Gothic Cathedrals

Welcome to the quiet, quaint medieval town of Canterbury, England; home of the famous Canterbury Cathedral which was the seat of Roman Catholic Power in England until the Protestant Reformation during the 1500s-1600s.

The house is actually leaning to the right!!! The door is collapsing, but supposedly the owners have reinforced everything, and the townspeople still use the building on a regular basis. Yeah.... right?! This is also our awesome Tour Guide for the trip who was a saint for putting up with all of my hellions for 10 days. :)

Medieval meets modern...

Here is the memorial for the Archbishop Thomas Beckett who King Henry IV (I believe... don't quote me on that! All of the Roman numerals get soo confusing!) had killed because they disagreed on their political and spiritual views.

As we walked around the cloisters, we could hear the choir singing!

Now we visit the majestic figure of the Notre Dame Chartres Cathedral in Chartres, France. It is one of 7 Notre Dame Gothic Cathedrals in France.

Everywhere we went the flowers were just huge and gorgeous!! How I wish the San Anton climate would allow for this!!

Rose and Lancet windows

Very old pilgrimage shrine to the Virgin Mary (her clothes are new though)

The altar looked like it belonged in Italy, not France!! All that white and green Italian marble...

Pretty sure Batman helped create the design for the organ... hehe!

Brittany and Normandy, France

Welcome to the coastal towns of Ponceut, Mont St. Michel and St. Malo!!!

Sweet bunch of kiddos!

This was our hotel for 2 nights: an old, restored Medieval Monastery!!! Little bitty rooms with little bitty staircases... The monks were skinny dudes!  

Honestly and truthfully, the most impressive thing I have ever seen, period!

Mont St. Michel- an old monastery which then became a fortress which then became a prison! Today, it is the 2nd major tourist attraction in France!!

There are over 600 steps to the top... if you were curious and yes! We walked them all....

Mont St. Michel sits on an island in the sea. The tides and currents are very strong here. When we arrived, the tide was out: you can see all of the salt marshes and mud flats. As we left around 3-4 hours later, the tide was back in and all the way up to the walkway and main gate of the place.

This is St. Malo, France; a tiny peninsula town on the coast of Brittany. They are famous for their privateers during the Age of Exploration. Most of the people who lived in St. Malo would have been called millionaires and billionaires by our monetary standards today. They value their own city more than either the Brittany region or France.

Once again, everything is tidal here. When we arrived, the tide was out. Many of our group went to down to the beach to explore and put their feet in the North Atlantic. By the time we left, the tide was back in.

A storm was rolling in, creating the beautiful colors in the sky and in the water. The town was a favorite with the students and adults. :)

Such yummy treats to choose from here: Salt water taffy, Macaroon and Meringue cookies, Gelato, real, freshly caught seafood!! Yum Yum!  

Traveling Overseas.....

As Dylan and I are about to embark on yet another European journey, I could not help but think today about all of the cherished memories I have from previous trips abroad. My first trip across the pond was in high school with Mom, Dad and Beefy, and I have since had the privilege of taking high school students, their parents and Dylan to Europe. 

 

I remember being ecstatic to see the Moulin Rouge windmill because the movie with Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman had either just come out and I was obsessed. 

I remember the drive out to Caen and the Normandy beaches because our hired driver played the same Blondie cassette tape the entire 2 1/2 hours out to the site, And! He played the entire thing again the whole way back to Paris. (I think it was his only English-speaking tape) I don't dislike Blondie, but I remember thinking that if I heard another Blondie song anytime soon after that ride, I might poke my eyeballs out. To this day, I cannot hear any of her songs without thinking of that French taxi ride. I also remember the beaches and cemetery were freezing!!!! The wind took your break away as you stood atop the cliff, looking down on the beaches and fake American harbor below. 

I remember the utter horror and desolateness of Dachau Concentration Camp in Germany. I remember none of us speaking to each other or other people the entire 2 hours we were there. I remember crying the entire time. I remembered the horror at realizing the town of Munich was only 10 minutes away, yet no one did anything during the War. 

