On April 15, 2010, we departed Oxford and headed to Normandy, France, for our last trip as a group. We spent the first night in Bayeaux, France, and then traveled throughout Normandy tracing the steps of the beginning of victory in World War Two. We visited Omaha beach, the bloodiest beach of the battle, where thousands of soldiers died within seconds trying to traverse the waters and the shoreline and kill the German enemy. Many men died simply because they jumped ship too early, or they could not navigate around thousands and thousands of floating mines, or the actual tanks/machinery sunk leaving soldiers to perish, or many paratroopers landed in flooded fields and drowned. Our guide, a man from Denmark, explained how once a year the stones on this beach turn red like blood and how no sea gulls come to Omaha beach since the war. We also visited Utah Beach and the American cemetery in Normandy. What a sight - how humbling. We did not realize that the French were actually under German occupation for four years until the Americans, British, Canadians, etc. helped free them. The American cemetery, filled with crosses and stars of David, displays the amount of soldiers that died for our freedom. We also visited small towns and villages throughout the area. One village we visited is where the film, The Longest Day (Red Buttons, John Wayne) was shot, where two paratroopers hung their parachutes on a church steeple.
In Paris, we stayed in a hostel – MIJE- situated near the Seine River and not very far from Notre Dame. Michelle, Hannah, Rick, and I walked to Notre Dame and then to Sainte-Chapelle in the morning. My mother encouraged us to go to Sainte Chapelle since Marie Antoinette was imprisoned nearby during the French Revolution; King Louis IX built the church to house “relics” brought over from Jerusalem. One of the relics is the crown of thorns that is only displayed during Lent on Fridays. (It is now housed at Notre Dame). We did not have the opportunity to see the crown, but we could not believe how beautiful the stained glass windows that covered the whole upper level of the church. We then walked through the beautiful streets of St. Germain with small cafes and beautiful flowers; we found that we enjoy French quiche and tarts. From St. Germain, we walked to the Arc de Triumph – stopping in a few stores one in which Michelle bought a dress – to the Louvre and then to our hostel. Even though we were exhausted, Rick took Hannah on a date to swing dance with several other ACU students. She had fun getting dressed up and learning to swing dance to a jazz band in a 700 year old cave in downtown Paris.
On Saturday, we went to church at Notre Dame and headed to the indoor mall in search of a dress for Hannah’s high school graduation. Michelle picked out a beautiful blue and white one in a store named Mango that was perfect. We then met the group and rode around Paris in the evening with the Fat Bike Tour; we went by all the famous sites and even rode the Seine River on a ferry where our guide talked about the bridges and various famous landmarks. The city lit the Eiffel Tower every hour with beautiful blinking lights; the bridges and waterways were also lit. I think that this tour was one of the best activities all of us experienced in Paris. Michelle could not believe how beautiful Paris was by bicycle; she rode with a big smile on her face. Hannah tried to stay in the front of the pack or wherever the action was taking place. We only had two accidents: One was Kelly crunching the curb and flipping her bicycle on top of herself and another was her friend Jacob losing his balance after trying to steer his bike with his feet. All is well now. The weather was perfect both days and we felt blessed to see all the old beautiful buildings and to hear the French history. Of course Rick and I felt blessed to spend all this time with our sweet girls.
Monday, 26 April 2010
Monday, 12 April 2010
Spain!!
Spain, March 24 – 30
Our agenda in Spain was different from that of Italy: we strove for rest and relaxation, a little beach action, and plenty of beautiful scenery. We flew from Gatwick Airport – where prices range from 20 pounds on up for flights – to Malaga, located in southern Spain. We then rented a car and drove to a small town called Elviria where we stayed in a rented condo on the top of a large hill. The scenery was so beautiful – from our place we could see the lush, green valley, the beautiful ocean, the Rock of Gibraltar, and the tip of Africa. How cool is that?
We purposely took this trip to celebrate Hannah’s graduation from high school. We originally planned on travelling to Greece, but with the failing economy and the numerous strikes, we decided to head to Spain. We are so proud of Hannah and how hard she has worked in school. Before we left Abilene, she was 13th in her class of around 250. Presently, Hannah takes three college classes with the students here in Oxford. Needless to say, we tried to focus on her throughout this trip.
