January 20, 1989 was Rob and Erika’s wedding day. A beautiful, but snowy and foggy day. They were sealed in the River Jordan Temple by my Dad. We were happy to welcome another daughter to the family.
Laurisa Romriell was born just a month later. We now have 18 grandchildren. Jenny, David, James, Ryan, Chris, Becky, Melissa, Alicia, Salem, Daniel, Tannie, Trent, Russell, Alex, Laurisa, Lauren, Sam, and Michelle. All great kids!
In June, Nancy was married to Jeff Wise. Two great kids came from that marriage, Ashley and Tanner, though it was not a happy time for Nancy. It ended in divorce a few years later.
Also in 1989 we had a Honey reunion. Bill and Kathy, Joan and families came and it was nice to be together. Leon prepared a booklet with pictures and stories of Bill and Leona for all the family.
March 23, 1990 was Mark and Sharon’s wedding day in the Salt Lake Temple. Dad was able to seal them; so special to have my Dad officiating. They had known each other ever since we moved to Utah, in 1977. Sharon lived right across the street from us. All of our children are now married.
In August, 1990, my Mom and Dad and all their kids took a trip to the colonies in Mexico. Dad had never been back since leaving Colonia Dublan where he was born. He was a toddler when he left. Gina and Keith; Fred, Carol, young Fred, Warren and Lexie; Mary and Rachel; and Leon and I made up the group. We took three cars.
We spent Sunday evening singing lots of songs, many of them having to do with Mexico. The next morning we drove to Tucson and found the old Mormon Cemetery in Binghamton, now a suburb of Tucson. We located my grandfather’s grave, Frederick Granger Williams, the 2nd though he didn’t go by 2nd. He died when my Dad was a young boy. We visited the granite monument to the Mormon Battalion in a park in Tucson. My folks were instrumental in organizing the dedication of the monument in 1937.
We drove to Columbus, NM on the border with Mexico. Leon filled up our car with gas a one pump and Keith and Mary filled up at another one. Then their cars wouldn’t work! We found out that diesel fuel had been mixed with the gas. After much hassle, the owner was contacted and he had the tanks cleaned out and filled with gas; no charge. By now it was late at night so we spent the night in Deming, 34 miles north.
Tuesday, Mary, Leon and I obtained Mexican insurance for our cars; Keith and Gina had obtained theirs earlier in Mesa. We drove to the border and had to wait for the Mexican border attendant to finish his lunch, then we were able to proceed on our way.
It was a slow 90 miles to Colonia Dublan, now part of Nuevo Casas Grandes. Roads were good in the country but terrible in the towns we passed through. Big chuck holes and unmarked large speed bumps.
We stayed at Motel Hacienda, formerly a Ramada Inn. It was built Spanish style around a large grassy patio with a swimming pool in one of the corners. Large trees and flowers made it a very pretty place. We ate lunch in the banquet room, very private and nice. It was fun being all together. Most of us spoke Spanish so we talked to the waiters and other hotel people.
Afterwards, we got into the cars and located some landmarks Fred had investigated. We located the corner where Nancy Abigail Clement Williams, my grandmother had lived, and where the blacksmith shop was located.
Dublan was much prettier than expected. Most homes looked like they had been transported straight from Utah. All the roads were dirt except the main one. The church block looked very prosperous, enclosed with a fence and a sidewalk. There were many trees and flowers. We met Fletcher Memmot, who had been a missionary in Argentina during WW II. He told us how to get to Colonia Juarez and the Academy. That night, he and his wife and two daughters visited us and brought maps, pictures and lovely peaches.
We drove to Colonia Juarez, about 8 miles from Colonia Dublan and saw all the beautiful orchards. We saw the Academy building, built in 1904. There are about 400 students, 80% LDS; a bishop’s recommend is needed and there is a long waiting list.
We drove back to Dublan before dark; it is not good to be out on the roads at night. The little Mexican towns are very poor and dirty but where the Mormons settled, the places are clean and neat.
Wednesday, Leon and I had to leave as we had planned on going east to visit Rob and Erika in Tennessee. The others stayed another day, locating the place outside of town where Dad was born. It was very special to have this trip with my parents, brother and sisters, and other family members.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
1986-88
After we returned from our fabulous trip to Europe, we were able to get a new roof. With help from Brent, Doug, and I can’t remember who else, we got the job done, just before a rainstorm.
Doug had been attending Utah Valley Community College and had enrolled in an art class, or something like that, and the teacher planned a trip to Europe. Doug got to go and had a great time. The most important part of that trip was that he met Julie, also a student at UVCC. They hit it off really well and became engaged; either on the trip or shortly after returning home. They were married December 5, 1986 and the sealing was performed by my Dad.
In April of 1987, David received his PHD from UC Berkely. We were able to travel and witness this. We were really proud of him and his accomplishments.
Mark received his mission call to Des Moines, IA late that summer and in the fall, entered the MTC. Our last son to fill a mission. Many family members went to the MTC to see him off.
We had five young men from our ward enter the MTC that fall; one after the other gave their farewell talks, a week apart in Sacrament Meeting.
In a weak moment, we signed up to buy two lots in Aspen Hills; between Fairview and Mt. Pleasant. There was a stream with a waterfall and it was fun to go there for picnics. We parked the Dragin’ Wagon and the camper shell there. Many family members enjoyed visits and a few camped over night. We always thought we would build a cabin but it was not to be. Some vandals stole the metal supports on the camper shell and a bad winter snow caved in the Dragin’ Wagon so we cleaned up the lots. Eventually we sold the lots.
December brought another performance of Messiah. Leon was the conductor and Tricia and I sang in the Chorus. It was always a lot of fun to sing that great music.
My boss, Roger Plothow, had me, another secretary, himself, and the college president, attend a conference in Washington, D.C. Besides attending the meetings, I was able to visit the Smithsonian Museums, Ford’s Theater, The Washington Monument, Lincoln’s Memorial, Mt. Vernon, Arlington Cemetery, saw the Declaration of Independence and visited the White House. There were many more things we saw. It was a great time. One could purchase a ticket, ride a little bus around, get off and on again and continue seeing our capital. I’ll always be grateful to Roger for the nice trips I was able to take.
