Thanksgiving 2008

With no turkeys on any menu around we tried to make the most of our European Thanksgiving. We spent the afternoon in Bern. It was sooo cold but we managed to walk a few of the old medieval city streets. We ate at the only place open at 4:00, a swanky café in the city’s fanciest hotel. Kids don’t frequent this place so the girls were treated like royalty getting free gifts from the gift shop and pads and paper from the hotel (maybe they were just trying to keep them happy so they didn’t disturb the other guests!) Our feast consisted of a fresh mixed salad, divine coconut pumpkin soup, and a creamy ravioli dish. It was delicious and we all thought the evening was fabulous…but we missed our families that were gathered together 1000s of miles away. As we are removed from all that is “normal” one thing clearly stands out as being absent and that is family. We missed you!

Our Thanksgiving table and the atmosphere was really elegant but to hard to capture...but here we are!

A coach pulled by these beautiful horses came by. We went to check it out and a princess got out and gave the girls bags of candies. She was advertising beer but the girls just thought their luck had come in...

I don't know if you can see the small Christmas trees in all of the flag holders above the first level on the buildings. They were along each street in Bern and when lit up at night it was so festive.

These little statue fountains are every 50 yards or so. This is a characteristic bear guarding the city.

We visited a fun chocolate shop that put us under its Christmas spell. The girls were given little marzipan in the shape of fruits and veggies - a carrot, a pear and a potato.

The girls at the Ogre Fountain (it was sooo cold!)

The Ogre is enjoying a snack...kids! I'm sure parents have used this ogre to get their kids to do all sorts of things over the years.

The clock tower has little bears (right) that come out and go round and round.

Another Bern bear

Bern Temple

As I’ve mentioned, we have a focus on becoming a Zion family. We talk about Zion, read about Zion, we named our little school “Z School” and try to remind each other to be better when we aren’t acting so…Zionish. Going to the temple in Bern, and staying in the simple temple housing, is like a mini visit to Zion. The girls called it "Zion House” and didn’t want to leave. It is sort of beyond my writing ability (as are most things!) to describe the experiences we had there. Geoff and I spent as much time as possible in the temple taking turns with the girls; trying to squeeze in a little school (although we finally decided we were all ready for a break so we packed it all away for the rest of our trip). Being in the temple is so rejuvenating! And to be there four days in a row, doing more than one session daily, dissolves all of life’s tedium. The housing is so simple. Life’s necessities are provided and we realized again how little one needs to get by. The sign on the room doors say, “This simple yet sufficient housing should meet your needs while you are here.” All rooms are the same (three bunk beds, six lockers and a small bathroom). All share the same cooking/eating space (the kitchen has 10 hotplate/sink stations with an island in the middle, and the dining area has 3 long fold-up banquet tables and two large round tables with wire baskets lining the walls for visitor’s food, and three large refrigerators). It was crowded this time. There were several Italian families. These people are so different from the Italians we meet across the border. They have a light in their eyes. I loved watching their ways. Every morning they put something on the stove to boil, like veggies and beans. At lunch I was always anxious to see what they did with it but never saw the outcome. They measure their pasta with exactness when preparing something like spaghetti. They all gathered together for mealtime and had a social, lively time. There were also four American military families who came from Italy. They came in their minivans and cooked all their meals in gigantic crockpots. The Italians kept trying to peek in to see what in the world was cooking inside. They approached the crockpots like something that had fallen from the sky! The American families brought kids, and our kids thought they had died and gone to heaven! So here is a lunchroom-like dining area with tables full of temple-going people, full of kindness and happiness, sharing food with each other, learning about each other, laughing together, kids running around playing chess and board games, and more than once I went back to the kitchen to clean up our mess and someone else had done it for us. There were language barriers but there was definitely a unique unity. Everyone there was at their “pur(est) in heart”, and with the sharing and serving there were no poor in the place! We can't wait to get back!