We spent time walking along the beach, playing cards, and eating plenty of oranges. The beaches fill with people in all types of outfits: many women in their 60s and 70s wore two piece bathing suits, many men wore Speedos, many West Africans tried to sell knock off products, while Asian women worked the crowd to massage vacationers’ backs. We even had a man stand by our car suggesting that he watch it in order for us to tip him. What is that all about? We wondered the same thing.
We also enjoyed playing golf (free with the condo) and watching many balls uncontrollably end up in the various waterways. Hannah particularly enjoyed playing golf with her dad, running on the treadmill with me, and laying near the pool with her sisters. We thoroughly enjoyed the relaxation and each other. We travelled to Marbella, a beautiful town on the ocean with a beautiful boardwalk in which families stroll in the evenings. I loved to see grandparents, children, and grandchildren all together. The grandparents were usually dressed in nice clothing: dresses and suits and ties. On Easter Sunday night we headed to the old town in Marbella and watched their Easter parade – a cultural sight to see. Families lined the streets for hours until there was a sound of bells in the air and the smell of incense. Hooded participants began the parade with wheat in their hands signifying the coming of Jesus and the cleansing of sins; then a large statue of Jesus riding on a donkey was carried on the shoulders of many men. A band and more hooded participants followed only to give way to another statue of Mary being carried by many men on their shoulders. Finally, the parade ended with the celebration of Jesus rising from the dead. We were so thankful that we had an opportunity to witness this cultural expression of the resurrection of Jesus.
On Saturday, we drove to a quaint, historic town located in the mountain named Rhonda. It was one of the “white villages” where many building were white in color and old in design. We loved walking the old streets and the prominades, particularly with the beautiful scenery and the wonderful sides streets filled with flowers, Spanish speaking people, and decorative shops along the way. We took a tour of the city in a carriage ride with the driver shouting out different tourist locations in a deep, not understandable Spanish voice. No one understood him, particularly Hannah, Kelly, and Michelle who speak Spanish, but we all just shook our heads in agreement. Spanish and Italian boys really surprised our girls as they were quite straightforward in their interest of them. They would just stare at the girls without embarrassment and without even talking to them. I remember one time on the bus where Hannah and Michelle stood directly next to a high school boy that stared at them the whole time. Hannah and Michelle just laughed but he was intent on making eye contact with them. Rick and I finally made our presence known and he backed off a bit.
The girls dyed a strand of their hair blue for excitement and memories. Kelly concocted a mixture of Kool Aide and conditioner and then ran a line through their hair. They even included Rick and I in the excitement; right now Rick has a small strand in the back of his hair that is blue. I am sure that it will be gone by the time we arrive in Abilene.
We thoroughly enjoyed out time in Spain and the special time that we had together as our full family. Spain is really beautiful and we hope to return to travel more in this country in the future. Blessings.
Our agenda in Spain was different from that of Italy: we strove for rest and relaxation, a little beach action, and plenty of beautiful scenery. We flew from Gatwick Airport – where prices range from 20 pounds on up for flights – to Malaga, located in southern Spain. We then rented a car and drove to a small town called Elviria where we stayed in a rented condo on the top of a large hill. The scenery was so beautiful – from our place we could see the lush, green valley, the beautiful ocean, the Rock of Gibraltar, and the tip of Africa. How cool is that?
We purposely took this trip to celebrate Hannah’s graduation from high school. We originally planned on travelling to Greece, but with the failing economy and the numerous strikes, we decided to head to Spain. We are so proud of Hannah and how hard she has worked in school. Before we left Abilene, she was 13th in her class of around 250. Presently, Hannah takes three college classes with the students here in Oxford. Needless to say, we tried to focus on her throughout this trip.
We spent time walking along the beach, playing cards, and eating plenty of oranges. The beaches fill with people in all types of outfits: many women in their 60s and 70s wore two piece bathing suits, many men wore Speedos, many West Africans tried to sell knock off products, while Asian women worked the crowd to massage vacationers’ backs. We even had a man stand by our car suggesting that he watch it in order for us to tip him. What is that all about? We wondered the same thing.
