Back From the Lands Across the Sea

We have returned from our adventures in Europe. Now I have to make sure that I write everything down as to where we were and what we did before I forget.

It began on October 1, 2008 with Sabine's first trip on an Airplane. She did very well. The Flight Attendant even said she was one of the best babies. She cried for a moment when we were trying to get settled then she snuggled down into the down blanket that we had brought and slept pretty much until we landed. Leaving at 5 o'clock in the afternoon from Salt Lake City Airport we traveled for ten and a half hours to land in Paris France. I highly recommend the direct flight, it cuts at least three hours off the total trip, and you basically go to sleep then wake up in France. How cool is that?

We then got our rental car and started trying to drive toward Normandy. Where my parents Robert and Carol Scofield are currently serving an 18 month mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The driving would have been easier if we could have figured out how to change the GPS into English, however the instruction manual was only in French. Did you know the French has an entire ministry for protecting the integrity of the French Language? Not so surprising to me now.
It took us about four tired hours but we did finally arrive on the doorstep of my parents in the town of Alençon where they have an apartment. Matt got really good at driving the many many roundabouts a skill he would master by the end of our trip.

We then got to see my Mom and Dad and they got to meet Sabine in person for the first time. They might have been more excited to see the goodies like peanut butter and walnuts we brought them from the States, but I doubt it because Sabine has squishy cheeks.

October 3rd was a bit rainy but we trudged out anyway. We went to the Town of St Cénéri le Géréi. It ended up being a beautiful day and we enjoyed that the flowers were still in bloom, and the leaves were changing color. We saw a french woman standing in her dutch doorway talking to her husband. When we walk by she said "bébé?". Everywhere we went with her people were very interested in seeing the baby. Then we went to the top of the hill to the bee church. The legend says that when the town was to be conquered the bees that had a hive in the walls of the church went and stung the armies and they retreated. The bees still have their hives in the church walls.

Carol, Bob, and Shawna carrying Sabine, walk the lanes of St Cénéri le Géréi.

Sabine overlooks the Town.

We then went back to Alençon and explored that very cool town. They have a beautiful park with fantastic gardens. Everything seems to grow so easily, I suppose that living in the desert has some disadvantages. I can never get that mossy overgrown look, but then again I don't have to worry that everything will mold.

Bob, Carol, Shawna, Matt, and Sabine

Saturday October 4th we went out and about Alençon again. We went to the farmers market in the main square. This time when all the shops were open. We went into the toy store and children's clothing stores and I got a french scarf. Everyone, men and women, in France wear very funky scarves. Bob got board pretty quickly at this point and decided to go back to the apartment. Party pooper. We walk around until the shops started closing up. Then we went back to the apartment to get ready for everyone to come over for the broadcast of the LDS General Conference. The Missionaries, Elder Anderson and Elder Haws, and three members that speak very good English came. We watched the Saturday Morning Session at 6:00 pm in France. It was streaming live from the Internet and my Dad had it projected onto the wall. We got to see the disappointment of the French girls when the temples were announced and France was not on the list. After the session my father blessed Sabine. He blessed her to be beautiful and influential. It has already come true.

October 6th We got up early and drove out to the Abbey of Mont St Michel. It is very impressive to drive toward. You can see it rising more that 50 miles out because Normandy is generally so flat and this rises up out of the sands so dramatically. It was a pretty good hike up to the top, where we took a tour of the Abbey. It has been built and rebuilt a multitude of times back to the 8th century. It is reputed to be the only place that didn't fall into English hands during the hundred year war.

On the way home from Mont St Michele we stopped in Domfront. It had some cool ruins and Sabine got to swing with Grandma for the first time.