I was able to visit Washington D.C. another time; this time just Roger, someone else, and I went. After the conference, he said he wanted to visit the National Museum of Art with me. We would go into a room. He would sit on a bench while I walked around looking at the paintings, then we would go into another room and he would sit again and I would look. I got a kick out this. It was in Washington D.C. that I first tasted Key Lime Pie. It has been a favorite ever since.
In 1988, my Dad celebrated his 80th birthday and we had a big celebration in Mesa. Most of the family were there except Mark and Shane Morris; they were serving their missions. We had lots of singing and playing. We sang the grandkids’ songs and wedding songs that Mom wrote, plus her sacred ones. I was wonderful to be with the extended family and Mom and Dad
Doug had been attending Utah Valley Community College and had enrolled in an art class, or something like that, and the teacher planned a trip to Europe. Doug got to go and had a great time. The most important part of that trip was that he met Julie, also a student at UVCC. They hit it off really well and became engaged; either on the trip or shortly after returning home. They were married December 5, 1986 and the sealing was performed by my Dad.
In April of 1987, David received his PHD from UC Berkely. We were able to travel and witness this. We were really proud of him and his accomplishments.
Mark received his mission call to Des Moines, IA late that summer and in the fall, entered the MTC. Our last son to fill a mission. Many family members went to the MTC to see him off.
We had five young men from our ward enter the MTC that fall; one after the other gave their farewell talks, a week apart in Sacrament Meeting.
In a weak moment, we signed up to buy two lots in Aspen Hills; between Fairview and Mt. Pleasant. There was a stream with a waterfall and it was fun to go there for picnics. We parked the Dragin’ Wagon and the camper shell there. Many family members enjoyed visits and a few camped over night. We always thought we would build a cabin but it was not to be. Some vandals stole the metal supports on the camper shell and a bad winter snow caved in the Dragin’ Wagon so we cleaned up the lots. Eventually we sold the lots.
December brought another performance of Messiah. Leon was the conductor and Tricia and I sang in the Chorus. It was always a lot of fun to sing that great music.
My boss, Roger Plothow, had me, another secretary, himself, and the college president, attend a conference in Washington, D.C. Besides attending the meetings, I was able to visit the Smithsonian Museums, Ford’s Theater, The Washington Monument, Lincoln’s Memorial, Mt. Vernon, Arlington Cemetery, saw the Declaration of Independence and visited the White House. There were many more things we saw. It was a great time. One could purchase a ticket, ride a little bus around, get off and on again and continue seeing our capital. I’ll always be grateful to Roger for the nice trips I was able to take.
I was able to visit Washington D.C. another time; this time just Roger, someone else, and I went. After the conference, he said he wanted to visit the National Museum of Art with me. We would go into a room. He would sit on a bench while I walked around looking at the paintings, then we would go into another room and he would sit again and I would look. I got a kick out this. It was in Washington D.C. that I first tasted Key Lime Pie. It has been a favorite ever since.
In 1988, my Dad celebrated his 80th birthday and we had a big celebration in Mesa. Most of the family were there except Mark and Shane Morris; they were serving their missions. We had lots of singing and playing. We sang the grandkids’ songs and wedding songs that Mom wrote, plus her sacred ones. I was wonderful to be with the extended family and Mom and Dad
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
KS, TX & AZ trip
I’ve been asked to write about our great 2 ½ weeks trip that we just took. All together it was a marvelous time. The main purpose was to witness Laurisa’s wedding, see Tricia and Alan, plus visiting Alan and Peggy and my sister Gina and her husband John.
We left on Thursday, April 30. We drove to Denver, CO, enjoying the beautiful scenery which reminded us of our mission in Woodland Park, CO. The pine trees were so beautiful. The next day we drove to Manhattan, KS, and arrived at Alan and Peggy’s new house. It is right across from the other one they had rented. This is a much nicer one; it has a basement family room plus a bedroom and bath for Will and upstairs, three more bedrooms and a bathroom. The living room is large, reminiscent of their living room in their old Provo home. We enjoyed our time with them. Alan and Peggy graciously gave up their bed to us; so kind of them. We weren’t able to see Lauren and Ross because they were visiting in Houston, TX. We went to church with them and enjoyed their Gospel Doctrine teacher very much. He was an LDS Chaplain at Ft. Riley.
Monday, May 4 (my mother’s birthday) we drove to Oklahoma City to spend the night. We saw signs advertising a Cowboy Museum. It was located fairly close to our motel so we thought we would check it out. It was a great place to visit and we only saw part of it. There was a huge room in which they had built a frontier town. It had a saloon, blacksmith shop, stables, hotel, newspaper office, doctor’s office, and a mercantile store. It was most interesting. They also had galleries with lovely paintings and many bronzes by Remington and Russell. They also had cowboy movie memorabilia. They showed little excerpts of cowboy movies, from silent film days to the present. They also had a huge room with pictures and items from cowboy movie stars from silent films to today. John Wayne had a huge selection. There were pictures of John Wayne, Roy Rogers, Tom Mix, Tom Selleck, Glen Ford, Walter Brennan, Gene Autry, and so many more with saddles, boots, gloves and other items. It was a worthwhile place to visit.
As we were about to leave, I got a call on my little cell phone. It was Lauren! She had called her Dad and he asked her where she was. When she replied she was in Oklahoma City, he told her that we were there and gave her my cell phone number. It was great to hear from her.. We told her where our motel was and they came by. It was fun to see her, Ross and little Ethan. What a darling little boy, so smiley and happy. We walked across the motel parking lot to a Waffle House and had supper together. I’m so glad we were able to see them since we didn’t get to in Manhattan.
Tuesday, May 5, we drove on down to Austin, TX. It is always great to get to Tricia and Alan’s house. We have our own room with our own bathroom. Wednesday, May 6th, we went to the San Antonio Temple for Laurisa to take out her endowments. David, her fiancé, his parents and brother Daniel (who looks a lot like David and who is leaving for Argentina to serve his mission very soon) and Tannie and Jillian and I can’t remember who else was there. The temple is very beautiful with lots of stained glass and beautiful murals in the endowment room.
Thursday, the 7th, Leon had to buy a new camera as the old one just quit. We went to Target and got a nice one. Alan arrived that evening to photograph the wedding. Friday, the 8th, the Christoffersons came and spent the night, along with their daughter and baby. Laurisa also had a friend from BYU there. Laurisa, friend, Alex, and Daniel, David’s brother, all slept on couches. Tricia’s house lends itself to housing many people. David slept at Russell’s house.
