Normandy

Joan of Arc (our meeting spot)

Very early on May 30th, the six of us (Winters, Snows, and Davis) caught two uber cars and went to downtown Paris to catch our tour bus for a 7 am departure.  We had tickets booked on for a bus tour to Normandy.  It was a 3 hour drive from Paris to the Beaches of Normandy.  When we arrived there we were able to visit the bunkers and beaches of Omaha, Sword, Utah and Juno Beaches.  These were the beaches where the American, British and Canadian troops arrived on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

We also visited the American Cemetery and Memorial.  It is quite a touching site to see almost 10,000 graves of those soldiers who lost their lives in the liberation of Europe.  We were at Normandy just one week before the 75th anniversary of D Day.  There were lots of preparations for the visits of President Trump, Queen Elizabeth, Britain's Prime Minister May, Germany's Angela Merkel, Canada's Prime Minister Trudeau, and French President Emmanuel Macron.  Normandy was a very reverent place.

This was Susan's birthday and a very nice way for all of us to celebrate with her.  We all felt it was the highlight of our Paris trip.

On and off the bus

This one is for you, Mason

Looking out from the Bunker

The beaches

Omaha Beach

Omaha Beach

Juno Beach

Juno Beach

"Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them."  Franklin D. Roosevelt

Riding the Bullet Train to Paris and the Paris Temple

Bright and early Wednesday, May 29th we met with two others couples at the U-Bohn (train) station near our apartment.  From there we caught the U-Bohn to the main train station (Hauptbahnhof).  From this point we boarded a bullet train to Paris.  The train ride was wonderful.  It took us about 3 1/2 hours from Frankfurt, Germany to Paris, France.  We enjoyed being able to sit back, relax and play Five Crowns (card game).

Upon arrival in Paris we began our search for the train that would take us to the bus stop which would then take us to our hotel.  We found the correct train and made it to the bus station.  We knew we needed to catch a specific bus number, but no one seemed to know which direction it was traveling.  Susan asked one lady but she did not speak English - she however was so kind - she asked several people at the bus stop and helped us find the right bus.  We were very thankful for her help.

We arrived at the hotel in Versailles, France and quickly changed out of our travel clothes into church clothes - walked about 7 minutes down the street and caught the 3:30 pm session at the Paris temple.  What a wonderful place - to leave all our troubles behind and bask in the spirit.  The session was in French, but we had headsets and enjoyed saying "Qui Qui".

After the temple it was back to the hotel where we changed out of our church clothes and went in search of dinner.  We found a nice restaurant not far from our hotel where we enjoyed a good meal.  We then walked to our hotel as we were scheduled to meet a tour bus at 7:00 am in downtown Paris the next morning.  Our hotel in Versailles was approximately an hour out of town.  Back at the hotel we went our separate ways and all set our alarms to meet very early the next morning to catch our "Uber" (two small cars) so we could be downtown on time.

"Every day one can become a little bit more like Jesus wants us to become.  It's a lifetime project.  Practice it every day."  President Russell M, Nelson, Auckland New Zealand, Pacific Tour.

Rhein River Cruise

On Saturday, May 26th we (Gary, Susan, Clark and Shelley) started out early and drove to the town of Rudesheim which is about an hour away from Frankfurt.  When we arrived in Rudesheim we bought tickets and boarded a large cruise ship to go downstream toward St. Goer.  On our cruise we passed Bingen, Assmannshausen, Lorch, Bacharach, Kaub, and Oberwesel before arriving in St Goer.  At St. Goer we disembarked and went in search of some lunch.  After lunch we caught another boat going back upstream to Rudesheim.  The trip back to Rudesheim took longer as we were now fighting the current.

All along the river were lots of castles, and ruins .  There were places where you could get off and take a gondola ride to the top of the mountain, walk across to another gondola and then ride back down.  There are many options.  If you want you can take the cruise all the wait downstream to Cologne.  All along the river are many castles, churches, and fortresses.

This area is wine country.  All along the shores you see the vineyards.  We marvelled at the straight rows.  The reason the rows go up and down the hill instead of across is for good drainage and more exposure to the sun.  In fact the grapes are planted on slopes on purpose.

The day started out a bit chilly, but after lunch it warmed up considerably.  Our trip began at 9:15am and ended around 5:00pm.  Getting us back to our apartment about 6:30.  Just in time to pick up some groceries before Sunday.

We acknowledge that we have done a good amount of sight-seeing.  During the week we are in the office 9 to 5 in meetings, on the phone or the computer.  When the weekend comes we make a point of getting out to see what all the places we can.  Then when we have company visit (Like we just did with Jeff Hadfield) we know our way around and all the best places to take our company.

"Lesson number one from the Lord's vineyard: coveting, pouting, or tearing others down does not even your standing, nor does demeaning someone else improve your self-image.  So be kind, and be grateful that God is kind.  It is a happy way to live."  Jeffrey R. Holland April Conference 2012

So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye Jenny

On Friday evening, May 24, 2019 our office staff met at La Cantina restaurant.  We know, a Mexican restaurant in Germany, really?  The food was good and company was excellent.  The purpose of our get together was to say goodbye to our highly effective and very efficient administrative assistant, Jennifer Laird.  

Jenny has been a key player in the Welfare and Self –Reliance Department for the past two years.  Jenny is not only a beacon of sunshine and positivity, but she has a wealth of knowledge.  You might say that she is in possession of the institutional memory for the department.  When anyone needed help to negotiate the deeper recesses of the institution, Jenny has been there to help.  She is like a lighthouse on the shore for those of us figuratively “lost at sea” in an ocean of new processes and unfamiliar regulations.  She has truly helped show us the way.

 Jenny was on loan to us in "Welfare" from the Temple Department.  With the rededication of the Frankfurt Temple in October, she will be returning to the Temple Department.   The temple will not be open until October, but they want her back to get things arranged before all the excitement begins.

The temple open house is September 13-28 with the rededication on October 20, 2019.  The temple has been closed for nearly 4 years  Everyone is looking forward to the re-opening.  After October, the temple will only be 20 - 30 minutes away instead of 4-5 hours.  

We currently have permission to travel to temples within a 500 km radius of Frankfurt.  That gives us opportunites to visit temples in Freiberg (3 1/2 hr),  Bern (4 hr),  Hague (4 hr), and Paris (5 1/2 hr).  We don't complain about distance because we can visit several beautiful cities and temples.  When we served our first mission in Croatia/Bosnia, we never had the opportunity to visit a temple for the entire 18 months.  We truly are thankful for the opportunities that we have.

"The temple is a sacred edifice; a holy place where essential saving ceremonies and ordinances are performed to prepare us for exhalation."  Robert D. Hales. We're With You