This is the "Mouth of Truth" in Rome, Italy. Legend says to stick your hand inside the mouth and then have a close friend ask you a question. If you lie, the mouth will bite your hand off. If you tell the truth, nothing happens. I remember very clearly how my Dad choose to scare me from behind by grabbing me and making some stupid noise. I screamed and pulled my hand away, thinking I had been bitten. In hindsight, I realize I was never asked a question, but at the time, I was scared spitless and infuriated at my dad. 

I remember eating Italian-style pizza in front of the Pantheon and feeling like a local. The weather was gorgeous! And I remember this because every other city we went too, it had either rained on us or been cold!! Rome was warm and beautiful! 

I remember the "adult" conversation we all had with my brother at the entrance to the Red Light District in Amsterdam, Holland. I also remember my brother turning the corner here, telling everyone as loud as he could "There were naked ladies in the windows!!" Hahahahahahaha!!! Too funny! 

My first experience eating "Foie Gras" or Duck Liver... Now, I try anything while in Europe. In this case, TRY was the operative word... ugh! 

The Eiffel Tower is beautiful.. period. I have seen this tower at least 5 times now, and she never gets old. This view is from the River Seine and is one of my favorites. She is impressive during the day, but at night, she glistens  and glows. 

Vienna, Austria, was exquisite Baroque churches and yummy, yummy food!!! Dylan and I seriously had some of the best food of our lives in this town. Below is the Demel Bakery (Dylan's relatives many people down the line started it!). I know we went back at least 3 different times to try more and more pastries. Ironically, we had some of the best Lebanese/Mediterranean food here too. 

Newschwanstein Castle in Fussen, Germany, is LEGIT! Seriously the best castle ever! I mean, if were to build a castle, I would put it on the top of a mountain too. I remember coming here with my parents because we had this taxi drive us on the Autobahn to get here from Munich, and I thought we were going to die because the man drove 120 miles an hour, at least! Plus, there were no seatbelts in the BMW either!!! Dylan and I were much smarter and went by train!! 

I twirled and sang the whole theme to "Sound of Music" high atop the Swiss Alps in Lauderbrunnen, Switzerland. Seriously one of the best moments of my life!!! 

Dragging luggage all over Italy and all over France with the kids... oy vey!!! Trains, buses, planes- you name it! 

Pompeii, Italy, with the whole Marshall crew! It was hot and they were such troopers! The place was also filled with tons of sexual references, both visual and written, and I have to say, they behaved as best as 17 year old students can around that stuff!!! :) 

 Looking forward to adding more memories with another set of kiddos, parents and friends as we embark on our European Vacay to England and France! 

The Great Escape.... Almost

Saturday morning found Goobz and I headed to the Vet for his yearly check up. Now, I don't know about your dog but mine.... Well, he HATES the Vet. Goobz also knows when we are going to the Vet too. Literally, we turn down the street for the Vet's office, and Goobz goes from hanging out the car window to cowering in the back of the Escape. Maybe he associates the smell on that street with the Vet.... who knows? Either way, by the time I turn into the parking lot, he has become a total spaz. 

I have to pry him out of the back seat. Putting him on a leash... haha! Yeah right! I carry him into the Vet, with his claws digging into my shirt, making it seem like I am taking him to his doom. The ladies at the front Love Love my dog, as they should! He will not let me put him down, but Goobz will allow the ladies to pet him and love on him... from within the comfort of Mommy's arms, of course. 

I always take him at the earliest appointment if possible because this way there are not any other animals in the office to bother Goobz or tempt him. I put him down on the floor and he sits right in front of the door, whining and making pitiful noises the whole time. He needs to be weighed before he can be taken into the exam room. The scale is this huge apparatus that looks like a treadmill on the floor. The dog/cat is supposed to just stand on the scale while it reads their weight. Every time, the ladies at the front think dog biscuits will persuade Goobz to willing step on the scale. Every time, Epic Failure. The biscuits are healthy and bland- Goobz wants the real thing. He completely ignores the biscuits, regardless of how many the lady puts on the floor. I laugh internally at this every time. :) I have to pick him up and place Goobz on the scale. Now, he and I are working on commands this summer. I have him at "Stay" for about 5-10 seconds, so I told the lady "you better do this fast because then he is off and running." Yay! It works! Now we can go into the exam room. 

