Tying up loose ends

Get comfy, this may take a while...

Here we are, the last of the pictures from Ooo-rrropa. (that's 'Europe', sassy style) They are random, a lot of pics, and they are a roller coaster of events over a couple of days.

First, a couple things about Europe that I haven't mentioned. Observations, if you will. First, there are A LOT, and I mean A LOT of people in Europe. I mean in Belgium alone, the size of Maryland, there are 15 million people. It really is crowded. (another reason the U.S. is so awesome - wide open spaces)

Next, they wear A LOT of black. For real. Everywhere we went, I felt out of place. Everyone was wearing black, or at least gray. I didn't think we were that colorfully dressed, but compared to every city and town we were in, we were.

One of my favorite things about Europe is their bathrooms. The house we stayed in has been recently renovated, so it had two really big nice bathrooms. But it still had one tiny one. So small that my I had to tip sideways on the toilet so I didn't burn my bum on the radiator. (TMI, sorry. That also may be little bathroom / big bum trouble, as well) They have the worlds tiniest sinks. The first time we were there, I noticed the same thing. Seriously, this sink in this picture is like 5 inches by 9 inches, or so. Teeny. And the toilets have two flushers - one for yellow, one for brown. If you know what I mean...(ew, sorry)




I already raved about the delicious food, and the fact that I made over 100 pieces of bacon during our stay. And about 20 bratwurst.




And if you have that much sausage, you better have endless supplies of fantastic mustard. Hot, spicy, full of flavor and from Germany - of course. We ate a hole bottle in like, four days. Mmm.




And look who came along? The personal chef, maid, nanny, nurse maid, navigator, accountant, and many other things. She needs a vacation, don't you think? (I regularly ask Peter what it's like to have his own personal chef and maid. His response, "It's great. You should try it sometime." Ha!




Okay. On to more serious things. We stayed in the Ardennes, you know, where the Battle of the Bulge was. Read up on this if you're not familiar. But basically, it was near the end of the war, the allies had pushed from Normandy in the summer - into Belgium at Christmas. They were so close to the German borders, but supplies were held up and they got stuck in the Ardennes. Hence, the name, Battle of the Bulge. A sort of back up.

This is where hundreds of men (more maybe?) lived in fox holes for weeks and weeks. It was cold and terrible. The allies suffered a lot of casualties during this time. The men slept, ate, did their business, and nearly froze to death in these holes. My great uncle lost his leg in this region of the war.

This is what it looks like in an area called Foy. If you know the story, or have seen Band of Brothers - a true story, frequently on the History Channel. This story took place here, in these woods. Just yards away from the little village of Foy.


This is an actual fox hole. We had to cross a farmers field to get into the forest. (Peter had researched this all about before) The woods have remained all of these years, and the fox holes have never been filled in. The holes are all over the place, and not as defined as they once would have been. It was truly an amazing experience for us. You know, living where I do - with so many freedoms taken from us, and then coming here, where SO many men died so that we could have our freedoms in the U.S., really made me think. I am so very thankful for every one of the wonderful people that helped stop the evils of the other side. I cannot imagine what our world would be like if they were allowed to go on. But I'll tell you, having many of my freedoms taken from me here, makes me even more grateful for what they did for us.



I don't think Simon has any idea how many millions of little boys, over the last 70 years, have pretended to fight the Nazi's in their back yard woods. And here he is, playing Army where it really did take place. Lucky kid.




If you know the story of the allies taking Foy, this is one of the houses still standing, with the battle scars to prove it. Pretty amazing history. I hope my children will someday realize how lucky they were to actually be here. What an impact the second world war has on their lives everyday. Freedom.




We also went to the American Cemetery in Luxembourg. Peter and I had been to the one in Normandy, and were awe struck there. This was just as moving. More than 5,000 young boys are buried here. Many unknown, and from all over the U.S. This is U.S. soil. Run by the United States government. Every Jewish marker had a small white rock placed in the star. It's tradition to place a rock on Jewish markers, noting that someone has been there and a prayer has been said for them. They're beautiful. I think I felt a little more sad for these Jewish boys, knowing that they were there fighting someone who was killing those that shared their beliefs. Again, I think living in a place where my beliefs are so taboo, has really shed new light on what others go through.



And for some reason, these make me cry more than any other. I love the words, "Known but to God." We truly are all God's children. And he loves us. I can't imagine how His heart breaks at the sight of war. That his children are murdering each other must cause Him to want to weep. Walking through here, I couldn't help but cry. It's just row after row, name after name. Truly heartbreaking.

On kind of brief little glimpse, Peter drove us by the German Soldier cemetery in Luxembourg. It was getting dark, starting to rain, and getting ready to close. But I wanted to tell you about it. The markers were very small, gray, and not well taken care of. I felt a little weird looking at it. Being an American, I guess we were raised to hate Nazi's. Which, of course, is natural. But seeing their markers, I felt a sorrow for them. Sad for those that lost their lives as well. They were husbands, brothers, uncles, too. Loved ones. Again, all children of God. Just thought I'd tell you about that. Somewhere I didn't even know existed, that I won't soon forget.


We also had the wonderful opportunity to go to church. In a real ward house!! We went to the Liege 1st Branch. Although, compared to our little branch, this was huge. More than 100 people. It was all in French, no one spoke English. Except two adorable sister missionaries, serving in the Paris France Mission. One from Centerville, the other from Logan - Utah. They were SO excited to speak English and talk with us. It was very fun. I loved visiting with them and hearing about their missions and the work in their mission. I even got their home numbers and called their moms to tell them how fun it was to see them and how great their daughters were.

The church is an amazing thing. Today we read a quote in Preach My Gospel, during family study, by President Benson, that said that the only thing what will unify the earth, is the gospel of Jesus Christ. If you really think about it, that is an incredibly true statement. The meeting on that Sunday (yeah! we got to go to church on SUNDAY!) had several investigators, lots of different colored skin, crazy hair do's, smelled like cigarettes, and had a beautiful spirit. I didn't understand one word, sang every hymn in "French" (yes, I murdered every single word), and felt the spirit touch me heart in a very foreign land. I am so thankful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.




On the flip side of going to church, we went to Koln, Germany and saw this amazing Cathedral nestled next to the Rhine. I love history of these places. I mean, The Rhine? That's right up there with the Nile, on the famous river scale. ('cause there is a famous river scale, right?) Anyway, this is very famous church. It's Roman Catholic and started being built in the 1200's. Finished in the late 1800's. (the oldest building, or part of building I saw during this trip was from 560, can you imagine? A church, of course ) - It was damaged in the war, but not totaled and was rebuilt.

Impressive, isn't it?

I hate to air my dirty laundry, but the Koln Cathedral was visited on accident. I mean, I was thrilled to take my kids in, and see an amazing piece of architecture and history. But....We were there for the Christmas Market being held in the church's square! That was my one sole purpose of going to Koln. The cathedral was just an extra treat.


This was the perfect way to start the holiday season. In the birthplace of Christmas, with our family and grandparents, it was freezing cold (snowed the next day, after we left), wonderful smells, Christmas music, people bundled up, lights, and tons of great things to buy. Each child got a small toy and I bought each of them an ornament. It really was a great way to welcome the season.



And a great note to end on, before saying goodbye to our grandma and grandpa the next day. We all miss them so much. We had a wonderful time. Truly one of the best trips ever.

See ya next time!