Sunday, September 20
Today we got up early and went to buy pastries, (they were out of them yesterday and we had promised my mom we would bring her back some) and then we went to church. It was such a sweet little church. We got there on time and Sister Klitgaard was waiting for us saving us part of a bench. She was so happy to see Chrissy and hugged her and then she hugged Jaremy and me and welcomed us. We went to all 3 meetings. Sacrament was first and the young men did the program. Brother Klitgaard translated for us. Brother Klitgaard and another older man blessed the sacrament and the way they spoke the sacrament prayers in the Danish language was so tender it made me get tears in my eyes. It was a great meeting. The young men were so sincere.
Sunday school was about the pioneers, (Brother Klitgaard translated again), and I’m not sure what Relief Society was about but everyone was so nice. Sister Klitgaard went home after sacrament meeting. We talked to the couple missionaries who were from California. They seemed very cheerful to see us and chat with some fellow Americans. Then we talked to the sister missionaries too, who were both from Utah and very friendly.
Then we drove Brother Klitgaard to his home where they had dinner waiting. It was wonderful. They were so welcoming. I gave Sister Klitgaard the Willow Tree “Angel of Prayer” and told her how I had wanted to bring them something to show my gratitude to them for all they had done for Chrissy when she was there in Denmark. I told her that she and her family had been an answer to our prayers for helping Chrissy. She got tears in her eyes and hugged me so tight. She said it would be a treasure to her.
We talked a lot during dinner with Brother and Sister Klitgaard and Lenny their son, (he is quite the character). We also met the part black lab part Newfoundland, Beorn, whom we got along with splendidly! After dinner we sat and talked some more and then we had dessert. Then we watched an LDS DVD with them that made us laugh and laugh because it made them laugh so much. I wonder what we would think of it if we watched it again by ourselves? They are a wonderful family, so kind to us. I think we are really friends. We all talked so easily to each other. They all speak English very well. I think I had better get learning a new language. I feel really behind most of the world with that.
At 4:00 we decided that we had better go. That was another sad good-by and we were on our way back to Billund for our last night in Denmark. The driving in Denmark has been much less stressful than in England. The scenery was so beautiful too. Jaremy kept saying how impressed he was with Denmark.
We got to our hotel and then went to do our laundry. The hotel had a laundry that they let us use. It took us hours to do it however. Only one machine would work, (which we discovered through trial and error) and the instructions were in Danish and we had to get help and then the dryer wouldn’t work until Jaremy finally figured out to take the side part off and then I had to scatter the clothes all over our room so they could finish drying. Anyway, I think they finally got done around midnight. It will be so nice to have my own washer and dryer again! What a spoiled American I am!
Monday, September 21
This morning we had a Danish buffet breakfast, the only one we were to have, sadly. So here you go, THE DANISH BREAKFAST!
Choice of dry cereals with milk
Beautiful bowls of different fruits
So many different kinds of wonderful, chewy crust breads with butter and cream cheese and jelly patties
Many different kinds of gorgeous cheeses
Juices
Scrambled eggs
Bacon
Sausage
Ham
Potatoes
Bowls of lovely cucumbers and little tomatoes
Yogurt
Pastries
What can I say except that it was perfectly heavenly!
Then we left for the airport and turned in our rental car. (This time it was an Opal, I forgot to mention before, not as cute as the Peugeot, but quite nice.) When we went to get our boarding passes, (here we pause for ominous music) we encountered our fist and only major problem. We found our tickets to Paris had been booked on the wrong day!! They were for the 22nd not the 21st! So what to do? There was no way they would let us change the tickets, they were unchangeable! We could not stay in Denmark because we had no place to stay and no way to get around! Also, we had our reservation in Paris and our Paris passes were all paid for!!
So we ended up having to buy new tickets for the same flight. They would not refund the original tickets and we had to pay quite a bit more for the new ones. Oh well, we all felt kind of sick about it, but it was all we could do. The plane was small, (propeller) and we didn’t even get a gate to walk through, we just walked out on the tarmac up to the plane. There were a lot of empty seats on the plane, so it seems like it should have been easy to transfer the tickets. Like I said before, “Oh well!”
So we left Denmark and arrived in Paris. I got the window seat this time and I had fun looking out the window at the ocean (The North Sea). I could see islands and big ships way down there and it was very cool. It was a pretty short flight, just under 2 hours.
When we got to the Paris airport we took a taxi to our hotel and got settled in. Then we took off on the train for the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower is amazing! I couldn’t believe how big it was. I couldn’t believe I was actually seeing the Eiffel Tower for myself! Then we went on the Paris cruise. It was on a boat going along the Seine River, with an audio tour guide commenting on all the things we passed and all the bridges we went under. Paris has lots of lovely bridges. It took about an hour and it was so much fun. It was sunset and the sky was a particular powder blue touched with pink from the setting sun with white, fluffy clouds. It was so romantic looking. Paris really is a beautiful city. We ate at a little outdoor eating place after the cruise, (cheese sandwiches), and then walked along the Champ d' Mars and watched the Tower light up. Champ d' Mars means Field of March, (I looked it up in our French-English book). There were so many people! Then we took the train back to our hotel.
Riding the trains here is not as easy as in London. Things are not as clear and organized. They also say nothing about “minding the gap”. I expect they don’t mind if you fall into the gap or maybe they think you already know about that. Also things like the train itself are so dirty and with graffiti all over the place. That is one thing I have really noticed about Paris, there is a lot of graffiti on everything! I did learn that “sortie” is their word for “exit”, a good thing to know. When we were waiting on the platform for our train we saw a family trying to figure out the train schedule like us. I started talking to them and discovered they were from Utah. It was fun talking to them. We found out that they would be on our same flight going home, so we would be seeing them again.
When we got on the train a couple sitting across from us asked where we were from. It kind of sounded like the man had some kind of English accent so I said we were from Utah in the United States and he smiled and said, “I know where that is. We are from Boston!” They were really friendly people and it was fun talking to them too. They said we need to come to Boston on our next vacation and hey, I think that would be great!
I decided that it is so nice finding other Americans when you are traveling in another country. You get so used to hearing everyone speaking in foreign languages all around you, it is really nice to hear English and American English is almost heavenly! I love being in the midst of all this diversity but it is comforting to find Americans to relate to when you are in a foreign place.
Well, we made it back to our hotel once again and tomorrow it is on to Versailles!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
THE GREAT TRIP cont. #2
Thursday, September 17
We did make it! I need to say here and now that Jaremy is an excellent driver and the GPS does work most of the time and has been a great thing to have. It is just more fun to tell about the more adventuresome times. Anyway back to Jaremy, he is an excellent driver. He whips in and out of those round a bouts like he belongs here. He is as good a maniac as the rest of them. You can’t be timid that’s for sure. I also forgot to say yesterday that we bought the third H.I.V.E. book while we were at the mall. Jaremy has already started reading it and he says that it is good.