We also enjoyed playing golf (free with the condo) and watching many balls uncontrollably end up in the various waterways. Hannah particularly enjoyed playing golf with her dad, running on the treadmill with me, and laying near the pool with her sisters. We thoroughly enjoyed the relaxation and each other. We travelled to Marbella, a beautiful town on the ocean with a beautiful boardwalk in which families stroll in the evenings. I loved to see grandparents, children, and grandchildren all together. The grandparents were usually dressed in nice clothing: dresses and suits and ties. On Easter Sunday night we headed to the old town in Marbella and watched their Easter parade – a cultural sight to see. Families lined the streets for hours until there was a sound of bells in the air and the smell of incense. Hooded participants began the parade with wheat in their hands signifying the coming of Jesus and the cleansing of sins; then a large statue of Jesus riding on a donkey was carried on the shoulders of many men. A band and more hooded participants followed only to give way to another statue of Mary being carried by many men on their shoulders. Finally, the parade ended with the celebration of Jesus rising from the dead. We were so thankful that we had an opportunity to witness this cultural expression of the resurrection of Jesus.
On Saturday, we drove to a quaint, historic town located in the mountain named Rhonda. It was one of the “white villages” where many building were white in color and old in design. We loved walking the old streets and the prominades, particularly with the beautiful scenery and the wonderful sides streets filled with flowers, Spanish speaking people, and decorative shops along the way. We took a tour of the city in a carriage ride with the driver shouting out different tourist locations in a deep, not understandable Spanish voice. No one understood him, particularly Hannah, Kelly, and Michelle who speak Spanish, but we all just shook our heads in agreement. Spanish and Italian boys really surprised our girls as they were quite straightforward in their interest of them. They would just stare at the girls without embarrassment and without even talking to them. I remember one time on the bus where Hannah and Michelle stood directly next to a high school boy that stared at them the whole time. Hannah and Michelle just laughed but he was intent on making eye contact with them. Rick and I finally made our presence known and he backed off a bit.
The girls dyed a strand of their hair blue for excitement and memories. Kelly concocted a mixture of Kool Aide and conditioner and then ran a line through their hair. They even included Rick and I in the excitement; right now Rick has a small strand in the back of his hair that is blue. I am sure that it will be gone by the time we arrive in Abilene.
We thoroughly enjoyed out time in Spain and the special time that we had together as our full family. Spain is really beautiful and we hope to return to travel more in this country in the future. Blessings.
Monday, 5 April 2010
Gelato Anyone??
We left for Italy on March 11th, at 3 in the morning. We walked through the streets of Oxford, heading for the bus station which took us to the airport. Our trip was wonderful: beautiful architecture, amazingly old history ties, lots of pizza, people, and memory making opportunities. We rented a VBO home for three days in the outskirts of Rome. We travelled by tram, bus, and foot through a town filled with history and various languages. Our first day focused on finding food through various small shops and filling up with pizza - sold everywhere and tasting quite foreign. Then we boarded a tram to head to the heart of Rome - the Vatican city. We crowded into the Vatican museum with hundreds of other people walking the four miles filled with ancient scultures, pictures, and tapestries. The rooms painted by Raphael were amazing with the emphasis on the Bible, including a Biblically themed painting with Raphael himself in it. Finally, after about three hours, we walked into the Sistine Chapel and viewed the various paintings by Michelangelo: the sides of the chapel are filled with scenes of the story of creation that he painted when he was 33 and in the front of the chapel he painted the Last Judgment. This painting brings the message of the final judgment when some will go to heaven and some to hell. The pictures were quite life like in the facial features and the preciseness of the body structures. For those who have read the Bible and Dante's Towering Inferno, you will be able to get a picture of what this older Michelanglo was thinking. The size of the chapel is quite small, but it is so stunning. Police weave in and out of the crowd demanding silence and expecting no flash photography for fear of ruining the painting. Needless to say, we were in awe of the beauty and its significance.