Saturday the 9th, quite early, we all left for the temple. It takes about 1 hour and 10 minutes for the trip. Elder Christofferson, of the Quorum of the Twelve and David’s uncle, performed the sealing. It was very special. Tannie and Dan, Trent and Cinthya, Russell and Jillian, Alex and his fianceé Rachel, Alan’s sister Janna and husband, Ryan and Leslie Barlow,
David’s parents, brother and sister, were all there. Tricia had arranged for babysitters to watch all the little ones while we were in the temple. James and Lonna Barlow had planned on being there but Gwen pinched her finger in the car door and they had to take her to the E.R. She was o.k. And they joined us at the restaurant. Alan took lots of pictures and it was fun watching him work and his patter. After the sealing we all went to an Italian restaurant for a nice meal.
Tricia had lots of friends to help with decorating and serving for the reception. The whole driveway had small white poles with white tulle lining the driveway with luminarias also lighting the way. Some young boys had the fun job of keeping the little candles lighted in the paper sacks. There was a dance floor with lights overhead, also more lights where the arch and wedding line stood. The tables were beautifully decorated as were also the backs of the chairs. A string quartet, Tricia’s friends, played for an hour; very enjoyable. There was also a DJ with more music. It was a very lovely affair.
Sunday morning, David and Laurisa came and opened gifts. Leon and I watched for a while and then Alex, Rachel, Leon and I went to Sacrament Meeting. People started leaving Sunday: Alan, all the Christoffersons, and Laurisa’s friend. It was nice to have it quiet again.
Monday, the 11th, Tricia, Alan, Leon and I drove to Corpus Christi for a mini vacation. We visited the USS Lexington, an aircraft carrier. They are always fun to visit and so huge! We found a good Mexican restaurant, then dropped Leon off at the motel and Tricia, Alan and I drove out on Padre Island. We walked down to the beach and waded in the Gulf of Mexico. The water was warm and it was a lovely experience. I really miss the beach, living in Utah, so this was special.
The next morning we drove along the shore, seeing the Gulf on one side and lovely homes on the other. We then went to a great museum. They have the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria; full-sized replicas of Columbus’s ships. They were built by the Spanish government in 1992 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the sailing to America. The ships had sailed around the world and finally wound up in Corpus Christi. The Niña is floating by a pier but the other two are in dry dock. We were able to go aboard the Pinta. They are so small to sail across the large ocean! We were told that at one time the Pinta and Santa Maria were in the water and a barge ran into them causing damage. Spain still owned the ships at that time and they had to have people from Spain come and repair them.
Wednesday the 13th was a quiet day with Tricia getting her house back in order. She and I sat in the spa for a while; the pool was still a little cold for me. We always enjoy being at their home.
Thursday, 14th we drove to Van Horn, TX and spent the night and drove next morning to Mesa, AZ to visit Gina and John. They have a lovely condo and are very hospitable. Saturday, They drove us to Phoenix to visit Bill Farnsworth, an old missionary friend from Uruguay. He had been the first mission secretary. He and his wife Ella are special people and it was great to visit with them. They have lived all over the world; he was an executive in a large bank. They lived in Uruguay, Brazil, London, California and I don’t know where else. He was from the Colonies in Mexico.
That afternoon, we were able to go visit Robyn, Rob, and their family. They have a nice home with a pool. She is a ball of fire, so fun to visit with. They plan on going back to live in Hawaii in a few years.
Sunday, we went to the Spanish Ward, as Gina and John are assigned there to help out. It was nice to hear Spanish spoken. Gina wasn’t feeling to well, so we left after Sacrament Meeting. She felt better in the afternoon so we went and visited Melanie and Boyd. They also have a lovely home. It was good to visit them and hear about their lodge in Heber, AZ. also about their kids. That evening we drove to Phoenix and visited Kevin and Marian. Also a lovely home. Their kids are great and we enjoyed visiting with all of them. Erica and Andrea both had spent time at the Jerusalem Center and we had fun talking about places we all had visited. Erica has graduated from BYU and is working in a law office; not her father’s. Andrea is still going to school at BYU and Kyle is a junior in high school.
Monday, we started home, planning on stopping on the way to spend the night but we kept right on going. We were ready to be home. Leon had been very good about stopping frequently and walking for his leg so I don’t think he had any problems with it. It is lovely to be home in our own bed.
We left on Thursday, April 30. We drove to Denver, CO, enjoying the beautiful scenery which reminded us of our mission in Woodland Park, CO. The pine trees were so beautiful. The next day we drove to Manhattan, KS, and arrived at Alan and Peggy’s new house. It is right across from the other one they had rented. This is a much nicer one; it has a basement family room plus a bedroom and bath for Will and upstairs, three more bedrooms and a bathroom. The living room is large, reminiscent of their living room in their old Provo home. We enjoyed our time with them. Alan and Peggy graciously gave up their bed to us; so kind of them. We weren’t able to see Lauren and Ross because they were visiting in Houston, TX. We went to church with them and enjoyed their Gospel Doctrine teacher very much. He was an LDS Chaplain at Ft. Riley.
Monday, May 4 (my mother’s birthday) we drove to Oklahoma City to spend the night. We saw signs advertising a Cowboy Museum. It was located fairly close to our motel so we thought we would check it out. It was a great place to visit and we only saw part of it. There was a huge room in which they had built a frontier town. It had a saloon, blacksmith shop, stables, hotel, newspaper office, doctor’s office, and a mercantile store. It was most interesting. They also had galleries with lovely paintings and many bronzes by Remington and Russell. They also had cowboy movie memorabilia. They showed little excerpts of cowboy movies, from silent film days to the present. They also had a huge room with pictures and items from cowboy movie stars from silent films to today. John Wayne had a huge selection. There were pictures of John Wayne, Roy Rogers, Tom Mix, Tom Selleck, Glen Ford, Walter Brennan, Gene Autry, and so many more with saddles, boots, gloves and other items. It was a worthwhile place to visit.