October 7th we drove to the Normandy Beaches. Specifically Omaha Beach where the most brutal fighting occurred on D-day June 6th 1944. Over 10,000 US soldiers were killed and over 9,000 remain buried in the US Cemetery there. They have a very nice memorial that shows the history of the war and the events of D-day. Matt informed me that his grandpa had fought in France during WWII and was wounded in the leg, he survived by rolling under a bush and waiting over 36 hours until the allies had gained control of the area. It is very sobering to see all those graves. We are blessed to live in a day that we don't have war on our doorstep. But then you wonder why we still have war at all with the world becoming a smaller and smaller place with information so readily at our fingertips. We should be able to see many points of view and see that everyone is interconnected and has something great to offer the world. On the beach the only other reminders of the war are a big Concrete Boat, being worn away slowly by the ocean, used to bring the Tanks to Shore. And the German concrete bunker up on the hill.

We walked down the Beach and we put Sabine's feet into the English Channel.

We then went to the city of Bayeux. There we saw the Bayeux Tapestry, at 70 meter long it is pretty impressive . It depicts the tale of William the Conqueror and is over 900 years old. There is a great link to an animated version on You Tube at, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDaB-NNyM8o

We decided that the next day shouldn't be so revolved around war instead it was about Art, much better.

October 8th we started out by going to the city of Honfleur a seaside town with a lovely old port, Vieux Bassin. It was a popular subject of Normandy painters and still has a very nice local art tradition. There was also a nice park. When you travel with a baby you are always looking for a nice place to be able to sit down and feed her or change her pants. One comes to appreciate all the lovely parks in France.

Sabine conquers France and Sabine conquers Grandpa Bob

We then Proceeded up the coast to Etretat, known for the white cliffs with arches carved by the ocean they have been compared to an Elephant dipping it's trunk into the sea. It has also drawn many artists like Monet.

October 9th we got up and said our goodbyes to Elder and Sister Scofield. It was time to get them back to their real work instead of playing with us everyday. We then drove to the Chateau de Versailles, built in the mid 17th Century by King Louis XIV. This is somewhere that I have always wanted to see. We took a tour of the Palace and were able to see the Galeris des Glaces (Hall of Mirrors) and the Grand Appartment du Rio (kings suite). Very extravagant.

The vast chateau gardens could have taken an entire day to explore completely. The very formal style is very beautiful, it was only disappointing the the fountains were not operating.

That night we stayed in a hotel outside of Paris and then got up in the morning and turned in the car. We then took a 5 hour train ride to Zurich, Switzerland. Where Matt's brother Aaron picked us up and brought us to his house in Ober Agerie, about an hour drive from Zurich. That night we just relaxed and Sabine got to meet her Uncle Aaron. She would have met him earlier this summer when he came to Utah for 5 weeks if she hadn't decided to come 10 days past her due date. She waited until after he had gone before she made her appearance so it was nice to have this opportunity. Aaron owns a catering company in Switzerland and had been living there for 5 years. We planned our trip to correspond with a week that he had off work.

October 11th we went to the Jungfraujoch the Top of Europe. It is the highest train in the world, up to the top of the mountain that is covered by Glaciers. There is an pretty large complex built on the top of the ridge with several observation decks and restaurants. A place that you can walk out onto the Glacier, very very cold. My favorite part was that they have carved tunnels into the glacier. It was also a pretty amazing view of the Alps.

When we came down from the mountain we found a nice local restaurant and ate Schnitzel. Sabine was being a little bit cranky. I was holding her and waiting for Matt to finish eating so then I could eat, the waitress came over and asked without any english if she could hold her so I could eat. It was really nice. Babies are the real international language.

October 12th we went on a hike it was a gorgeous fall day. We probably followed the wanderveg for about 5 miles. Then we took the tram to a city that doesn't allow any cars and walked all around there. On the way home we stopped at the Fried Chicken resturant that has been there for over 200 years.

Sabine's tuft blows in the Switzerland wind

Matt, Shawna, Sabine, Lisa, Aaron

October 13th we went to the Reinfalls on the way to Zurich. They are pretty impressive, lots of water. In Zurich I got roasted Chestnuts from a street vendor, I don't know why they don't have them in Utah they are so good. We went to lunch at the Armory, sausage and spatzlé is a fantastic combination. Then we just wandered the city. It was really nice.

