Stonehenge

Liverpool

Liverpool was dominated by our Beatles tour, which was enjoyable. Below Rachel and I are standing at the very location of the stage where the Quarry Men played the day John and Paul met. (The Quarry Men was John's pre-Beatles band.)

The above photo is the Legacy Sculpture by Mark DeGraffenried, 2001. The inscription reads: "This statue of a young family commemorates migration from Liverpool to the new world. It was given to the people of Liverpool by the Mormon Church as a tribute to the many families from all over Europe who embarked on a brave and pioneering voyage from Liverpool to start a new life in America. It is estimated that in total approximately nine million people emigrated through the port. the sculpture is cast in bronze; the child stepping forward symbolises migration to the unknown world whilst the child playing with a crab indicates a deep association with the sea."

Isle of Man

The Isle of Man is where my Mom's family (the Cannons) came from. Don and I are sitting at the Cannon ancestral farm (Cooilshellagh) above. The island itself is also breathtakingly beautiful, which we enjoyed as we drove and hiked around. We also attended church at the Douglas Ward, the only LDS congregation on the island.Then we toured the Laxey Wheel, the world's largest operating water wheel, and its accompanying mine shaft.

They serve hot chocolate with a piece of chocolate too. The below was delicious. :)

Preston

Burghley House

London

Frankfurt

Frankfurt Temple

& grounds

& neighborhood

Heidelberg

We found this curious statue in a village near Heidelberg. Then we visited Heidelberg with its castle.It took 130 oak trees in 1751 to make the below keg, which holds 58,100 gallons of liquid.

Switzerland-Bern Temple

We had a wonderful experience as we visited the Bern Switzerland Temple. The people were warm and hospitable, and the temple was great. We spent the night in the patron housing, which was very minimal. Several families were also there from Italy. It was fun.

Germany

In Germany we visited Kehlsteinhaus ("Eagle's Nest" in English), which was Hitler's alpine hideaway. The scenery was beautiful! (This view of the Zugspitze is from the Edelweiss Lodge where we stayed.)

Down in the village we ate Schweinehaxe and Schnitzel. After Garth heard about Jacob's love of Schweinehaxe, he had to try it. This was his first (of multiple) Schweinehaxe he ate on the trip.

in England together

After we met up with Rachel & Jacob, we visited Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, birthplace of Winston Churchill.The next day we ate delicious scones with clotted cream and jam, as well as white hot chocolate and fruit teas at Emily's Tea Room.

Jacob is a pro at punting the Cam. We enjoyed our ride down the river and a great day in Cambridge.

We also saw the abbey ruins at Bury St Edmunds.We ate a yummy Sunday roast, complete with meat, potatoes, veggies, Yorkshire puddings and gravy.

The next day we visited a bread festival at Bircham Windmill in Norfolk, followed by a visit to Holkham Hall.

(This is actually bread.)