As we were about to leave, I got a call on my little cell phone. It was Lauren! She had called her Dad and he asked her where she was. When she replied she was in Oklahoma City, he told her that we were there and gave her my cell phone number. It was great to hear from her.. We told her where our motel was and they came by. It was fun to see her, Ross and little Ethan. What a darling little boy, so smiley and happy. We walked across the motel parking lot to a Waffle House and had supper together. I’m so glad we were able to see them since we didn’t get to in Manhattan.
Tuesday, May 5, we drove on down to Austin, TX. It is always great to get to Tricia and Alan’s house. We have our own room with our own bathroom. Wednesday, May 6th, we went to the San Antonio Temple for Laurisa to take out her endowments. David, her fiancé, his parents and brother Daniel (who looks a lot like David and who is leaving for Argentina to serve his mission very soon) and Tannie and Jillian and I can’t remember who else was there. The temple is very beautiful with lots of stained glass and beautiful murals in the endowment room.
Thursday, the 7th, Leon had to buy a new camera as the old one just quit. We went to Target and got a nice one. Alan arrived that evening to photograph the wedding. Friday, the 8th, the Christoffersons came and spent the night, along with their daughter and baby. Laurisa also had a friend from BYU there. Laurisa, friend, Alex, and Daniel, David’s brother, all slept on couches. Tricia’s house lends itself to housing many people. David slept at Russell’s house.
Saturday the 9th, quite early, we all left for the temple. It takes about 1 hour and 10 minutes for the trip. Elder Christofferson, of the Quorum of the Twelve and David’s uncle, performed the sealing. It was very special. Tannie and Dan, Trent and Cinthya, Russell and Jillian, Alex and his fianceé Rachel, Alan’s sister Janna and husband, Ryan and Leslie Barlow,
David’s parents, brother and sister, were all there. Tricia had arranged for babysitters to watch all the little ones while we were in the temple. James and Lonna Barlow had planned on being there but Gwen pinched her finger in the car door and they had to take her to the E.R. She was o.k. And they joined us at the restaurant. Alan took lots of pictures and it was fun watching him work and his patter. After the sealing we all went to an Italian restaurant for a nice meal.
Tricia had lots of friends to help with decorating and serving for the reception. The whole driveway had small white poles with white tulle lining the driveway with luminarias also lighting the way. Some young boys had the fun job of keeping the little candles lighted in the paper sacks. There was a dance floor with lights overhead, also more lights where the arch and wedding line stood. The tables were beautifully decorated as were also the backs of the chairs. A string quartet, Tricia’s friends, played for an hour; very enjoyable. There was also a DJ with more music. It was a very lovely affair.
Sunday morning, David and Laurisa came and opened gifts. Leon and I watched for a while and then Alex, Rachel, Leon and I went to Sacrament Meeting. People started leaving Sunday: Alan, all the Christoffersons, and Laurisa’s friend. It was nice to have it quiet again.
Monday, the 11th, Tricia, Alan, Leon and I drove to Corpus Christi for a mini vacation. We visited the USS Lexington, an aircraft carrier. They are always fun to visit and so huge! We found a good Mexican restaurant, then dropped Leon off at the motel and Tricia, Alan and I drove out on Padre Island. We walked down to the beach and waded in the Gulf of Mexico. The water was warm and it was a lovely experience. I really miss the beach, living in Utah, so this was special.
The next morning we drove along the shore, seeing the Gulf on one side and lovely homes on the other. We then went to a great museum. They have the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria; full-sized replicas of Columbus’s ships. They were built by the Spanish government in 1992 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the sailing to America. The ships had sailed around the world and finally wound up in Corpus Christi. The Niña is floating by a pier but the other two are in dry dock. We were able to go aboard the Pinta. They are so small to sail across the large ocean! We were told that at one time the Pinta and Santa Maria were in the water and a barge ran into them causing damage. Spain still owned the ships at that time and they had to have people from Spain come and repair them.
Wednesday the 13th was a quiet day with Tricia getting her house back in order. She and I sat in the spa for a while; the pool was still a little cold for me. We always enjoy being at their home.
Thursday, 14th we drove to Van Horn, TX and spent the night and drove next morning to Mesa, AZ to visit Gina and John. They have a lovely condo and are very hospitable. Saturday, They drove us to Phoenix to visit Bill Farnsworth, an old missionary friend from Uruguay. He had been the first mission secretary. He and his wife Ella are special people and it was great to visit with them. They have lived all over the world; he was an executive in a large bank. They lived in Uruguay, Brazil, London, California and I don’t know where else. He was from the Colonies in Mexico.
That afternoon, we were able to go visit Robyn, Rob, and their family. They have a nice home with a pool. She is a ball of fire, so fun to visit with. They plan on going back to live in Hawaii in a few years.
Sunday, we went to the Spanish Ward, as Gina and John are assigned there to help out. It was nice to hear Spanish spoken. Gina wasn’t feeling to well, so we left after Sacrament Meeting. She felt better in the afternoon so we went and visited Melanie and Boyd. They also have a lovely home. It was good to visit them and hear about their lodge in Heber, AZ. also about their kids. That evening we drove to Phoenix and visited Kevin and Marian. Also a lovely home. Their kids are great and we enjoyed visiting with all of them. Erica and Andrea both had spent time at the Jerusalem Center and we had fun talking about places we all had visited. Erica has graduated from BYU and is working in a law office; not her father’s. Andrea is still going to school at BYU and Kyle is a junior in high school.
Monday, we started home, planning on stopping on the way to spend the night but we kept right on going. We were ready to be home. Leon had been very good about stopping frequently and walking for his leg so I don’t think he had any problems with it. It is lovely to be home in our own bed.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Rome!
We next drove to Rome! How exciting to visit that city. We unloaded our luggage and then dropped off the car. We then walked back. We walked all the rest of the time in Rome and saw so many wonderful. Our bed and breakfast place was on Via Cavour, the same street as the church that has the statue of Moses by Michelangelo. The one with the horns. It was very plain inside but loved seeing that statue.
Our room overlooked the street and that was so entertaining. Cars were parked every which way, double parked, triple parked and even on the sidewalk. at right angles, or at any angle, to the curb. People would walk down the middle of the street, two and three abreast, ignoring traffic. Our room has a shower in the corner with the toilet down the hall.
