A Beautiful Spring Day

Ah my love! His name is Gerard Morel. We have spent every moment together, I have decided to extend my trip. Gerard took me to meet his family yesterday and I am bringing him home to meet my mother and father when my trip is over.

Champ Le Sims

I met Him! The man of my dreams. After wandering around in the market all morning and making eyes at every handsome Frenchman that walked by the Cafe, I decided to head to the art Museum to see their world renowned exhibit of Chinese carvings and artworks. I walked in the door and immediately my eyes were drawn to him. A handsome mustachioed young Frenchman, leaning casually against a pillar examining a statue of a Chinese lion. I was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. His voice entranced me and I couldn't keep away. I walked straight over and introduced myself. The moment he looked into my eyes there was fire between us. We talked about everything and saw the entire exhibit together. He is a photographer and a musician and a great appreciator of beauty and artwork. He told me that I was the "best of both". What a line! I couldn't help myself and ........I kissed him right there behind the staircase!      

We are so in love!

Bonjour!

The moment I landed in France I knew this was where I was meant to be. The air smelled sweeter, the birds were more lyrical and melodious, the ground even radiated welcome and good will from beneath my feet. Ah, Champ Les Sims! The place my father fell in love with my mother....surely love awaited me as well...?

Self Employed Painter

After my very exciting adventure in Egypt I knew I had officially caught the travel bug. I had an amazing time, and had come home with a moderate trove of treasure which after some time and effort I sold. I returned home with renewed vigor for life and decided it was high time to throw myself into my passion like a serious artist. I got off the plane and marched myself straight over to the bookstore and quit! Then I headed home and took stock of my financial situation. The treasure was a help, yes, but I would have to become much more dedicated to painting if I wanted to be able to afford to travel.  I went to city hall and registered as a self employed painter and then got down to work......

After what seems like ages I had sold over $4000 simoleons worth of my paintings and could finally consider a trip to France....

Uh oh

Well that was a bit disappointing, but as I left the hall I saw there was a large room down at the end. And it was filled with......TREASURE!!!!!!!! Finally! There was also another sarcophagus at the end but I knew that didn't have much inside. Or so I thought. As I made my way to the last treasure box I lifted its lid and....

It was a narrow escape but I bolted back down the hallway, up a newly revealed staircase and into the sunlight! Whew! I almost died!

Sarcophagi, Oh My!

When I had dired off a bit and caught my breath I headed down the hall. There wasn't much there but at the end there was a large carved sarcophagus. Finally! Maybe I could find something valuable inside....

Nope. But it did close on my head.

Traps and Pools

As I made my way deeper into the tomb, I began to learn that these ancient Egyptians were pretty serious about keeping people out of their burial places. The whole place was filled with traps and dangers, step in the wrong place woosh!! a column of fire almost burns you to death. Reach in the wrong whole and flip! the door you just came through closes behind you. Finally I saw a method to the madness of this tomb. Scattered throughout there were switches hidden in small alcoves in the walls. There were also pools in which you could wet down your hair and clothes to keep from being set on fire. But you still come out the other side feeling a bit like a steamed dumpling! One pool in particular had a purpose. I was trapped in a room, after havng barely dodged a giant boulder that tried to smash me and the only thing in the room was the pool. I looked around searched every nook and cranny and all I could find was some broken chips of old vases. But in the center of the room there was the pool. So I figured what the hell, I may as well check it out. I jumped in and took a deep breath, hoping I wasn't about to meet my end, and then I dove. right to the bottom I went. And when I got there I found glob after glob of slime. It began to weigh me down and wouldn't rub off. The more i searched for the way up the more of the slime I stirred up and I could't see a thing. Then finally when my lungs were burning and desperate for air, my fingers found something. A tiny knob protruding from a large blob of slime. I pulled it and heard a grinding sound above me. I swam up as fast as I could, kicking off the slime as I went, and finally broke the surface. I looked around and saw a section of the wall had now slid open and there was a hallway behind it. That was pretty scary!

Inside the Tomb!

I put on a brave face today and headed inside the tomb of the burning sands. And boy did I have an adventure! Right from the get go there was a definite air of danger around me. The entry hall was litered with skeletons. I assumed they must be ancient, after all this was a tomb, but a few of them looked a tad fresher than I would have liked....I decided it must be the climate.

Testing Out My New Camera!!

A day at the Market

So I stopped by the market in Al Simhara and picked up a new camera, it's much fancier than my last one and should help me take some wonderful photos. Afterwards I stopped by the bookstore and bought a book on photographing landscapes. That should come in handy! Just so happens that the bookstore clerk is friends with my boss back home. He agreed to give me some tips on my snake charing skills as it is a bit of a hobby for him. How lucky am I?!