Amsterdam and Antwerp

Carl and the Holland Cow

A Riverboat Cruise that travels through the canals of Amsterdam. We took a similar tour the night before.

Me outside of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. We had just finished touring the house, which is now a museum. They do not allow pictures to be taken inside the house, but it was an incredible experience. Anne Frank's experience during World War II exemplifies what it means to be human. It was incredibly touching and surreal to see where her and her family hid for almost 2 years during the Nazi occupation of Holland.

A typical canal street in Amsterdam

Carl with our cruise ship in Antwerp, Belgium

Antwerp's City Hall

We took a little tour to Ghent, Belgium. Ghent is a city originally built during Medieval times that survived the bombings of 2 world wars. This is a Medieval castle.

We also toured a little chocolate shop in Ghent and got to sample yummy Belgian chocolates.

London

Outside of St. Paul's Cathedral, one of the largest cathedrals in Christendom.

Big Ben (or at least the clock tower which houses Big Ben. Big Ben is actually the name for the bells inside the tower).

Westminster Abbey

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace Guards

The London Tower Bridge

Normandy and Omaha Beach

Visiting the American Cemetery and Omaha Beach in Normandy, France was one of the most special and important experiences of my life. Many historians consider June 6, 1944, or D-Day, the most important day of the 20th century. What happened here changed history. Visiting the monuments built to honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice made me so proud to be an American and so grateful for my freedom. The French government donated the land for the American cemetery but it is maintained by the American Government. The cemetery is truly a beautiful, sacred place.

You can see Omaha Beach in the distance. This particular plot of land was chosen for the cemetery/monument because the section of beach that borders it was the bloodiest area for Americans on June 6, 1944.

Another view of Omaha Beach from the cemetery

This statue symbolizes the spirit of the American youth rising from the ocean. The olive trees behind it symbolize peace. The inscription surrounding the statue reads, "My Eyes Have Seen the Glory of the Coming of the Lord." I found this interesting because the entire time I was walking around the cemetery this phrase from the Battle Hymn of the Republic was in my mind: "As He died to make men holy let us live to make men free, while God is marching on." I believe freedom truly is a gift from God that should not be taken lightly.

This wall contains the names of those who died in Normandy but whose bodies were never found to be buried. It is called The Wall of the Missing.

Carl next to the National Guard monument on Omaha Beach

Omaha Beach was such a beautiful place. It is hard to imagine what happened here during World War II.

Lisbon, Portugal

This bridge in Lisbon was built by the same company that built the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The resemblance is striking!

A tower built by the Moors during their occupation of Portugal.

We spent a few hours at the Oceanario Aquarium. The Oceanario is the largest aquarium in Europe. It was built for the 1998 World Expo that was held in Lisbon. We thought this fish was very interesting. I had never seen anything like it before. It is called the Ocean Sunfish.

Me and the penguins at the Oceanario

I wish they made cool benches like this in Utah!

Spain

City Hall in La Coruna

This lighthouse is called Hercules Tower. It is the only lighthouse in the world built during the Roman Era that is still in use (although it was updated in the 18th Century).

On top of Hercules Tower

The scary tram in La Coruna. It was hot, crowded, and bumpy. We should have just walked.

Seville, Spain

A plaza in Seville

We went mountain biking and sea kayaking in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Mallorca is a little island in the Mediterranean. It was beautiful!

The cathedral in Palma de Mallorca

Montserrat Monastery in the mountains near Barcelona. We didn't get to see any monks.

Carl made a friend in Montserrat

Park Guell in Barcelona designed by the famous architect Antoni Gaudi. The pink building was Gaudi's home for about 20 years.

Sagrada Familia, the cathedral designed by Gaudi. It is still under construction and has been for 120 years. Sagrada Familia was probably my favorite cathedral that we saw during this trip. Gaudi has a unique style that many people don't like. You can call it very "organic." He used nature as his inspiration. In my opinion, what better way to glorify God than to glorify His creations?

How Come I Can't Keep a Houseplant Alive...

...but a random plant will grow up out of my carpet?Carl recently found this random plant growing behind a chair in the corner of my basement family room. There isn't a whole lot of light in this spot, I don't water my carpet, and hopefully there isn't a whole lot of dirt here so I'm not sure how it survived for so long. Kind of gross, really.

Neglect

My poor blog has been sorely neglected lately and my only excuse is that my life hasn't been conducive to spending a lot of time fighting with Blogger to create a decent post. Maybe I just need a few of my more-talented friends to give me a tutorial on how to use this program without tearing my hair out. Until I have a few hours of spare time (preferably all in one sitting) to post pics from Europe and other adventures, know that I am still alive and have at least thought about my blog during the past month.