We saw the Spanish Steps but I was disappointed. Pictures always show them with flowers and clean. There were no flowers, it was dirty and tons of people. We walked across town along the Tiber river and saw Castello de Sant Angelo of Tosca fame (she jumped from it at the end of the opera); it was built as Emperor Hadrian’s Mausoleum. We then walked to St. Peter’s Square. Pictures can’t do it justice, it is huge!!! Inside the Basilica is truly beautiful, also huge. Lots of beautiful marble, gold, paintings and statues. We were able to see the "Pieta", just beautiful.
Walking back to the hotel we would look down in a vacant lot and see Roman ruins below ground level. We saw the huge white monument to Victor Emmanuel II "Altare della Patria" It looks like a big wedding cake.
Next day we visited the church "St. Peter in Chains" built to house the chains that bound St. Peter. It is famous for the tomb of Pope Julian II for whom Michelangelo did so much work. We then walked to the Colosseum. What a thrill to see and walk about it. We paid the extra fee and went up higher. I saw a little piece of brick and picked it up as a memento. What things occurred here years ago: duels, battles, hurts, etc. We truly enjoyed this. We walked to the Trevi Fountain in a drizzle. It was bigger than I had thought and so beautiful. I was surprised to see that it is surrounded by buildings and not in a big open space. We went to the Pantheon but it had closed about 45 minutes earlier. We had wanted to go to the Forum but with the rain coming down and having seen a lot of other ruins along the streets we didn’t feel too disappointed, just a little.
Bus tickets are sold in the tobacco shops so we bought two for in the morning. We thought it might be too far to walk to the train station with all our luggage. We really don’t have that much: two small suitcases, a garment bag and a carry-on bag.
The next morning our landlady gave us an early breakfast at 7:30 a.m. consisting of bread, butter, jam and grapefruit juice. We caught the bus about 7:50 a.m. arriving at the train station around 8:00 a.m. It took a long time to find where to buy tickets to get to the airport. The tickets cost L5,000 each and I now only have L4,000 left; everything worked out just right. It took about 45 minutes to get to the Leonardo da Vinci airport. There were guards with submachine guns patrolling and occasionally stopping and looking into luggage if you are Arabic. We were not stopped. It was a nice big airport. We boarded the plane about 10:30 a.m.
We enjoyed seeing the Cape Cod Hook from the air as we flew into Kennedy Airport in New York. It was great understanding every one. We had a few hour wait but customs did not check our luggage. We went all through Europe and back into the U.S. and no one checked the luggage; that really surprised me. Tricia and Rob met us at the SLC airport about 10:00 p.m. It was good to see them and be back but we had had a marvelous time, an unforgetable time, for which we are very grateful. It has been a wonderful 20 days and we still can’t quite believe all we’ve seen and that our kids made it possible.
Our room overlooked the street and that was so entertaining. Cars were parked every which way, double parked, triple parked and even on the sidewalk. at right angles, or at any angle, to the curb. People would walk down the middle of the street, two and three abreast, ignoring traffic. Our room has a shower in the corner with the toilet down the hall.
We saw the Spanish Steps but I was disappointed. Pictures always show them with flowers and clean. There were no flowers, it was dirty and tons of people. We walked across town along the Tiber river and saw Castello de Sant Angelo of Tosca fame (she jumped from it at the end of the opera); it was built as Emperor Hadrian’s Mausoleum. We then walked to St. Peter’s Square. Pictures can’t do it justice, it is huge!!! Inside the Basilica is truly beautiful, also huge. Lots of beautiful marble, gold, paintings and statues. We were able to see the "Pieta", just beautiful.
Walking back to the hotel we would look down in a vacant lot and see Roman ruins below ground level. We saw the huge white monument to Victor Emmanuel II "Altare della Patria" It looks like a big wedding cake.
Next day we visited the church "St. Peter in Chains" built to house the chains that bound St. Peter. It is famous for the tomb of Pope Julian II for whom Michelangelo did so much work. We then walked to the Colosseum. What a thrill to see and walk about it. We paid the extra fee and went up higher. I saw a little piece of brick and picked it up as a memento. What things occurred here years ago: duels, battles, hurts, etc. We truly enjoyed this. We walked to the Trevi Fountain in a drizzle. It was bigger than I had thought and so beautiful. I was surprised to see that it is surrounded by buildings and not in a big open space. We went to the Pantheon but it had closed about 45 minutes earlier. We had wanted to go to the Forum but with the rain coming down and having seen a lot of other ruins along the streets we didn’t feel too disappointed, just a little.
Bus tickets are sold in the tobacco shops so we bought two for in the morning. We thought it might be too far to walk to the train station with all our luggage. We really don’t have that much: two small suitcases, a garment bag and a carry-on bag.
The next morning our landlady gave us an early breakfast at 7:30 a.m. consisting of bread, butter, jam and grapefruit juice. We caught the bus about 7:50 a.m. arriving at the train station around 8:00 a.m. It took a long time to find where to buy tickets to get to the airport. The tickets cost L5,000 each and I now only have L4,000 left; everything worked out just right. It took about 45 minutes to get to the Leonardo da Vinci airport. There were guards with submachine guns patrolling and occasionally stopping and looking into luggage if you are Arabic. We were not stopped. It was a nice big airport. We boarded the plane about 10:30 a.m.
We enjoyed seeing the Cape Cod Hook from the air as we flew into Kennedy Airport in New York. It was great understanding every one. We had a few hour wait but customs did not check our luggage. We went all through Europe and back into the U.S. and no one checked the luggage; that really surprised me. Tricia and Rob met us at the SLC airport about 10:00 p.m. It was good to see them and be back but we had had a marvelous time, an unforgetable time, for which we are very grateful. It has been a wonderful 20 days and we still can’t quite believe all we’ve seen and that our kids made it possible.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Padova, Venice and Florence
Sunday, June 15, my 55th birthday and we celebrated by going to Venice! It was a bright, sunny day, the first sun we had seen on our trip; all the other days were cloudy. We walked to the train station, bought our tickets and traveled to Venice; no one checked our tickets. We took a Vaporetto, a boat which was like a bus, and got off near the Piazza San Marcos. People!! And Pigeons!!! We went inside the church of San Marcos, very ornate; mass was going on. We heard the bells pounded by two bronze Moor statues at noon. We saw the Bridge of Sighs and took pictures.