We finished our day by viewing St. Peter's Basilica. It started to rain so we bought several umbrellas from street vendors - they are all over trying to sell any and everything that you can imagine. We had fun waiting in a long line weaving through the square to enter the church: Kelly almost fell as she slipped running to get a picture and many people just take cuts in front of others to get closer to the front. We actually had one family - seven members - just cut in front of us acting as though it never happened. From the outside, the church dominates the city with the huge pillars, a statute of Peter, and various statutes lining the square. Once inside the basilica, we could not believe how big it was - six acres and accommodating 95,000 worshipers. Instead of statues housing famous people as in Westminister Abbey, this church houses statues of past popes focusing mainly on Peter who was supposedly crucified and buried on this location. In the middle of the church is his tomb decored with a 70 foot tall bronze canopy. We could not believe the incredible size of everything inside; we could also not believe how beautiful Michelangelo's Pieta was.
We took in all the other sites on Saturday, trying to make our way to the center of the city by tram. However, the tram just simply did not show up. Many in Italy just accept the way of life where trams, buses, or taxis simply just do not function properly or show up so late that no one waits in line. We did not even buy bus or train passes in Rome because no one checks for them and many do not even know where to buy them. Since our tram did not show up, a college boy studying in Rome from America heard us talking and said that he would love to take us around -of course we had three beautiful girls with us - so we followed him on several other buses through various streets in Rome. He filled us in on the history and took us to the Pantheon, once a temple filled with statues of gods and now a Catholic church. We then travelled to the Trevi Fountain and threw a few coins in; we climbed the Spanish Steps. (The world's largest McDonald's is located across from the steps and we visited this location several times throughout the day!!!) Michelle's favorite location was the Trevi fountain. She remember it from The Lizzie McGuire Movie and enjoyed the beautiful water and sculptures. The streets in downtown Rome were beautiful with outdoor cafes, beautiful shops, and plenty of pizza.
Hannah, Michelle, and I walked the beautiful streets while Rick and Kelly took a train to meet Kelly's friend, Kelsey Davis, who flew in from Abilene. We viewed the Colisseum, shopped at H&M, and ended up in the middle of an Italian street protest. We heard people singing Italian songs, saw masses of people coming our way, and then saw the flags waving with police all over. We viewed street dancers, singers, and beggers throughout the streets. When Rick and Kelly met us with Kelsey, we took her on a trip through Rome in the evening, only to run into Hannah's upcoming college roommate, Madison, in front of the Trevi Fountain. No one could believe it. Madison was travelling with her school on spring break. It was fun to see everyone together just laughing and enjoying the ancient city of Rome.
On Sunday we looked for places to eat breakfast since we checked out of our Rome location and all we could find was pizza again since all the tiny stores, restaurants, and street vendors were closed on Sunday. We were thankful to eat, but pizza again???? We looked forward to our trip to Florence and Kelly was happy to have her sweet friend Kelsey with her. We took the train to Harding's location, ate pizza in town, and had a devotional with all the students from Harding in their Florence villa. We climbed to the top of the Duomo, walked the square, and definately paid for buses - they charge 50 times the price of a ticket if you do not buy your ticket beforehand, much unlike Rome. We wanted to see Michelangelo's David, but the museums were closed on Monday.
On Tuesday, we headed for Cinque Terre and were so thankful to do so. Cinque Terre, five different villages built into the sides of hills and bordering the Mediterrean, offered us a time to hike and head to the water. These five villages lack "modernization" so they are quaint and quite beautiful. Upon arriving in Vernazza, we sought out our room accommodations only to find the man renting the rooms was not in town and his building was closed up. (Talk about a laid back attitude.) The woman at the local store helped us find rooms only to realize that there was no heat, the rooms backed up to the train station, and we heard loudspeakers announcing train destinations all night. Needless to say, we froze through the night and hardly slept so I was ready to find a new place in the morning. I knew all the girls wanted to stay longer, but it was so cold...so I was quite thankful for the storeowners help the next morning. She called a friend and found find beautiful rooms with actual room heaters, so we ended up staying three extra nights. There are no modern hotel accommodations in the town and many simply rent out rooms for visitors.
