I have sweet memories of playing in this river as kids. We would skip rocks and swim in it and so it was so surreal to see my children doing the same.
One thing I do remember about traveling in France as a kid are the fields of sunflowers.
Yellow everywhere.
Nest we stopped at Lascoux Caves and toured Lascoux II which is a replica of some of the 600 paintings found that are estimated to be about 17,000 years old. The original cave has been closed to the public since 1963.
Dad found this amazing old villa to stay in that dated back to the 1600's. The views were 360 degrees and so impressive.
Then we were off to Carcassonne, a medieval castle and walled city.
We stayed the night right near the above picture. It was the perfect location.
I remember that night it was really difficult to decide where to eat and we waited so long that Sam started crying from hunger.
The next morning we were off to Nimes, to see where dad served some of his mission. It was so fun to hear him reminisce about riding his moped and skidding on ice (we saw the exact spot) and luckily he wasn't hurt because he wore a huge hand-me-down ugly coat. Nime is dubbed the "most Roman city outside of Italy" as there is an amphitheatre, Temple of Diana, and Roman Temple with ancient gardens and fountain. Dad also took us to the street where he lived.
We then went Provence to see Mom and Dad's Mission President for their first Congo mission, Pres and Souer Baehrel. We got to hear more stories about their mission and eat yummy french food with many courses.
I was excited to go to this gorgeous lake, Lake Sainte-Croix and the Verdon Gorges. The waters were cold but we got a paddle boat and the kids slid down the slide and swam around. It was super crowded but we were able to get the best parking spot right in front of the lake enterance and we snagged a picnic table. We had a lovely lunch and the kids played pokemon.
That night we stayed in a nice Bed and Breakfast down a random road. You wouldn't think anything was out this far but it was really nice. We tried to order pizza but they said they were full until the next day! This should have been a sign because when we went into the city, there was a lot going on and people selling things. We walked around and around with waits longer than we were willing until we found a great little fast food Greek place. Mom and dad bought some local honey.
We also stopped at some local lavendar shops (even though all the fields were harvested) and bought some good smelling souvenirs.
On our drive, we just needed a place to stop for lunch and it turned out to be the most charming city, Sisteron. It was on the cliff. We ate pizza and walked around and looked in the fun shops.
Then we stopped in Annecy and it was so picturesque!
We had a lovely picnic on the grass and the kids fed the birds, walked around the park and city.
I went to a bathroom but I didn't know that it cleaned in between the door opening and closing. I did not close the door completely when Mom went to the bathroom because I thought it might lock or we might have to pay. But while I was squatting on the toilet, water sprayed everywhere. I couldn't budge and just sat there laughing so hard. Luckily I was wearing chacos and I was able to dry off.
We made it to our next spot, just outside of Swtizerland. We were hoping to hear from the Gerald-Carriers but didn't until that night when my mom checked her email and noticed that they had responded and wanted us to come over. We contacted them last minute and Ryan stayed with the kids in the hotel all day while Mom, Dad, and I drove 2 hours back into France into the most beautiful village on top of the Alps. Their daughter and her twin boys were visiting too. They made us a 6 course meal. We didn't know that the dishes were going to keep coming and so I was mostly full after #2 but it was delicious. Souer Gerald-Carrier teared up as she expressed her gratitude in dad teaching them the gospel over 50 years ago. She said, "It has meant everything to us." I love this because they and one other couple were the only people my Dad baptized for 2 1/2 years and he thought maybe he wasn't successful. But they have had 6 chiildren, been mission and temple presidents and have all spread the gospel. They are amazing people and I have an amazing dad. I was so lucky to be apart of this day.
We stopped in Geneva. I remember coming here with my Dad when I was 10. It was pouring rain and we climbed up a bell tower of a church. When we got to the top, the sun came out and all the bells all over the city started ringing. Also, while we were there we played chess on large chess pieces in a park. It was the first time I ever saw large chess pieces and it made a huge impression as I thought it was so cool. Low and behold, this time around, it was raining and the kids got to play chess on those large chess pieces.
I remember this clock from 33 years ago.
We stopped at Bern, Switzerland to see the temple.
We stayed over the border and then stopped in Colmar, France.
We loved grabbing food, walking around, and taking pictures.
Mom bought a rooster that she put in her window in front of her sink.
And that was the end of our epic road trip.
I took mom and dad to bike the Mosel River. We got mom an electric bike and she zoomed passed us up the hill. It was as beautiful as ever and probably Dad's favorite thing we did.
We biked 23 miles from Zell to Cochem and got some yummy lunch and took the train back.
