oh! The Librarian!" said the old man with a chuckle, "She's on floor 433. You can take the elevator, but mind you, its rather fast." After thanking the man, the three travelers hopped into the elevator and went up, and the old man was right, the elevator was exceedingly fast. After the elevator reached floor 212, the elevator mad a turn, and was going sideways, making the three of them fall onto the door of the elevator. Before the three could get up, the elevator came to a sudden stop, and the doors opened beneath them. The three of them looked down at what they would fall on for a second, and then they fell onto a heap of books. Upon looking around them, they found mountains of books piled up as well as overturned book shelves. Near one edge of the room, there were books flying into one of the piles. The three climbed over there and found an old lady, digging up books. Burt cleared his throat, and the old lady looked up. "Oh!" she said as she stuck her shovel into the books and leaned on it. "How can I help you, boys?" Beowulf stepped forward. "Well, you see, this man here," he said pointing to Rabk, "he came through from the real world and is trying to get back." The old lady stepped back in surprise. "The real world?" She walked forward and shook Rabk's hand firmly. "Fascinating! Pleased to meet you! And your name is..." "Rabk, ma'am" The lady pulled out a huge library catalog. "Rabk... Rabk..." she said as she flipped through it, " Robinson Crusoe... Robin Hood... Remy... Ah! Rabk! Oh." She looked up at Rabk. "I'm sorry, Rabk, but you can't see your book. It's not done yet." "I don't care about seeing it, lady." Rabk said angrily. "I want to know how I can get back." "Get back?" she asked "To the real world?" Rabk nodded. "Oh there's no way to do that.

To be Continued...

East Coast - Day 11, 12, & 13

This part of my travel journal is about our last actual sight-seeing day and our two days on our way home.

Tues. June 6, 2006; 9:45pm (East Coast Time) -
We went to the Crayola factory in Easton today. We made clay figures. My mom made a snake, my dad made an Octopus, Miriam made a yo-yo, and Shannon made two flowers and a plumb which she mixed up and made a ball out of it. I made a lasso, a flat crab, and a snail. Miriam got to stuffed crayons today. [I left a lot out of the whole day. The day was actually very interesting. We saw a model of a canal and we saw how canals worked. I also saw the world's longest blue crayon. I also had my first true understanding of stop-motion animation here. If you want to see some work that came out of this understanding, go to my YouTube channel {www.youtube.com/rabkdoomfish}.]

Wednesday, June 7, 2006; 2:30pm (East Coast Time) -
We are waiting for our airplane home. I didn't want to go home. I had a very good time in the East Coast.

Wednesday, June 7, 2006; Time Unknown -
I do not know what time it is. I am on the airplane. I met a man with no legs named George. I got a whole can of ginger ale!

Wednesday, June 7, 2006; Time Unknown -
I saw St. Louis! [Please remember that I was 10 at the time and that my comments might be a little like a ten year-old's comments. We saw St. Louis from the sky. The pilot pointed it out to us.]

Thursday, June 8, 2006; 9:15am (West Coast Time) -
We are back home in El Dorado Hills. It feels so good that we are back home.

East Coast - Days 9 & 10

Sunday, June 4, 2006; 9:16pm (East Coast Time) -

We had a free day today. My mom is truing to make herself think she is checked into The Four Seasons Hotel [A fancy restaurant in Philadelphia]. We saw a quarter glued to the sidewalk. We also saw a cockroach. We saw the original 'Thinker'.

Monday, June 5, 2006; 9:21pm (East Coast Time) -

We went to D.C. today. We saw the Capitol Building, the Library of Congress, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial [From the top of the Washington Monument], the White House, ducks, geese, and squirrels. My dad has gotten 3 Starbucks mugs on this trip: Philadelphia, New York, and D.C. A man said he liked my Princeton University shirt. I played the Revolution Scenario of Civ4.

East Coast - Day 7 & 8

Friday, June 2, 2006; 3:10pm (East Coast Time)
We went to the Barnes Foundation in Merino today. The most interesting picture I saw was of a lady who looked like a chicken and had some food that looked like a fried chicken leg and two chicken nuggets [When you are 10, you describe something as you see it]. There was also a picture that looked as if it was drawn by a kid. We went to the Merion Botanical Gardens and skipped rocks. On the train ride back, two people got into a fight. I heard some words I didn't want to hear.

