BLARNEY!

I found some 5 Pound flights from London to Dublin, so here we are in Ireland for a week. We are in a rental car, touring the southern part of this Emerald Isle. And really, it is green, green everywhere -- incredibly lovely landscape. We drove south from Dublin through the Wicklow Mountains, visited the Waterford Crystal Factory and then Cobh, a port town from which most Irish emigrants left the country for a new life elsewhere. Cobh was also the last port of call for the ill-fated Titanic, and the rescue center for the equally disastrous Lusitania voyage.





Today we visited Blarney Castle in County Cork. There is quite a bit more to Blarney Castle than the famous stone and we enjoyed a full morning exploring the extensive grounds and local village.

Here's a view from the castle. We joined hordes of other tourists in climbing Blarney Castle to kiss the Blarney Stone.

I'd never read the details of HOW you kiss the stone. After climbing up a treacherous spiral stairway in a corner tower of the castle,
you have to lie on your back and tip your head back over open space to reach the unobtrusive, triangular stone set in the upper wall of the castle. Here is Grace making the brave attempt to improve her eloquence. For that is the promise of the magical Blarney stone: kiss it and be forever eloquent. We gave each other before-and-after eloquence tests to see if it really works. In Grace's case, it made a tremendous difference! She went from stuttering fool to eloquent orator, all the result of a neck-kinking kiss.

I particularly enjoyed the area that long ago was a druidic settlement. We wandered through the fairy glade, the Druids circle, the Witches Kitchen, and here is Gloria by the Witches Stone. The whole area felt very mystical and alive.

After our day in Blarney, we headed north to Killarney, where we are ensconced for the night. We plan an early start (to beat the tour buses) on the Ring of Kerry tomorrow, a loop drive around a scenic peninsula here in County Kerry. We hope to be in Limerick for church on Sunday morning. (I wonder if they will worship in rhyme?) We have a couple of days planned in Dublin before we head back to London on the 19th. We are all loving Ireland!

LONDON, BABY!

No Death Eaters appeared to destroy the Millenium Bridge when we were walking across it, as happened in the opening scenes of the new Harry Potter movie, which, incidentally, Grace and I saw here in London last week. We also (all of us) went to the stage production of The Lion King at the Lyceum theatre -- absolutely stunning.

Here's a view from the London Eye -- through a bit of rain. You can see the Houses of Parliament down there on the right bank of the Thames and Big Ben sticking up.

Well, I look downright scary, but aren't my brass rubbings nice? Grace, Gloria and I spent a lovely afternoon in the crypt of St. Martin in the Fields, at the brass rubbing center, while Stephen whiled away his time across the square (Trafalgar, to be precise) in the National Gallery. They have candlelight concerts in the church on many nights (without Neville Mariner, sadly) but we just sit in on the afternoon rehearsals and hear some great music, minus the candles and the cost.

We really enjoyed attending the Hyde Park Ward on Sunday, it being the first time we'd been to English-speaking church in many months. Afterwards, we wandered through nearby Hyde Park and discovered the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain, which Grace and Gloria particularly loved. We also listened to several impassioned speakers on their makeshift soapboxes at Speakers Corner.

HOME EXCHANGE

We are staying in the home of Frank, Kathleen, Sari, and Rani in Antwerp, while they are suffering through the biggest heat wave Portland has ever experienced in our non-airconditioned home. Meanwhile, the weather in Belgium is cool and pleasant. Their cat, Morske, is very glad to have people around. The fish don't seem to care except when we feed them, but the chickens greet us vociferously and even laid us one egg.

Here is our Antwerp abode. I'm telling you, if you want to travel, home exchange is the way to do it. It keeps our costs very manageable and gives us a comfortable home base from which to explore. Plus, we know we have responsible people looking after our home in our absence. We used www.homelink.org, but there are several good home exchange companies on the internet.

There is a huge, lovely park near our place. We walk or bike there frequently. Tonight, we're hoping to find the open-air concert and the food stalls that Kathleen told us about. As you can see, even in Belgium, Grace and Gloria remain . . . themselves.