This morning after a very fine breakfast we left Stoke-on-Trent and headed for Nottingham. On the way we stopped at Chatsworth House. What an amazing place! The grounds are incredible! The house is so ornate and heavy but it is so much fun to see. We did another audio-tour guide here. It is really fun hearing about the history of places. This is the mansion they used for “Pemberley” in “Pride and Prejudice”, (the new one). While we were there we saw these older people sitting out on a bench with 3 Cavalier spaniels, all blenheims. They were so cute we had to stop and pet them and chat with their owners. We told them about Daisy and Ivie and Gabbie back at home. They were very nice people.
The Duke of Derbyshire who owns the Chatsworth House, (one of the dukes actually, back a ways) had portraits of his favorite dogs in the house and guess what they were? Two blenheims! How do you like that? We had a great time there but the drive on to Nottingham was a bit hairy. They have these very narrow, winding roads with trees leaning together overhead, (very pretty) and other cars and trucks zooming past going the other way. They don’t slow down at all and you have to get out of the way or else!
So we did make it to Nottingham! This bed and breakfast is very fancy and pretty old. The owners are from Scotland and the lady said that the house was built in 1834. It is called “The Greenwood Lodge” and is late Regency early Victorian in architecture and décor, lots of frilly stuff, you know. The house does have a bit of a creepy feeling to it. Chrissy said she especially felt it in the bathroom so while she was having her shower she was singing hymns to herself.
We did our laundry at a laundry place down the street, and then went to a pub called “The Grosvenor” for dinner. Chrissy and I had a cheese and tomato sandwich and Jaremy had a club sandwich. They were pretty good but we just wished that there had been a little more tomato on our cheese and tomato sandwiches.
We have been on holiday a whole week and can’t help wondering how everything is back home. Tomorrow we will tour around here and then leave England from the London Gatwick Airport and head for Denmark.
Hey, my mom was right about washcloths. This is the first place they have been provided. Good thing we brought our own as she suggested!
TYPICAL ENGLISH BREAKFAST
(That we have got most everywhere)
Choice of dry cereal with milk.
Orange and some other kind of juice
Toast with butter and jelly patties
Hash browns
Eggs
Bacon
Sausages, (Jaremy said these have not improved since he was here before)
Tinned cooked tomatoes, sometimes fresh tomatoes
Baked beans
Yogurt, (they had plain and strawberry in our London hotel that were in big earthenware jars and the strawberry was so creamy! Wow!
When we were at the pub I was noticing that with most of the entrees they serve peas, (canned I think).
Tonight the lady at our bed and breakfast brought us up a thermos of fresh milk. She seemed worried that we didn’t want coffee or tea. Every room we have been in has had cups and saucers, (china) and spoons, (silver) and teapots with biscuits, (cookies), which we haven’t used except we have ate the cookies. The lady kept saying the milk was fresh and she seemed so eager for us to drink it. Milk at night makes Chrissy and I sick and Jaremy quite abhors milk, but we don’t want to make her feel bad. I think we might dump it down the sink.. But, isn’t that sweet of her?
Later
Well, I did end up drinking a little bit of the milk so I could say that I had and then I dumped the rest down the drain.
Saturday, September 19
I skipped yesterday because I never got a good chance to write. So, now to continue.
We left Nottingham Friday morning after a rather uneasy night. We were all ready to get up and leave. After a very nice breakfast, (see typical English breakfast) we headed for the London Gatwick Airport.
First we stopped at Robin Hood’s castle. It was a castle that had been used by William the conqueror, back in the late 1000’s, one of the oldest castles in England. We bought more gifts here for Joseph, Sam and Micah. I hope they will like them. I don’t know if Chelsea is going to be over joyed about them though.
Then we stopped in Leicester and got lost for a while, (more arguing with the GPS). I got out and picked a flower for Karen while Jaremy and the GPS were settling things, as I could see we were not likely to make it to any shops. I thought that maybe I could make it into a bookmark like I have done before. After much driving we made it to the airport where we turned in our car. “Good-by little Peugeot! It’s been nice, but I am glad we are going our separate ways, not too much worse for the wear!” We were going to try and find the temple but we were all ready to give up the car even though we were 5 hours early for our flight.
So we were at the airport and we walked around, and bought another bag and I knitted and Chrissy did a word game and Jaremy fell asleep and I made a couple of origami butterflies, and then I helped Chrissy with her word game and then Jaremy started snoring so I had to poke him, (not really). Then finally we got to go through security and get our boarding passes. Then we went shopping, (only Chrissy bought stuff), and then we had dinner and then we were off to Denmark!
Later
We got to the Billund Airport at about 11:15 P.M. Our hotel was right by the airport but a shuttle bus took us there anyway. Then when we got to the hotel there were no hotel people there to help us of course. Everything was closed. There was one guy there who said he had been trying to get in for the last half hour. He was Chinese and was very nice. He told us all about how to work the machine on the outside wall (kind of like an ATM) to put our information in. They had packets with names on them taped to the wall so we found ours and started all the process. Jaremy put in all this information (including his passport number, for Heaven’s sake). We were standing there with all our luggage and we were so tired and it was cold and Jaremy was having to dig through things to pull out his passport and then the machine popped up “Reservation cannot be confirmed.” That’s when the Chinese guy started laughing (I think he was a bit hysterical). He was saying, “Yes, yes, that is what happened to me!” He was pretty upset that there was no one there to help us, as we were. He said in China there would have been someone there 24 hours! Well after a bit we noticed this room number card in our packet and decided to stick that into a slot by the door. There were no instructions so we had to guess at things. The light went on but the door did not open. So we tried it again and THE DOOR OPENED! We all ran inside before the door could close again. We were in! So we finally got to our room, which was very clean, modern and simple and got to sleep. But, the poor Chinese guy did not have a room card and the last we saw he was having to sleep on a chair in the entrance lobby! But, at least he got in.
The next morning Jaremy got our rental car (oh no, not again) and we were off for Aalborg. This time we were on the right side of the road. The driving was a lot less stressful and the countryside was beautiful. There were lots of rolling green and gold fields, dotted with buildings that had red tile roofs. The sky was blue with a few puffy white clouds, very idyllic.
We got to Aalborg in about 2 hours and first off went past Chrissy’s kolliguem where she lived for 4 months, 3 years ago. Then we went to a grocery store so we could load up on chocolate to take home and also to buy some toothpaste. Then we went shopping at Chrissy’s favorite stores.
