Arles (still in France)

We stopped in Arles for its Roman past since we don’t plan to visit Rome (our time is running out!) There is an old Roman theatre where the girls put on an impromptu play...Ceci pulled participants out of the audience and getting them to do different gestures like the circus clown did in Monaco. (It was so entertaining we forgot to take pictures!) We also saw the local Roman amphitheatre which is a smaller version of the coliseum.

Equally as fun was the evidence of Van Gogh’s time in Arles. Many buildings and squares that he painted are still there. The café in his famous Café at Night painting is painted bright yellow in an effort to create the same effect. While closed for winter, we bought some Orangina next door and drank at the tables outside the café.

Streets in Arles are VERY narrow!

Roman ruins start to look alike after awhile but I couldn't choose between

the cute pictures of little Ceci so here are two.

Avignon

In the 14th century Pope Clement V and his court fled political problems in Rome for Avignon. For nearly 70 years the popes spent insane amounts of money on the papal palace. The cardinals have huge homes across the river, and it is said that the pope(s) would cross the bridge of Avignon to visit the cardinals because they thought Avignon was smelly. (Understandably, it was walled in and sewage ran through the streets.) On one occasion a pope had gold coins thrown in front of him the entire way to show his power and wealth…tithing money. Of course at this point the pope was more of a political title and taxes were collected. But often when in rivalry with a governing force the people were taxed twice, by government and church!

We picnicked on what is left of the Avignon bridge and, of course, danced while singing:
Sur la pont d’Avignon
L’on y danse, l’on y danse
Sur la pont d’Avignon
L’on y danse tout en rond

(On the bridge of Avignon
Everyone is dancing, everyone is dancing
On the bridge of Avignon
Everyone is dancing in a circle)

The papal palace

Annecy

We stumbled upon Annecy. It just happened to be the closest town on the map when we were ready for bed. What an unexpected gem of a town! It sits at the end of Lake Annecy with a backdrop of alpine peaks. Old canals run through the old city of medieval houses, castles and arched alleyways. We loved this place and our overnight visit felt much too short. We bought some delicious bread, cheese and salami to munch on at the large outdoor market that wound along the cobbled sidewalks next to the canals. We attended a little branch for church (27 members in the congregation). The GPS took us to an industrial part of town with no sign of life or the church. We drove around lost on the verge of being late. We pulled to the side of a street, and as we started to pray for help a man pulled up in a van (where did he come from!?) and asked if we needed help. We told him we were looking for the Mormon Church and he said he didn’t know where it was for sure but to follow him and he would show us where he had seen people dressed in suits and ties on Sundays. He took us to a parking lot behind a fence where we saw a handful of cars that made up the entire group meeting there. We were just in time. To our surprise it was the small branch of a very nice, young family we met at the temple in November. They invited us to their very humble home for dinner. They live on the ninth floor in a very small one bedroom apartment with their two small children. The parents pull a double mattress into the family room (where it just fits) to sleep each night. Their elevator was going out of service that week for the next six months! I imagined this woman carrying groceries up the nine flights with a child in one arm and coaxing the other one along. The apartment was beautifully organized and efficient. They explained that Brother Seng wasn’t able to find a job as a graphic designer (3 years out of college) and was currently working as a produce grocer. The young mother talked of learning how little was really necessary to get by, and was really grateful for what they had. What strength and faith these good people have! They fed us both temporally and spiritually.

The Seng family

Chamonix

On our way home we stayed the night in Chamonix. It was fun to see the place in the height of its winter glory. The town was teaming with snow enthusiasts, mostly men who seek out high-adrenaline adventure. We slipped in and out of shops, ate quiche from our favorite bakery in Europe (so far) and marveled at the beauty of the place. We stayed with an older couple we met on our last stay who rent out two rooms in their very Swiss chalet. They are so accommodating and hospitable that we looked forward to seeing them again this time. We woke up to 6-inches of snow and steady, gentle snowflakes still falling. The whole earth seemed quiet as it usually does with fresh snow. Our route through the mountains would be slow with all the snow, and, since we hadn’t seen Eastern France yet, we changed course and decided to take a longer way home. Getting out of town was tricky. The chalet is at the bottom of a hill next to a little inn. Cars were sliding around all morning and having little success getting out. People were all helping each other push the cars up the hill, and that was only rarely successful. Chains were put on the cars of those who had them. We had been stuck on this hill before in much better conditions and there was no way we were going to get up it with so much snow. One of the girls suggested a prayer for help, we prayed, and Geoff drove up the hill without a problem! The first of many small miracles we experienced on this trip.

