These are the Days!: ma Fille en France

After the wedding (thankfully not before the wedding) we were off for Mark's president's club trip, this year to France since the airfares were very enticing post covid. Mark served his mission in Paris and Normandy and speaks fluent French. It's been 17 years since he has been back. Our friends, the Moores, came with us. Dustin works with Mark. They wanted to bring their daughter Libby, who happens to be Macy's best friend. We decided to bring Macy, which was a dream come true for her. She's been wanting to go to France since she learned that we brought Leslie to France with us when Leslie was 3. And to get to go with her bestie? As a 13 year old, are you kidding me? She kept a notebook full of our travel plans and new the whole itinerary. She had already been practicing French on duolingo.

After hours and hours of preparation and anticipation, we arrived at the Salt Lake Airport to embark. Smiling, we slapped down our paperwork on the counter. The ticket agent asked for Macy's passport. We showed them her passport card that we had purchased a couple of years previously when we went on a cruise. We were pretty pleased to be able to get some more use out of it.

No. Her passport. Like this.

Much to our horror, the ticket agent informed us that although Macy's card had not expired, it was only valid for travel by land or by sea.

She could not go to France.

We desperately tried to calm our sobbing and hyperventilating teen and made a quick plan. Mark's brother Paul luckily answered his phone and left work to come pick her up from the airport so we could go through security. The airline would credit her ticket for use later. The rest of us would continue as planned because Mark was the translator for the whole group, and some of our other activities and tickets couldn't be refunded.

We just felt sick about the whole thing. Both Mark and I had checked the expiration dates on the passports more than once, but neither of us thought to review the rules about the passport card. It was pretty traumatic, and ironic. I like travel but I hate airports. As we were sitting on the bench, crying and waiting for Paul, I pointed out to Macy that most people in the world don't ever get to go on big trips like this in their whole lives, plus she could probably go later. Also, that she hadn't ever really had much hard stuff to deal with in her life.

She pointed out to me that most people aren't TOLD that they are going to Paris, and then have the trip yanked out from under them at the last minute.

Yeah, it was pretty awful. Very lucky for her, we were able to scrabble together a second, abbreviated trip to Paris for just her and Mark as soon as her actual passport came in and school was out. She is very, very blessed.

So, here are our trip pictures from both trips combined. I really had a great time after crying it off at the airport. The Moores were great travel companions! Thanks to my amazing mother for watching my holy terrors.

We have the best neighbors and congregation members and friends. They heard about Macy's disappointment and really spoiled her good while we were gone. Lots of treats, etc.

Versailles gardens

Mt. Saint Michel. I have a big painting of this one in my bedroom. It's pretty fantastic.

This message from Macy's tracker was kind of a slap in the face.

Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, where WWI officially ended.

One of our bucket list items has been to visit the Paris France temple for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, built since our first trip to France in 2004. These are the grounds. Unfortunately we couldn't go inside because of Covid restrictions, limiting use to local members.

Under the Louvre plaza.

Saint Chappelle

The Catacombs. I should have breathed in deeply and played a little Imagine Dragons. That was a crazy ton of bones. Bones for miles.

Mark and I are total foodie tourists. We study up before we go and everything. This gelato with the flower petal shape and the ice cream macaron cookie was from a chain called Amorino. We need it in my town, I think.

Me sitting down as far away from the window as possible at the very top of Sacre Coeur, which is already on top of a big hill overlooking the city. I haven't had the fear-of-heights-tremors that bad for quite some time.

Mark was a little braver. It was a lot of steps up there, and very cool to do after we had already been in Paris for awhile, so we could pick out where we'd gone.

The slave wheel at Mt. Saint Michel. The monastery used slave labor and hauled equipment up to the top of where they were constructing things using this giant human hamster wheel. Either that, or it was probably mothers donating the local teenagers.

The D-Day beaches.

Did I mention we also took the chunnel over to London for a few days? That was also on my bucket list. Very cool, and I could have stayed in England a lot longer. I told Mark we were making up for the BYU study abroad I didn't get to do because I got engaged instead. This is at Windsor castle. We rode the subway right under my Haynes ancestral stomping grounds to get here (Brentford & Islington, Middlesex) but there wasn't a good way to stop there.

We wore tourist headphones at most places.

Westminster Cathedral. I thought this was very strange looking and I'm wondering why I haven't ever noticed pictures of it.

This artist making a professional copy at Musee d'Orsay. I think this was one of Mark's favorite things to watch of the whole trip. Incredible!

Mark's Dad served his mission in England. I persuaded Mark that he needed this very dapper hat in his Dad's honor. He's not convinced, but I loved it.

We told our boys that they couldn't come on the trip to France because there were too many naked paintings, haha. But, they would have loved the suit of armor museum at the Tower of London.

This was a particularly clever axe/pistol.

We stopped at the Globe Theater, which was closed that day, but a landmark I really wanted to see.

Can you tell that I use The Crown as my Netflix avatar? hahahaha.

Sacre Coeur. Mark opted not to climb to the top this time.

We found out that the Seine is a lot smaller than the Thames.

Macy did not get to go to London, but she and Mark used their last day to visit the Asterix amusement park, kind of like a Six Flags.

My traveling companions. Kerry was an absolute champ at navigating the subways with her phone.

The Paris France temple.

Our first local food was Mark's beloved raclette. I hadn't seen the heat lamp that melts the cheese before.

Bad hair day?

I took this picture for Boston. We used to call him "Y'I know, the Rhino".

The view of the tidal plain from the top of Mt. Saint Michel.

Beautiful Bayeaux, where we stopped to see the famous tapestry (it's 70 meters long and almost a thousand years old!) on our way to the D-Day beaches. I couldn't photo the tapestry, but I really enjoyed this particular visit. It was like an early comic strip, all in embroidery, telling the story of William the Conqueror. I keep thinking about it.

This statue outside the Caen WWII museum made me think of Boston and his friends, ages 16-18, and how glad I am they aren't needing to drag each other out of battle. The lead soldier is totally like Boston's personality--very loyal--and it made me a little teary.

We had a fun day on the coast with the Lemonniers. Mark has known Emilie since he baptized her family as a missionary when she was a teenager. It was so cool that they made to drive to come see us. We were happy to meet their beautiful daughters as well.

Fish & chips in London. I was too chicken to order the mushy peas, but I had a bite of Mark's and they were actually good.

I thought Westminster Abbey was really interesting with all the famous people buried or memorialized there. Above are the tombs of Elizabeth I and her sister Mary. Both queens, mortal enemies. Resting side by side. Be nice to each other, people. Family is family, haha.

I loved this painting of a somewhat ordinary person. It even shows the pins in her veil.

Hyde Park, London, where one of our heroes, Pres. Hinckley, used to preach.

I tried recreating this buttery toasty galette at home. It didn't go well.

This place, Invalides, where Marie Antoinette was imprisoned, had a cool virtual tour that would furnish the rooms like things used to be, etc.

The double decker bus tours were pretty great, too.

I wonder what the kids were getting into while we were gone? Cooper ran for student council and did not make it, but he had a lot of votes. Above was the picture for "Here's the scoop, vote for Coop", below was "Super" Cooper.