We walked along the Piazza and found a Wendy’s. Good bathroom stop and we enjoyed the food. We walked all the way back to the train station. Venice is truly a rabbit warren; very narrow streets, some tunnels. Luckily there were signs pointing the way to the station. It was just a maze, no straight streets and lots of little bridges going over small canals. We took the train back to Padova and again no one asked to see our tickets. We really enjoyed seeing Venice.
The next day, we tried to get out of Padova and got turned around again, then we saw signs leading out of the city towards Bologna. What a relief! South of Bologna the country consists of tall hills covered in green with houses or churches on top of the hills. We got off the freeway at the right place for Florence and had signs leading to the R.R. station where we could book a room. It was only two blocks away. A very dingy doorway and up two flights of dirty stairs. I wondered what I had gotten us into. We had a nice surprise. The room was clean with freshly painted walls, sparkling fixtures but no towels or soap. The only drawback was a noisy street.
We walked to the Duomo, the big church, the most beautiful outside of all the cathedrals we’ve seen. Pink, green and white marble. White flowers with pink centers, all made of marble, is the design on part of the cathedral. It is rather plain on the inside but vast and light. It was built in 1299. We saw the older Baptistry with Ghiberti doors, very beautiful. We walked to the Piazza di Poppolo where Michelangelo’s David was displayed. The one there now is a copy, the original is in the museum which was closed on Mondays. We walked on the Ponte Vecchio, the old medieval bridge with houses (shops) on either side. A great city to visit.
Coming back to our room we saw where a car had parked in a crosswalk and a bus couldn’t turn the corner. Lots of honking and shouting. A supervisor came and the bus backed up a little, then made the corner going over the curb. Such narrow streets. A policeman was called and the driver got his car. I don’t know if he got a ticket but he deserved one. Lots of motorcycles, motorbikes and bicycles.
The next day we drove to the city of Siena, still lots of beautiful, green hills. We drove into the city through Ponte Tufi, drove through the old medieval city, parked the car at the Duomo and walked to Il Campo,a large, open square where they hold the Palio, the famous horse races. I’m glad Alan suggested we visit Siena.
We walked along the Piazza and found a Wendy’s. Good bathroom stop and we enjoyed the food. We walked all the way back to the train station. Venice is truly a rabbit warren; very narrow streets, some tunnels. Luckily there were signs pointing the way to the station. It was just a maze, no straight streets and lots of little bridges going over small canals. We took the train back to Padova and again no one asked to see our tickets. We really enjoyed seeing Venice.
The next day, we tried to get out of Padova and got turned around again, then we saw signs leading out of the city towards Bologna. What a relief! South of Bologna the country consists of tall hills covered in green with houses or churches on top of the hills. We got off the freeway at the right place for Florence and had signs leading to the R.R. station where we could book a room. It was only two blocks away. A very dingy doorway and up two flights of dirty stairs. I wondered what I had gotten us into. We had a nice surprise. The room was clean with freshly painted walls, sparkling fixtures but no towels or soap. The only drawback was a noisy street.
We walked to the Duomo, the big church, the most beautiful outside of all the cathedrals we’ve seen. Pink, green and white marble. White flowers with pink centers, all made of marble, is the design on part of the cathedral. It is rather plain on the inside but vast and light. It was built in 1299. We saw the older Baptistry with Ghiberti doors, very beautiful. We walked to the Piazza di Poppolo where Michelangelo’s David was displayed. The one there now is a copy, the original is in the museum which was closed on Mondays. We walked on the Ponte Vecchio, the old medieval bridge with houses (shops) on either side. A great city to visit.
Coming back to our room we saw where a car had parked in a crosswalk and a bus couldn’t turn the corner. Lots of honking and shouting. A supervisor came and the bus backed up a little, then made the corner going over the curb. Such narrow streets. A policeman was called and the driver got his car. I don’t know if he got a ticket but he deserved one. Lots of motorcycles, motorbikes and bicycles.
The next day we drove to the city of Siena, still lots of beautiful, green hills. We drove into the city through Ponte Tufi, drove through the old medieval city, parked the car at the Duomo and walked to Il Campo,a large, open square where they hold the Palio, the famous horse races. I’m glad Alan suggested we visit Siena.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Vienna and Padova
We drove into Germany; beautiful country, wooded and green. I would find the name of a town on our map and then find a sign by the road matching it. We kept seeing the sign "Ausfart" but never could find the town on our map. We finally realized that Ausfart meant EXIT! What a good joke on us. We were going to drive to Munich but got tired so stopped in Ausburg, about 50 km. from Munich. It was a great hotel and we put it on our Visa. Nice, modern room with private bath. We watched TV in German. If we ever go back to Germany, we need to know more of the language. Driving towards Austria we stopped at a nice little restaurant where the people were very helpful and we had a great meal, schnitzel.
We arrived in Vienna around 1 p.m. in a drizzle. We found our hotel, a bed and breakfast and found a parking spot. This hotel was the first place that wanted to see our passports and write down the information. I was surprised it hadn’t happened before. Also, we hadn’t had any checks at any border, they just waved us on through. This was true for Belgium, France, Germany and Austria.
We walked into the center of town and visited Demel’s, the most famous bakery in Austria. It was expensive but delicious. There was a dizzy array of choices. You pointed out your selection, the waitress would write it on a piece of paper, give you half and she kept the other. We sat at a very small table, then she brought our selections. European pastries are not as sweet as what we are used to; our choices were good but not spectacular. We walked down the main shopping street, it is only for pedestrians; we also walked by St. Stephan;s, an old cathedral, and the Opera House.
We went to the Kunsthistorisches Museum, the Fine Arts Museum. It is a beautiful building, built in the 1860s as a museum. It has beautiful marble walls, steps and posts holding the handrails, all made of beautiful marble of varied colors. There were three rooms of just Rubens, some Rembrandts, Van Dyke, Velasquez and others. We saw Egyptian mummies, the Cellini Gold Salt Celler and more. We really enjoyed visiting this museum. We walked back to the hotel and to our room; it has a shower in the corner of the room but the toilet is down the hall. No soap was furnished.
I had tried to order tickets to see the Lipizzan horses but didn’t get them. You needed to order them months ahead. We saw the outside of the building where they perform. We also had wanted to hear a Johann Strauss concert in the park but it was canceled because of the rain.
