Europe, 2004
March 22, 2004: An exciting day - the beginning of our European vacation! Gina called Mom to give her the flight information and a couple of contact numbers; Ed called Mom and Dad too but we don't have a picture of that!
March 23, 2004: After a night on the plane, we landed in London's Heathrow airport and caught a connecting flight to Geneva, Switzerland. We had only a few hours to spend there, so we hopped on a bus that took us straight to old town. What an awesome water fountain in the middle of Lake Geneva!
March 24, 2004: We took a bus from Geneva, Switzerland to Chamonix, France the night before, and we woke up ready to see some French alps! Here we are standing above the lovely Mer de Glace, or Sea of Ice, the second largest glacier in the Alps.
March 25, 2004: We got up early to catch our train from Chamonix to Paris. Our early afternoon arrival into Paris gave us enough time to visit Versailles. The gardens and fountains were surrounded by imposing statues of Greek gods; Ed thought Neptune's relaxing pose looked pretty good!
We loved the gardens even more than the rich state apartments inside the Chateau de Versailles. We were lucky to get some pictures during the half hour or so that the sun decided to come out!
March 26, 2004: We decided to spend all day at the Louvre. We saw so many extraordinary pieces of art, we could make a whole web page just about that! Here is Gina standing next to one of her favorites and something she's wanted to see for a long time, the Nike of Samothrace.
As expected, there was a huge crowd in front of the Mona Lisa. We tried in vain to get a non-fuzzy picture of her enigmatic smile, but in the end we gave up and bought a postcard!
The courtyard (actually above the main entrance to the Louvre) is surrounded by imposing structures that make up this amazing place. Ed takes a quick break next to its most recent architectural achievement, the Glass Pyramid, which forms a glass ceiling above the Louvre's information lobby. What a long day!
March 27, 2004: Being Sabbath, we thought it would be appropriate to visit many of Paris' great church structures. The stained glass in La Saint Chapelle was definitely the most breathtaking of the lot. We felt like we were walking into a jewel box!
No trip to Paris is complete without a visit to Notre Dame! Having read The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Gina was eager to get up into some of the bell towers and get Quasimodo's view of his grand city.
The towering facade of Notre Dame Cathedral is by far the most impressive of all Paris' grand buildings. And that's not to mention its flying buttresses! Ed looks as solemn as the many saints adorning the entrance of the great Parisian landmark.
March 28, 2004: Gina insisted on getting up early (again) to visit Pere Lachaise Cemetery in the hopes of finding Chopin's grave. Hey, looks like she was successful!
Our next metro stop took us to Arch de Triomphe, where Ed dutifully posed for another landmark picture. Of course we went up to the top for a look around - and found ourselves gazing down the Champs Elysee! It was a fabulous day for walking, so we took a little stroll down this most famous of boulevards.
At the end of the Champs Elysee we were duly impressed by the lovely fountains and magnificent obelisk in the Place de la Concorde. It's hard to believe this picturesque spot used to hold another, far more deadly "tourist attraction": the guillotine of the French Revolution!
Place de la Concorde being so close to the Louvre, we popped in for a few minutes to see if we could find the legendary Code of Hammurabi. (Its section had been closed off the day we were there.) Ed was rather pleased to be able to see it, considering its remarkable age: 1700 years or so BC!
We were able to manage to squeeze in a couple of museums we didn't think we'd have time for: the Picasso Museum and the small, quiet, and altogether wonderful Rodin Museum with its incredible gardens. We got to see Rodin's The Thinker, his Gates of Hell, and his sublime The Kiss. What a powerful artist!
We spent such a great deal of time outdoors this day, and by complete coincidence it was the best weather we got! We stopped for a quiet moment by the Seine River before walking on towards our final destination...
...the Eiffel Tower! And it truly was a peaceful stroll along the river. Would you believe we had been walking around Paris all day?
