A Royal Day in London

On June 13, 2009, we spent a fun day in one of our new favorite cities. We went to watch the Trooping of the Colour (http://www.trooping-the-colour.co.uk/) parade in honor of the Queen's birthday. It was quite an event. Although we did not have the "golden tickets" inside the palace gates, we were able to watch the parade along The Mall on the way to Buckingham Palace. The guests with tickets were dressed very elegantly. The women wore fancy dresses and Kentucky Derby style hats. The men were dressed in suits with tails, often pinstriped, and some even wore a top hat. It was quite a site!

During the parade, we saw the horses, bands, a royal dog and, of course, the Royal Procession. We saw Camilla, Price William and Henry, several Dukes and Earls (Charles was in there somewhere) and Her Majesty the Queen.

Afterwards, we toured Westminster Abbey (http://www.westminster-abbey.org/home) Unfortunately, we were unable to take photos of the inside. It was amazing. Over 3,00o people are buried in this 700 year old building including kings, queens, Charles Darwin and Charles Dickens. Staring in 1066, 36 coronations have taken place in the abbey. Princess Diana's funeral was also held here in 1997. The highlight of our tour, was when Sarah and Eric were specially invited by a tour guide to sit in the Queen's chair inside the abbey. I wish I could have taken a picture!

It was quite a royal day full of memories we will never forget. Long live the Queen!

Belgium in a Day

Last weekend, as a late Mother's Day gift to me, our family went to Brugges, Belgium for the day. It's not that Tony didn't want to go, it's just the one day part that he was unsure of. I thought it would be a benefit, as Tony did not have to take off work, the kids didn't miss school, there was not alot of packing to do and someone else did the driving. The was an extended day trip offered by the base.

Well, our day did start VERY early as we were to meet the bus at 2:45 AM on Saturday morning. We boarded a charter bus, or coach as they are called in the UK, and we were on our way. We brought along a small blanket and pillow and the kids and I went back to sleep. We crossed under the English Channel by train (well the bus was actually loaded onto the train...amazing) in a little over 30 minutes. We came out in Calais, France and continued on into Belgium. We arrived in Brugges around 10 am.

We then had eight hours to explore this beautiful city (http://www.brugge.be/internet/en/index.htm.) We had such a fun time, even in the rain (which was off and on most of the day.) We took a boat ride through the canals, drank hot chocolate, climbed the clock tower, visited the lace shops and ate lots of Belgian chocolate. Eric enjoyed his lunch of mussels, while Sarah opted for the chicken nuggets. We visited the several of the church's including the Church of Our Lady, which holds the famous Madonna and Child statue by Michelangelo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madonna_of_Bruges.)

When asked, Eric said his favorite part was the food and eating ice cream in the rain. Sarah said her favorite was the boat ride through the city. I thought it was amazing that we were in three different countries in one day and I did not have to drive. Tony said it was alot for one day, since we didn't get home until midnight, but still a neat and historic city. I think it was a once in lifetime Mother's Days...complete with chocolate, of course!

A Day in the Trees and a Night at the Sea

This past weekend, we decided to have a fun little family getaway.

After discovering a ad for Bewilderwood (http://www.bewilderwood.co.uk/) and that the weather was supposed to be great, I planned a last minute weekend at the coast near Norwich.

We spent a fun day Saturday at the Bewilderwood park. It was so neat and super fun for the kids. There were tree houses, rope bridges, slides, zip lines and a boat ride. Apparently, the park is based on books by a British author. We haven't found the books yet, but we are glad we found the park.

Afterwards, we traveled an additional 30 minutes East and explored the town of Great Yarmouth (http://www.great-yarmouth.co.uk/whats-on/default.aspx.) The kids were excited to get to play on the beach, although Saturday evening was quiet windy and the water was freezing. It was much to cold to swim, but we brought along our sand toys. It was fun to dig, run and jump in the waves.

After a nice seafood dinner, we spent the night at a local bed and breakfast (http://www.shrewsburyguesthouse.co.uk/) walking distance to the coast. We enjoyed a great English breakfast and a long walk along the beach. After a nice drive and lunch at McDonald's (which is a treat for Sarah, since there is not one close by) we were back home in less than 2 hours.

We all thought it was a great getaway and a fun way to spend time as a family.

Easter Sunday

On the 12th of April, we had a fun and relaxing Easter Sunday with our friends, Tammy and Ryan Bloom, and their new baby boy Beau.

After a nice and very crowded morning at church, we were invited to their house for Sunday brunch. We had a great time and enjoyed the food, company and egg hunt. Since it was chilly and sprinkling outside, the kids chose to hunt indoors.

Here are a few photos from our day, including the traditional egg decorating.
Hope your Easter Sunday was full of happiness too!

Spring Break in Paris

What an amazing week it was! When I was 16 and had my room decorated with a huge poster of the Eiffel Tower, I never thought 20 years later I would be standing on it with my family. Of all the places we wish to travel while stationed here, Paris was definitely #1 on my list. Thank you Tony. It was, truly, a dream come true!

We had planned for 2 travel days and 3 full days in Paris with our dear friends from Utah, currently living in Germany, the Hendersons. It was an extra treat to have such great friends, and navigators, to share this trip with us. Thanks so much for meeting us there guys!

Three days, although exhausting, were not close to enough time to do everything we wanted to do. We'll definitely have to go back. However, in the 3 days, I believe we packed in as much as possible. Here are the highlights:

Day 1: We headed straight for the Eiffel Tower! The lines were unbelievably long and we waited for well over an hour to ride up. Unfortunately, the top was closed, so we were only able to go to the second level (which was quite high enough for us!) Below there are pics from both the bottom and the top. On a side note, the tower was closed two days later due to a strike (http://www.capitalradio.co.uk/news-travel/world/eiffel-tower-closed-as-staff-go-on-strike/) We feel blessed to have been able to go up when we did. It was amazing and larger than I imagined.

Day 1 Afternoon: After lunch at a bistro (see post below,) we headed off for Notre-Dame. Started in 1163, this amazing cathedral took nearly 200 years to complete. For more info see: http://www.notredamedeparis.fr/-English- While in the courtyard, Sarah took times to feed the pigeons.

Day 2: Disneyland Paris! (see post below) Trust me, this was an all day affair!

Day 3: Le Louvre (http://www.louvre.fr/llv/commun/home.jsp?bmLocale=en). Once again, the lines here were incredibly long. The line just to get into the building circled around 2 courtyards. Once inside and through security, you had to stand in line again to get tickets. It was crazy! We did, however, get to see the Mona Lisa up close and personal. You would not believe how many people were crowded into this room and pushing each other just to get a photo of this famous painting. The museum did hold a huge amount of priceless artwork, sculptures and treasures, but after awhile they all began to look to same. As Emily put it, "I wish I was back at Disneyland!"

Day 3 Evening: Dinner at the Hard Rock Paris (see below) then back to the tower and over to the Arc De Triomphe for night photos. This took a lot of travel time, but well worth the trip.

Overall, it was an amazing trip, with the company of great friends and left us with memories for a lifetime. WE LOVE PARIS!