Though our home schooling efforts have dwindled quite a bit with summer vacation, we do make attempts to get a little school work in. At least, that's what they are supposed to be doing.

ANTWERP

Here we are in Antwerp, Belgium, the heart of Flanders. Of course, the heyday of the famous Flemish artists is long past, but Antwerp is proud to keep alive its claim on Peter Paul Rubens, who lived and worked here in the 17th century. We toured his house and studio yesterday and here is his statue in the main square, near the big cathedral.

Much of the fun of a trip is discovering and doing things you didn't plan. We wandered past this horse-drawn stagecoach near the Rubens statue just as it was about to head off on its slow-paced tour of the city. For 5 Euros, who could resist? A spry old man drove the coach and halfway through the tour, he stopped, dug out a bucket and filled it up at a hand-pumped water faucet in the middle of the sidewalk to water the horses. Since I couldn't convince the group to hire a horse-drawn camping caravan for a week in Ireland, this was the next best thing. Anyone up for caravaning in Ireland?

HAND WERPEN = ANTWERPEN

So this is a statue of Silvius Brabo, in the Grote Markt of Antwerp, Belgium. Notice the giant hand he is about to throw into the river Scheldt. Legend has it that a giant named Antigoon set himself up at the bend in the river and levied a heavy toll on all passing shipmasters. If you didn't pay the toll, the giant cut off your hand and threw it in the Scheldt. Finally, along came Brabo, a Roman centurion, who killed the giant, cut off his hand, and threw it in the river. (On the other side of the statue lies the fallen giant, water squirting out of his severed bronze wrist.) Thus the name: Handwerpen (werpen means to throw) which was later changed to Antwerpen. Though Americans call it Antwerp. Now you know.

Of course, there is also the more probable theory that the name Antwerpen derives from the word aanwerp, "an alluvial mound in the River Scheldt." Hardly the stuff of good legend.

I thought they spoke French in Belgium because my friend Tracey served a mission here and spoke French. So imagine my surprise when we arrived in Dutch-speaking Antwerp. Actually, some native Belgians do speak French. Others speak Dutch. Still others German. At least they use the common Euro. Oh, there's the fallen giant right behind Grace's head.

OBAMA

This is a note of hope for all you American readers, no matter what you think of our President. I have noticed that everywhere we go, people love President Obama. They speak of him and of America with a new enthusiasm, a renewed hope for the whole world. People around the world really do look to America to be a leader in goodness and progress. In Morocco, in Spain, in Italy, in France, Denmark, Germany, and Belgium, people often comment to us that they are so glad to see a leader in the White House that seems to have such a diplomatic spirit, a peaceful approach to international issues, and an intelligent plan for addressing important concerns of our day. Everyone is glad that President Bush is gone.

I share this observation not from some political soapbox; I'm as apolitical as they come. But it has surprised and gladdened me to see the new hope that our new President has engendered in people here in Europe. People trust America again. I can't predict whether President Obama will "succeed" or "fail" as a President. But he is already bringing much (and much needed) good will and hope to the world, a feeling of optimism and faith in America as the world leader that we are. And that is a good thing.

As fellow Americans, I thought you should know.

We Went To Copenhagen and Stayed Awake To Tell About It!

By which I don't really mean to say that Copenhagen is boring--it's just that we arrived here right after Paris, and to say that pretty much anywhere is not quite as exciting as Paris is like saying that the Louvre is a place with lots of pictures. Anyway, it's in Copenhagen that we finally perfected the internationally recognized tourist gesture, which I will explain for the benefit of those of you with future travel plans. The gesture is made by standing on a street corner peering at a map in one hand, while (or better, "whilst") scratching your head with the other. Extra credit is given for holding the map upside down, and even more if it's a map of the wrong country.