Tessa losing her tooth. She has a snaggle tooth smile.
Off to Croatia!
Mom and Dad wanted to see Croatia so we flew into Pula and rented a car. We stopped in the city to check out the amphitheatre and then were off to Plitvice Lakes. Last time when we came with April in October 2017, we took the wrong winding road that took us slowly through all the villages. I made the exact same mistake. Of course Dad looks at the bright side of being able to see the country.
We stopped at a great AirBnB and took off first thing in the morning to hike the lakes. Dad says that I did not oversell it's beauty.
We were wiped out at the end of the hike and made our way to a yummy dinner. That evening we watched the BFG in Croatian.
We made our way back to Fazana and checked out the beach.
The beach was really rocky but the water was refreshing and we got
an umbrella and chairs to relax.
The next day we caught a ferry to Bruni Island. We were the first ones off the ferry and bee-lined it to the golf carts. We drove around the island to the Roman ruins, dinosaur footprints, outdoor zoo and ancient olive tree.
Before returning the car, we made one more stop in Pula. We spent our last kuna for a shared doner and slice of pizza. Luckily they took a credit card for a dress for Tessa and Croatian shirt for mom.
And an amazing photo that hasn't been photoshopped.
Even though Sam is only 10, this will be the best young men's camp he will ever attend. Only downhill from here.
The fountains were not only still there but had improved 100 fold. Before they played a different song on the hour like "Time to Say Goodbye" like at the Bellagio. We got there at it's last performance and it played it's entire repertoire. It was incredible with a laser show on the mist.
The next day we took a train to Vienna. Unfortunately, we got into first class and paid out the nose for it. We checked out the palace with an exhibit on Sisi (1837-1898), dedicated to the reality and myth of perhaps the most enigmatic of all Habsburg Empresses.
The kids take our phone and go and catch pokemon.
Here we are back in Oberarnbach center.
Mom and Dad watched the kids for about 5 days so Ryan and I could go on a trip together. We really wanted to see Budapest, Vienna, and Bratislava.
Our first day was in Budapest. We toured the Museum of Terror, Holocaust Memorial Center, and fountains on the island (still there from when Branny and I went 17 years before).
We started at the Holocaust Memorial Center. An informative and moving exhibit about the Holocaust in Hungary — through newsreels, photos, and objects, one can follow the gradual disenfranchisement of Hungarian Jews. The venue also includes Budapest's second biggest synagogue, a memorial garden with a wall of victims, and a tower listing all communities where Jews have ceased to exist as a result of the deportations.
Initially I didn't want to go to the Museum of Terror again because I couldn't walk another step, but as soon as I got in I no longer thought of my feet and was enthralled in the information.
We also went to the Central Cemetery (Zentralfriedhof) with famous buried like Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, Strauss, Schoenberg, Hedy Lamarr, Falco and some other strange ones. We missed the "Mormon" section.
Next we took the train to Bratislava, Slovakia. Our first adventure was to hike to the Soviet Monument on the top of the city.
Back to SCHOOL
We moved Luke and Tessa to American school as we know we will be moving in December.
Tessa 2nd grade -
Luke 4th grade - Mr. Mercen
Sam 6th grade - lots of teachers at Kaiserslautern Middle School
We said goodbye to Mimzy and Pop Pop.
Ryan and I love our bike rides
Afghani evacuee
The US pulled out of Afghanistan and thousands of people were vulnerable to the Taliban and needed to leave or be killed. The US Air Force loaded the planes past capacity and flew them straight to Ramstein. Many stayed at Ramstein but they also put up tents at ROB Army Base. Several people would get donations from the USA as these people needed everything from shoes, coats, clothes, underwear, blankets, hygiene kits and food. Without big stores like Costco, we ravished stores like Decathlon for shoes and pants, going further and further outside of Kaiserslautern as each store would be cleared out. I also went to Kik out of town for coats.
The man in charge of food services and feeding the evacuees when they got off the plane was a member of our church. He got news that they were bringing at least 5,000 people the next day and he had no food for them. He called our Stake President expressing his discouragement. They cried over not knowing what to do. The Stake President turned to his wife and she simply said, "Loaves and fishes."
They sent out an email to all members of the stake saying that every willing should meet at the Officers Club on Ramstein. They also gave a list of foods that they need like fruit, granola bars, olives, hummus, raisins, bread. I went to the store and got as much as I could and we arrived when it started at 10 a.m. People were constantly going back to the store for ziplock bags and grocery bags. People showed up all day and by the end over 7,000 bags of food were made. A miracle happened that day and "loaves and fishes" took on a whole new meaning for me.
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