Saturday, June 3, 2006; 10:34pm (East Coast Time)
We went to Valley Forge today. It was raining a lot. We ate on the grass next to a parking lot. I will destroy the environment by introducing a foreign species, the apple tree [I left my apple seeds on the ground there]. I went across the street while the rest of the family was eating and took a picture. A van was waiting for me to take the picture. After I took it, I signaled to him to go. I hurt my arm. I picked up a blade of grass. I ran a lot. It was all my dad's fault that my mom freaked out. He made us go a different way to the Valley Forge Visitor Center and we had to go through the grass. Many ticks got on us and my mom freaked out. At the store, Miriam got a little army kit. We got Marcus a camp cup. My Dad got a book, I got a Valley Forge license plate, and we got Grandpa a Valley Forge golf ball. I tried squid today. Miriam got a tick with its head stuck in her head! I am going to stop writing.

East Coast - Day 5 & 6

After leaving the East Coast Lewis's house, my family went to Philadelphia, which we used as our base for going to all the other major cities in the area.

Wednesday, May 31, 2006; 10:51pm (East Coast Time)
We went to New York today. We had a lot of trouble with trains. We didn't go to H&H Bagels, but someday I will. I still remember where it is: on W46 st. and 11th st. We saw Tarzan and went to the top of the Empire State Building. Oh Ya! [I seriously put that in my journal. Remember that I was 10 at the time.] We got to go to a good restaurant called Cafe Duke. We had a ferry boat ride and saw Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, the USS Intrepid, and the Brooklyn Bridge. It's tome for me to go to bed now, but I got to tell you that my dad got a New York mug for his Starbucks collection.

Thursday, June 1, 2006; 11:14am (East Coast Time)
We have a free day today. We got the groceries we ordered. We are going to go shopping today. We are also going to go to a chocolate buffet today. I am pretty bored right now.

Thursday, June 1, 2006; 10:48pm (East Coast Time)
I am just about to go to bed. We went to the Ritz Carlton and had a chocolate buffet. It was very good. It is on the Avenue of Art. I will go there some other time when I am older. I only have three more pairs of underwear [I was only 10 years old]. I got a lot of books to read: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Connecticut Yankee in King Author's Court, the Tale of Two Cities, and The Complete Short Stories of Mark Twain. We are going to the Barnes Foundation tomorrow. I keep forgetting what the name is, but I remember right now. It is a place with impressionist art. We went and saw a place with pieces of many board games. My older sister and I had evil thoughts about what might happen if the Statue of William Penn was struck by lightning. There was lightning at night. Good night for now!
P.S. - I found a quarter in a vending machine!

East Coast - Day 3 & 4

On Monday, May 29, 2006, I was probably supposed to journal, but I didn't, so there is no entry for that day. In brief, we went to the Delaware River and Princeton University that day. That is a very short description, but it works.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006; 3:06pm (East Coast Time)
We had to leave the East Coast Lewis's. We are in Philadelphia now. We went to Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell center, the Independence Visitor Center, the Constitution Center, and the U.S. Mint. We also went to Reading Terminal Market where we had Philly Cheese steaks.In the Constitution Visitor Center, we watched an awesome show called 'Freedom Rising'. Wherever we went, we ran into kids on field trips. It was so annoying. In the Constitution Center, they made me go all the way to the end of the line in the gift shop. We met a nice lady named Mary in the Reading Terminal Market. She showed us the best places to get different things. Swallowed some gum that will stay in me until 2013, when I am 17 years old! [Remember that I was 10 years old at the time].

East Coast - Day 1 & 2

In 2006, my family and I went to the East Coast of the United States on vacation. My mother said to bring a journal because that is how many people became famous. Although I am never able to keep up a journal at home, I am able to keep a journal when we are away on trips. It may be some part of my way of thinking, but it is how I function, so here is my journal from the point of view of me on the East Coast. I hope you enjoy!

Saturday, May 27, 2006; 6:24pm (California Time [I think])-
I am in the airport. I went through the metal detector and it went off. I had to take off my belt and put it on the conveyor belt. It was funny to see a belt go through one of them [Remember that I was ten years old at the time]. I'm very bored.