We've had a busy couple days. Friday we had our first dinner guests, a family from church with three little girls. Our girls have been longing to be with kids. English speaking kids would be preferable, but they happily agreed to have some French friends come over. The parents speak English but their girls do not. Dinner was mostly silent from the children (which was very pleasant!) but afterward they all went downstairs and played for over an hour. There was a lot of loud laughing and hollering (volume made up what vocabulary lacked!) It was a beautiful thing to see these little kids play and create ways to get along without too many words.

Saturday I had a day out alone with Tennie. What a unusual treat! We went to Nice to run some errands and find a few warmer things to wear. Adele and Ceci stayed home with Geoff and got to watch a movie and play charades. A great day all around.

Today we are driving to Switzerland for the week. We'll spend Thanksgiving and our 10th anniversary at the temple, the best place we could think to be when we can't be with family and friends. We'll miss the fat turkey, and will probably be eating sauerkraut instead! Next weekend we're driving to Augsburg, Germany for a visit to a Christmas Market! On the way home we'll stay a night in Lugano, Switzerland to break up the drive. So check back in 9-10 days!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Monaco's Independence Day

Today is Monaco's Independence Day. This afternoon the girls and I went to a carnival on the harbor. We had hoped to stay for the fireworks tonight, but turns out they did them last night (?). Every single store and restaurant was closed, and nearly every place in town hung the red and white flag of Monaco. I'm not sure what the traditions of this holiday are, but I do know that every middle-schooler in the country goes to the carnival...

More miscellaneous

Evening silliness

A lesson on the importance of exact obedience

Ceci, the guide, ensuring Tennie's exact obedience

An ever-so-typical Ceci

The girl's doing a little post-church tree climbing

Ceci's black and blue finger after getting it stuck in the hinge side of a door at church. There was much wailing, as you can imagine. Just two days before her finger was accidentally shut (completely) in the car door. Poor little thing is terribly accident prone...

Lastly, Sunday was the primary program where the children sing and read in front of the entire congregation. Both Tennie and Adele participated. They mouthed a lot of "watermelons" during the French children's songs, but Tennie read a scripture in French and nearly got an applause! She definitely got an "ahhh" from the congregation, and was the belle of the hour. Everyone came up and told her how well she did, and how she doesn't have an accent. Coming from the French that is a BIG compliment! We were proud of her courage.

She has been adding to her blog. If you are interested take a look at her latest posts: www.tenniedavis@blogspot.com. She lives for comments...

Aix-en-provence

Today we went west to Aix-en-Provence. It was also a drive into fall! The golden vineyards guarded by old stone houses were so beautiful. French countryside...I can't wait to get back in the spring when it is all in bloom!

Aix is a very cool college town. We got there just before the market closed, supposedly the best in Southern France. Endless stalls of fresh produce, breads, spreads, cheeses, meats, olive oil, sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms upon mushrooms, honey, lavender and dozens of prepared Provincial goodies. Then there were antiques, clothing, scarves, soap, dishware, shoes, jewelry, bags, tablecloths and even a little hardware stand. Coming from a retirement, coastal town their seemed to be hundreds of kids and young adults everywhere. We saw cell phones and style, and and element of materialism that we've become sensitized to. But still, the outdoor cafes on this fall day were packed, and the crowded walking streets and avenues didn't seem hurried. It was fun to see a different angle of French living. We loved this town!

What's a day out in France without pastries...

It is truffle (mushroom) season
We spent a good amount of time on the main avenue eating our panini and watching the people go by.

An artist standing back to critique his painting

A very old man holding up a balcony

A visit to Cezanne's studio in Aix

The courtyard in front of Cezanne's studio

The evening light was magnificent!

Another new smile!

During dinner I looked over at Adele and her other front tooth had fallen out! She spit out her mouthful of food but it wasn't there. Did she swallow it? Adele started to freak out. 30 seconds later we found it on the floor. Just like that it fell out! Adele was very upset as she isn't one for surprises. But after some "private time" in front of the mirror she came out and flashed her new toothless smile. Quintessential SIX!