London - More Brave Knights

Throughout our time in Europe, we felt so blessed to meet so many remarkable people.  We truly felt as though the Lord put people in our path that blessed us with their kindness, service, and friendship.  We end this portion of our trip with no photo, but with a few more tender mercies by yet another brave knight or two.

Our flight home took us through London where we had an overnight stay before a long flight early the next morning.  We arrived in London late in the evening.  We exited the terminal and began looking for the bus that would take us to our hotel.  To our surprise, the hotel buses are city buses and they charge 5 British pounds for the trip - fortunately kids are free.  We boarded the bus and the boys ran to the back to grab a seat.  The bus driver asked me for 5 pounds.  My dull traveler brain proceeded to give him 5 euro.  "Ma'am, I'm sorry but I can't take euros.  You'll need to go inside and buy a ticket where you can use a credit card.  The next bus will be by in 30 or 40 minutes."  I inwardly groaned at the late hour that would soon be made later by this latest event.  Just then, NoFear came running up to me with a 10 pound note.  "Mom, a lady at the back of the bus gave this to me for you to use to buy your ticket."  I was so grateful as I walked to the back of the bus to meet the latest of many brave knights we had encountered.  I introduced myself and offered payment in any number of currencies from my wallet.  This kind Canadian simply smiled at me and said, 

"just pay it forward."  

We arrived at the hotel, checked in to our room and headed down to the restaurant for a bite to eat.  The boys were so excited to have some Fish n Chips.  Mom was just ready for a pillow.  When the waiter inquired whether I wanted anything to eat, I declined and just asked for a glass of water.  As the boys were finishing their meal, the same waiter came back with an enormous slice of strawberry shortcake.  "On the house," he said as he placed it in front of me.   "Sometimes even weary travelers need a slice of cake."  Hard to argue with that kind of wisdom!

So chapter one of our travels comes to a close.  We are so excited to be heading home and so anxious to catch up with friends and loved ones.  We are certainly excited to say goodbye to our wardrobe of the last few months and to sleep in our own beds!  Having said that, we are most grateful for so many rich and rewarding experiences given at the hands of so many wonderful people.

Chapter two will find us in South America in a few weeks.  

We are so excited to meet the brave knights of that beautiful land!  

Spain Madrid Temple

With our quickened pace, we hustled from Barcelona to Madrid to catch our flight home.

A full tour of Madrid will have to wait for another time, but we were grateful to be able to squeeze in the site we most wanted to see, the Spain Madrid temple!

We had a remarkable experience here.  NoFear was able to do service with a branch from Italy.  So while he was surrounded by Italian speakers, the session was conducted in Spanish, and the confirmations were conducted in Portuguese.  I had a similar tri-lingual experience during my service.  We marveled afterward that the gospel of Jesus Christ unites all cultures and languages.  It was such a privilege for us to be in the temple.

La Casa Del Senor - The House of the Lord

A familiar site on the grounds in Spain.  Families are forever.

Barcelona

Sunday morning, we bade farewell to the beautiful Costa Brava and hit the road for

BARCELONA!

We were blessed to attend church at a local ward there.

One of the things that Nathan had on his wish list of things to do was to rent electric bicycles.  With only an afternoon to spend seeing the sites, Barcelona provided the perfect opportunity to travel at a faster pace!  None of us had tried this before.  Electric bikes are awesome!  Need a little burst of speed?  Just push a button and you surge forward.  It's a little tricky near crowds, but it is a blast to tour around a city in this way.  We also made some fun friends from Bath, England on our tour.  We look forward to visiting with them during our time in the British Isles in the spring.

The Basilica of La Sagrada Familia

This famous church has been under construction for more than 100 years with the first stone being laid in 1882.  The architect is also famous, Antoni Gaudi.  Gaudi is responsible for designing many of the sites in Barcelona.  Although he died in a tram accident in 1926, the plans have moved forward.  The interior was finished in 2012.  The exterior has only 8 of 18 spires completed.  The plan is to complete the entire church by 2026 - the 100 year anniversary of Gaudi's death.

Barrio Gotico - Barcelona's Gothic Quarter

This is the oldest and most historically-rich area of Barcelona.  

We loved taking in the sites and sounds of this wonderful neighborhood.