That night Josh and Lesley Armstrong invited us over to their house for dinner. Josh made some awesome curry and we just hung out and caught up.

October 14th we stayed around Zug and got our train tickets for Venice the next day. We then went to Aaron's "office" where they have a pool table, what a fun place to "work".

October 15th we got up early and got on the 6 hour train to Venice. Aaron didn't trust driving his car down to Venice, because cars come back from Italy with scrapes and dents apparently. Venice is a beautiful city. We arrived in the afternoon and found our hotel near the train station. We then went and wandered the city and found a great place to eat that was serving fresh seafood. Every turn in Venice is picture worthy with the small lanes and canals. There are no cars in Venice because it was built on 117 small islands that are interlaced with the canals and bridges, the only way to get around is a piedi (by foot) or by water. We got a Vaporetto (Water Ferry) pass for the two days we were there so we could hop on and off anywhere in the city.
After dinner we wandered the city and got Gellato, italian ice cream, then we took the last Vaporetto all the way down the Grand Canal and then back. It was a great way to see the city at night.

October 16th we went to the Piazza San Marco, it was pretty early in the morning but was already busy with tourists. We walked through the Basilica di San Marco it has golden mosaics on the ceiling, and tiny stone mosaic on the floor. Incredible the amount of time and skill to create the intricate pictures and designs. We needed a place to feed and change the baby so we sat at Caffé Florian and got a hot chocolate, it has been there for 230 years.

Venice is all about getting lost and exploring to see where you end up.

We found a great pizza place for lunch then, of course, we had to take a gondola ride on the side canals. It is the only way to see the smaller canals.

The Pictures of Venice tell more that I could explain with words.

October 17th we headed back to Switzerland. Josh made us reservations for a restaurant in an old castle in the middle of a lake. It was one of the best meals I have ever had.

October 18th we got up early and Aaron drove us back to Paris. It took about 5 hours by car. then 45 minutes to drive through to find the hotel which happened to be in the Moulin Rouge area. We then went walking to find dinner. We stopped at a restaurant/cafe that look pretty busy and for very good reason it was a fantastic meal. We started with foie gras and a pastry puff with snails over a salad, delicious. Then I has a steak with the bone marrow. Desert was Crème brûlée. It was a fantastic meal. We got help with Sabine again from a sweet French girl that was there with her friend that spoke very good English, Lady Franny and Alexanda. Again, traveling with the baby allowed us to meet people that we might not have otherwise.

We then hopped onto the underground and went to the Cathedralé Notre Dame. It was already after dark but we got to see it all lit up, and there was a street performer throwing fire in front. We then went over to see the Eifel tower lit up in Blue light.

Then we decided we better get back to the hotel before the underground stopped for the night.

In the Morning of October 19th we went to Sacré Coeur. It was a pretty amazing view of the city, and it was a beautiful morning.

We then headed over to the Arc de Triomphe where the view was even better.

After that we walked down the Av des Champs Elsées to the Louvre. Where we took our leave of Aaron. So that he could get back to work the next day. We then went into the Louvre we pretty much ran through it because of our time constraints, but were able to spend about three hours. We spent most of the time in the Paintings and Sculptures, but we were able to see quite a bit of Mesopotamian art as well. I wish I could have stayed all day and I would probably still needed another day. It is a huge museum.

From there we went to the the Eiffel Tower. We deceide not to wait the 45 minutes to get to the top. Instead we took a boat ride down the Seine River. That was a nice way to see the city. That evening we got crépes and went back to the hotel. We definitly didn't have enough time in Paris, but there is always next time.

We had the Taxi pick us up at the hotel and bring us to the airport. It was nice to be going home. We got to see Greenland from the airplane, that was pretty cool.

Then we were home, Yeah. We even remembered to bring the baby back with all the chocolate we could fit into our luggage.