Scy-Chazelles, France
The garden’s at Robert Schuman’s house are beautiful as you will see by other photos that I will post. They are well manicured and kept up so well! This photo was taken from inside his yard, so this is what people would see as they left his home.
We were very happy that our friends, Marlies and Helmut Werner, took us out to learn about this humble and extraordinary man!
Photo taken with an iPhone 5s
Scy-Chazelles, France
Our friends, Marlies and Helmut Werner, were very excited to take us to the burial place of Robert Schuman, who was born in Luxembourg in 1886. While in Luxembourg they showed us where he lived as a child. I had never heard of him before, which is sad because he had a lot to do with helping European Countries come together and stop fighting. I can see why this was so important to him because he lived thru both World War I & World War II.
During World War II he was arrested for acts of resistance and protest against the Nazis. He was interrogated by the Gestapo but thanks to a German lawyer, he was saved from being sent to Dachau. With the help of others he escaped in 1942 and re-joined the French Resistance. He spoke out against Germany during the time when Nazi Germany was at the peak of its power.
He accomplished a lot in his life, including being the Prime Minister of France twice, Minister of Finance and Foreign Minister and he was also instrumental in building post-war Europe and is regarded as one of the founders of the European Union, the Council of Europe and NATO.
Robert Schumann became the first President of the European Parliamentary Assembly (the successor to the Common Assembly) which bestowed on him the title ‘Father of Europe’.
He died in 1963 at the age of 77 in Scy-Chazelles, France. He is buried in the church of Saint Quentin, which is across the street from his home where he spent most week-ends and the last few years of his life. (THANKS Marlies & Helmut, a GREAT video they show at this home & Wikipedia.)
Photo taken with a Canon 50D
Metz, France
Our friends, Helmut & Marlies Werner, took us to France to show us some of their favorite places. Metz was a beautiful city with it’s many churches, outdoor cafés & river views along the Moselle & Seille. I must say we have seen some beautiful churches throughout Europe and Britain! This one also, was gorgeous inside and outside as you can see by it’s ornate art work surrounding it’s door.
June 2016
Photo taken with an iPhone 5s
Metz, France
On the banks of the River Moselle sits the Protestant Temple of Metz. I have tried to find out exactly what religion it is, but have been unable to do so. I found that throughout Europe people refer to the Catholic Church or the Protestant Church, however, the Protestant Church is a combination of many churches, Lutheran, Baptist, Church of England, Episcopalian, Presbyterian, to name a few. It was built in the 1800’s by the German’s.
June 2016
Photo taken with an iPhone 5s
Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
We had an awesome and beautiful walk thru Luxembourg City. Most of the time we walked along the Alzette, a tributary of the River Moselle. Luxembourg is very picturesque with it’s deep valley, lush greenery and gorgeous gardens! In this photo I am looking the other direction, thru the arched bridge that has the train tracks on it.
June 2016
Photo taken with an iPhone 5s
London, England
Tower Bridge is a symbolic icon of London and opened in 1894. The other day with Roby Parisi & Nauvoo Rossato, we walked across it on a much cooler and very cloudy day. So, this day, with no clouds and sunshine, we went for a boat ride along the River Thames and we went under Tower Bridge. The sights of London from the River Thames were awesome! By-the-way, the building on the right that looks like it is tipping, it is, that’s how it was built.
June 2016
Photo taken with an iPhone 5s
London England
On this beautiful sunny day in London we went for a ride on the Clipper, a type of water taxi. As we left we had a beautiful view of Big Ben, a nickname for the large bell clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London which the Houses of Parliament occupy. The tower is officially known as Elizabeth Tower, named after Queen Elizabeth. The tower was completed in 1859.
June 2016
Photos taken with an iPhone 5s
Westminster, London , England
After going to a cute play with our son and his family, we decided to visit a few tourist places around London. As always, there were so many people at Buckingham Palace, the official residence of the British Monarch, but by getting back a bit with the gardens, it takes on a much calmer look!
June 2016
Photo taken with a Phone 5s
London, England
We went on the BEST tour ever of London with our friend Roby Parisi, GRAZIE Roby!! I wanted to go by St. Paul’s Cathedral because one of my great-great-grandfathers (5th, I believe), Sir Christopher Wren, was the architect of this beautiful church. Construction was started in 1675 and it sits on the highest point in London. This was the first cathedral built after King Henry VIII became the head of the Church of England taking it away from the Pope. You can see St. Paul’s across the River Thames with Millennium Bridge, a walking bridge, on the right.
June 2016
Photo taken with an iPhone 5s
Newbury, England
On a very rainy day we went out to Highclere Castle. It is only open a few days a month and it was all sold out for 2016. I called the day before to see if we could at least get into the gardens and the lady said we could and it was likely we might be able to get into the castle. So, off we went! Once there, we were able to get tickets for the garden and the castle! Because of the rain there weren’t a lot of people outside, they were all inside, yes, it was wall to wall people. It was interesting going thru, things were different than I expected. For example; the entryway was much smaller than I thought it would be and the stairway is around the corner from the front door, rather than being in a large entryway facing the front door, as I had imagined. After our walking tour Craig & Chelsea went and waited in the car while I went through the gardens in the rain. I wore my trusty poncho, which saved me! The rain got worse as I walked around and when I got back towards the front of the castle I took this photo from under a tree which was protecting me from the rain. At one point I could hear something and I thought there must be a waterfall or fountain on the other side of some near by bushes and then all of a sudden the sound intensified and I heard it come, an even heavier rain storm came into the current rain storm. The rain came down so hard that it came thru the huge tree I was standing under so at that point, with wet shoes, (feet) I decided it was quitting time! It rained all the way back, that was the hardest rain storm I have ever seen! As a Downton Abbey fan, it was worth it, I can now say I have been to Downton Abbey!!
#ENNB1b-0516
Warwick, England
We had a fun day at Warwick Castle! It is a medieval castle built originally by William the Conqueror in 1068 and has changed a lot thru the years due to wars and fires. It sits on the River Avon and has activities for young and old. This day I went into my first ‘Castle Dungeon’. As we went in there was a sign that said, ‘intended to scare’! I have never gone into those types of things before, but I did and I SURVIVED! Chelsea was braver than I!
May 2016
Photo take with a Canon 50D
Stratford Upon Avon, England
The River Avon majestically flows through Stratford Upon Avon which is a beautiful, quaint village where William Shakespeare was born, raised and died (1564-1616). He is remembered throughout the city. He was buried in Holy Trinity Church, whose spire you can see in the distance of this photo.
May 2016
Photo taken with a Canon 50D