Barceloneta Beach

Our tour led us through a number of the barrios, down the La Rambla, and along the very busy beachside area known as Barceloneta Beach.  The area teams with people, performers, shops, and attractions.  In fact, due to the cooler weather, the beach was the only uncrowded spot we saw!

El Raval

One of the most interesting neighborhoods we rode through was one that only a few years ago, would not have been considered safe as it was the central location in the drug trade.  However, a huge regeneration plan has been underway in the barrio known as El Raval.  While we were warned that pickpockets still abound, we were delighted with the charm and diversity of the this fun neighborhood.  Please note:  When riding an enormous cat, NoFear advises that one wear a helmet!

Costa Brava - The Ghosts of Cap Sa Sal - Begur

We loved our next adventure, but we were also a bit terrified at times.
It was more fun that way!

Our flight home was out of Madrid so we pushed hard through France in case there were any unforeseen delays.  Since their weren't, we had a couple of days to relax on the coast of Spain.  We rented a place that sounded ideal.  Coastal resort, ocean pools, mini-golf, all kinds of activities.  When we arrived, it would more aptly be described as really cool ghost town/resort.

We wandered into the massive lobby built out on a cliff and were in awe of our surroundings.  On the walls were picture of celebrities who had stayed here - Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, Omar Shariff, Zsa Zsa Gabor.  As we were taking in our surroundings, a dog wandered by followed shortly by a cat.  No humans in sight.  Everything echoed.  We wandered around for a time, admiring the remarkable architecture of what was obviously an elite resort in its day, hoping that someone would show up to give us keys to our apartment.  An hour or so later, someone did.  The first of about 5 people we would see during our entire stay.  In the late 70's the resort fell into tough times financially.  Rooms were converted to vacation apartments and sold individually.  Perhaps this place bustles during the summer season, but in October?  Chirp chirp.  

Aerial view from Cap Sa Sal website

The view from our apartment was breathtaking and gave us new courage to go exploring.

 We took what seemed like the longest elevator ride ever down down down. 

Eventually the doors opened and we found ourselves in a long dark tunnel.

Flashlights on our phones, a very good thing.  They didn't stop NoFear, our leader, from becoming ensnared in some of the biggest cobwebs ever NOT seen!  About the time we were ready to turn and run, we spotted sunlight and rushed to the end.
Imagine our delight at what we found!

An awesome swimming platform set right down in the sea.

The next morning, we were up for a swim.

...all by ourselves....

Time to head on an adventure.  We read that a boat ride in the nearby Mendez islands would yield pirate ships and buried treasure so we were in!

Doesn't this cove look like the perfect place for pirates to hide?

Beautiful scenery.  The Optimist and I also got a quick look as some dolphins skimming by.

A glass bottomed area to view things close up.

NoFear - takes in the sights with the Captain.

 We didn't spy any treasure, but we had another beautiful day of sunshine in Spain!

Avignon - Palais des Papes

Fortress, palace, papal residence - this site has served many purposes.

For a brief time, in the 14th century, it was also the center of Western Christianity - until that title returned to Rome along with the pope in residence.

The Palais des Papes is a remarkable site in the beautiful city of Avignon, France.

We arrived in the evening and checked into a nearby hotel.

Our hotel clerk was clearly fooled by the limited amount of French I used during the 

check in process, as she suggested that we attend a light show at the Palais des Papes

that evening (see the blue sign to the right).  It was a remarkable, dramatic story

telling of the history of this building and area.  Unfortunately, it was all in French.

I may be able to speak to a taxi driver or a hotel clerk, but translate a dramatic performance in real time for the boys, way beyond my skills.  Oops!  

The next morning we came back for another look and opted for a train ride around the city.

This was a quick must-see for us, but with our tightened timeline, we were soon on the road.

Ciao, ch-ciao, ciao Italy - Bonjour France!

We love to hear an Italian person on the phone.

Every call ends with a litany of "Ciao ch ciao ch ciao ciao."

It was so awesome that when we reached the border of France we yelled a chorus

of the appropriate, elongated, less charming with our accents, fond farewells to Italy.

Our end goal today was the Verdon Gorge, but the boy's humored me in a quick detour to

one of my favorite french villages, St. Paul de Vence.

