Baltic Cruise

This summer Lanny and I went on a dream vacation to the Baltic Sea region. I have wanted to go to Europe since I was in high school but never had the chance until now. Lanny and I are enjoying so many firsts together, but this one definately rates near the top.

Our trip started out with a short flight to Seattle where we met up with Gary, Deborah, Lisa, Don, and Mom and Lori. Our flight from Seattle to Copenhagen, Denmark took us to the top of the world. Leaving Seattle we flow northeast over the Arctic Circle, Greenland, and Iceland. Going so far north, the sun shone all night. Lying low on the horizon, the sun's reflection glowed on the water and countless islands of all sizes beneath us. It was a spectacular sight.

After a difficult ten hours of attempting to get some shuteye, we arrived in Copenhagen at about 1:00 p.m. - we weren't quite sure what time that was at home. Too tired to do much, we went to our hotel and spent the night then saw the city sites the following day. One of the most memorable highlights in Copenhagen was our visit to the Chapel of Our Lady at the University of Copenhagen where we saw the original of the Christus that dominates the Visitors' Center at Temple Square in SLC. Along with the Christus were the twelve apostles, six lining each side of the chapel. We were also excited to see the Copenhagen LDS Temple. It was once a chapel which was converted into a temple - small but lovely. Other things of note were the beautiful buildings lining the waterways and the large number of bicycles - about the only cars were taxis. That evening we boarded the ship for our cruise of the Baltic Sea.

On day 3 I awoke early and watched the sunrise. As I did so many small islands came into view. Little did I know it was the beginning of the incredible Swedish archipelago - Sweden is made up of some 25,000 plus islands. Our stay in Sweden was much too short, but we did go to the Vasa Museum in Stockholm where we saw the 333 year old ship which was salvaged nearly intact from the harbor where it sank on its maiden voyage - it was pretty amazing.

Lanny outside the Vasa Museum in Stockholm

Day 4 of our trip was in Helsinki, Finland. Our tour took us to Temppeliaukio Rock Church and to Sibeliusparken there we saw the sculptures dedicated to the honor of the famous Finnish composer Sibelius. One of the sculptures was of large organ pipes. The tour guide warned us not to put our heads in the pipes, but of course that just made Lanny want to try it out. We also had a lot of fun trying out some of the local cuisine at the open market. Lanny and Don tried out some of the fish dishes, while Deorah, Lisa, and I tried the produce - beautiful, yummy strawberries! At a little bakery we also got a taste of what I have declared to be the world's best muffin - it was incredible!

Days 5 & 6 were spent in St. Petersburg, Russia. One of the most memorable things about Russia were the sour faces of the older people and the stark and rundown apartments and stores. In contrast to that were Peterhoff Palace - summer palace of Peter the (not so) Great, the Hermitage Museum - where little old ladies wearing peasant dresses made up the security system and yelled at anyone who got too close to the artwork, and St. Isaac's Cathedral - used as a museum during the Communist years and only recently reopened for religious worship.


The gang at Peterhoff Palace

Next was Tallin, Estonia - one of my personal favorites. Looking at the skyline from the ship you could see two distinct halves of the city. On one side were the medieval church spires and restored ancient buildings, while on the other were the modern skyline of highrises. We visited the medieval section of town with its narrow cobblestone streets and vast open marketplace. We were taken to the site of an old monestary where we listened to a medieval folk music concert then explored the shops where we found some of the greatest treasures of our trip - handmade, leather bound books. We bought two and wished we had gotten many more.