Based on our stay here, we have come up with the following conclusions: (a) Copenhagen is very flat (the terrain, that is) which is very helpful for it being (b) the bicycling capital of probably the whole planet. Virtually every street in the city of any consequence is divided into three explicit components: one for driving on, one for walking on, and one for biking on. If you happen to be standing on the biking component (peering at a map, no doubt) you will be met by an immediate chorus of bicycle bell jingles telling you to get out of the way. We could learn a lot from the Danes about their commitment to biking. And while it seems that at any given moment they are all on their bikes going somewhere, it never seems that they are trying to get there FAST. They don't appear to get anywhere fast, and yet they get there. I would sum Danes and Danish society up by noting that they are quietly efficient, and I'm not at all sure that they would care if you notice or not.










Grace, Gloria, and HC Andersen











Original of The Christus by Thorvaldensen.



















Lisa, some sea water, and the Opera House.

MY DAY AS A HAMBURGER by Grace

Hello peoples of the world. Today we are in Hamburg, Germany with Jan-Philipp, Tom, Antonia, and Inga. Jan-Philipp was an exchange student with Mom and Dad 16 years ago. They met us at the bus station and walked to the metro station with us. They were really nice and funny. Antonia wouldn't let us carry our own bags; she kept saying "YOU'RE OUR GUESTS!" On the Metro we talked a lot despite the fact it was 10 at night. Once we arrived at their house we were completely exhausted, not that we weren't before, just that we were more so. The house was really cool. They had things everywhere -- not messy, just tight. So we settled in and went to sleep. We woke up around 10 in the morning. Gloria got up much earlier, as usual.

Inga made this HUGE breakfast. I mean we could eat it for the next week! Later on that fine summer day we sauntered out the door heading to the bus station close by. We reached the station and boarded the heavily crowded bus. We got off the bus and started the fair amount of walking to Jan-Philipp's apartment. Then, we blinked, and just like that our day was turned upside down. It started raining like it would never rain again. It came by the buckets. But everyone had an umbrella except my mom, who didn't want to carry one all day. (cause and effect). So now my mother is drenched but my dad, who has an expectionally small umbrella, is now on the verge of his right side of his body being drenched while attempting to share with my mom. We all make it to the apartment. The small dog named Jasper whom we took with us, is the wettest of the bunch for he didn't bring HIS umbrella. Wet, cold & muddy we marched into Jan-Philipp's clean & quiet apartment. We sat down in his living room talking quietly amongst ourselves. Glorie and I dry the little dog. We leaft the towel on him and he's soon a cute sleeping bump on the ground. Then Jan-Philipp brings out this 2 ferrets. They were very funny. We tried holding them but they kept running away and hiding behind things. Inga fell asleep on the couch while my mother was attempting to do the same. Inga finally got up and I took her place. For people who know me are aware of the fact that I can sleep anywhere and any time, and that's exactly what I did. I took a short nap. By the time I woke up people were anxious to leave the apartment and go somewhere. So we started walking to a park where they had a marvelous water and light show. We quite enjoyed it. After that day we went home, had a great dinner, and went to bed. The following day we went to the fair and played carnival games.

WE HAD AN AWESOME TIME IN HAMBURG. IT WAS REALLY FUN AND I MADE NEW FRIENDS.

A DAY WITH KATJA

On Sunday we met a nice lady named Katja at church. She gave us her phone number so we could call her in the morning. At 12 we met her and daughter, Benedicta, at the Hans Christian Anderson statue in downtown Copenhagen. We started walking down the longest pedestrian street in the world, called Stroget. We were headed to the canal so we could go on a canal tour. It was really cool. At the end we got wet because the wind kept blowing
the sea water in our boat.

This the family, with us, Katja, Thomas, and Benedicta.

We were walking to the movie theater when it started raining A LOT. We ran to cover. And guess where that was? In the Church of our Savior, where Thorvaldsen's Christus statue was. They have a replica of this statue in the St. George temple visitors' center.

This is mom and Benedicta. Benedicta kept talking to mom but she didn't know what she was saying. So she kept nodding her head in agreement. When we were at their house, Benedicta pulled mom into her room and started reading and singing books to her in her secret cave. She was really cute.