They don't get very excited about "quaint" - but the crepes were wonderful and this was an ideal

stop for lunch and for a quick mom moment.  I smiled when we stopped at the crepe stand just inside the entrance and saw the same woman I took a picture of when I was here with Sissy a few years ago.  

In a rush to take a quick picture on my phone, the picture ended up blurry so I won't post it.

I'll just send it to Sissy.  It will still make her smile.

NoFear did find something irresistible in this quaint village...

The Verdon Gorge was recommended to us as a place where we could relax for a few days

and find some boy adventure.  Our plans changed in the midst of this trip so I planned

to see these sights again and didn't stop to get pictures the first time.  Big mistake!

These are pulled from the internet.

The Verdon Gorge...

...that flows into the beautiful Lac de Sainte Croix

Our apartment this time was in the village, Moustiers Sainte Marie.

It is considered one of the most beautiful villages in France.

It was beyond all our expectations!

The entire village is built on limestone platforms dug out of the mountain.

It is a region famous for its beautiful water and also its beautiful pottery.

We were excited to pick out the perfect piece to take home with us.

Our amazing apartment was built right at the base of the mountain.

An open window filled our ears with sounds of the rushing stream and waterfall outside.

Our window is right under the sign on the right.

Our view across the stream.  So charming!

There is an amazing chapel built at the top of the mountain just overhead.

Notre Dame de Belvoir dates back to the 10th century, but is built on an earlier 5th century site.

It nestles between two great cliffs.  In between these cliffs there is a star suspended on a wire.

Legend has it that a knight from the area who was taken prisoner by the Saracens during the Crusades, vowed that if he ever returned, he would hang a star in honor of the Virgin Mary.

It is a beautiful hike up ancient steps to reach the chapel.

We were even greeted by a local.  Look carefully....

The chapel Notre Dame de Belvoir

As usual, the boys found a more interesting way back down.

Of all the areas we hope to revisit, this one would rank near the top.  

We had originally planned for several days here and the area certainly merits it.

However, Dr. Voice made his university choir and had a big concert coming up.

We all voted to change our plans and head home early to surprise him at his performance.

We can hardly wait to see his face!

In order to do that, we had only one night in the area, but will definitely be back!

Cinque Terre - Five Lands and Five Knights - LDS Missionaries!

We caught the train in La Spezia this morning and rode it all the way to the last village

of the famous Cinque Terre.  We figured we would work our way back from there.

That village, furthest north, is called Monterosso.

We spent some time on the beach and did a little climbing and hiking for a few hours...

...before catching the water taxi to Vernazza.

There are no cars allowed in this seaside escape.

This picture just makes me pause and give thanks for a moment.

We have four wonderful children, 

each unique, each having different adventures, each brings us joy, and sleepless nights, and joy!

When we looked over and saw this scene, Dad and I just had to smile.  

They have been together 24/7 for more than two months

and they are still best buddies.

When we arrived back in La Spezia, we decided to find our church building there

and see if we could get WiFi.  We wanted to watch the General Conference broadcast

of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and perhaps catch a bit of the BYU game.

This was a good sign!  A familiar plaque and an open door!

We had no idea that we would soon have one of the most memorable Conference

experiences ever.  Serving in this area are four wonderful missionaries.

They all happened to be American.  One just a few weeks away from going home, 

one only out for a few weeks, and two others somewhere in the middle.

We have always loved the missionaries, but having a daughter serving as a 

missionary right now, makes us want to take extra good care of them.

The only place Conference would stream was in the tiny office/family history room.

We gathered around the ancient computer with popcorn Dad had brought from home.

One of the Elders knew how to pop microwave popcorn on the stove!

It was a simple but tender experience to be in a room with these valiant young men

and listen to a prophet of God speak.

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/sessions/2014

It is always a privilege to feed missionaries.  In between sessions, we got our chance.

Pizza delivery in La Spezia, Italy - now that's something we'll always remember!

The next morning, we gathered again at the church for the men's Priesthood session.

At home, it is a tradition that we bake cookies on Sunday. 

Some traditions are worth a little extra effort to keep so we made use of the tiny kitchen.

With fresh cookies and the amazing dishes brought by other members and the missionaries,

we feasted on delicious food and so much more...

... and left with full tummies and hearts.