At 3:15 we met Barbra at the McDonald’s (yes there is a McDonald’s in Aalborg and a Burger King too). Barbra looked so cute and she hugged us all. We went to lunch at an outdoor café and then Barbra took us all around Aalborg. It is a beautiful city. We went down to the river and all over. It was so much fun. I think we spent about 2 hours together. When we were walking back to our car I had to turn around and stare back at the city we were leaving so I could put it in my mind. It was so lovely. Will we ever be able to go back there? You know, there really is a lot to love in this world. Barbra walked back with us to our car and then we said good-by. We all hugged and she told us to tell the big family hello! As we came around the parking lot to go out, she was standing there waiting to wave to us one more time. It was sad. Then she was off to get on her bus and we were off to our hotel. I am so glad we got to see Barbra.
We did make it! I need to say here and now that Jaremy is an excellent driver and the GPS does work most of the time and has been a great thing to have. It is just more fun to tell about the more adventuresome times. Anyway back to Jaremy, he is an excellent driver. He whips in and out of those round a bouts like he belongs here. He is as good a maniac as the rest of them. You can’t be timid that’s for sure. I also forgot to say yesterday that we bought the third H.I.V.E. book while we were at the mall. Jaremy has already started reading it and he says that it is good.
This morning after a very fine breakfast we left Stoke-on-Trent and headed for Nottingham. On the way we stopped at Chatsworth House. What an amazing place! The grounds are incredible! The house is so ornate and heavy but it is so much fun to see. We did another audio-tour guide here. It is really fun hearing about the history of places. This is the mansion they used for “Pemberley” in “Pride and Prejudice”, (the new one). While we were there we saw these older people sitting out on a bench with 3 Cavalier spaniels, all blenheims. They were so cute we had to stop and pet them and chat with their owners. We told them about Daisy and Ivie and Gabbie back at home. They were very nice people.
The Duke of Derbyshire who owns the Chatsworth House, (one of the dukes actually, back a ways) had portraits of his favorite dogs in the house and guess what they were? Two blenheims! How do you like that? We had a great time there but the drive on to Nottingham was a bit hairy. They have these very narrow, winding roads with trees leaning together overhead, (very pretty) and other cars and trucks zooming past going the other way. They don’t slow down at all and you have to get out of the way or else!
So we did make it to Nottingham! This bed and breakfast is very fancy and pretty old. The owners are from Scotland and the lady said that the house was built in 1834. It is called “The Greenwood Lodge” and is late Regency early Victorian in architecture and décor, lots of frilly stuff, you know. The house does have a bit of a creepy feeling to it. Chrissy said she especially felt it in the bathroom so while she was having her shower she was singing hymns to herself.
We did our laundry at a laundry place down the street, and then went to a pub called “The Grosvenor” for dinner. Chrissy and I had a cheese and tomato sandwich and Jaremy had a club sandwich. They were pretty good but we just wished that there had been a little more tomato on our cheese and tomato sandwiches.
We have been on holiday a whole week and can’t help wondering how everything is back home. Tomorrow we will tour around here and then leave England from the London Gatwick Airport and head for Denmark.
Hey, my mom was right about washcloths. This is the first place they have been provided. Good thing we brought our own as she suggested!
TYPICAL ENGLISH BREAKFAST
(That we have got most everywhere)
Choice of dry cereal with milk.
Orange and some other kind of juice
Toast with butter and jelly patties
Hash browns
Eggs
Bacon
Sausages, (Jaremy said these have not improved since he was here before)
Tinned cooked tomatoes, sometimes fresh tomatoes
Baked beans
Yogurt, (they had plain and strawberry in our London hotel that were in big earthenware jars and the strawberry was so creamy! Wow!
When we were at the pub I was noticing that with most of the entrees they serve peas, (canned I think).
Tonight the lady at our bed and breakfast brought us up a thermos of fresh milk. She seemed worried that we didn’t want coffee or tea. Every room we have been in has had cups and saucers, (china) and spoons, (silver) and teapots with biscuits, (cookies), which we haven’t used except we have ate the cookies. The lady kept saying the milk was fresh and she seemed so eager for us to drink it. Milk at night makes Chrissy and I sick and Jaremy quite abhors milk, but we don’t want to make her feel bad. I think we might dump it down the sink.. But, isn’t that sweet of her?
Later
Well, I did end up drinking a little bit of the milk so I could say that I had and then I dumped the rest down the drain.
Saturday, September 19
I skipped yesterday because I never got a good chance to write. So, now to continue.
We left Nottingham Friday morning after a rather uneasy night. We were all ready to get up and leave. After a very nice breakfast, (see typical English breakfast) we headed for the London Gatwick Airport.
First we stopped at Robin Hood’s castle. It was a castle that had been used by William the conqueror, back in the late 1000’s, one of the oldest castles in England. We bought more gifts here for Joseph, Sam and Micah. I hope they will like them. I don’t know if Chelsea is going to be over joyed about them though.
Then we stopped in Leicester and got lost for a while, (more arguing with the GPS). I got out and picked a flower for Karen while Jaremy and the GPS were settling things, as I could see we were not likely to make it to any shops. I thought that maybe I could make it into a bookmark like I have done before. After much driving we made it to the airport where we turned in our car. “Good-by little Peugeot! It’s been nice, but I am glad we are going our separate ways, not too much worse for the wear!” We were going to try and find the temple but we were all ready to give up the car even though we were 5 hours early for our flight.
So we were at the airport and we walked around, and bought another bag and I knitted and Chrissy did a word game and Jaremy fell asleep and I made a couple of origami butterflies, and then I helped Chrissy with her word game and then Jaremy started snoring so I had to poke him, (not really). Then finally we got to go through security and get our boarding passes. Then we went shopping, (only Chrissy bought stuff), and then we had dinner and then we were off to Denmark!
Later
We got to the Billund Airport at about 11:15 P.M. Our hotel was right by the airport but a shuttle bus took us there anyway. Then when we got to the hotel there were no hotel people there to help us of course. Everything was closed. There was one guy there who said he had been trying to get in for the last half hour. He was Chinese and was very nice. He told us all about how to work the machine on the outside wall (kind of like an ATM) to put our information in. They had packets with names on them taped to the wall so we found ours and started all the process. Jaremy put in all this information (including his passport number, for Heaven’s sake). We were standing there with all our luggage and we were so tired and it was cold and Jaremy was having to dig through things to pull out his passport and then the machine popped up “Reservation cannot be confirmed.” That’s when the Chinese guy started laughing (I think he was a bit hysterical). He was saying, “Yes, yes, that is what happened to me!” He was pretty upset that there was no one there to help us, as we were. He said in China there would have been someone there 24 hours! Well after a bit we noticed this room number card in our packet and decided to stick that into a slot by the door. There were no instructions so we had to guess at things. The light went on but the door did not open. So we tried it again and THE DOOR OPENED! We all ran inside before the door could close again. We were in! So we finally got to our room, which was very clean, modern and simple and got to sleep. But, the poor Chinese guy did not have a room card and the last we saw he was having to sleep on a chair in the entrance lobby! But, at least he got in.
