Reims

We made a trip to Reims to do a little sight-seeing. We started with the Mars Gate, a gate that has been around since around 200 AD.  

Then we went to check out the Cité du Chemin Vert or something-or-other, a sort of early experiment in socialism in the 1920s, but it looked like a pretty normal neighborhood now, nothing very exciting other than maybe this pretty church.

We made a quick stop on Boulevard Lundy, where the Protestant Reformed church is located.

And we had lunch in a park, with an uninvited visitor.

How could we tell Benjamin didn't want to go to bed?

He left an army to tell us so...

 

What to do with a visiting grandmother:

	1. Jump on her right as she comes in the door to make her come out and watch your "tricks" on the swingset trapeze, and follow up with a rousing game of Connect 4.
2. Verify just how tall (or not) she is, to figure how long it will be before you catch up.
	3. Celebrate Easter with an egg hunt and lots of chocolate and candy.
4. Let her supervise your work in the yard, as you prepare the fence line for sunflowers.
	(5. Pretend to be working together nicely instead of trying to whack each other with garden tools, so Mom can have a nice Parental Mythology picture.)
6. Let her read to you in English. While your brother smushes you on the couch.

And more swim meet

Since Benjamin passed his "ENF3" level last month, that means he can now compete in "real" competitions, rather than only the in-house ones organized by his club.

Can you imagine trying to practice in this? I told Frédéric it looks like a fish farm. Kids were everywhere!

Benjamin swam the 100m medley (butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and crawl), the 25m backstroke, and the 25m crawl.

He didn't win anything, so he was a little disappointed, but he figured out that he's going to have work harder to place in the top three, and learn to take some constructive criticism. So he's been working harder on his technique since the competition.

He did beat his own time in the 100m medley from the in-house swim meet, which was great!