Going towards Italy, the road went down from several lanes to just one so it took forever to get to the border with only one car at a time going through. It took two hours but once we crossed into Italy, it was smooth sailing again. Leon did very well driving on all these roads in
the various countries.
We arrived in Padova, where Alan had served part of his mission. It is a rabbit warren of one-way streets, all going the wrong way! It was so hard to get to our address, it took about 45 minutes to trace our way through the maze and we had to park the car and walk two blocks to get to the hotel. We left the car in a garage for the two days here.
Our room looks onto a large patio on the second floor. It is only reached by our room. It costs to have a shower here, you get the knob for the hot water from the management. The two daughters speak English and are very helpful
We arrived in Vienna around 1 p.m. in a drizzle. We found our hotel, a bed and breakfast and found a parking spot. This hotel was the first place that wanted to see our passports and write down the information. I was surprised it hadn’t happened before. Also, we hadn’t had any checks at any border, they just waved us on through. This was true for Belgium, France, Germany and Austria.
We walked into the center of town and visited Demel’s, the most famous bakery in Austria. It was expensive but delicious. There was a dizzy array of choices. You pointed out your selection, the waitress would write it on a piece of paper, give you half and she kept the other. We sat at a very small table, then she brought our selections. European pastries are not as sweet as what we are used to; our choices were good but not spectacular. We walked down the main shopping street, it is only for pedestrians; we also walked by St. Stephan;s, an old cathedral, and the Opera House.
We went to the Kunsthistorisches Museum, the Fine Arts Museum. It is a beautiful building, built in the 1860s as a museum. It has beautiful marble walls, steps and posts holding the handrails, all made of beautiful marble of varied colors. There were three rooms of just Rubens, some Rembrandts, Van Dyke, Velasquez and others. We saw Egyptian mummies, the Cellini Gold Salt Celler and more. We really enjoyed visiting this museum. We walked back to the hotel and to our room; it has a shower in the corner of the room but the toilet is down the hall. No soap was furnished.
I had tried to order tickets to see the Lipizzan horses but didn’t get them. You needed to order them months ahead. We saw the outside of the building where they perform. We also had wanted to hear a Johann Strauss concert in the park but it was canceled because of the rain.
Going towards Italy, the road went down from several lanes to just one so it took forever to get to the border with only one car at a time going through. It took two hours but once we crossed into Italy, it was smooth sailing again. Leon did very well driving on all these roads in
the various countries.
We arrived in Padova, where Alan had served part of his mission. It is a rabbit warren of one-way streets, all going the wrong way! It was so hard to get to our address, it took about 45 minutes to trace our way through the maze and we had to park the car and walk two blocks to get to the hotel. We left the car in a garage for the two days here.
Our room looks onto a large patio on the second floor. It is only reached by our room. It costs to have a shower here, you get the knob for the hot water from the management. The two daughters speak English and are very helpful
Monday, April 13, 2009
Warwick Castle, Brussells, Paris
There are pretty pink flowering vines over the doors of many houses, maybe roses. Flowering trees and bushes all over, green woods and green grass. Many fields separated by hedges or stone walls. Many lilac bushes, all in bloom; it is still spring here. The general color of England is green, feels of fertility, age and history. It is overcast a lot of the time. It is a country for tourists; things are well labeled and people very friendly. The national speed limit is 70; small cars and fast drivers. There is a great variety of cars, all small; we saw one Ford Mustang and one Toyota.
We drove to Warwick and saw the castle. Beautiful grounds with peacocks. We saw the dungeons and torture instruments; much armor. We saw the state apartments with wax figures portraying a party which took place in 1898. Very well done. Winston Churchill was portrayed as he had been one of the guests. We then drove to Blenheim Palace. Unbelievable! It is ornate, fancy, the loveliest, most beautiful house in England. It was built, by order of Queen Anne, for one of Churchill’s ancestors, the Duke of Marlborough, because of a victory in France. We saw the room where Churchill was born and much memorabilia of his. Lots of beautiful china and paintings.
Leon was very brave and drove into London and Victoria Station where we checked our luggage and then drove back to White City to drop off the car. He did very well! We took the underground into Victoria Station and walked to Buckingham Palace. As we walked past we noticed mounted men,the royal Horse Artillery. We asked them and they were on the way to the Horseguards Parade ground to rehearse for another performance. We went and since it was a rehearsal, it was free. We saw another great program of marching bands and mounted men pulling the cannons around. They played the 1812 Overture and the cannons went off, also muskets, and the huge bells in some nearby bell tower and it was magnificent.
We walked back towards Victoria Staten and passed by Downing Street where the Prime Minister lives. You can’t go onto the street itself; it is blocked off. We caught the 9:30 p.m train to Dover , arriving about 11:30 p.m. and got on the ferry. There were two types of seats; regular seats, three across, or lounge benches that you could stretch out on. The knowledgeable passengers got right off the train first and onto the ferry and appropriated the benches. We tried to sleep on the regular seats but it was not very restful. There were also a few cabins on the top deck. The night was noisy with much banging and bustling about but the crossing was very smooth.
We arrived in Oostend, Belgium about 4:03 a.m. continental time (3:03 British time) and took a train into Brussells, arriving about 6 a.m. It cost 5 Belgium Francs to use the toilet and 6 to wash one’s hands! We located the street where we were to pick up the car on a city map at the railroad station and decided to walk since they didn’t open until 8:30 a.m. We left most of the luggage and started out. We ended up walking 2 hours and 15 minutes! Brussells is very dirty; we saw a lot of it but all was dirty. You had to watch where you put your feet as the sidewalks were full of dog doo. This surprised me very much as I though Belgium would be clean like the Dutch Netherlands. One man was very helpful and showed us where we could buy a map of the city.
This car is a Ford Escort, very nice. We drove on freeways; the ones in France are like U.S. ones. It was like driving in L.A. during the rush hour on the freeways and worse on the city streets in Paris. Mad drivers! We arrived about 3 p.m. in Paris and found our hotel. As parking is very hard, we found a spot and left the car there the whole time; we didn’t move it. At this bread and breakfast we have our own private bathroom which is nice but the room is dark and dingy. You could tell that at one time it had been a very lovely home but had really deteriorated. The window opened onto a small courtyard overlooked by other buildings. We went out and bought some food, then returned to our room. We were both very tired.
