In April I think “What am I going to do with these kids all summer?”
In August I think “Wow, that went fast.” We are at T minus 4 days and counting. This pic sums up my feelings on the matter.
Of course being out of the country for two weeks helped speed that summer up.
Mark and I had a fantastic time on our trip to England, France and Ireland.
We celebrated Independence Day in Britain. (How’s that for irony?) Mark’s sister and her husband even hosted a BBQ with their church friends. We thoroughly enjoyed meeting everyone and tossing out some good-natured Brits vs. USA teasing.
From there it was Paris for two days, Normandy (and lots of little towns) for five days, then over to Ireland for four days. If you want the play-by-play and more photos, hit my Tumblr feed.
Favorite Things
- British accents. Enough said.
- The way EVERYONE picnics in Paris. At night there are thousands of people in parks, on the bank of the Sienne, on footbridges, hanging out with friends while enjoying food and a bottle of wine.
- Laying in the grass and seeing the “sparkles” on the Eiffel Tower at 11 p.m. at night. (At 11, midnight and 1 a.m. there are extra lights that flash on and off for a few minutes.)
- Honfleur – my favorite town. It’s said to be “the French town favored by impressionists” and it’s easy to see why. It’s where Boudin introduced Monet to painting.
- Watching the sun go down on Omaha beach and reflecting on the lives sacrificed to win freedom from tyranny.
- Fancy bathroom doors in the Paris airport (painted w/ ladies dresses – see pic below)
- Selfies – we took a lot 🙂
- Marie Antoniette’s “hamlet” at Versailles. Mark said it was like Disneyland (looked just like a fairy tale book).
- Standing in Claude Monet’s water gardens staring at the same pond that inspired him to paint 250 paintings.
- Old castles, old churches, old buildings.
- Brightly painted doors and interesting architectural details. (We don’t have that in AZ.)
- Fun with friends – we had tons of laughs.