This time it's hello from the D-Day beaches in Normandy. We visited the Memorial Cemetary above Omaha beach early on Easter morning. It was very sobering and inspiring to be in this setting, paticularly on Easter morning. There are few places where the importance of Christ's message of resurrection and peace could be more deeply felt than in this sacred place.

You can just make out a flag pole in the far distance in this shot. The American flag flies proudly there around the clock. As evidence that it's involvement in the war was not for profit or gain, the US asked only that this land be given as a place to bury our dead. France granted this spot of land to the USA in perpetuity.

The grave markers march on as far as can be seen in all directions.

There was a cold wind this day, but no rain and an occassional break in the clouds. Melody is a little short on vitamin D after the winter and she is here making up the deficit as best she can.

Some of the Nazi gun emplacements are still available to walk through and around. Even though familiar with the history, it makes a big difference to actually be there where profound sacrifices were made so that we and others have the freedoms we enjoy.

The scene looks very peacful these days. But one can imagine trying to storm up these cliffs as the American, British, and Canadian troops did that day.

This is part of a great museum in Caen that gives a detailed story of D-Day. This is part of a memorial garden at the museum. The wall contains an inscription from each state in the union. All states lost men during the D-Day conflict.

The French and Germans (plus many others in Europe) also paid a heavy price for freedom. This is a town not far from the beaches as it looked in 1944. Everything has been rebuilt and there is no current evidence in the towns of what happened then.

This is a map of the different units attacking the Germans at Normandy. The battle lines stretched for miles. 100s of thousands of men came in 5,500 ships and many airplanes.

This church is typical of many in the area. It was in the line of fire and partially destroyed, but rebuilt in manner to look much like it did when constructed 800 years or so ago.

We suspect that because the cost of war speaks so loudly of the need for peace, there was an exhibit honoring winners of the Nobel Peace Prize hooked on to the Caen memorial museum. We thought including a picture of this last honoree would be important--especially for some of our brothers who are such great fans of our current president.

On our way home we stayed the night in Reims France. Joan of Arc, on her horse behind Melody is one of the local heroines.

Speed limits in France are quite similar to those in the US. But once back on the Autobahns, it was peddle to the metal. Here is proof that an Opel can move out. As mentioned in an earlier blog, however, this was just creeping along compared to folks roaring by in their BMW's and Mercedes.

This was a great trip for us. We went back to our work renewed and refreshed. Glad you could go along with us for part of this, even if only through a few pictures. More later.

Paris in the springtime...

We continue to enjoy any down time that we can get. There are just so many amazing places within driving range. The Easter/Conference weekend presented us with an unusually long extended weekend. Our offices and all local stores were closed Friday through Monday.

It was also our 25th Anniversay so we planned a romantic get away to Paris, Caen and the beaches of Normandy. We'll just cover Paris in this edition of our blog. Inspite of frequent rain showers we had a very memorable and enjoyable trip.

We've arrived in Paris! And this is not our car :) But like other places in Europe there are some pretty tiny cars. They are like toys! Wish we could bring them home for the grandkids to play with them.

Our hotel was quite near the Eiffel Tower. We were able to get to everything we wanted by foot. It's great to notice the details as we walk rather than ride.

True to the reputation of France - lovely, tasty Pasteries were everywhere! And yes, we sampled a few things... OK! Quite a few things.


There are many bridges crossing the Seine. While they are useful for getting around...some are so ornate that they are destinations by them selves.

It must be a law - that every building has huge statuary and ornate architeture! Paris is grand in every way!

Outside the Louvre...rain or shine...we are having a great day in Paris! Don't let long lines influence you here...even on Easter weekkend, they move fast and have many counters for tickets inside.

Inside the Louvre, looking up from under the pyramid.

We think we found the FTD florist logo!

And a lot more.

Gary appears to have either fallen asleep on his feet or - since he is smiling - maybe he is just awed by the size of some of the paintings. How do they move these giant works of art?!

We're getting close to Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. She pretty much has her own room, but a large crowd.

And here she is! The Mona Lisa is a "must see" at the Louvre. But bring binoculars and a ladder.
The crowds in "her room" were so congested that you just had to hold the camera over head like at a crowded concert and point and shoot and then blow it up to see if you got her. We're not sure that the famous igmatic smile was worth the crunch of the crowds.

Melody "reflects" on the art at the Louvre.

No, that is not the Arc de Triomphe. But just a portion of the grounds at the Louvre. It was so big. This photo just shows one side of the building and part of the grounds. There are 3 sides to this multi-story building and so much to see that Gary actually laid down on an interior bench :)

The Louvre shows art on a grand scale - inside and out.

The details of each statue are impressive.
Look at the detail on a marble cuff of lace. The joints and lines of the hand.

Along the River Seine there are many used booksellers. Their "stand" looks like a large garbage bin. Many stands had closed early due to the heavy rains.
.

We didn't take a crowed cruise but instead walked and walked and walked ... till we saw pretty much all of the sights along the River and plenty more! We've put quite a bit of mileage on our shoes!

The pastry shops went all out for Easter.

We went to the top of Napoleon's Arch of Triumph. It wasn't all that easy to cross the busy street with 12 avenues meeting there.

As you walk around the top you see 12 Avenues that are like spokes on a bike.

We spent our time in the older historic part of Paris. But wow! Paris has quite a skyline of modern businesses - if you get up high enough to see it.

Did we mention that it was Easter? hummmm!
There are no substitutes for the pasteries of France!

The Hotel Invalides is not a hotel! The larger facilities once housed war vetrans to keep them off the streets. Today there is an extensive military museum surrounding the interior courtyard. The lovely, grand domed building at the front is the elaborate burial place of Napoleon.

As we left Paris...we spied "The Thinker" behind the gates of the Rodin Museum. It appears that he has much to think about... after all these years...he's STILL thinking:) And we'll be thinking about the Paris trip for a long time!

Wettzlar Weekend

Hi everyone. We greet you again from the cross roads of Europe. It continues to be a great experience to work with young Elders and Sisters ( a few older ones too). They are working hard to be effective workers for Jesus Christ. Even those struggling with emotional issues genereally have their heart in their work and are trying hard to fulfill their responsibilities.
It's obvious from the experiences we're having with them that this is a very special group in the eyes of the Lord. He certainly blesses them with inspiration and guidance.

Whether we're on the streets of Frankfurt or in other towns...we see that there is usually a brick color change that denotes a lane for bikers. Kind of like an autobahn for bike riders and some of them speed along as if it were an autobahn. Speaking of autobahns, the roads in Germany are excellent. Some sections of freeway have no speed limits. At times we have been moving along in our little Opel at about 100mph or so only to have cars scream past us doing ??

Mel continues to be fascinated by door knobs, knockers and various other artistic or ancient hardware. Large or small ... there is plenty of it over here.

Bamberg is sometimes called the little Venice of Germany. It even had plenty of pidgeons.
There are many waterways circling throughout the city.

We continue to travel and share expenses with our co-workers the Whiddens. In the above photo we see a possible reason why there are so many"mental health" needs. Something certainly blew this poor fellow's mind.

Most towns have one or more cathedrals, a charming town square and usually a castle. Both Wetzlar and Limburg had all these components .

Small towns like Wetzlar and Limburg (previous photos ) and Bamberg (above) have been easy to visit on a Saturday. We did multiple towns on a Saturday since they are within an hour of Frankfurt.

We'll post again soon so we can share our adventures in France.