 The technician/nurse who comes to get Goobz is male- uh oh! Goobz has a problem with males... He is not fond of them, unless you are Dylan or Kenneth Sumners, and then well, he loves you! This technician though, is neither of those people. And I tell the young man my dog really does not like males, and he gives me the whole "No worries. All animals love me.." spiel. O-KAY, we will see bout that. Once again, I carry Goobz into the exam room as the guy tries to sweet talk Goobz. Now, the doors into the exam room and then back into the treatment area of the clinic are those revolving/swing type doors. Now, why you put these in a clinic where animals who know how to use doors roam around is beyond me, but this clinic does. The technician tells me he is going to take Goobz back for bloodwork etc., and they will be back. I release Goobz, thinking the young man is going to take my dog, but the guy is too slow. Goobz is off the table on the floor and pushing through the revolving door back out into the main office/reception area in a manner of seconds!!! 

Mayday! Mayday! Goobz is on the run!!! I sigh, very loudly and pointedly at the young man who I warned, and head out into the main area to corral Goobz. I can hear the young ladies at the front laughing at Goobz as they try to grab him... to no avail. I find him running in circles around the front desk with his tongue hanging out the side and his eyes wild and crazy. He sees me and comes hauling over to me, probably hoping Mommy will rescue him. Well, I do, but not in the way he wants. Oh, I forgot to mention there are loads of other people in the reception area by this point who are all laughing at Goobz. So embarrassing!!! 

Back again into the exam room with the male technician. This time I hand Goobz off to this young man, making sure the guy has a firm grip on my dog. Goobz at this point is just stiff. He won't bend any of his legs, won't bend his body, refuses to look at either of us... typical child. Through the revolving doors into the treatment area they go. Whew, I think! That was fun... not. I barely sit down on the chair to wait, when I hear this huge CRASH! BANG! CLANG! coming from the treatment area. My heart sinks.... because I know what happened. I know... because a Mother knows (whether it be human or animal) when their child/dog is the cause of the noise/problem. I know the technician lost hold of my dog again, and Goobz is now running around the treatment area, crashing into trays and knocking stuff onto the floor in his mad attempt to get out. Sure enough, not 10 seconds later I hear a frantic "Goober! Come back here!" 

At this, I start to laugh. I mean, what else am I going to do??? A small part of me feels sorry for the guy who cannot control my dog, but then I think- you get paid to handle animals. My dog weighs all of like 12 pounds... what is wrong with you?! Another larger part of me is thinking Yay Goobz!!! He is fast and smart- run buddy run!! And then another larger part of me is realizing, Goobz is your dog Megan. Everyone in this office will know he is crazy... great. This is is the 2nd time in a manner of 30 minutes Goobz has caused destruction and mayhem... Oy vey! 

Goobz comes back in a while later in the arms of the Vet... who is a lady. Now, to say Goobz "likes" the Vet is strong language, but he does "tolerate" her. He stands nice and still for her, lets her pet him, etc.  She finishes the exam, doing things the technician should have done, but can't because he cannot control Goobz. She declares Goobz fine and fit- yay for a healthy puppy!!! :) 

A huge Vet bill later- major ugh!! I counted it up yesterday... a yearly visit for Goobz cost more than the dentist, the eye doctor, my contacts, the OBG visit and my medication all together.. for the year!!! That is just disgusting when you think about it!!!!! But, what can ya do?

As we are leaving, with Goobz once again in a death grip in my arms, the people in the office are laughing about all the "excitement" they have had this morning, and it is barely nine o'clock. So very glad Goobz and I could entertain everyone this morning.. oy vey!!! Back in the car, Goobz refuses to sit anywhere but in my lap. Thank goodness I don't drive a standard anymore.. hehe! But I don't blame him.. what a traumatic morning! We get home, and he hauls under the bed to hide. I let him, thinking if someone had given me shots in the butt, in the stomach, in the cheek and stuck cold metal objects up my rear end holes, I would be a basket case of tears, moans and groans. 
Kuddos to my Goobz for trying to make a break! Kuddos to my guy for outsmarting the technician! Kuddos to my guy for being tough and enduring the exam!  

"No one heard a single word he said. Should have seen it in his eyes, what was going round his head. Oooh, he's a little Runaway....."

"I Do!!!" to our 5 Year Wedding Anniversary