The next morning Jaremy got our rental car (oh no, not again) and we were off for Aalborg. This time we were on the right side of the road. The driving was a lot less stressful and the countryside was beautiful. There were lots of rolling green and gold fields, dotted with buildings that had red tile roofs. The sky was blue with a few puffy white clouds, very idyllic.
We got to Aalborg in about 2 hours and first off went past Chrissy’s kolliguem where she lived for 4 months, 3 years ago. Then we went to a grocery store so we could load up on chocolate to take home and also to buy some toothpaste. Then we went shopping at Chrissy’s favorite stores.
At 3:15 we met Barbra at the McDonald’s (yes there is a McDonald’s in Aalborg and a Burger King too). Barbra looked so cute and she hugged us all. We went to lunch at an outdoor café and then Barbra took us all around Aalborg. It is a beautiful city. We went down to the river and all over. It was so much fun. I think we spent about 2 hours together. When we were walking back to our car I had to turn around and stare back at the city we were leaving so I could put it in my mind. It was so lovely. Will we ever be able to go back there? You know, there really is a lot to love in this world. Barbra walked back with us to our car and then we said good-by. We all hugged and she told us to tell the big family hello! As we came around the parking lot to go out, she was standing there waiting to wave to us one more time. It was sad. Then she was off to get on her bus and we were off to our hotel. I am so glad we got to see Barbra.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
THE GREAT TRIP con.
Sunday, September 13
Today has been such a long and wonderful day. First off we went to church. We had some trouble getting there, but a taxi rescued us and we made it. Jaremy and I could have walked but Chrissy had on heels and was having problems. It was a good meeting. Then we came home, changed clothes and were off!
First we went to the Portobello Road Market. That was really fun. There was so much stuff for sale, all kinds of little shops. We got Jennah’s present there. Chrissy bought a strawberry and cream crepe that a girl made at a little stand on the street. She shared it with Jaremy and me. It was wonderful!
Then we were off to the Tower of London. We were there a long time. It was so interesting I could have spent longer. We saw the place where people got their heads chopped off (how could people have been so cruel?) and there was a guide there telling stories about the people who had been sent to the Tower to be executed. I stood there for a while listening. Chrissy and I decided next time we go there we would like to have a guide so we could listen to all the stories. We also heard the story about the two young princes who were imprisoned in the Tower and were never seen alive again. Their bodies were found 2 years later. We listened to all the evidence and then cast our vote for who we thought did them in. They also had a special display all on Henry the 8th and then of course we got to see the crown jewels. It was just all so interesting.
Next we went to Camden Market where we got Kaeley, Kiren and Maeyah’s present. That was a very interesting and exotic place. There were lots of unique people with quite original hair and piercings and tattoos. Then we went to King’s Cross Station and found platform 9 ¾. Yay for Harry Potter! The Brits don’t seem as enthused as us about it though.
We rode the tube so much today. Those oyster cards have been well worth it. Today the sun never did come out. It looked like rain but was only windy. It was a great day.
MORE STUFF ABOUT BEING HERE
They have very interesting toilets here. They all have different kinds of flushing handles. One thing in common though, is you have to hurl all your strength into pushing down the handle and then hold it, to get it to work properly.
Instead of having “exit” signs, their signs say “Way Out”.
Also we got stopped on one of the trains today and a whole bunch of police came running along. Someone said they were looking for someone, (with a big moustache??)
Monday, September 14
Today we were off bright and early to Saint Paul’s Cathedral, (from Mary Poppins, also Princess Diana was married here). More stone and dead people and tons of monuments and statues. It was very ornate too, very magnificent, very beautiful in a hard, cold way. Sir Christopher Wren was the architect and he wanted it to be kept simple, but he died before it was finished and someone decided to fancy the cathedral up since he wasn’t there to stop them. We went down into the crypt to see the burial places of Lord Horatio Nelson and the Duke of Wellington. They were amazing, very big and very splendid. Lots of other important people were buried there too, in the walls, in the floor, all over the place. They had a café down there too, “The Crypt Café”. I am not kidding! We didn’t feel much like eating there though. It was very dim down there in the crypt and Chrissy said it smelt funny. Lord Nelson had defeated the French in a great naval battle and the Duke of Wellington beat Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. I asked the information people about them (the Duke and the Lord) you know I was wondering if they had been chums. The information people, (a little old woman and man, so cute) said they thought there was one picture of them together somewhere, but they probably hadn’t been chums. The lady told me that the Duke of Wellington had been the youngest son in his family and his family didn’t think he was much good at anything, so they put him into the army. He was pretty good at that so he became a general and must have had quite the career. There is an outside monument to him that is unbelievable. Anyway he became the Prime Minister later, but he wasn’t very good at that. He was better at being a general, according to the man.
After that we went to the British Museum, (which had not lost its charm, luckily). It was so much fun! You could spend days there. We saw lots of stuff, among them the Rosetta Stone. It also had a much more cheerful place to eat, so we had lunch there.
After the British Museum we went to an umbrella store we had passed earlier, James Smith and Sons, established in 1830. I have never seen a store that was just umbrellas before. One side was women’s umbrellas and the other side was for men. I got my Mom’s present here and I am so excited! I think it is gorgeous! I hope she will like it. It is a sage green color with a real maple handle and is the “classic umbrella” as the proprietor of the shop informed me. He wrapped it up very proper too.
Next we went to Chiltern Street and got my recorder. All the little shops are squished together and we had to ring the bell for them to open the door. It is a dream come true for me to buy this. It made me cry. It is so beautiful.
Then we went to Preacher’s Corner at Hyde Park. Luckily there were no preachers at Preacher’s Corner so we did not have another “crap” incident. Then we went back to Buckingham Palace so Chrissy could get a bear that she had seen earlier and didn’t get, but then she decided that she had to get it. This one is a piper bear and will go with her other one that she got 3 years ago when she was here. Then we went to Harrods’s, an amazing department store. We didn’t buy anything there of course, but Jaremy and I did check out their bathrooms. Jaremy said in “The Men’s Luxury Toilet and Washroom” they had gentlemen handing out towels for the men to dry their hands on. In the woman’s there was a lady spraying perfume on patrons who so desired it. That was fun, but I don’t think I was made for the opulent life!
We got back to our hotel and had a short rest and then went and did our laundry at a place that was not “The Clothes Washer’s Luxury Wash and Dry Room”. This is our last night in London and I have loved it here!