Little Estonian girl (Dedra)

From Tallin we sailed to Gydansk, Poland - Lanny's favorite. On our way from the port to the city we passed by Lec Welensa's home, the building that houses Solidarity, and the monument erected to that cause. We also drove by the shipyards where the roots of the Solidarity movement began. The ancient architecture in the city of Gydansk was amazing with lots of character and whimsical architectural features. Most of the city has been rebuilt since WWII, built there were still some bombed out remains of old buildings visible. Lanny and I enjoyed walking down the water-lined streets and exploring the marketplace. Here we enjoyed one of the best treats of our trip - waffles topped with strawberries and whipped cream - so much better than any at home!
Lanny & Dedra in Gydansk, Poland

The next day we docked in Warnemunde, Germany. We hopped on a train (which proved to be a very enjoyable three-hour ride) and headed for Berlin. This was probably the most hectic excursion of our trip. At the train station in Berlin we were loaded on a bus and from there had a whirlwind tour of the German capital. We saw some extraordinary historic places including the Berlin Wall, Check Point Charlie, the site of the Nazi book burning, the unmarked grave of Adolph Hitler, and many other WWII and post WWII sites. There was much too much to see in a one day tour. It would take several days to really see the whole thing.

Santa Barbara 2008

Sunday, June 15th, Father's Day - Mark and Ryan flew with us from Seattle to Redondo Beach where we spent the night then headed up to Santa Barbara for the week. Brook and Hannah joined us on our drive up the coast where we met up with Jeff at Grandma's condo. Unfortunately, neither Ryan nor Ashley were able to join us because of work commitments. As always though we had a lot of fun going to the beach, playing tennis, going shopping, and eating great food. On Ryan and Brooke's recommendation we ate at a little Italian restaurant called Ca'Dario in downtown Santa Barbara where we all enjoyed an exceptional meal. We also had a great time taking Hannah to the zoo while Jeff, Mark, and Brooke got some rays at the beach. Hannah loved seeing the animals, especially the huge male lion stretched out taking a snooze right next to us - a mere inch from where we stood. She also loved the train ride around the zoo, but unfortunately Grandpa had to stay behind because he was too big to fit in the seat.

Mark had to leave on Thursday so he could be ready to start his new job as a campaign manager for a Washington legislative incumbent. He was excited about his new job but stressed out about all the changes going on in his life - graduation, moving, finding a new place to stay, starting a new job, studying for the LSAT, and applying to law schools. He definitely has a lot on his plate. It took Hannah a while to warm up to Mark, but by the time we took him to the airport she was giving him hugs and kisses and said "Mark not go," and "I love Mark."

Jeff has really won Hannah's heart. She loves her Uncle Jeff and likes to play with him and give him hugs and kisses. He will even play princesses with her. He enjoyed playing tennis with Brooke and Dedra, digging giant holes in the sand, and boogie boarding in the waves with Mark and Lanny. He headed back to San Francisco on Friday and back to work on Saturday. He loves it there so much that it's not much of a sacrifice to leave the beautiful surroundings of Santa Barbara for the magnificient city of SF.

Brooke, Hannah, and Dedra spent some girly time shopping for clothes on Thursday. There is some fun shopping in SB, especially compared to Blackfoot where the only clothing is at Wal Mart or DI - no joke!

When Jeff headed home we drove back to Redondo Beach with Brooke and Hannah. We stayed there until Sunday morning when we caught a flight for home at 6:30 AM. Ryan was nice enough to take us to the airport at 4:45 AM - hopefully he got back home for a little rest before Hannah got up.

All in all we had a great trip, but we must admit we were exhausted when we got home. Thanks for a great trip everybody. We missed you Ashley.

Mark's Graduation

Friday, June 13th, we arrived in Bellingham along with Ryan to attend the Outstanding Graduate Ceremony where Mark was named the outstanding graduate for the political science department. His sponsoring professor, Kristen Parris, presented Mark with this award and commented on his many strengths and positive attributes. Besides highlighting his academic accomplishments, she also described Mark as having what the Chinese call jen or human heartedness - a trait to always be valued and nurtured. It was a wonderful evening and one we will always remember.

Saturday, June 14th, we attended the commencement exercises. Mark sat with Professor Parris and the other outstanding graduates and their mentors at the front of the gymnasium where they were the first four-year graduates recognized and presented their diplomas. At this time Mark was escorted to the stage by Prof. Parris where his academic accomplishments were stated including cum laude, university honors, and outstanding graduate. After graduation we enjoyed a great steak dinner at Dirty Dan Harris', got a good night's sleep, and left for the airport the following morning - off for a few day's of R&R in lovely Santa Barbara.