FROM OUR ROOF TOP

This is our rooftop. We had a storm this morning lasting till about noon, then it got nice, I mean really nice. On the way home Suzanne said, "wow, look at the sky it is totally blue, let's go up on the roof and take picture." So we did. This is our roof top. There are nice tables and chairs in a covered area. We have not yet had dinner up here, but should soon.

You can see the Congo River in the background. The river curves around our area and we can see it from three sides of the roof top. This view looks over Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo, a different country. The river is very wide, and deep (the deepest river in the world).

A few miles below, Kinshasa, the Congo narrows and creates Livingstone Falls. (of, Dr. Livingstone, I presume.) They are not negotiable. I have asked about rafting or Kayaking, and am told no way, no how. We hope to go to them soon, and see for ourselves.

The fountain is in the plaza in front of our building. It is part of the tribute to 30 June, 1960, when Zaire (then Belgian Congo) declared independence from Belgian. Zaire was later renamed the Democratic Republic of Congo. On weekends they light up the fountain with colored lights and play music. The lights are nice, the music is loud.

The Boulevard 30 Juin, (the picture with the street and the nice big building) is a large 8 lane boulevard that can become 10 to 12 lanes at any given moment. One has to be careful when driving on it. We actually took our lives in our hands and walked across it the other day. It is lined with shops and businesses. The bank we use for the PEF is on the boulevard, as are a couple of grocery stores we frequent.

The Gare Central (central train station) is the picture with the green grassy area and the train cars. It is the railroad to nowhere. The tracks are overgrown with vegetation and it has not run for years.