After a trip all the way up to the third tier of the Eiffel Tower, we got a little surprise on our way back down: the nightly tower light show! Being on the tower at the time was pretty cool.
March 29, 2004: We were finished with Paris - but not quite finished with France. We rented a car and drove up into Normandy in northern France to view the spectacular Mont Saint Michel: a monastery built so that during high tide it is completely surrounded by water!
We don't know too much about the geography of the surrounding area, but Gina really loved how the soft grays, blues, and browns of the sea blended together in a mysterious way.
Afterwards we drove even further north up to Omaha Beach, one of five sites where Allied forces surprised occupying German forces on D-Day: June 6, 1944. It was very cold! The clear blue of the sky and water belies both the temperature and the horror of what took place on these beaches almost 60 years ago. Gina is standing next to a memorial built in honor of those who died here that day.
March 30, 2004: Having driven back to Paris the night before, we rented another car and drove north again, this time to the city of Rouen. It was here that Joan of Arc was held by the English awaiting her trial and execution for, of all things, being a witch! Gina sits at the spot where she was burned at the stake.
Finally we drove south - right into Chartres, home of the mighty Chartres Cathedral. We saw myriads of well-preserved stained glass from the 11th and 12th centuries. Ed was in stained glass heaven! A small sample of the treasures: the north rose window.
April 1, 2004: We spent an entire day (March 31) traveling from France to England, and then up to Scotland. This included a ride through the Chunnel! Once in Scotland, we embarked upon a tour of Loch Ness searching for Nessie, its famed monster.
We had a totally relaxing day and really learned a lot about this beautiful part of the world, even some helpful information about the local flora and fauna! (We had a great tour guide.)
Our next stop on the tour was Urquhart Castle on the banks of Loch Ness, partially destroyed in 1692 during wars between English loyalists and Scottish clans. We were both impressed again by the serenity of the surrounding area.
April 2, 2004: It would be impossible to go to England and not go to see Stonehenge. We're still not sure how or why it was built, but we had fun thinking about it!
April 3, 2004: On our second Sabbath in Europe, we decided to go to Newbold College for church. Before church actually started we walked around the small grounds. Gina stands in front of Murdoch Hall, named after Adventist education pioneers William and Ruth Murdoch.
April 4, 2004: This day tour out of London took us to Warwick Castle, where we enjoyed clambering all over the old ramparts and towers.
The tour ended in Oxford with a walk around to see some of the colleges. We concentrated on Christchurch College, spending some quality time inside its lovely cathedral. Ed again went crazy with the camera - some of the shots he got of the stained glass windows were deemed postcard-worthy by Gina!
April 5, 2004: The day of our London tour dawned cloudy and overcast. It actually rained on our parade! The changing of the guard in front of Buckingham Palace was awesome - we even got a little musical concert at the end of it, which was a nice surprise.
We spent quite a bit of time at the Tower of London, a large Norman structure built by William the Conqueror in the 11th century. Over the years it held prisoners accused of treason, many of whom were tortured to death or executed. The tower overlooks the aptly named Tower Bridge, where we stopped for a pose.
We quickly stopped in the British Museum to find the Rosetta Stone, which Gina proudly stands next to in this picture.
The end of the day - Big Ben towers over Big Ed! Along with the Parliament Buildings, this world-famous clock is one of the truly remarkable landmarks of a great city.
April 6, 2004: Ed's birthday - what a perfect way to close our European trip! We started off visiting the enchanting Leeds Castle and its gardens - spring was finally in the air. Gina even saw a gorgeous peacock on the grounds as we were leaving by bus.
Gina has always wanted to see the white cliffs of Dover - and on this trip she actually got to! She is standing on the shore of the English Channel with the object of her desire in the background.
The day ended with another unexpected gift: we had enough time to rush over to Greenwich. With a little searching we found the Prime Meridian, where east meets west. Ed pauses with one foot planted on each side of the world! We thought this was a wonderful way to end our trip.