Explanation

The following 5 posts are a tour through our recent trip. We drove to Disney Paris Tuesday morning and ended in Dover, England Sunday evening. To get across the English Channel (by going under it) we drove onto a train, following other cars in a single file line. It was a different way to travel sitting inside our van looking out the window of our van looking out the window of the train. It's about a 35 minute ride.

Dover Cliffs and Castle

The last site of our trip was Dover, England to see the White Cliffs of Dover and Dover Castle.

The castle was closing as we drove up. We were told we would need at least two hours to get through the huge thing. Jon's response to the very nice lady was, "We have lots of kids and go through sites very quickly!" She still didn't think we could go through it quick enough so we enjoyed it from afar.

We had seen pictures like these of the cliffs in all our books on Britain--it's one of those not to miss sites. The funny thing about the cliffs is, once you're on the cliffs, you can't see the white part that you came to see! We got a great view of the English Channel and the boats coming in and out of the port.

Canterbury Cathedral

After a short train ride from France we went to church in Canterbury--a very small ward that was very welcoming. A little ways from the humble Canterbury ward sits Canterbury Cathedral. I found this story interesting about this city with a rich religious background.

On Wednesday, December 22, 1647, Canterbury's town crier proclaimed the county committee's order for the suppression of Christmas Day and its treatment as any other working day. However, a large crowd gathered 3 days later to demand a church service, decorate doorways with holly bushes, and keep the shops shut. This crowd - under the slogan 'For God, King Charles, and Kent' - then descended into violence and riot, with a soldier being assaulted, the mayor's house attacked, and the city under the rioters' control for several weeks until forced to surrender in early January.

Canterbury Cathedral is the Mother Church of the Church of England. St Augustine was sent by the Pope in 597 AD to re-establish Christianity in southern England and came to Canterbury. The cathedral sits in the middle of a quaint walking village. The details on this building are absolutely amazing inside and out. I felt like the cathedral (the oldest and largest Christian structures in England) was a shrine to honor the archbishops of the Church of England.

We made it into the church a few minutes before closing time. They were setting out music for the choir. This is where the Canterbury Cathedral Choir (the angelic boys' choir) practices.

Paris Revisited

Day 5 of our trip took us to Paris. It was a whirlwind tour of our favorite sites.

Munching on eclairs for breakfast on our way to the Eiffel Tower.

Jon, Grandma and Emily rode up while the rest of us played at the park near the tower.

Jon took this picture from the top of the tower. He could see me playing with the girls in the sand! We were making sand cookies and cakes.

Inside the quiet Notre Dame Cathedral right before two of the girls got in a shoving-yelling match which led me outside with the kids. They ran off some energy by chasing birds.

Lizze and Grandma in front of the Mona Lisa inside the Louvre.

Outside the Louvre where Emily, Rachel and I hung out in the warm, bright sun.

Day 5 had a theme with the girls: inside bad, outside good!

Versailles

This castle of Louis XIV is huge and ornate. We visited just a very small part of the castle--the State Apartments of the King and Queen and the Hall of Mirrors. The Chateau de Versailles is one of the largest castles in the world. It has more than 2,000 windows, 700 rooms, 1250 fireplaces, 67 staircases and more than 1,800 acres of park.

The grounds were impressive, even in the winter. It made for a great playground for the girls. I entertained them on the inside by asking them questions in each room (How many paintings do you see? How many candlesticks are there? What is your favorite piece of furniture?). Each answer was rewarded with a Skittle.

Here's what a small portion of the castle's gardens look like in the summer:

Disneyland Paris

February started out great for us. Abbott UK had a conference in Disneyland Paris. It seemed silly for Jon to go all the way to Disney without his kids. It seemed even sillier for me to chase 4 kids around Disney by myself, so Jon's Mom very bravely flew here to help out! We couldn't have done the trip without her. Here's what the girls did with me, Grandma or Jon.

The girls saw Disney characters in our hotel (Hotel New York) and all over the park. We caught up with a few, but were mostly interested in the rides.

They went round and round on rides--Mad Hatters Tea Cup was one of their favorites.

They rode on little boats through It's a Small World (3 times) and a

big boat through Frontierland.

They saw 4 parades and

the Lion King show.

One of the most fun rides was the Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast. Nothing like some fun competition among family. We won't say who got the high score though (because it wasn't me!!)

President Hinckley

I was sad to hear the news of President Hinckley passing away last night. As I read through the news stories (NY Times and Fox News did pretty decent ones) highlighting his time as President of the Church, I felt like I was walking down memory lane. Here are some highlights for me that I will be able to tell my grandchildren, "I remember when President Hinckley..."
*announced "The Family: A Proclamation to the World"
*announced the building of smaller temples
*announced plans for Conference Center
*announced the Perpetual Education Fund
*interviewed with Mike Wallace on 60 Minutes and Larry King
*announced Nauvoo Temple would be rebuilt
*announced Ricks College would now be BYU-Idaho
*announced church had 100 operating temples
*published his book Standing for Something
*talked about the passing of his wife--I remember how sad he sounded and looked
*announced one-millionth missionary for Church
Each year in his life held major milestones. And he did so much at an age when most people feel like getting out of bed is an accomplishment. I think of how many temples he dedicated! When he was called as prophet there were 47--now there are 124 with 12 more to come soon. Because of his extensive traveling 60 countries had the opportunity to see a living prophet--many for the first time.
But more than all of his accomplishments that would put any resumé to shame, I looked forward to each General Conference when I could hear his voice share his testimony.
"Let us all try to stand a little taller, rise a little higher, be a little better. Make the extra effort. You will be happier."
"Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he has been robbed. The fact is that most putts don’t drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to be just like people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, and most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. Life is just like an old time rail journey ... delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride."