Venice

Venice was one of the cities that I've always wanted to see.  My family grew up around a lake in Arkansas where, many years ago, a man named Harvey Coin tried to create a city with water roads and boat transportation.  He created streams, brought in gondolas, and built a hotel for tourists to have a Venice-like experience. It never caught on and by the time I came around, the lake covered all the evidence of this "crazy" endeavor except for the skeleton of a hotel that we could see from our lakeside window.  But it was intriguing to me that something like this was in existence.

Venice itself is a wonder to behold.  You go to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower.  You go Florence to see the Duomo.  But the entire city of Venice is what you go to see.  The sheer audacity of building a city on the water to escape the barbarian invasion is inspiring.  The idea of using water for transportation instead of roads is novel.  Venice draws people because of its uniqueness.

There are a few sites you want to see while in Venice: St. Mark's Square holds a beautiful palace and tower, the Rialto Bridge is a centerpiece of the city, there are a few islands, like Murano, where glass making is the thing.  But

mainly you want to just go down the Grand Canal and see the buildings, people, and sights.  Its the city itself that holds intrigue.

Venice, at one time, was one of the richest cities in the world, and cruising down the canal you can see how these magnificent houses were designed to impress.  Boats fill the canal, as well as yachts (we saw the Victoria's Secret chief's yacht while we were there) and people hurry on and off of boats to go to shopping points across the city.

While it is intriguing and beautiful, in ways it is also disintegrating around you.  (Not to philosophize, but this is analogous to life in many ways!) You are aware of what salt water does to things.  The city is sort of coming apart at the seams because of its watery foundation.  Nevertheless, it is so interesting to see how life functions here.  Everything has to be brought in by boat and then hand-carted to its location.  To get things off the island, like trash, is a major undertaking.  When people die, they have to be shipped to another island to be buried.  Seems like it wouldn't be worth all of the trouble.

Nevertheless, Venice was one of our family's favorite places, just because the food is good, the city is small and manageable, and there are so many unusual things to see.  It seemed like people go to Venice to celebrate.  After dark, the streets are filled with people who are enjoying themselves.  I guess they feel safer when there are no cars around to cause harm.  While we didn't party like that, it feels like a fun place to be.

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I think its just interesting to watch the city work.  This systems of boats and canals makes the city negotiable.  You have to plan your route by finding the right bridge.  With the right map and a little common sense, it was easy to figure out within a matter of hours.  We loved going to the little bread shops, the small trattorias, and gelaterias to take advantage of the local cuisine.  We found homemade pastas that were tremendous.  They had to be eaten quickly or they would turn into a ball of dough!

We felt we were obligated to take a gondola ride while we were here.  They typically go through back
alleys and smoother waters than the main canal.  Our ride took us past the home of Marco Polo, under the Rialto Bridge, and back out onto the Grand Canal.  Our boat driver had been poling these boats for 34 years and could make the boat go with surprisingly little effort.  This is the kind of thing that, because of the cost, we would probably never do, but the grant has provided the resources to do things that we would not ordinarily do.

I can see why Harvey Coin  tried to recreate this world in Monte Ne, Arkansas.  There is a beauty about Venice despite

the corrosion of the buildings there.  It has a certain charm about it. You can tell that Venetians are proud of their city and their way of life.  There is an old-world feel about it that seems untainted by modernity.

Odditties

I'd like to write something about the differences between things here in Europe and back home.  I knew about some of these things before I came, but they have been interesting to discover along the way.  I'll start with the most common and move to things that maybe you haven't heard before.

- In most home bathrooms, there are two toilet-like bowls.  One is a normal toilet; the other is a bidet.  I'm not exactly sure what the bidet does, though I have an idea that it is an attempt to replace toilet paper.  It resembles a low sink.  Everyone in our family has been eyeing them when we are staying in homes, sort of like a calf looks at a new gate, but no one has talked about their experience with one.

- There must be a European shortage on ice.  You have a very difficult time getting enough ice here for your drinks.  The drinks are small and if you do manage to communicate that you would like ice, it's just a few cubes, or if you're lucky, they will bring one cup full of ice for the whole table.  There are no Big Gulps here.  Even the cans of Coke are small and expensive.  No free refills.  I'm convinced that if you opened a chain of fountain drink stores here, you could make a killing just on the Americans who are who used to their large bladder buster drinks.  By the way, you have to be clear about ordering water.  Water "au naturale" is what you want, "no gassata", otherwise you will get carbonated water.  In my humble but accurate opinion, it's terrible.

- There is a difference in the price of food in restaurants in Italy, depending on whether you sit down or take it to go or eat standing up.  Most Italians who are grabbing something to eat will eat it at standing-counters in restaurants to avoid the upcharge.  Americans usually take the hit because they are unaware of this.

- While we're on food, McDonalds has been different everywhere we've gone.  I thought that we'd eat at one any chance we'd get just to get a taste of home, but we tried one in London and it was so unlike home we haven't eaten there again.  McDonalds tailors its food to fit each region.  In Paris, the "McCafe" items were sold in an actual McCafe inside the store where cappucinos and pastries were sold.  One McDs was a convenience store where small items were sold.  In Cinque Terre, where seafood is prevalent, there is an actual "McLobster" sandwich.

- There are very few bugs here.  Most of the windows have shudders on them that can be closed, but there are no screens.  We have left our windows open most of the time because the weather has been excellent, but we have not had any problem with mosquitos.

- In all of the places we've been, it's uncommon to see anyone who has a yard.  Space is so limited.  Some of the places we've stayed have had courtyards, with a table to sit at and drink coffee, but no grass. In almost every city, when people want grass, they go to the parks.  They even take their own grills.  In London, some of the parks were originally the gardens of the royal homes.  Now, people picnic or sunbathe right on the front lawns of some of the royal palaces.

- Italy has tremendous gelato.  It's not quite ice cream.  It's creamy like yogurt.  I guess custard would be close to it.  Cold Stone Creamery is similar.  We have tried not to buy it every day.  We have bought it every day... at least once.

- You can get fries here, but they come with  a little skewer. I think that this is the utencil used to eat them.  And they come with ketchup and mayonaise.

- Most homes have a washing machine, but it is in the kitchen under the counter, about the same size as a dishwasher, and there is no dryer.

- People are smaller in Europe by and large.  There may be a connection between the size of the sugary drinks and the size of the people.  Although they are smaller, I would not say that they are healthier.  A majority of people smoke.

- Light switches are typically outside the room.  You must plan ahead before closing your door.

-  And there seem to be more s pecialized shops. I haven't seen a Walmart yet where you can buy everything.  You go to a pastry shop to get just pastries, a butcher to get meat, a pharmacy to get meds.  There is not much one-stop shopping.

That's probably just the beginning, so I'd be open to comments on other things in this category.  It has been interesting learning these new things.

Driving through Verona and the Dolomites

We made the courageous decision to try to drive through the mountains on this northern part of the trip.  This was courageous because the signs are different, our Italian is limited, and the cars are small.  We are used to riding in a family-sized van, so fitting five adult-sized people along with their backpacks was a stretch.  In hindsight, we're SO glad we made this decision because we were able to get to places we'd never see through a train window.

We stopped in a place called Verona, an old city that is rich with history.  It is such a gem that we never would have considered apart from reading Rick Steve's travel guides.  Beautifully colored buildings, terrific food, and ancient sites all made this a great day.  There is an ancient castle here, along with a parthenon that is still used for concerts to this day.

This is also a spot that people visit from around the world to see the famous window, supposedly, that the story of Romeo and Juliet was based on. "What light through yonder window breaks?"  There is also a statue here where lovers come to rub the breast to ensure an enduring love.

We were staying in Bolzano, Italy, because it is within a short drive of the Dolamites, where the Swiss Alps plunge into Italy.  Our intent was to come to Bolzano to a see the "Iceman," a body

who was found in the mountains above in 1971.  He was at first thought to be a lost hiker, then it was discovered that he was an ancient man who had been perfectly preserved in the ice.  They believe (I do not) that he was between 30 and 5000 years old.  There is a window inside where you can see the preserved body, still frozen.  If you ever make this trip, I'd recommend skipping this place. There's not enough here to warrant the cost and time.

After this, we had planned to drive up to the Dolamites (pronounced "Dol-a-MEET-ez"), take a chairlift up, hike about twelve miles to a Refugio, and stay on the mountain for the night.  After all of the walking we've done, we were sort of dreading the hike, because we knew that the kids would likely revolt.  Getting up in the morning, we had a steady rain, so we cancelled on the mountain and stayed another night in Bolzano.  Because we had the car, we decided to drive to the spot where we would wind up after our hike.  This was a GREAT decision, because the drive up mountain was unforgettable and we had a nice meal at the top.  This a popular ski resort in the winter, but it was spectacular to see uncovered by snow.

Like any journey, you have to remain flexible, and sometimes what you find in the unplanned times are those things that will be most memorable.

Arriving in Italy

We flew from Paris to Italy, arriving in Milan.  This was quite a shock to the system because Milan is very crowded and oriented toward tourists.  When we got off of the plane, we headed toward the central downtown station which is near a large mall, a galleria.  This was by far the most stressful part of the trip so far, mainly because we were trying to figure out transportation without knowing the language and people were very unfriendly.

The way to the train station was very crowded, filled with street performers, beggars, and scammers.  All of this confusion took place in the shadow of a magnificent ancient church, the Milan Cathedral.  This church is one of the three biggest churches in the world, designed to hold the entire population of Milan at the time, 40,000.  It's really spectacular!

After wandering around confused for a bit, we finally were able to get enough directions to find the train station and board.  I studied Italian for about six months before this trip, but it takes a while for your ear to get tuned in to the words.  We asked someone how to purchase tickets and understood that we could get them on the train on the way to Como.  When the conductor approached us on the train and asked for tickets, we explained that we needed to purchase them, we were told by a worker at the train station.  He said that was fine, but he'd have to charge us about ten Euros ($12) a head penalty.  Lesson learned.

Lake Como is a beautiful little spot that is a getaway for those who live in Milan.  George Clooney also has a place here, but he wasn't taking my calls.  It rained the day we were here, so we weren't able to get out much.  We took this opportunity to rest, play cards, and wander down to the lake to eat, grab a gelato and pizzas.

Getting around using public transportation on the lake means taking ferries.  They stop in almost every little town.  The view from the lake is very beautiful and the homes dotting the shoreline are exactly what you'd think of in the Tuscan style.

 This was a recommended spot for us and was a good break to begin our time in Italy.

Paris Sites

While in Paris, we felt it was important to get to as many of the famous sites as possible.  We are trying to strike a balance between seeing everything because we will probably never get to come here again, and realizing that we have three teenage children who would just as soon stay in the room and surf the web.

Stacy's must-see place was the Palace of Versailles, a 100-room palace on the outskirts of town.  This magnificent mansion, built over hundreds of years, has been inhabited by French

royalty for centuries.  It was almost too elaborate to take in.  Each room was more dazzling than the last filled with room-sized paintings, ornate furniture, and awesome statues.  The piece-de-resistance was the Hall of Mirrors, which was an elaborate hallway filled with chandelliers and statues intended to impress royalty who visited ages ago.  The gardens were filled with massive reflecting pools, manicured hedges, and perfect statues.

We wanted to take in the Louvre and the Orsay museums.  The size

of these buildings is completely overwhelming.  Admittedly, we are not familiar with much art and probably couldn't appreciate it to the degree that most people would.  There were a few pieces the kids wanted to see: of course, the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and other things by Leonardo Di Vinci, Monet, Picasso and Van Gogh.  It was remarkable to see these pieces up close and realize their age and worth.  I was most impressed by the works of Rodin and Cezanne.  These statues and paintings were so detailed and life-like.

We also wanted to take in the Pantheon.  This had been a church at times in history, but has come to be a memorial to famous French personalities.  There is a crypt underneath the

building that houses the  graves of famous frenchmen like Victor Hugo.

We also made the hike up to the highest point of the city on Montmartre to see Sacre Coeure, a white cathedral that sort of resembles a mosque.  This was my favorite church that we have visited so far.  You have to climb

hundreds of steps to get to it, so when you arrive up on it, it is revealed suddenly and takes you back.  Beyond that, on the inside the art work and windows on the ceiling is dazzling, but it is extremely Christ-centered.  Where many of the churches here are centered around Mary, each fresco here pictures Christ in glory.

Montmartre was the whole family's favorite place in Paris.  This was the gathering place for many well-known artists and it still contains a marketplace where many artists sell their wares.  There are lots of little cafes to sit and watch people and it is very quaint.  You would recognize some of the names of the sketchy areas of this place , like the Moulin Rouge, but the good here far outweighs the bad.

The catacombs of Paris were located near our flat and this was probably the freakiest place I've ever been in my life.

Most of the stone used to build Paris was quarried out of the ground underneath.  At some point they decided that more digging would jeopardize the stability of the ground above, so they stopped digging.  But there was another problem--the cemeteries were full and bodies were stacking up and causing sickness.  So they decided to dig up all of the bones from the cemeteries, to bless them, and bury them in these caverns.

Entering the catacombs, you descend several hundred feet below ground to a single narrow passageway.  Reaching bottom, you travel for a ways, and all of a sudden you come upon rows and rows of neatly stacked bones.  There are creative designs with skulls and bones, making hearts and crosses.  It goes on for what seems like miles.  In fact, there are so many that you almost forget that these were once alive.  It's crazy!

We ended our time in Paris climbing to the top of Notre Dame to see the bell tower that the book "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" is based on.  From the top of the church, you can see past the

gargoyles to nearly every part of the city.  Paris, in my opinion, was not nearly as beautiful as London.  London was impeccably clean, orderly, and safe.  Paris, on the other hand, had many parts that resembled New York City.  There was lots of graffiti, many beggars, and parts where you had to be on your guard against pick-pockets.  But Paris has a charm in its places, its people, and especially its food that was like no other place I've been.

Arriving in Paris

We decided to go from London to Paris by train.  There is a highspeed train that goes under the English Channel in about two hours.  You can't really think about the fact that you're travelling underground.  It is very easy to use, it's reasonably priced, and saves some of the waiting time involved in going to the airport.

We have two in our group who are prone to motion-sickness and can't travel backwards.  Because the train is pointed on both ends, you can't tell which end will be coming or going.  So everyone picked their seats, and then once the train started moving, we had to adjust to accommodate those who might get sick.  The French people in the seats near us rolled their eyes and laughed because we were so frail.

Once in Paris, we had to find the place we rented.  We rented all of our places through Air BNB, which is a site where people rent their homes out.  We took what we learned in the London Tube and found that we were much more equipped to use public transportation.  Add to that that I speak some French, and we had no problem getting to our destination.

We settled in and then struck out for the city.  Because we were arriving later in the day, we figured that most things would be closed by the time we got around.  That was not the case.

We headed downtown toward Notre Dame.  We found it to be easily accessible and incredibly beautiful.  This was one place where you can take pictures inside, and it's pretty amazing.  I understand that the ND basillica in our hometown is based on this same building.  We climbed the towers to go up to the big bell towers that the book The Hunchback of Notre Dame was based upon later this week.  It's hard to understand how they might have gotten these things, weighing several tons, in place.

Wandering through town, we came upon a bridge that had several locks on it.  We'd seen a movie that included this bridge as a part of the story line, and so the kids were fascinated by it.  The story is, to prove your undying love for someone, you write your names on a lock, fasten it to this

bridge, and then throw the key into the Seine.  So on this bridge, and several other bridges, there are literally thousands of locks of all shapes and sizes.  Each one has a different message; some appear to be hundreds of years old.  It's really neat.
I had three years of French in High School.  In our third year, our teacher, Mrs. DeWeiss, taught a section that included learning all of the major sites in Paris.  Many of these places you would not recognize by name, but it was remarkable how, when we wandered upon a location, the things I'd learn would come to mind.

We came upon le Place de la Concorde on our way to see l'Arch de Triomphe.  The arch at the center of Paris was constructed by Napoleone as

a place where his conquering armies could come back to town and celebrate their accomplishments.  I didn't realize just how large it was.  It's massive! We climbed to the top and from there, you can see all the way around the city, since all roads lead here.

We walked down the Champs Elysee, another famous site I'd learned in French class, and made our way to the Eiffel Tower.First impression: it's much, MUCH bigger than I figured.  Since we arrived later in the evening, the elevator to the highest point was closed, but we did make it halfway up and could see all around Paris.  I know that we've probably used "breathtaking" too often to describe these places, but it really is an accurate description.  Hard to imagine that someone had the idea to do something so outrageous like putting up a tower like this!

We had been told that at 10:00 pm every night that the Tower dazzles for five minutes, and so we

thought that we had missed it for the evening.  As soon as we arrived on the ground, hundreds of lights began twinkling and the atmosphere around the tower changed.  People were picnicing on the lawn, opening champagne, rushing to take pictures to capture it.  That really is one of our greatest moments so far.

It's remarkable to have the opportunity to see this with my own eyes.  It was described to me first in French class by Mrs. DeWeiss, then I've seen mini Eiffel towers at Disneyland, in Vegas, and even at Kings Island, but they really don't do it justice.  I'm so glad to be able to bring my family to see these things.  I hope that they will have this to draw on the rest of their lives.

A Dose of Reality

I felt you should know.  While we're having a fabulous time, there are aspects to this journey that are like a family vacation.  That means that along the way, we are constantly having to give way to someone who is dissatisfied: too hot, too cold, too hungry, too full, can't find something they like to eat... you name it.  Even at some of the most desirable destination spots in the world, at places we've waited a lifetime to see, someone is pouting or dragging or complaining.

We don't take pictures at these moments, maybe because we don't want there to be any evidence in case we end of up killing someone!  From our side, we wouldn't want to embarrass anyone.  From your side, I'm not sure you'd enjoy seeing someone having a meltdown at Westminster Abbey or bored at the Louvre or complaining about the food in Paris.  But I felt you should know that these things have happened.  These EXACT things have happened on this trip.

But, to quote Taylor Swift, you sort of have to "shake it off" and look past those times to the moments where everyone is practically crying over how delicious some new food tastes or laughing because the restaurant owner grabbed the knife out of someone's hand to show how to cut steak "correctly" or standing open-mouthed under the Eiffel Tower when it began dazzling or feeling satisfaction about successfully navigating the subway system to get to a destination.  Those exact things have happened as well.  Those enjoyable moments when someone says, "My favorite part of today was...", and tells how something they've experienced has shaped their perspective on life, THOSE moments must eclipse the insufferable moments that we'd just as soon forget.

That's what we are seeking to do by showing the best of what happens here.  But I felt you should know that it's not sheer bliss on this journey.  To be sure,there's some of that.  But, like in our lives, there are beautiful moments and ugly moments happening all the time.  We have to choose which we will focus on.

Last Day in London

The morning of our last day in London, we tried to see some of the things that we hadn't gotten to on previous days.  We made our way into downtown once again.  We will be traveling throughout this trip using public transportation, which largely means buses and subway trains.  There is quite a bit of walking using this means.  Stacy's fitbit says that we are walking between eight and ten miles per day.

We wanted to get a better look at the Tower Bridge and went through the bridge tour.  It was really quite a feat for its time, trying to incorporate the latest in technology, but keep with the ancient architecture of the city.  We toured the large steam engine room where the motors raise and lower the bridge for incoming ships even to this day.  I suspect it had been raised earlier in the day because there was a cruise ship in the port that had not been there the previous day.

The kids really enjoyed the glass walkways that enable you to see the passing traffic below.  We've been across several of these in our travels, which is much like the glass floor on the Sears Tower in Chicago many people have experienced.  Our ritual is to stand to the side at first, afraid to step onto the glass, fearing that it won't hold.  Eventually everyone gets onto the glass, feeling success.  And then by the end, each child gets a picture laying on the glass, showing how comfortable they've become with what was at first fearful.  There's probably a sermon illustration in there somewhere!

The last thing to visit before leaving London, but first on our list of priorities to see was Westminster Abbey.  This magnificent church, dating back to 1245, is a wonder to behold.  There are no pics from inside the building, since you can't take pictures in most of the churches in this region, but the ceilings inside must be 200 feet tall high, built with giant stones.  Large archways and massive domes are in every direction.  Beautiful stained glass telling the Bible stories and the history of the church adorn each window.

Westminster Abbey

It also holds the graves of many famous Londoners and historical figures.  Great monuments to poets, church figures, kings, and great achievers in other areas are found here.  Many contain headstones that are great statues, some as many as 40 feet high.  I'm really glad that we made the effort to fit this visit in because it is remarkable what people can accomplish when they don't spend all their time watching TV.

After a quick bite of lunch in a little cafe down the road from our digs, we quickly made our way to the train station, where we catch our ride to the next destination.

Worship in London

One of the things we've really enjoyed as a family is going to different churches when we are not enjoying our home church.  We've felt it was important that our kids understand the importance of weekly "assembling together" as the Scripture commands, and we have always been blessed to see a different configuration of the church in other places we've been.

That is especially true when worshipping cross- culturally.  As a Christian, it is remarkable how when you are in the presence of God's people gathered, there is so much that we have in common even though the practices and/or languages may be different.  It is especially touching to see people worshipping the Lord in a genuine manner in a different culture.

That has been especially true in London.  I was worried that when my kids came to Europe, they would experience a dead church.  That's what I've read about most churches here.  But what we discovered, at least in London, is that there is a vibrant body of Christ operating here.  Young people, long tired of the outdated and lifeless institutional churches they have seen growing up, are turning the Lord in droves.

We decided to go to Hillsong London today.  You may have heard of Hillsong, which is based in Australia, as we sing many of their songs in our church.  They are known for vibrant worship and we certainly experienced that.  You could tell the English influence on the music as it almost had a punk feel to it.  It was edgy and felt desperate, but it was incredibly moving to see people connecting with God here, especially after all I'd read about the church being extinct by-and-large in England. 

The church we met in worshipped in a large theatre and Stacy and I were the old folks.  Everyone on stage was in their 20s or under and seemed like the kind of people who would be very good at step aerobics.  Lots of dancing... skinny jeans... high tops... holes in the knees.  All very hip and cool.  And even though I couldn't pull it off (skinny jeans make me look fat) can I tell you, I loved seeing God at work in the young people in London.  It gives me a lot of hope for those places in the world where people are saying that God is going out of business. 

And I was also very proud of my kids.  I wanted us to go to church.  They WANTED to be there.  They were excited to go to Hillsong Church.  That's a huge blessing!  I'm so grateful I have the opportunity to give them this experience.  I guess you could say that I'm excited to see any place were God is at work--in a country, or even in the lives of my own kids. 

London Sights

With only three days in London, we have tried to get in as many thinigs as possible.  I'll try to include as many pics as is reasonable here, but I'm working on a borrowed computer, so I'm not sure how well it will all work.

 We started our trip atop the London Eye.  This is a huge Ferris wheel right in the heart of downtown London.  We thought this might give an overview of the city so that we could get the lay of the land.  Beautiful views, especially of Big Ben and Parliament. 

We spent time trying to figure out public transportation and getting around a big city. We had decided not to ride a double-decker bus because we heard it was a rip off.  Come to find out, that IS the public transportation system and so we've rode them so often that it has become commonplace.  There has been a learning curve with travel.  I knew London was big, but didn't realize how expansive it really is.  But we have learned some key things and have let the kids each take a turn getting us to and from the subway system or bus and to our destinations.

The Beefeater Tour

We also went through the Tower of London which is a medievil castle on the bank of the Thames.  It dates back to the 1600s when it was used by kings as a royal manor or prison for distinguished prisoners.  This is also the safe place for the Crown Jewels which are beautiful.  It was interesting to hear the gory tales of England's past royals through the eyes of the Beefeaters, the guardians of this estate. We toured the rooms of the past kings of England to see how they lived in that day. 