On Wednesday, we met our sweet friend Sheree Hall in Vernazza and spent the day with her and Cheryl Cunningham hiking between the towns and ending up at Monterosso al Mare. We viewed the sea on the hikes and we had so much fun talking, eating gelato, and looking at the locks throughout the Via Dell'Amour (Love Walk). People bring small locks and attach them throughout this walk signifying their love for one another. The girls walked down to the water and then climbed many large rocks to take fun pictures. Hannah even took pictures of a man fishing with maggots. Sheree pointed it out and we were all grosqued out by the thought of maggots. My favorite town was Monterosso al Mare with the beach and the beautiful old, cobbled streets. Villagers were very helpful and willing to try to accommodate tourists even if it was in Italian. We choose a beautiful time to come since many were just beginning to open their shops for the upcoming tourists and the streets were not crowded. The Tuscany yellows and tangarines colored their buildings throughout the towns and many used clotheslines through the villages. We just loved the atmosphere and regretted having to leave.
On Thursday, Kelly and Kelsey flew back to London and stayed the night with friends from Hardin Simmons. Rick, Hannah, Michelle, and I made our way to Portofino and Santa Margherita. We took the train to Santa Margherita and then a small bus, through windy curves and narrow streets, to Portofino. Many movie stars spend time here in this small seaside village with pastel houses lining the harbor. We climbed the steps to the top of the hillside to view the beautiful water, the church, and the cemetary. In most villages, the church is at the center of the village or at the top of the hill. The crystal green water found in the harbor reminded me of Harbor Springs, only I must say that Harbor Springs is so much more beautiful. In conclusion, Italy represents the congested, hectic, historical beauty found in Rome to the seaside beauty of Tuscany represented in Cinque Terre - We could have done without Florence and Pisa on this short trip. Blessings.
We finished our day by viewing St. Peter's Basilica. It started to rain so we bought several umbrellas from street vendors - they are all over trying to sell any and everything that you can imagine. We had fun waiting in a long line weaving through the square to enter the church: Kelly almost fell as she slipped running to get a picture and many people just take cuts in front of others to get closer to the front. We actually had one family - seven members - just cut in front of us acting as though it never happened. From the outside, the church dominates the city with the huge pillars, a statute of Peter, and various statutes lining the square. Once inside the basilica, we could not believe how big it was - six acres and accommodating 95,000 worshipers. Instead of statues housing famous people as in Westminister Abbey, this church houses statues of past popes focusing mainly on Peter who was supposedly crucified and buried on this location. In the middle of the church is his tomb decored with a 70 foot tall bronze canopy. We could not believe the incredible size of everything inside; we could also not believe how beautiful Michelangelo's Pieta was.
We took in all the other sites on Saturday, trying to make our way to the center of the city by tram. However, the tram just simply did not show up. Many in Italy just accept the way of life where trams, buses, or taxis simply just do not function properly or show up so late that no one waits in line. We did not even buy bus or train passes in Rome because no one checks for them and many do not even know where to buy them. Since our tram did not show up, a college boy studying in Rome from America heard us talking and said that he would love to take us around -of course we had three beautiful girls with us - so we followed him on several other buses through various streets in Rome. He filled us in on the history and took us to the Pantheon, once a temple filled with statues of gods and now a Catholic church. We then travelled to the Trevi Fountain and threw a few coins in; we climbed the Spanish Steps. (The world's largest McDonald's is located across from the steps and we visited this location several times throughout the day!!!) Michelle's favorite location was the Trevi fountain. She remember it from The Lizzie McGuire Movie and enjoyed the beautiful water and sculptures. The streets in downtown Rome were beautiful with outdoor cafes, beautiful shops, and plenty of pizza.
Hannah, Michelle, and I walked the beautiful streets while Rick and Kelly took a train to meet Kelly's friend, Kelsey Davis, who flew in from Abilene. We viewed the Colisseum, shopped at H&M, and ended up in the middle of an Italian street protest. We heard people singing Italian songs, saw masses of people coming our way, and then saw the flags waving with police all over. We viewed street dancers, singers, and beggers throughout the streets. When Rick and Kelly met us with Kelsey, we took her on a trip through Rome in the evening, only to run into Hannah's upcoming college roommate, Madison, in front of the Trevi Fountain. No one could believe it. Madison was travelling with her school on spring break. It was fun to see everyone together just laughing and enjoying the ancient city of Rome.
On Sunday we looked for places to eat breakfast since we checked out of our Rome location and all we could find was pizza again since all the tiny stores, restaurants, and street vendors were closed on Sunday. We were thankful to eat, but pizza again???? We looked forward to our trip to Florence and Kelly was happy to have her sweet friend Kelsey with her. We took the train to Harding's location, ate pizza in town, and had a devotional with all the students from Harding in their Florence villa. We climbed to the top of the Duomo, walked the square, and definately paid for buses - they charge 50 times the price of a ticket if you do not buy your ticket beforehand, much unlike Rome. We wanted to see Michelangelo's David, but the museums were closed on Monday.
On Tuesday, we headed for Cinque Terre and were so thankful to do so. Cinque Terre, five different villages built into the sides of hills and bordering the Mediterrean, offered us a time to hike and head to the water. These five villages lack "modernization" so they are quaint and quite beautiful. Upon arriving in Vernazza, we sought out our room accommodations only to find the man renting the rooms was not in town and his building was closed up. (Talk about a laid back attitude.) The woman at the local store helped us find rooms only to realize that there was no heat, the rooms backed up to the train station, and we heard loudspeakers announcing train destinations all night. Needless to say, we froze through the night and hardly slept so I was ready to find a new place in the morning. I knew all the girls wanted to stay longer, but it was so cold...so I was quite thankful for the storeowners help the next morning. She called a friend and found find beautiful rooms with actual room heaters, so we ended up staying three extra nights. There are no modern hotel accommodations in the town and many simply rent out rooms for visitors.
On Wednesday, we met our sweet friend Sheree Hall in Vernazza and spent the day with her and Cheryl Cunningham hiking between the towns and ending up at Monterosso al Mare. We viewed the sea on the hikes and we had so much fun talking, eating gelato, and looking at the locks throughout the Via Dell'Amour (Love Walk). People bring small locks and attach them throughout this walk signifying their love for one another. The girls walked down to the water and then climbed many large rocks to take fun pictures. Hannah even took pictures of a man fishing with maggots. Sheree pointed it out and we were all grosqued out by the thought of maggots. My favorite town was Monterosso al Mare with the beach and the beautiful old, cobbled streets. Villagers were very helpful and willing to try to accommodate tourists even if it was in Italian. We choose a beautiful time to come since many were just beginning to open their shops for the upcoming tourists and the streets were not crowded. The Tuscany yellows and tangarines colored their buildings throughout the towns and many used clotheslines through the villages. We just loved the atmosphere and regretted having to leave.
On Thursday, Kelly and Kelsey flew back to London and stayed the night with friends from Hardin Simmons. Rick, Hannah, Michelle, and I made our way to Portofino and Santa Margherita. We took the train to Santa Margherita and then a small bus, through windy curves and narrow streets, to Portofino. Many movie stars spend time here in this small seaside village with pastel houses lining the harbor. We climbed the steps to the top of the hillside to view the beautiful water, the church, and the cemetary. In most villages, the church is at the center of the village or at the top of the hill. The crystal green water found in the harbor reminded me of Harbor Springs, only I must say that Harbor Springs is so much more beautiful. In conclusion, Italy represents the congested, hectic, historical beauty found in Rome to the seaside beauty of Tuscany represented in Cinque Terre - We could have done without Florence and Pisa on this short trip. Blessings.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Abbey Ruins
One of the many Oxford Colleges
Getting There(:
Airport!
Still Getting There....
This is what happens when your flight gets delayed
Oxford
Cornmarket pedestrian ONLY street! Beautiful day in Oxford
Sisters<3
First group meeting with all the College students