petite voitures (teeny tiny cars)

It's so much fun to spot the most petite voitures in Paris. They almost look like they are made for cartoon characters. Wish we could take one home. Sure makes parking easier!

Riding the Alps

Taylor, Greg & Doug Thomas headed off early Friday June 20th for a boys retreat in the alps. Of course they took their bikes. The main objective was to ride the steepest & most difficult passes of the Tour de France: Col du Galbier, Col du Telegraphe, Col de la Croix du Fere & l’Alp d’Huez. It was really difficult riding over 12,000 feet of climbing up hill. Needless to say they were hungry, tired & satisfied at the end of their two-day journey.

Poppys

Every couple of weeks there is a new crop of color filling the fields and roadsides. The red corn poppy is a flower (or weed to some) of wartime remembrance. It was one of the only plants that grew on the battlefield. It thrives in disturbed soil, which was abundant on the land due to intensive shelling. During the few weeks the plant blossomed, the battlefield was colored blood red, not just from the red flower but from the carnage of those who fought in battle. For this reason the plant became a symbol for the lost soldiers.

Fete de la Music

Saturday June 21st was the Fete de la Music. That is the one day a year anyone can sing or perform music on any street in France…just in case you are wondering it’s not legal to spontaneously Christmas carol or to play for cash on the corner. You need a permit to do these things. At our little marche Saturday morning there was an organ grinder playing music and singing old fashion French folk songs. Too bad that can’t take place every week.

Vaux le Victome

Vaux le Victome has the most interesting legend behind it’s history. Fouquet was the finance minister to Louis the XIV. He was a true patriot to the king, but the king was so jealous he never even noticed his allegiance. Fouquet built a magnificent chateau with art work and landscaping that surpassed all chateaus. He had a big fete to show off his new home & invited Louis. Well, the king couldn’t believe that Fouquet had a house better than his sooo that night he had his soldiers rip him out of bed and sent him to exile & eventually death (it is believed that he was the man in the iron mask!)! Hard to believe a person could be so jealous. Louis went on to build Versailles, but we think Vaux le Victome has lots more charm & beauty. This was the only chateau we have visited where the kids could dress up in traditional costumes and really imagine what it must have been like to be a princess, queen or musketeer. Brought back memories of playing in Grammie Randall’s dress ups with cousins.

Marathon day in Paris

We had a marathon day in Paris with our cousins. It all started climbing the steps at the Sacre-Coeur for an overview of the city. We ate lunch among the artists at “artist square” and then to the Opera Garnier. It was surprising how much the kids enjoyed visiting this sight...I think they were hoping to spot "The Phantom of the Opera". Our visit to the Louvre spotlighted the really famous pieces of art: Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, The Wedding Feast, Venus de Milo to name a few. The kids were fully engaged and had a great time. Uncle Greg played a great game giving us a minute to study a painting and then he would ask questions about varying aspects…I was amazed at the detail that the kids noticed. We enjoyed one of our favorite dinners – crepes from the street vendors. There is something so appealing about getting a crepe and sitting along the Seine and enjoying the ambiance of it all. After a needed break sitting on a cruise boat that gave us a tour of Paris from the Seine we headed for the top of the Eiffel Tower and a nigh time view of the lights. We hadn’t planned on staying late for this and we didn’t have any jackets so it was a bit chilly at the top. The last train for Fontainebleau had already taken off so we knew we had to run fast to catch a train into Melun where Taylor met us with the van & drove us home. The kids had to run a long ways and they had walked all day long. I was amazed at their stamina. We didn’t take a stroller and Lilly managed to keep up with us to the bitter end. Everyone was all smiles on the ride home, which means it was a totally successful day!

Bruge Belgium

Our day in Bruge Belgium was fantastic. The architecture is so unique. All of the old houses display the date they were built. We loved the varying roof lines, colors and designs. There is a huge clock tower in the town hall. We climbed all the way to the top and enjoyed hearing the bells that go off every 15 minutes. The canals were so beautiful and we loved taking a boat ride through the city. There is an original Michaelangelo statue in a grand old cathedral in Bruge. Nothing quite like really wonderful original artwork. It’s been fun to go to these old sights with our cousins. Especially since this is their first time in Europe. We’ve almost become a little too flippant about seeing so may glorious buildings so we were glad for Thomas and Eliza’s enthusiasm to remind us how amazing these sites are.



Bruge was heaven for Olivia our chocolate crazed girl. She inherited her love of chocolate from her dad. They made sure we tried several different varieties from several different chocolate shops. Olivia's favorite...dark dark chocolate!

Belgium is F L A T! This makes for fantastic bike riding. We loved seeing literally hundreds of bikes parked in groups outside of big buildings. This must be the Belgium version of a "family bike". I think it would take a very skilled driver to maneuver this through the streets of Bruge.

The lace makers still exist, but I think it's almost a lost art. The kids loved watching this woman work her magic with all of the little bobbins.


Bruge has some pretty tasty fries. You can choose from a big variety of sauces…not just ketchup and mayo. They have seet sauces and savory spicy sauces. We had our fill along with some delicious homemade waffles. Little treasures seemed to be everywhere!

Utah Beach

Since we are from Utah we made sure we visited Utah Beach as well. They had a really great old film about the war. All of these visual aids helped us learn and try to imagine what really went on. The kids enjoyed seeing uniforms, ration samples & fighter tanks and planes.

Point du Hoc

Point du Hoc has amazing bunkers and craters that the kids went crazy exploring and running through. After all of these years the holes in the ground still exist, only it’s now covered with green grass and wild flowers. Quite a beautiful picture and contrast from what it must have looked like after the war. We had to be careful where we ran for fear of twisting and ankle in a hidden trench.

The American Cemetery

The American Cemetery was a favorite. The photos and quotes that adorn the building said it all. Freedom was the goal. Those young men who fought had no idea where they were going or what they were up against, yet they gave all they had. The kids were especially interested in walking through the graveyard & reading where the soldiers came from

Omaha Beach

Visiting Normandy was a really wonderful experience. Our hotel was in a little village right next to Omaha beach. The beach in the village was completely covered with huge flat seashells. It was so cool.

First stop of the morning was the bakery for breakfast. We ate at the pier and enjoyed looking at the fishing boats then headed out for the day. The kids had all written reports about the different beaches and aspects of WWII & D-Day. We were all touched at Omaha beach as we walked along the sand and tried to imagine how difficult it must have been to forge through the waters onto land and up the hedges. Grandpa Paul Herscher was one of the lucky soldiers who survived the first wave onto Omaha Beach. We thought a great deal about the struggles he went through along with so many other soldiers. It was sobering to think that only 1 out of 9 soldiers survived that day.