Saturday, May 27, 2006; 9:40pm (California Time [I still think])-
We are waiting for our plane. I am still bored. I had a huge hamburger for dinner.

Sunday, May 28, 2006; 9:15am (East Coast Time [I am sure this time])-
We are in the Trenton train station and are getting tickets. We are going to Princeton to see Uncle David, Aunt Saskia, and our cousins. We got Uncle David Pete's Coffee. I'm kinda [actual word used] and my leg hurts a bit.

Sunday, May 28, 2006; 9:49pm (East Coast Time)-
We had a good day today. We had a big meal for lunch. Aunt Saskia even fried french fries. We walked a lot and I got a Princeton T-shirt. We got candy at Ricky's Candy, Cones, and Chaos. I had a drink with no sugar or caffeine [I have no idea why I wrote that]. I am not sleepy, but I have to go to bed. I'm not that bored. I like it here at the East Coast Lewis's. I am sleeping in D.J.'s [My cousin's] room. Shannon is sleeping in the tent in the basement with Juliana [I don't remember where they slept now. Juliana is my other cousin, older than D.J.] I'm going to go to bed now.

France- Day 5 (Last Day!)

21 March 2010; 8:42 pm (Paris time)-

Today, my dad and I went to Notre Dame Cathedral. We listened to the mass in the morning and looked at the inside of the cathedral, seeing the rose windows and the amazing ceiling. We went into the bell towers on a tour. We saw a lot of gargoyles and one of the main bells. Some of the gargoyles looked very funny. You can tell in the towers better than anywhere else that the cathedral is on an island. There is a statue of Charlemagne outside of the cathedral. We also went to the Crypte Archeologique, which is an ancient Gallo-Roman city underneath the front of the cathedral. Across the river from the cathedral, we found Shakespeare & Co. (Finally!). It is an old English bookstore with many nooks and crannies. It actually looks like it is one of the oldest shops around. Amazingly, though, it was packed with people. My dad got Master and Commander, Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, but I got Agatha Christie’s Murder in Mesopotamia. I had a tart called Tarte Mendient, which is made of chocolate and nuts. I also had a panini called Le Dinde, which had French sausage and tomatoes inside of it.

France- Day 4

20 March 2010; 8:15pm (Paris Time)-

Today, my dad and I went to the Chateau de Versailles, an overgrown mansion made by Louis XIV of France. We saw the great chapel and the Hall of Mirrors. I learned that a lot of the stuff that was originally from Versailles was stolen when the French Revolution took place. That meant that some rooms that we saw had just a bust or a painting. The most amazing thing about Versailles for me was the ceilings. Almost all the ceilings were painted with pictures of gods and other people in the sky, and although the building was amazing, the gardens were more amazing. The garden was huge. Everywhere, there was a fountain. We had lunch in front of the Fountain of Neptune. After a long nap and resting of legs, my dad and I went to the Musée D’Orsay, and we were the last people allowed in because we only had an hour until closing time. We saw paintings like the Large Dressed Dancer by Degas, Dancing at the Moulin de la Galerre by Renoir, the self-portrait of Van Gogh, and many others. Something else I noticed about France is that there are a lot of statues. On almost every road, there is a statue of some somewhat famous person in history.

France- Day 3

19 March 2010; 1:51pm (Paris Time)-

Today was interesting. Today, we went to the Eiffel Tower, but before we did, my dad made me go into the grocery store alone to get our food for the day. I got cheese with cumin and batard bread. We went onto the train during rush hour (which was a huge mistake) and made it to the Tower before any large crowds got there. I thought that the double-decker bus was very inventive, and the view from the top of the tower was amazing. I took a lot of pictures up there. We also went to the Arc de Triomphe, which was amazing. I thought that it was crazy how the road around the Arc was basically a free-for- all. The staircases were larger than I expected and that was a tiring climb to the top, but the view was great.

19 March 2010; 10:04pm (Paris time)-

We went out to find the book store, Shakespeare & Co., but to no prevail, so we went to the Jardin du Luxembourg and ate grapes in front of the fountain of Marie de Medici. We then went to a restaurant called the Hippopotamus. Although we had hamburgers, we also had an Ile flotante, which was basically meringue in custard. We saw a park with a bronze statue that I’ve seen in books of baby Romulus and Remus underneath the wolf.