Snow!!!

Hello All!

We woke up this morning to a blanket of snow. I must admit I felt the urge to go down to the garage and start the snowblower. The only thng that prevented me from doing so was the fact that we possess neither. It was quite pretty but it is already 90% melted as I write this. Toto, wer'e not in NH anymore.....

London Photos

Well they are finally here. Enjoy!!

London with Pete and Lee

Pete and Lee Anne came out to see us in November for 10 days. We explored Ireland and London. London was way cool!!! We stayed at the world's skeeviest hotel I am pretty sure that Mike's dorm room was nicer than the Airways Hotel. Sometimes it is just not worth it to save a buck. Lee Anne slept on her towels!

We went to Buckingham palace, Madame Tussaud's wax museum, The Imperial War museum, The Queen's gallery, (Paintings by Reuben, priceless furniture and jewels) Covent Garden, The Lyceum Theater for The Lion King show, A huge toy store named Hamley's with 5 floors of toys, Trafalgar Square and Westminster Abbey.

Ian and Emma had a great time with their first taxi ride and tube(subway) ride. They were thrilled to have time to spend with Auntie Lee and Uncle Pete. We all agreed that Westminster Abbey was the best thing we saw. We went inside and the architecture is amazing. It is so neat to walk around and see where Kings and Queens were crowned.

Pictures to come soon.

I know this is out of order but before going to Lourdes we flew into Biarritz, France and spent two beautiful days there. Being in culinary exile here in Ireland (did we mention the food here was nothing to write home about? That's why we haven't written home about it.) France was a dream come true. The coffee, the croissant, the baguettes... , you get the point. The beaches in Biarritz are spectacular. Apparently it is a magnet for surfers. We thought since we had rented a car we would take a drive either to San Sebastien in Spain or through the Pyrenees. We enjoyed Biarritz so much we stayed there the whole time. Our hotel had a rooftop pool which was a bit too cold for us but which the kids were thrilled with.

We took the kids to two museums, one was definitely worth the trip the other not so much. The former was Le Musee de la Mer. It was a delightful aquarium with many fish. a seal tank and a shark tank. Lori did her best to take one of the seals home with her. Unfortunately we couldn't get him through customs! The latter was Planet Musee du Chocolat. Purporting to be a museum of chocolate making (what could be wrong with that?) it turned out to be the worlds most expensive "free" cup of hot chocolate on the way to a mediocre chocolate shop. Oh well, at least the hot chocolate was good.

On one of our several walks the kids decided to "put their feet in the ocean" not having their bathing suits with them. You can guess how that turned out. Let's just say its a long walk back to the hotel in wet pants. This is a place we are going to try and check out this summer when the weather is warmer and swimming in the ocean will be a more planned affair. Au Revoir!

Slideshow at:

http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd344/irishlori2/Biarritz/?albumview=slideshow

Lourdes

What can one say about Lourdes? It is a strange combination of quiet reverence and Hampton beach kitch. The commercialism all but screams at you when you drive into town.

We got there at 9:10 which meant that we could not get breakfast at any of the hotels as they have a strict 7:30 to 9:00 breakfast schedule. Weird. Our hotel was right down the road from Father Ray's and we left word at the desk for him to call us when he got back. We set off to the sanctuary of Lourdes. It is very strange when you cross the gates and leave the craziness behind. The grounds are beautiful and very peaceful. We visited the Grotto where St. Bernadette saw Mary. You wait in line for a turn to walk in the cave and see the spring that Mary instructed Bernadette to dig for. We were so impressed with the quiet of the crowd as everyone waited their turn. Ian and Emma were so respectful during the long wait. There was also a school trip behind us and all of the children were silent. We walked through the Grotto and experienced such a sense of peace. We washed at the water as Mary asked all pilgrims . It truly reaffirms your faith.

The rest of the day was spent exploring several museums and the basilicas. 1 day is just not enough time to visit all the places we wanted to. We met up with Father Ray and Father Paul for dinner. It was so nice to see faces from home and hear familiar accents. We had a wonderful nice long visit with them. It felt like being at home with family. Emma and especially Ian were thrilled to chat Father Ray and Father Paul's ear off. We learned that Father Ray, like Ian is a very picky eater and that Father Paul does not approve of swearing. (Ian had told him that Pepere swears all the time) Emma's addition to the evening entertainment was to ask if anyone knew what the holiest animal was. (A chip....monk...!!!!) Very cute.

We went to the candle light processional a little late because we were chatting with Father Ray. It was very hard to see because we were way in the back. Much to our surprise, we were directed up front to the steps in front of the Rosary Basilica where we could see everyone praying the Rosary. What an incredible honor. I am not sure why we were chosen, but we were humbled and grateful.

Our final activity of the night was Mass at 11:00 pm in the Grotto. (In Italian.) We were flying out the next day and wouldn't have a chance to go to Mass. Needless to say, everyone was exhausted. Poor Emma fell asleep on my feet on the cold cement ground. Mass was beautiful.

Check out the slideshow of pictures at:

http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd344/irishlori2/?albumview=slideshow