Monday, May 29, 2006
Hand feeding the swans! We also saw a swan building its nest earlier in the day. The swans were a hugs hit. After a fabulous day in Luzern, Switzerland, and no hotels available, we hopped back in the truck for a quick 2 hour ride home. What a great day!!
After some dinner we walked back to the river so the kids could feed the swans. This was their FAVORITE part of the day!!! They are wild swans but they are so tame that you can actually hand feed them!!
We then walked across the other covered bridge - the Spreuerbrucke. This narrow, weathered, all-wood covered bridge dates from 1408. Its interior gables hold a series of eerie, well-preserved paintings (by Kasper Meglinger) of the Dance of Death that date from the 17th century. The inspiration for the paintings is the plague that hit Europe in the 14th century. Jake thought the skeletons were funny.
Time for some ice cream! See in the background how the buildings are painted with beautiful old frescoes? This is taken in the Weinmarkt - the Wine Market. It is one of Luzern's loveliest fountain squares (I don't know what wine has to do with it). The central fountain that Scott and the kids are sitting on depicts St. Mauritus, patron saint of warriors.
Here you can see the wall that we walked on as it led to the next tower.
Next- it was time to view the city from above - we climbed up and walked along the old city wall. These walls were completed in 1408 as part of Luzern's medieval fortifications.
This is part of the interior of the Catholic church of St. Leodegar. It is about 400 years old. Just beautiful.
After a picnic lunch we walked to the famous Lowendenkmal - the Lion Monument. The monument was carved from 1820 to 1821 and was built to honor the Swiss mercenaries who died defending Lois XVI of France at the Tuileries in Paris, 1792. This monument was properly described by Mark Twain as " the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world". The Latin inscription translates: "To the bravery and fidelity of the Swiss".
Tragically, in 1993 a fire destroyed two-thirds of the bridge and 65 of the 111 gable paintings. The substructure of this 14th century bridge was unharmed enabling it to be rebuilt and back open to the public.
Here we are walking across the bridge. During the 17th century, the bridge was embellished with triangular paintings of scenes depicting Swiss history and illustrating the legends of St. Leodegar and St. Mauritius.
At its side is the distinctive 13th century octagonal water tower - the city's signature landmark. It is 112 feet tall and was originally part of the town wall.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Today we hopped in the car and drove a of couple hours south to the beautiful country of Switzerland! My parents have visited here and told us not to miss the city of Luzern so here we are! The first mention of Luzern is back in 840ad. The city's main focal points are two medieval covered bridges that link the old and new areas of town. Best known is the stunning 14th century wooden covered chapel bridge (Kapellbrucke) that is in the background.
Monday, May 22, 2006
After a great day of food, sights and shopping - it was back to the airport for the trip home. Of course, we made time for a half pint!
I also thought the street lamps looked neat -
The pubs around Dublin have fabulous decorations on the outside - see how fun?!
This is one of the pages in the Book of Kells. It is a portrait of St. John - (c 800 AD). This was so cool to look at!
We also went to Trinity College and had a look at The Book of Kells. On exhibition here, they have a lavishly decorated copy, in Latin, of the four gospels. The Book of Kells was probably produced early in the 9th century by monks.
This is St. Patrick's Cathedral. Unfortunately it was closed so we were not able to have a peek inside.(This of course leaves it wide open for a return trip!)
One of the low cost airlines here, RyanAir, had a great fare going - we could go round trip to Dublin for about 35 Euros! So - we did! Our first stop was finding a pub for some lunch. And of course, a Guinness! After some fish and chips (and the beer) we were off to spend the rest of the day exploring Dublin. Our waitress gave us some great pint glasses at the pub!
Normally I wouldn't be sharing pictures of going out to lunch - but look where we went for lunch - DUBLIN, IRELAND!!!
Monday, May 22, 2006
This is a picture of my two friends - Amanda and Christy, and I on our way out to lunch.
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Normally, you might wonder why I would post a picture of Scott and I eating Belgian waffles - BUT.... we are eating these Belgian waffles IN Belgium! Scott and I, along with two other couples, did an overnight trip to Tongeren, Belgium for some shopping (and eating). It was a great get away - and we came home with another treasure - a monk's bench. Love it!!
Friday, May 12, 2006
Kaitlyn was the last performer of the recital. She worked so hard this year with her music! She chose Scott Joplin's The Entertainer for her piece. She wowed us all!
Friday, May 12, 2006
It's recital day! Today Kaitlyn and Jake's piano teacher, Joy Ueng, had a small recital for her students. Jake played 3 songs - Jolly Old St. Nicholas, Up On The Rooftop, and for his finale - the theme from Star Wars! He did great! Plus - he played one more song than another one of the students - Rachel, who is also in his class at school. Way to go Jake!
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Saturday, May 6, 2006
Today was a very big day for Jake - he celebrated his First Holy Communion. Here he is after the ceremony with our chaplain - Father Van Alstyne. He was so excited! We were all very proud of him!