Tuesday, September 15
Well, here we are on the train to Chester! A real train! We’ve left London and are on our way to Llandudno. I have never been on a real train before and this is so great! We are passing some lovely countryside, rolling green hills, trees and hedges. There are green fields and gold fields and ponds. I have seen a lot of sheep too. They are so cute! It is a very pastoral scene. Jaremy said they use the hedges instead of fences. What a good idea, they are much more charming. There are also canals with boats negotiating along them. I loved London but I think it will be really nice to be out in the country.
Later
We stopped at Chester and changed trains and then made it to Llandudno, Wales. Jaremy said that this was one of the favorite areas of his mission. It is so beautiful here. It is so green with rolling hills and trees and the Irish Sea! It is so beautiful with the afternoon sun breaking through the clouds and bathing everything in gold that I can hardly describe it. I want to fix it in my mind forever.
We got a rental car here. It is a little black Peugeot, really spiffy. The driving has been pretty much pure panic for me however. Even though I am not the one driving. We’re on the wrong side of the road you know. We’ve smacked into the curb a couple of times but no worse so far. It could have been other cars, people, buildings. Oh, I hope it gets better. We have the car for 4 days!!
We went driving around for a while and Jaremy even found the street he used to live on, “Bryn Lupus”. Then we came back to our bed and breakfast and walked down to the sea and out on the pier. There are all these amazing hotels right by the water, painted pastel colors. It looks so wonderful and foreign! And the Irish Sea, it is breath-taking! I can’t believe I am really here!
We went to Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch where we bought Maggie and Chloey’s presents.
Tomorrow, on to Stoke-on-Trent.
Wednesday, September 16
Oh, our poor little Peugeot! It has been through so much, round and round the round a bouts, up this street, down that street, smacking into curbs and cars. Actually, it was a parked car and it only bent back the side view mirror, but I pulled it back into the right place. The GPS working and not working and Jaremy arguing with the cool female voice. “Go right, across the round a bout and take the fourth exit”. Jaremy, the fourth exit? There is no fourth exit! I’m not listening to her. I’m going this way!” Well, we did make it to Stoke-on-Trent and to our bed and breakfast. It is the best place we have stayed so far. It is so cute and the owner Allison is very nice. After we got here we went to the pottery outlet stores, Wedgwood and Royal Dalton. That was really fun even though we didn’t buy anything. Then we went driving around the city looking for places Jaremy could remember from his mission. That was when we were having adventures with the GPS. The cool female voice, “Recalculating, recalculating, turn right, TURN RIGHT, NOW!!” Jaremy, “Right? I’m not turning right! You’re trying to make me go the wrong way again!”
We also went to a shopping mall. That was fun too. A mall security guy came up and talked to us and asked us where we were from. We told him the States and he said he was coming to Florida in November. He said he was coming out for his 40th birthday and he would bring his girlfriend along if he could afford it. He also said he wanted to take acting lessons and become an actor over here (in America). He said, “America is where it’s at!”
Tonight after we got back (I think it was another miracle that we got back, as we kept going in circles and ending up back at the mall) Jaremy and I went to dinner. We walked up the street to a pub that Allison recommended. We had the 5 pound roast dinner special for two. (I mean 5 pounds as in money not weight.) Jaremy had the roast beef and I had the turkey. The plates were huge! There was a big pile of cooked carrots, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower stationed around the plate and then a bit of meat and then the plate was circled with little boiled potatoes. The gravy (very runny) was on the bottom and there was a piece of Yorkshire pudding on the top with 1 more little boiled potato topping everything off. Jaremy said it was very typical English food. I thought it wasn’t half bad. Chrissy had stayed at our hotel so we brought her back a sandwich. On our way home we were waiting to cross the street when a bus stopped right next to us and I saw 2 missionaries sitting by the window reading their scriptures. It was the first missionaries we’ve seen. They looked so cute and I just wanted to hop on the bus and hug them! Jaremy ran over and knocked on the bus window and they looked up in question. Jaremy called, “We’re from Utah!” and we waved. Their faces just lit up and they gave us the thumbs up and waved as their bus pulled away. Isn’t that cool? If only we could have talked to them.
Also on our way back we walked by an old church that Jaremy and his companion had walked by so many times all those years ago. It was kind of creepy in the dark. Jaremy said he always thought it was kind of creepy when he was here on his mission.
Tomorrow, on to Nottingham! Two more days with the car! Will we make it?
Today has been such a long and wonderful day. First off we went to church. We had some trouble getting there, but a taxi rescued us and we made it. Jaremy and I could have walked but Chrissy had on heels and was having problems. It was a good meeting. Then we came home, changed clothes and were off!
First we went to the Portobello Road Market. That was really fun. There was so much stuff for sale, all kinds of little shops. We got Jennah’s present there. Chrissy bought a strawberry and cream crepe that a girl made at a little stand on the street. She shared it with Jaremy and me. It was wonderful!
Then we were off to the Tower of London. We were there a long time. It was so interesting I could have spent longer. We saw the place where people got their heads chopped off (how could people have been so cruel?) and there was a guide there telling stories about the people who had been sent to the Tower to be executed. I stood there for a while listening. Chrissy and I decided next time we go there we would like to have a guide so we could listen to all the stories. We also heard the story about the two young princes who were imprisoned in the Tower and were never seen alive again. Their bodies were found 2 years later. We listened to all the evidence and then cast our vote for who we thought did them in. They also had a special display all on Henry the 8th and then of course we got to see the crown jewels. It was just all so interesting.
Next we went to Camden Market where we got Kaeley, Kiren and Maeyah’s present. That was a very interesting and exotic place. There were lots of unique people with quite original hair and piercings and tattoos. Then we went to King’s Cross Station and found platform 9 ¾. Yay for Harry Potter! The Brits don’t seem as enthused as us about it though.
We rode the tube so much today. Those oyster cards have been well worth it. Today the sun never did come out. It looked like rain but was only windy. It was a great day.
MORE STUFF ABOUT BEING HERE
They have very interesting toilets here. They all have different kinds of flushing handles. One thing in common though, is you have to hurl all your strength into pushing down the handle and then hold it, to get it to work properly.
Instead of having “exit” signs, their signs say “Way Out”.
Also we got stopped on one of the trains today and a whole bunch of police came running along. Someone said they were looking for someone, (with a big moustache??)
Monday, September 14
Today we were off bright and early to Saint Paul’s Cathedral, (from Mary Poppins, also Princess Diana was married here). More stone and dead people and tons of monuments and statues. It was very ornate too, very magnificent, very beautiful in a hard, cold way. Sir Christopher Wren was the architect and he wanted it to be kept simple, but he died before it was finished and someone decided to fancy the cathedral up since he wasn’t there to stop them. We went down into the crypt to see the burial places of Lord Horatio Nelson and the Duke of Wellington. They were amazing, very big and very splendid. Lots of other important people were buried there too, in the walls, in the floor, all over the place. They had a café down there too, “The Crypt Café”. I am not kidding! We didn’t feel much like eating there though. It was very dim down there in the crypt and Chrissy said it smelt funny. Lord Nelson had defeated the French in a great naval battle and the Duke of Wellington beat Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. I asked the information people about them (the Duke and the Lord) you know I was wondering if they had been chums. The information people, (a little old woman and man, so cute) said they thought there was one picture of them together somewhere, but they probably hadn’t been chums. The lady told me that the Duke of Wellington had been the youngest son in his family and his family didn’t think he was much good at anything, so they put him into the army. He was pretty good at that so he became a general and must have had quite the career. There is an outside monument to him that is unbelievable. Anyway he became the Prime Minister later, but he wasn’t very good at that. He was better at being a general, according to the man.
After that we went to the British Museum, (which had not lost its charm, luckily). It was so much fun! You could spend days there. We saw lots of stuff, among them the Rosetta Stone. It also had a much more cheerful place to eat, so we had lunch there.
After the British Museum we went to an umbrella store we had passed earlier, James Smith and Sons, established in 1830. I have never seen a store that was just umbrellas before. One side was women’s umbrellas and the other side was for men. I got my Mom’s present here and I am so excited! I think it is gorgeous! I hope she will like it. It is a sage green color with a real maple handle and is the “classic umbrella” as the proprietor of the shop informed me. He wrapped it up very proper too.
Next we went to Chiltern Street and got my recorder. All the little shops are squished together and we had to ring the bell for them to open the door. It is a dream come true for me to buy this. It made me cry. It is so beautiful.
Then we went to Preacher’s Corner at Hyde Park. Luckily there were no preachers at Preacher’s Corner so we did not have another “crap” incident. Then we went back to Buckingham Palace so Chrissy could get a bear that she had seen earlier and didn’t get, but then she decided that she had to get it. This one is a piper bear and will go with her other one that she got 3 years ago when she was here. Then we went to Harrods’s, an amazing department store. We didn’t buy anything there of course, but Jaremy and I did check out their bathrooms. Jaremy said in “The Men’s Luxury Toilet and Washroom” they had gentlemen handing out towels for the men to dry their hands on. In the woman’s there was a lady spraying perfume on patrons who so desired it. That was fun, but I don’t think I was made for the opulent life!
We got back to our hotel and had a short rest and then went and did our laundry at a place that was not “The Clothes Washer’s Luxury Wash and Dry Room”. This is our last night in London and I have loved it here!
Tuesday, September 15
Well, here we are on the train to Chester! A real train! We’ve left London and are on our way to Llandudno. I have never been on a real train before and this is so great! We are passing some lovely countryside, rolling green hills, trees and hedges. There are green fields and gold fields and ponds. I have seen a lot of sheep too. They are so cute! It is a very pastoral scene. Jaremy said they use the hedges instead of fences. What a good idea, they are much more charming. There are also canals with boats negotiating along them. I loved London but I think it will be really nice to be out in the country.
Later
We stopped at Chester and changed trains and then made it to Llandudno, Wales. Jaremy said that this was one of the favorite areas of his mission. It is so beautiful here. It is so green with rolling hills and trees and the Irish Sea! It is so beautiful with the afternoon sun breaking through the clouds and bathing everything in gold that I can hardly describe it. I want to fix it in my mind forever.
We got a rental car here. It is a little black Peugeot, really spiffy. The driving has been pretty much pure panic for me however. Even though I am not the one driving. We’re on the wrong side of the road you know. We’ve smacked into the curb a couple of times but no worse so far. It could have been other cars, people, buildings. Oh, I hope it gets better. We have the car for 4 days!!
We went driving around for a while and Jaremy even found the street he used to live on, “Bryn Lupus”. Then we came back to our bed and breakfast and walked down to the sea and out on the pier. There are all these amazing hotels right by the water, painted pastel colors. It looks so wonderful and foreign! And the Irish Sea, it is breath-taking! I can’t believe I am really here!
We went to Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch where we bought Maggie and Chloey’s presents.
Tomorrow, on to Stoke-on-Trent.
Wednesday, September 16
Oh, our poor little Peugeot! It has been through so much, round and round the round a bouts, up this street, down that street, smacking into curbs and cars. Actually, it was a parked car and it only bent back the side view mirror, but I pulled it back into the right place. The GPS working and not working and Jaremy arguing with the cool female voice. “Go right, across the round a bout and take the fourth exit”. Jaremy, the fourth exit? There is no fourth exit! I’m not listening to her. I’m going this way!” Well, we did make it to Stoke-on-Trent and to our bed and breakfast. It is the best place we have stayed so far. It is so cute and the owner Allison is very nice. After we got here we went to the pottery outlet stores, Wedgwood and Royal Dalton. That was really fun even though we didn’t buy anything. Then we went driving around the city looking for places Jaremy could remember from his mission. That was when we were having adventures with the GPS. The cool female voice, “Recalculating, recalculating, turn right, TURN RIGHT, NOW!!” Jaremy, “Right? I’m not turning right! You’re trying to make me go the wrong way again!”
We also went to a shopping mall. That was fun too. A mall security guy came up and talked to us and asked us where we were from. We told him the States and he said he was coming to Florida in November. He said he was coming out for his 40th birthday and he would bring his girlfriend along if he could afford it. He also said he wanted to take acting lessons and become an actor over here (in America). He said, “America is where it’s at!”
Tonight after we got back (I think it was another miracle that we got back, as we kept going in circles and ending up back at the mall) Jaremy and I went to dinner. We walked up the street to a pub that Allison recommended. We had the 5 pound roast dinner special for two. (I mean 5 pounds as in money not weight.) Jaremy had the roast beef and I had the turkey. The plates were huge! There was a big pile of cooked carrots, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower stationed around the plate and then a bit of meat and then the plate was circled with little boiled potatoes. The gravy (very runny) was on the bottom and there was a piece of Yorkshire pudding on the top with 1 more little boiled potato topping everything off. Jaremy said it was very typical English food. I thought it wasn’t half bad. Chrissy had stayed at our hotel so we brought her back a sandwich. On our way home we were waiting to cross the street when a bus stopped right next to us and I saw 2 missionaries sitting by the window reading their scriptures. It was the first missionaries we’ve seen. They looked so cute and I just wanted to hop on the bus and hug them! Jaremy ran over and knocked on the bus window and they looked up in question. Jaremy called, “We’re from Utah!” and we waved. Their faces just lit up and they gave us the thumbs up and waved as their bus pulled away. Isn’t that cool? If only we could have talked to them.
Also on our way back we walked by an old church that Jaremy and his companion had walked by so many times all those years ago. It was kind of creepy in the dark. Jaremy said he always thought it was kind of creepy when he was here on his mission.
Tomorrow, on to Nottingham! Two more days with the car! Will we make it?
Friday, September 25, 2009
THE GREAT TRIP
THE GREAT TRIP
Here is the journal that I kept while on holiday if there is anyone who would be pleased to read it.
Thursday, September 1o
Well, the adventures have begun! We got to the airport in good time. My Mom and Dad took us, which was very nice of them.
First thing, my second carry-on bag did not pass through security. The officials had to take me and my bag aside and search my bag by hand, with plastic gloves on, of course. They couldn’t find anything at first and then the culprit was found, my little pink pocketknife! I thought I had left it in my purse at home! Oh no! Well, anyway it cost me $5.40 to mail it back to myself.
We were some of the last passengers to get on our flight and when we got up to board they wouldn’t let us pass! Our boarding passes wouldn’t work, so we got pulled out of line and had to get our passports verified. They did get verified and after that all was well. Then when we boarded our plane, someone was sitting in my seat! Another problem! We soon discovered that he was on the wrong plane, poor guy! Then my suitcase wouldn’t fit in the overhead, but I took my umbrella out and then it fit. So we only backed up things on the plane briefly.
We made it safely to Atlanta and had to ride the train to get to our concourse. I was first getting on the train and the door shut on me! I was in the train and my luggage was outside the train along with Chrissy and Jaremy! Oh no! Chrissy and Jaremy looking a bit alarmed were trying to tell me something, but I couldn’t understand them. We couldn’t hear each other and I have never been very good at reading lips, unfortunately. There was this older guy standing on the train next to me and I asked him, “What do you think they are saying?” but he just stared at me and didn’t answer. I didn’t know that the train door would shut so determinedly. I thought it would be like getting on an elevator. You know, if you stick your arm in, it would open again. Not so with these. Luckily I dropped my luggage and kept my arm. Anyway an announcement was soon heard that the train was experiencing an obstruction, (me, I think) and so it wouldn’t go. In just a few minutes the doors opened and Jaremy, Chrissy and I and our luggage were soon on our way. People were not giving me very congenial looks.
Now we are waiting to board our flight to London!
Friday, September 11
We made it to Heathrow airport! It wasn’t very comfortable sleeping on the plane but I did finally go to sleep. So did Jaremy and Chrissy. The flight attendants served dinner about 90 minutes into the flight, chicken or pasta. It was about midnight! Chrissy and I declined but Jaremy enjoyed it. The flight took about 8 hours and 15 minutes.
We are now on the tube going to Paddington Station and it is very bumpy so that’s why my writing looks like this. We don’t know quite what we are doing so I hope we make it to our hotel.
Later
Well, it’s a good thing we couldn’t check into our hotel until 2:00 P.M. It took us at least that long to get here. First the information lady at the airport told us to get off at Paddington Station, but she was wrong! We got off figuring our GPS would help us find the way, but it wouldn’t work. We were standing out on the street looking at a map and this nice, little, older gentleman asked if he could help. He was so nice, but we ended up having to go back to the tube and take a different stop. After that we were closer to our hotel but not close enough so we took a taxi and FINALLY MADE IT! It was so fun riding the tube. Most of it was underground, but some of it was above ground and we went past all these townhouses and sort of villages and I loved it!
MIND THE GAP!
They say that a lot here, meaning watch out for the space between the train and the platform. One thing, the trains here are like the one in Atlanta. You have to get off and on very quickly! Once the doors shut they don’t open again until the train gets to the next stop. At the Earl’s Court stop we got off and the doors shut and Jaremy had left his small bag on the train. Oh no! His bag had all our money, his passport and other important stuff in it. But here is a miracle. We were standing there panicking and the doors opened! Jaremy ran in, got his bag and ran out and the doors closed and the train was off! Chrissy said it was a good thing Grammie had put our names in the temple. She also said she didn’t know if she would ever go traveling with us again.
We were on the Piccadilly Line. I have never ridden a train like that before and I thought it was great! Also today I got the first stamp ever in my passport! Yay!!
Saturday, September 12
Happy Birthday to Jaremy! It was a pretty good night. About 2:00 in the morning we heard all this ruckus out on the street and I looked out and saw a bunch of guys standing around yelling and pushing each other. I think some of them were drunk. The main rowdy had a pink Mohawk. It soon quieted down though. This morning we started off by going to Westminster Abbey. First thing off the tube we saw Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament and then we walked to Westminster Abbey. We did the audio-guided tour, which works really well. It was so great to be there! It is an amazing place. There is so much stone and dead people buried all over the place. There are so many monuments and it is dark and very ornate. I can’t believe I actually got to see it.
Then we walked through Saint James Park and saw Buckingham Palace. Then we went to the War Rooms and Churchill Museum. Next we saw Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square. We also saw #10 Downing Street where the Prime Minister lives. It is made of black bricks. Chrissy commented that it must be The Black House as opposed to our White House.
Then we were off on a boat cruise of the Thames River and afterwards walked across the Tower Bridge, (I always thought it was the London Bridge), and went to the Thames River Festival, (held this week-end). That was really fun. There were all sorts of different people and different shops set up.
At last it was time to go home. We had to change trains on the tube a few times but we finally made it back to the hotel.
It was a gorgeous day, blue sky and lots of sun with a bit of wind. A perfect day! We got gifts for people and tomorrow we will go to church. I hope we can find it ok. It is the Hyde Park ward, pretty close.
Oh yeah, there was a preacher at Trafalgar Square preaching, (ranting actually) over a microphone and guess what? He was against Mormons! Oh no! They had this table set up piled with anti-Mormon and other cults, (can you believe they called us a cult?) literature. I didn’t think that was very nice so I went up to the guy behind the table and said, “Hey, guess what? I’m a Mormon and I don’t think it’s very nice of you to hand out these pamphlets when they aren’t true!” Well, that started a bit of a problem and then Jaremy came over and said all their pamphlets were a bunch of crap, (I thought that wasn’t too respectful) and then it got a little more heated and I dragged Jaremy away. The guy said he was just trying to save us from going to hell and I said I’d like going to hell and he said, “You’d like to burn?” and I said, “Sure” and that’s when I dragged Jaremy away, (he was still calling their pamphlets a “bunch of crap”).
So that was today pretty much. Chrissy stayed out of the “crap” problem. She just stood wisely, (as she said) off to the side remaining calm.
