We have been back from our trip to Europe for a month now, and I am just now getting to posting about it. John left on October 31, and he worked for a week in Cheltenham. I left on November 6, flying to Chicago and then on to Heathrow in London. My flight was uneventful, but I did meet Beth Moore in the Springfield airport. Beth is a wonderful Bible study teacher, and I have done quite a few of her studies. She was coming off of a plane as I was heading out to mine. She was doing a conference in Springfield that evening which is why she would be in Springfield. I was so excited to meet her. We spoke for just a few seconds, and I told her that I would be praying for her and the conference. As soon as I got on the plane, I emailed everyone that I had just met Beth Moore!
I was a little apprehensive about flying by myself, but I got to Chicago and found my gate with no problems. Since I was flying business class, I was able to hang out in the business lounge which happened to be directly across from my gate! When I walked over to my gate, they were already boarding, so I got right on. The flight went well. I had a nice meal, watched a few movies and slept for the rest of the trip. John met me at Heathrow as I came out of customs, and I was so glad to see him there. Since I had slept quite a bit on the plane, I felt great. We went back to his hotel, got his stuff and headed to London.
We were in London for 3 nights, and we tried to see everything. We took the double decker tour bus which drives you around town to see all the sights. We toured Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London, and we went shopping at Harrod’s. We went to church at Hillsong Church in London which was in a theatre which was showing a tribute to Queen at the time. We saw Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre, and it was fantastic. Seeing that was my favorite thing of the entire trip. We rode the tube which we were not sure I would be able to do because of my claustrophbia. Our hotel was near Kensington Palace, and we could see the gardens from the restaurant window each morning at breakfast. It was a wonderful time.
We then rode the train to Paris which included going under the English Channel. Unfortunately I cannot tell you how that was because I slept through it on both trips. We were only in Paris for about 48 hours, but our friend, Jean Mark, showed us all the sights. He drove us all over Paris showing us everything, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame, Arc de Triumph and so much more. Everything was so beautiful, and we were lucky to have nice weather. He and his wife took us for a wonderful dinner, and we also had breakfast at the cafe at the Louvre. He also drove us to Normandy to see Omaha Beach and the Memorial and Cemetary. It was a 2.5 hour drive, but it was well worth it. We walked on the beach and saw where some of the German guns were. It is amazing that anyone survived. Our visit to the memorial and cemetary was very emotional. It is just overwhelming to see where the battle took place and then to see how many died. We all owe those men so much!
We then went to Cheltenham, England, for James and Noella’s wedding. It was nice to see the LRS office and the town where John spends much of his time. The day before the wedding, Martin took John and I for a tour of the English countryside. It was beautiful even though the weather was awful. We really enjoyed the scenery and the pubs. Thanks Martin. The wedding was beautiful, and we are so happy for James and Noella. It was a great way to end our vacation.
It was a perfect week, and I had a wonderful time. Thanks John! I love you!
John by one of the German guns 2 miles from Omaha Beach.