Form London on to Wales...

We visited Kew Gardens.....because I wasn't able to get tickets to the Chelsea Garden Show like I had hoped. But we came away with much inspiration....

We weren't able to get through all of the property...it is so vast...and so beautiful..

My husband, Keith, is getting a little worried about when we arrive home I will be digging up every available space to garden...

These lily pads were at least six feet across!

The next stop was the Tower of London....constant upkeep of all of the grounds surrounding these wonderful historic buildings, not to mention the buildings themselves, is mind bloggling!

The Tower Bridge....

Then a quick ride on the tube back to Covent Gardens where we meet up with a friend from Canada who happened to be in London just for the day.....so we had a few in a pub...and some chicken pot pie...

The next day we took a train to Wales...actually to Chester, England, and from there another friend picked us up and drove us to their charming home in Wales. No...they didn't forget to put an "i" in TWLL...the Welch don't seem to use many vowels.

I will share some more pictures later of their amazing home (over 200 years old) and the great surrounding gardens. We had such a wonderful time ....great memories..

Thank you Susan and Peter for sharing your home and friends with us!....but right now we have got to get to the airport for the long flight home...I'll catch up with details later...Take care, Sue

The Right Place At the Right Time......

Keith and I decided to start the day off with a visit to Beg Ben...actually, Big Ben is not the clock, but the largest bell in the chime, a 14 ton bell named after the first commissioner of work, Sir Bejamin Bell. Big Ben is a part of the house of Parliament...the ultimate symbol of London.

We noticed a crowd stating to gather..so we thought we would see what was going on...of course this is not the correct picture of the crowd gathering...bear with me...

The chimes in all the surrounding churches and along with Big Ben striking 11...and the marching band playing....I just had to ask someone in the crowd what was going on....He ( a nice man from Illinois) told me that the Queen was coming to open up the first session of Parliament...something she does only once a year!

So I held my camera above the crowd...and I must say, I got some pretty good pics!!

There she is...the Queen herself sitting in the back....This was so much fun!

But I still enjoy the "real" people that we have meet on this trip....Like this great young couple that we sat with on the Eurostar going from Paris to London...they live in the Engish countryside.

Or this fun lady that we sat next to at lunch today. By the end of lunch we had exchanged emails and she had invited us to come visit with her and her family if we ever were back this way...Love it...almost better than the sights themselves! OK...I am tired..got to rest. Take care, Sue

Wonderful Versailles

It probably is more in line with tradition to start with the Grand Chateau of Versailles, but I was so taken by the Domain de Marie -Antoinette that I had to tell you about this amazing garden area first.

It is just the most beautiful and peaceful place I have ever visited...these are the informal gardens of Marie-Antoinette..of course I have tons of pictures..but I thought I would spare you the 50 or so pictures that I took...and show you the ones that really inspired me...

This is one of the "simple"out buildings....

I always love doors.....

She built this "little" chateau just a short distance form the main chateau of Versailles.

Her bedroom in the chateau is much less ornate than in the main chateau...

One of the views of one of the garden areas behind the main chateau...

We arrived in time to watch one of the fountain displays...this one was set to music!!

A view of the chapel in the main Versailles's Chateau...

This just speaks for itself!

Entrance into the "Hall of Mirrors"....truly unbelievable! Hmmm...somewhere along the line I must have deleted the rest of the pictures of the outside of Versailles....but I am sure that you have seen them before....and without the hundreds of people standing in line waiting to enter!!

Today is our last day in Paris. Tomorrow we are taking the Eurostar to London...the adventure continues...Take care, Sue

Bonjour from Paris

We arrived in beautiful Paris to find warm weather and sunny skies....this is a garden view at the Luxembourg Gardens on our first day...

There are so many amazing churches around every corner.

This is the Dome Church at the Hotel Des Invalides...

The Hotel des Invalides ...part of this building was used as a hospital for war veterans.

So many beautiful bridges spanning the Seine...

We paused for a picture at one of the fountains at the Place de a Concord.

The famous Laduree....with its world famous macaroons ....

A window at Laduree....

The Arc De Triomphe has some major renovations going on...but still a sight to behold...

The gardens at the Louvre are just starting to come alive....

I must say that Parisians really know how to relax and take in the sun...

The famous glass pyramid at the entrance to the Louvre.......

We took a river cruise along the Seine at night....it really doesn't get dark in Paris until 10 pm!! The Eiffel Tower is glorious at night...

The Notre Dame Cathedral is truly the crowning jewel of Paris....its ancient walls really are awe inspiring....

It is hard to believe that this building has stood the test of time....just imagine 700 years old!

We are off to check out a few flea markets and some shopping areas....tomorrow is Versailles...life is good. Take care, Sue

We Are Off To Paris!!!

Keith and I are off to Paris, London, and Wales...in just two short days! I have always wanted to take this trip..and we finally are. We will be staying in Paris for eight days, then off to London for four days and then we will take a train to Chester, Wales to stay with friends that we meet on a vacation! Hopefully I will get a chance to post a blog or two while we are there. I'll catch up with you soon! Take care, Sue

A Wonderful Mother's Day...

I hope all of you mother's out there had a wonderful Mother's Day...I know that I had the best one yet!! My five grandchildren that live in Erie spent the night on Saturday crafting and creating presents for their moms. Early Sunday morning (after a huge batch of waffles) they set the table with their special gifts. We wrapped pots of herbs and used them as our centerpiece. they colored in place mats and set the table with candles and individual menus that Kyle put together.....A candlelit brunch prepared by chief's: Isabella, Evan, Zach, Jeremy, and Kyle...I am not kidding you, that is what the menu said!!The main craft was a Mother's Day card. We used empty tins and decorated them with papers, buttons, flowers, and stickers....and a favorite picture...

Note the bottle of ketchup...can't have any activity with these boys without food!!

Kyle can't seem to do anything intense without his tongue sticking out! These are the paper place mats that we carry at the shop...lots more fun when you add your own special touch...

The finished boxes! Each one is different and unique...

The inside of the boxes was even more special....the kids wrote notes on strips of paper about their Mom and why they were so special to them....Stacey even cried when she got her boxes from Evan and Isabella!

I love doing crafts with my grandchildren because they are all given the same materials to work with and each one of them makes something totally different that is unique only to them. Kind of the same with decorating...we all have access to the same items...it is how we put them together that makes the look totally unique. So lighten up...have some fun....enjoy your home! Take care, Sue