KIM AND JON MARRY IN THE MOUNTAINS

My sister, Kimberlee, got married on 11 July in the breathtakingly beautiful north Georgia mountains. I flew to Atlanta the day after the day we arrived in Copenhagen and surprised Kim and Jon, since initially, I had not planned to come. But as the day drew near, I realized I had to be there. Besides, Genevieve came, too! I met her at her gate in the Atlanta airport and it was SO good to see her.







Here are Vicky, Kim (the bride) and Nancy -- my sissy and my two fantastic sisters-in-law.





My sister has been single for close to twenty years. In that time, she has done some extraordinary work on her personal issues and spiritual development. And Jon is equally extraordinary, a very welcome addition to our family. I am so happy for both of them. They were married at a little community center in the Coosawattie River Resort an hour north of Atlanta, where my Mom has a "cabin." We call it the cabin, but it comfortably hosted both bride's and groom's not-so-small families for the "rehearsal" dinner. (We actually didn't have a rehearsal, but skip supper in the South? Never!) And quite a number of us slept there, all of us in beds of some sort. It's a very nice cabin. Here is the just-married blissful couple, Kim and Jon.

I love my siblings! I love it when we are all together, since two of us live on the East Coast, and two on the West. We have a tradition we call The Sibling Breakfast, which is just what you presume. This time, we had breakfast at the local diner down by the Conoco on the morning of the wedding. I guess Jon will have to join the Spouses' Club next time. Here are the four of us: Greg, me, Kim, Phillip.
Oh, I didn't pack wedding clothes, so I am put together for the day by a whole generous team. I'm wearing a dress from Barbara, my Dad's wife, Vicky's shoes, and my mother's girdle and jewelry. The birth order is: me, Kim, Greg, Phillip, in case you're wondering.



I also got to visit my Mom and Ron, and my Dad and Barbara, plus Marge and Wayne, my favorite and aunt and uncle. I met a lot of Jon's family, who were entirely delightful people. I couldn't quite get used to the fact that everyone around me spoke English, but I have rectified that somewhat awkward situation by returning to Denmark, where, as it turns out, most of the people speak very good English. I think it's because the American TV shows are shown in English here, with Danish subtitles, unlike the rest of Europe, where the shows are dubbed. Which is lucky for me, since I know exactly four Danish words, which don't get me very far.

CONGRATULATIONS, KIMBERLEE AND JON!!!!

THIS IS TO PROVE WE DID THE LOUVRE

They're so happy because I finally said we could skip the 548 galleries that we missed during our visit to the mind-bogglingly enormous Louvre.

This is the Winged Victory. I really like it.

This is a bad photo of the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. It's bad because I was standing shoulder to shoulder, like sheep in a slaughtering pen, with scads of other camera-wielding tourists bent on proving they've seen the real thing, whether they like the painting or not. Despite the lovely name (though that's not even its real name and I've forgotten the real one, like most of you) I'm not a big fan of this painting. Grace had just read "The Da Vinci Code" so she was fascinated by the feminist details.

And here's Gloria's favorite part of our Louvre visit--the fountain by the pyramids. Just after I took this photo, she fell IN the fountain and had to ride the Metro home all wet. Ah, the memories.

YES, WE CLIMBED THE EIFFEL TOWER

I was just as happy with this view of the Eiffel Tower, but the girls insisted we climb it.

What you're missing here in this picture is the mob of tourists standing in line to get tickets. Of course, we were part of the mob. It's true that the Parisians skeedaddle out of town in July and August and leave the town to the tourists and the poor schmooks that have to service them. Apparently, the American economy isn't so bad that Americans aren't traveling. We see a lot of them here in Paris, now that it's summer vacation. Sometimes we deign to talk to them, but sometimes we keep mum and pretend we're locals. That only works until we have to consult our Metro map. Or until we find ourselves in line to climb the Eiffel Tower.

Grace and Gloria prepare to summit the Tower! I'm sure you know it was built by a guy named Gustave Eiffel. Did you know it was built in 1889, to commemmorate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution? There was a contest (like the contest for the Firenze baptistry doors) and some of the pictures of the other entries were pretty hilarious.

Grace pauses to enjoy the view from the second level. There's the Seine River down below.