One more thing, we went to dinner at this place and as I was going out I missed the step down and fell and I thought “Oh mind the step!”, you know, just joking to myself, and then I looked up and on the wall there was a sign that said, “Mind the Step”. I thought it was funny. Speaking of signs there was also a sign on the back of an ice cream van that said, “Mind the child”. And they have signs on low ceilings that say, “Mind your head”.
Here is the journal that I kept while on holiday if there is anyone who would be pleased to read it.
Thursday, September 1o
Well, the adventures have begun! We got to the airport in good time. My Mom and Dad took us, which was very nice of them.
First thing, my second carry-on bag did not pass through security. The officials had to take me and my bag aside and search my bag by hand, with plastic gloves on, of course. They couldn’t find anything at first and then the culprit was found, my little pink pocketknife! I thought I had left it in my purse at home! Oh no! Well, anyway it cost me $5.40 to mail it back to myself.
We were some of the last passengers to get on our flight and when we got up to board they wouldn’t let us pass! Our boarding passes wouldn’t work, so we got pulled out of line and had to get our passports verified. They did get verified and after that all was well. Then when we boarded our plane, someone was sitting in my seat! Another problem! We soon discovered that he was on the wrong plane, poor guy! Then my suitcase wouldn’t fit in the overhead, but I took my umbrella out and then it fit. So we only backed up things on the plane briefly.
We made it safely to Atlanta and had to ride the train to get to our concourse. I was first getting on the train and the door shut on me! I was in the train and my luggage was outside the train along with Chrissy and Jaremy! Oh no! Chrissy and Jaremy looking a bit alarmed were trying to tell me something, but I couldn’t understand them. We couldn’t hear each other and I have never been very good at reading lips, unfortunately. There was this older guy standing on the train next to me and I asked him, “What do you think they are saying?” but he just stared at me and didn’t answer. I didn’t know that the train door would shut so determinedly. I thought it would be like getting on an elevator. You know, if you stick your arm in, it would open again. Not so with these. Luckily I dropped my luggage and kept my arm. Anyway an announcement was soon heard that the train was experiencing an obstruction, (me, I think) and so it wouldn’t go. In just a few minutes the doors opened and Jaremy, Chrissy and I and our luggage were soon on our way. People were not giving me very congenial looks.
Now we are waiting to board our flight to London!
Friday, September 11
We made it to Heathrow airport! It wasn’t very comfortable sleeping on the plane but I did finally go to sleep. So did Jaremy and Chrissy. The flight attendants served dinner about 90 minutes into the flight, chicken or pasta. It was about midnight! Chrissy and I declined but Jaremy enjoyed it. The flight took about 8 hours and 15 minutes.
We are now on the tube going to Paddington Station and it is very bumpy so that’s why my writing looks like this. We don’t know quite what we are doing so I hope we make it to our hotel.
Later
Well, it’s a good thing we couldn’t check into our hotel until 2:00 P.M. It took us at least that long to get here. First the information lady at the airport told us to get off at Paddington Station, but she was wrong! We got off figuring our GPS would help us find the way, but it wouldn’t work. We were standing out on the street looking at a map and this nice, little, older gentleman asked if he could help. He was so nice, but we ended up having to go back to the tube and take a different stop. After that we were closer to our hotel but not close enough so we took a taxi and FINALLY MADE IT! It was so fun riding the tube. Most of it was underground, but some of it was above ground and we went past all these townhouses and sort of villages and I loved it!
MIND THE GAP!
They say that a lot here, meaning watch out for the space between the train and the platform. One thing, the trains here are like the one in Atlanta. You have to get off and on very quickly! Once the doors shut they don’t open again until the train gets to the next stop. At the Earl’s Court stop we got off and the doors shut and Jaremy had left his small bag on the train. Oh no! His bag had all our money, his passport and other important stuff in it. But here is a miracle. We were standing there panicking and the doors opened! Jaremy ran in, got his bag and ran out and the doors closed and the train was off! Chrissy said it was a good thing Grammie had put our names in the temple. She also said she didn’t know if she would ever go traveling with us again.
We were on the Piccadilly Line. I have never ridden a train like that before and I thought it was great! Also today I got the first stamp ever in my passport! Yay!!
Saturday, September 12
Happy Birthday to Jaremy! It was a pretty good night. About 2:00 in the morning we heard all this ruckus out on the street and I looked out and saw a bunch of guys standing around yelling and pushing each other. I think some of them were drunk. The main rowdy had a pink Mohawk. It soon quieted down though. This morning we started off by going to Westminster Abbey. First thing off the tube we saw Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament and then we walked to Westminster Abbey. We did the audio-guided tour, which works really well. It was so great to be there! It is an amazing place. There is so much stone and dead people buried all over the place. There are so many monuments and it is dark and very ornate. I can’t believe I actually got to see it.
Then we walked through Saint James Park and saw Buckingham Palace. Then we went to the War Rooms and Churchill Museum. Next we saw Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square. We also saw #10 Downing Street where the Prime Minister lives. It is made of black bricks. Chrissy commented that it must be The Black House as opposed to our White House.
Then we were off on a boat cruise of the Thames River and afterwards walked across the Tower Bridge, (I always thought it was the London Bridge), and went to the Thames River Festival, (held this week-end). That was really fun. There were all sorts of different people and different shops set up.
At last it was time to go home. We had to change trains on the tube a few times but we finally made it back to the hotel.
It was a gorgeous day, blue sky and lots of sun with a bit of wind. A perfect day! We got gifts for people and tomorrow we will go to church. I hope we can find it ok. It is the Hyde Park ward, pretty close.
Oh yeah, there was a preacher at Trafalgar Square preaching, (ranting actually) over a microphone and guess what? He was against Mormons! Oh no! They had this table set up piled with anti-Mormon and other cults, (can you believe they called us a cult?) literature. I didn’t think that was very nice so I went up to the guy behind the table and said, “Hey, guess what? I’m a Mormon and I don’t think it’s very nice of you to hand out these pamphlets when they aren’t true!” Well, that started a bit of a problem and then Jaremy came over and said all their pamphlets were a bunch of crap, (I thought that wasn’t too respectful) and then it got a little more heated and I dragged Jaremy away. The guy said he was just trying to save us from going to hell and I said I’d like going to hell and he said, “You’d like to burn?” and I said, “Sure” and that’s when I dragged Jaremy away, (he was still calling their pamphlets a “bunch of crap”).
So that was today pretty much. Chrissy stayed out of the “crap” problem. She just stood wisely, (as she said) off to the side remaining calm.
One more thing, we went to dinner at this place and as I was going out I missed the step down and fell and I thought “Oh mind the step!”, you know, just joking to myself, and then I looked up and on the wall there was a sign that said, “Mind the Step”. I thought it was funny. Speaking of signs there was also a sign on the back of an ice cream van that said, “Mind the child”. And they have signs on low ceilings that say, “Mind your head”.
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