Chamonix on a clear day is unbeatable

Tennie in front of the little chalet we stayed in

Temple

We spent four days at the Temple and always marvel at the light and goodness that radiates from the people we meet there. There was a young woman there for the first time named Alessandra, accompanied by an older woman named Rita. They were from Vicenza, Italy. Alessandra bounced around with such radiance and happiness that we couldn’t help but love her immediately. Rita had a deep humility and peace about her and despite our language difference we felt no lack of communication. On our last day they offered to watch the girls so Geoff and I could go to the Temple together. The girls were so excited and had a marvelous time being pushed around in a laundry cart and teaching Alessandra and Rita the fine art of paper doll making. They felt like old friends.

A walk in the snowy forest behind the temple

Playing on the temple housing playground and enjoying a little "Winter"

Geneva

The girls have been hearing about and loving Geneva chocolate for years. Whenever Geoff travelled there for business he brought home samples from his favorite chocolate shop. Now that we were finally exploring Geneva it only made sense to go on a Chocolate Tour. But first a little background since this was three weeks ago. We arrived in Geneva late in the evening on Saturday, January 31st after driving through the beautiful Aosta Valley in Northern Italy and stopping for dinner in Chamonix, a town we can’t seem to get enough of! We had just missed a storm so every tree was frosted and the snow was deep but we had clear roads and perfectly blue skies. Sunday morning we met a friend of Geoff’s, Ram, and his wife Chitra and their daughter for brunch and then we went to an English speaking ward (congregation). The girls and I felt some culture shock as we could talk to anyone and we were back with Americans (who work in Geneva for various reasons). We were so warmly welcomed that a family invited us over for dinner after brief introductions! Greg and Suzi Christensen and their three children had been living in Geneva as long as we have lived in France and we had a nice time getting to know them. The girls loved playing with their three kids and all of their toys! After having free communication with other children, and with a chocolate tour scheduled for the next day, the girls were adamant that we move to Geneva.

Chocolate Tour
I like just about any kind of chocolate whether it is made in-house and kept at the right temperature or a plain ol’ Hershey’s Kiss. I was doubtful that I would prefer chocolate one shop from the next. Geoff assured me that I would and he was right. His favorite chocolate shop was so scrumptious we fit it in twice on the tour. The girls were just happy to have the green light to eat a tremendous amount of chocolate in one day!

We finished the tour with a warm cup of hot, rich cocoa in an effort to warm up!

We saw a lot of Geneva’s beautiful architecture and charm as we went from shop to shop. We visited St. Peter’s Cathedral which has such a rich history. John Calvin had a big following here for his teachings. Reformists took over the cathedral, scraping the painted walls to cleanse it of all of its Catholic influence. No statues of Mary, saints or an agonizing Jesus on a cross. Only one small chapel in the rear maintains its colorful walls and ceilings because at the time it was converted into a granary. When cleared out to use as a chapel parts were repainted and it is absolutely gorgeous. Our favorite part was the writing in Latin painted on the wall that says Post Tenebras Lux (after darkness light). We appreciated the symbolism of the dark ages being followed by the renaissance and reformation setting the stage for the restoration. Deeper into this three-week trip we saw much of the darkness that existed in the early Catholic church and we can look back to our visit here and see why so many were willing to give up their homes, families, culture, and often their lives for the great cause of the Reformation. This cathedral had a much different feeling than the many other churches/cathedrals we’ve visited and would visit later in our trip. It is interesting that the more truth that exists the more light and goodness can be felt. We climbed to the top of the cathedral’s tower for great views of the city and then headed next door to a well-done Reformation Museum with amazing original texts, books, drawings, and a detailed history.

I love cool doors...

and cool door knobs

A short-cut to the cathedral

The open market in front of St. Peter's Cathedral

A little rest from walking.

I love the quaint little restaurant in the background

The colorful chapel in St. Peter's Cathedral.
That little statue of Peter is holding up the large archway.

Adorable Adele on beautifully carved benches

AFTER DARKNESS LIGHT

Stained glass of one of my favorite biblical stories - The Woman at the Well

This door in the main cathedral area is from the 15th century

More beautiful woodwork

John Calvin's chair

A view from the tower with the Jet d'Eau (Jet of Water) in the background

Lastly, a little hole in the wall restaurant called "House of My Cousin"

that served delicious roasted chicken and potatoes

From the road...

As I mentioned we headed off to the temple a few weeks ago via Geneva. After the temple we spent a night in Chamonix, and due to snow we decided to take a longer route through Eastern France. We spent a night in Annecy, made our way to Avignon and Arles and then arrived at home just in time for our final Green Card equivalent appointment (we are finally legal in France!) With the car still packed we decided to combine the temple trip with an Italy trip we planned to take in a few weeks and we drove to Verona and spent the night and day. We are now in Venice and depending on how we hold up we'll drive down through Florence, Pisa, Cinquaterra and Porto Fino. The problem is we always want to extend our stay in each place with so much history, art, architecture, and good food to experience! We'll be home in a week or so and I'll post all of our pictures and details then.

Happy Valentines Day!