For my 40th birthday (that's right, I am now the big 4-0)James took me to London to celebrate. I must admit I wasn't as excited about the idea as he was. Those who know me know that flying is not my favorite thing and flying across the ocean is probably my least favorite. It's always a challenge to get the kids' schedules organized and worked out with a babysitter. However, it all came together and we had a great time. I'm grateful James drags me on these trips because I always have a good time once I get there.
We spent most of our time in London. We toured various castles, including the London Tower which is probably the most famous. There is so much history that it is hard to keep it all straight. I thought how grateful I was to live in a fairly young country that hasn't had royal families that I had to learn about in history class. Of course, a lot of their history is our history too as that is where some of our ancestors descend from.
It was amazing to learn how their civilization progressed through the dark ages and developed to a point that common people were able to be educated and read which led to the eventual translation of the Bible which then led to people gaining their own testimonies and understanding of God which then led to the discovery of America and the eventual coming forth of the Book of Mormon. It is fascinating to see God's hand in the various events that led to the founding and birth of our nation. Not coming from a country that stakes claim to royal blood lines, James and I really enjoyed learning about the various kings and queens and the succession of power amongst the families. I know one of James' favorite adventures was viewing the crown jewels and reading about their significance and ties to Christianity. He has researched some of the ideas he learned there since we've been home. He was really interested in the symbolism of the coronation ceremony.
We also learned how brutal some of those times were. James knows I love Halloween so he scheduled some tours of the London Dungeon and under the London Bridge. Both tours are designed to scare you with tales of torture and spookiness. We also took a walking tour of Jack the Ripper's escapades during the night time. They were all interesting but the best one was the London Bridge. At the end of the tour, you are invited to walk through a type of haunted house area. They had people dressed up chasing us with knives and chainsaws and the likes. James was at the end of the line and was really freaked out when the mock chain saw actually touched him. It was quite entertaining.
In the evenings we caught a couple of plays. I would call them Broadway but that is in New York. They do have a theatre district similar to Broadway in London. We also sampled the local cuisine which I've decided isn't much different than American food-- except for the famous fish and chips. James liked those much better than I did. Towards the end of the week, I couldn't care if I never had fish and chips again.
We did take a few trips out of the city. We visited Windsor Castle, Oxford, the Cliffs of Dover, and Stonehedge. The countryside was very beautful and was what I pictured England to look like. Oxford was probably my favorite. It is a quaint little town full of students. The actual campus of Oxford was interesting to see. The author of Harry Potter took some of her ideas in describing Hogwarts from Oxford campus and it is easy to see where she got her ideas. Oxford has a unique history in Christianity. They have statues of martyred men who were killed because of their faith and the translator for the first English Bible was educated there. I was most surprised to learn that tuition at Oxford is around $2,000.00 a semester! That is cheaper than BYU! Apparently it is a state school and they aren't allowed to raise tuition without parliament approval.
Stonehedge was basically rocks in a field. You don't get to walk very close to them and from what we learned, no one is quite sure why they are there and what they mean. There is plenty of speculation but no clear answers. I figure we'll all find out in the next life and probably not be that impressed with the answer.
After six days in England, we headed down to Florence, Italy. James was invited to attend a dental conference there. We have been to Florence before so we didn't schedule much time there for ourselves. It was fun to go back and see some new sights we hadn't seen before. James was in dental workshops most of the day and the wives got to take cooking classes. The cooking classes were probably my favorite part. The lady who taught us was great! We learned how to make pastas, sauces, breads, and pizzas. My family is grateful I took those classes too. They love the lasagne that I make entirely from scratch. I reminds me of my Uncle Dale who always made it for us on New Year's.
Each night, we met with the conference goers and had the full blown Italain meal-- six or seven courses, depending on where we ate. It was good food but I will never understand why Italians like to eat so late at night. They begin their meals at lik 9:00 and go to midnight. For us Westerners, it can be very exhausting! Of course, Italy has a lot of interesting history. They are most proud of the artists that descend from the area and the huge cathedrals and sculptures. James and I had seen most of the ones that are in Florence when we were there before but it was fun to walk around the little streets and see the shops. One of our favorite things to do in Italy is try the different flavors of gelato. Most of the Italian experience for me this time around seemed to be the food. James really enjoyed his dental conference and what he learned there and the contacts he made. It was a fun trip and great way to spend my 40th birthday.
When we got home, Lindsey had organized a surprise party for me. She is so sweet. She called all my friends and invited them and coordinated with James to have some food there. It didn't go exactly as she had envisioned because James didn't quite do his part of having me out of the house, but the gesture was a huge surprise in itself. I am grateful to have such a considerate daughter and will always remember her efforts on my behalf.