We woke up feeling much better. The bus and metro are on strike; no transportation. We finally caught a taxi to take us to the Louvre. We waited in line over an hour but it hadn’t opened; their help couldn’t get in to man the place due to the strike. A sign said it would open but not when. We got tired of waiting and walked to the Jew de Paume museum, which had been open earlier, but it was now closed because of the strike. We walked along the Seine River in a drizzle. We decided to try the Louvre one more time and it was open! We were so glad. We saw the Venus, Winged Victory and the Mona Lisa, my main interests, and so much more. I really enjoyed seeing the huge painting of Napoleon being crowned by Louis David and another smaller painting really impressed me, St Joseph in the Carpenter’s Shop by Georges de la Tour. It was mostly dark but with a candle illuminating Joseph and who I also believe is Jesus as a child. We would walk down the main corridor then step into a side room thinking we could go back but other rooms opened off the room and we would get derailed. It would take months to see everything! Wish we had had much more time.
We walked some more by the Seine then took a boat ride at Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in Paris. We saw the Eiffel Tower from the river, also Notre Dame and the Paris Opera House. After the ride we walked to Notre Dame. It was very dark and gloomy inside. The drizzle continued but we walked along the Ile de la Cite and Ile Ste Louis, the two Islands in the river, then back to the hotel buying things for supper on the way.
When it was time to leave the next morning, we tried to pay for the hotel with traveler’s checks, the landlady, very brusque, wouldn’t take them. We had to drive to one of the railroad stations and exchange them for francs then drive back, pay her and collect our luggage. The daughter was very nice and welcoming and spoke English but the old lady was not very friendly.
We drove to Warwick and saw the castle. Beautiful grounds with peacocks. We saw the dungeons and torture instruments; much armor. We saw the state apartments with wax figures portraying a party which took place in 1898. Very well done. Winston Churchill was portrayed as he had been one of the guests. We then drove to Blenheim Palace. Unbelievable! It is ornate, fancy, the loveliest, most beautiful house in England. It was built, by order of Queen Anne, for one of Churchill’s ancestors, the Duke of Marlborough, because of a victory in France. We saw the room where Churchill was born and much memorabilia of his. Lots of beautiful china and paintings.
Leon was very brave and drove into London and Victoria Station where we checked our luggage and then drove back to White City to drop off the car. He did very well! We took the underground into Victoria Station and walked to Buckingham Palace. As we walked past we noticed mounted men,the royal Horse Artillery. We asked them and they were on the way to the Horseguards Parade ground to rehearse for another performance. We went and since it was a rehearsal, it was free. We saw another great program of marching bands and mounted men pulling the cannons around. They played the 1812 Overture and the cannons went off, also muskets, and the huge bells in some nearby bell tower and it was magnificent.
We walked back towards Victoria Staten and passed by Downing Street where the Prime Minister lives. You can’t go onto the street itself; it is blocked off. We caught the 9:30 p.m train to Dover , arriving about 11:30 p.m. and got on the ferry. There were two types of seats; regular seats, three across, or lounge benches that you could stretch out on. The knowledgeable passengers got right off the train first and onto the ferry and appropriated the benches. We tried to sleep on the regular seats but it was not very restful. There were also a few cabins on the top deck. The night was noisy with much banging and bustling about but the crossing was very smooth.
We arrived in Oostend, Belgium about 4:03 a.m. continental time (3:03 British time) and took a train into Brussells, arriving about 6 a.m. It cost 5 Belgium Francs to use the toilet and 6 to wash one’s hands! We located the street where we were to pick up the car on a city map at the railroad station and decided to walk since they didn’t open until 8:30 a.m. We left most of the luggage and started out. We ended up walking 2 hours and 15 minutes! Brussells is very dirty; we saw a lot of it but all was dirty. You had to watch where you put your feet as the sidewalks were full of dog doo. This surprised me very much as I though Belgium would be clean like the Dutch Netherlands. One man was very helpful and showed us where we could buy a map of the city.
This car is a Ford Escort, very nice. We drove on freeways; the ones in France are like U.S. ones. It was like driving in L.A. during the rush hour on the freeways and worse on the city streets in Paris. Mad drivers! We arrived about 3 p.m. in Paris and found our hotel. As parking is very hard, we found a spot and left the car there the whole time; we didn’t move it. At this bread and breakfast we have our own private bathroom which is nice but the room is dark and dingy. You could tell that at one time it had been a very lovely home but had really deteriorated. The window opened onto a small courtyard overlooked by other buildings. We went out and bought some food, then returned to our room. We were both very tired.
We woke up feeling much better. The bus and metro are on strike; no transportation. We finally caught a taxi to take us to the Louvre. We waited in line over an hour but it hadn’t opened; their help couldn’t get in to man the place due to the strike. A sign said it would open but not when. We got tired of waiting and walked to the Jew de Paume museum, which had been open earlier, but it was now closed because of the strike. We walked along the Seine River in a drizzle. We decided to try the Louvre one more time and it was open! We were so glad. We saw the Venus, Winged Victory and the Mona Lisa, my main interests, and so much more. I really enjoyed seeing the huge painting of Napoleon being crowned by Louis David and another smaller painting really impressed me, St Joseph in the Carpenter’s Shop by Georges de la Tour. It was mostly dark but with a candle illuminating Joseph and who I also believe is Jesus as a child. We would walk down the main corridor then step into a side room thinking we could go back but other rooms opened off the room and we would get derailed. It would take months to see everything! Wish we had had much more time.
We walked some more by the Seine then took a boat ride at Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in Paris. We saw the Eiffel Tower from the river, also Notre Dame and the Paris Opera House. After the ride we walked to Notre Dame. It was very dark and gloomy inside. The drizzle continued but we walked along the Ile de la Cite and Ile Ste Louis, the two Islands in the river, then back to the hotel buying things for supper on the way.
When it was time to leave the next morning, we tried to pay for the hotel with traveler’s checks, the landlady, very brusque, wouldn’t take them. We had to drive to one of the railroad stations and exchange them for francs then drive back, pay her and collect our luggage. The daughter was very nice and welcoming and spoke English but the old lady was not very friendly.
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