The Tower of London

The Tower Bridge

We also went to the Tower Bridge, which was the only bridge crossing the Thames River for hundreds of years.  It is really quite spectacular to see and was raised to allow cargo ships to come to the Tower and unload their wares. 

We were able to take a boat tour on the Thames which enabled us to see the bridge up close, along with several famous spots like The Globe Theatre where Willaim Shakespeare held plays. This also took us under London Bridge, which, I know, provides a place for a natural joke: yes, we were glad it wasn't falling down! :)

Each one of these places we've seen holds special significance, as they are sites of some of the main events in our history and literature books, but they also are architecturally stimulating.  It is a wonder to marvel at these strucutres, many of which are several hundred years old and still amazing to behold. 

That is especially true of Westminster Abbey.  From the outside, it is truly one of those buildings that every one in our family walked up and said, "Whoa!"  It is massive and, even though it is under repair and some of it is hidden, it has so many spectacular angles to catch the eye.  We did not get to go in yet, but hope to go tomorrow. 

Westminster Abbey

One of the issues we've had to deal with is figuring out how to get in everything that we want to see here.  There is a short list of things that we wanted to see and we've seen just about everything that we wanted to see. 

House of Parliament

When we went to Washington D.C. a few years ago with the family, we were amazed at how magnificent our national buildings are.  It made us proud to walk down the national mall and see the structures that represent our country and things that we hold dear.  I can only imagine that Brits must feel the same way when they see these remarkable structures.  They are awe-inspiring!   

One of the things that have been impressed by in this city is how jovial and friendly the people are.  Brits have a terrific sense of humor and it is woven into everything they do.  For instance, when we were taking a boat tour on the Thames, as the tour guide was giving us our safety instructions, he assured us that it was highly unlikely that we would have a accident.  He said, "I mean, what are the odds that we would have TWO accidents in one day!"  That's the kind of thing I have appreciated here. 

The Monument

We also climbed The Monument, which is a large column dedicated to the Great London Fire in 1666.  It remembers a time when fire destroyed 13,000 homes in London and gives a great place to view things from the river. 

We also went to Buckingham Palace.  There is a huge park surrounding it which is open to the public.  You can get remarkably close to it, but it is guarded by these soldiers around the clock. 

Everyone says that you should see the changing of the guard, but it only happens once a day at 11:30 am and it's pretty difficult to catch if you're on a schedule.  We saw them change posts, and that was good enough for me.  We tried to track down of the soldiers to get a picture with him, but that hasn't happened yet.  Maybe tomorrow. 

Buckingham Palace

Since Buckingham Palace is used by the queen, it is only open to the public in August and September, so we didn't go through it. We did go through Kensington Palace, which is the home of Prince Harry and Kate?  I've never really been into that whole royals rubbish, so I couldn't tell you.  It was a magnificent building which has a history of about 400 years and is beautiful decorated.  Stacy and I went through the Builtmore a few years ago, and many of its features reminded me of that. 

It gave me some ideas for a remodel of the house--there is entire wing dedicated to the man of the house and an entire wing dedicated to the woman.  Both were equally spectacular for different reasons.  The paintings and furnishings in these places is simply unbelievable.  It is still used by the young royal family to this day.  Not a bad first home! 

Kensington Palace

Well, I'm on a borrowed computer, so I've tried to give you a glimpse into our past couple of days.  It's been a whirlwind, but we are blessed to have this opportunity!  We've enjoyed ourselves royally!  (I was trying to figure out how to work that in)  And we've only just begun. 

We would covet your prayers as our family has not been together in this configuration, this close for some times.  We had some beautiful moments that we will treasure for a lifetime.  I'll try to write again as I have opportunity so check back. 

Tomorrow we have some time in the morning to hit that last few spots that we hope to see here.  We're trying to get in a tour of the Tower Bridge, go through Westminster Abbey, and see at least part of the National Gallery before we have to catch a 2-hour bullet train under the English Channel to Paris ijn the evening.  Again, we appreciate your prayers!