Paralympics 2012

We had the honor and pleasure of getting to know Zena Cole, the U.S. Bronze Medalist in the 2012 Paralympic Games Women's Discus Throw. She is simply inspiring as an athlete, a mother and a spokesperson for UNICEF polio.

On the mound

Throwing the discus during a practice round

On the mound with T and the club

FANS!

Tanka loves Zena

Other inspiring athletes practicing

Inspiring athletes

Olympics 2012

Friends flew in to enjoy the Olympics. We met them at Heathrow Airport and went directly to the Beach Volleyball Court at the Horseguards Parade. We saw Brazil take on Poland , and the USA take on Latvia. Although the USA lost be just a few points, it was amazing to be there to cheer them on! GO USA!


Olympic Clock in Trafalgar Square, counting down for the past year.

Katy & Alan, fresh off the plane

2 best friends and their pregnant wives

Inside Horseguards Parade



Beach Volleyball Court, Horseguards Parade. GO USA!

The Olympics were definitely in LONDON



Adam & Alan

Katy & Jaclyn

The Dancers at the game. The Rackey-Rackey team (those who raked the court) was also made a regular appearance.



S'mores in our back garden, using chocolate digestives rather than graham crackers and hersheys. Delicious

Tea at Peacocks Tea Room in Ely

Trier

Trier is an incredibly quaint German town, one that makes you pinch yourself because you can't believe it's real. It also has a lot of history.

QUAINT TRIER

We ate lunch just in back of this building in an outdoor cafe in the garden. We were so excited to have Alsatian food. I again had the flammkuchen- it was delicious. 

As I was starting to show, here is evidence that the baby was here too.

PORTA NIGRA
The Roman Gate to the city. It is called "The Black Gate" due to it's color.

This is the view of Trier from the Gate. The street below follows the original Roman road. It was also noted that during the time of the Romans, the entrance to the Gate was on the second level.

Inside the gate. 

A Roman soldier happened to show up while we were touring. Too bad he only spoke German. I'm sure his presentation was entertaining, however, considering all of the dramatic yelling he was doing as well as all the laughs he was receiving. 

ROMAN COURT, NOW ELC CHURCH

The history displays in this church about the use of the building during Roman times were great. This was the building where the Roman Emperor held court.  The alcoves held statues of Roman gods. It was amazing to see the building still in use. 

 RHINELAND MUSEUM

Ancient Mosaic

Ancient Mosaic

Luxembourg

Adam was TDY (Temporary Duty Yonder) in Germany (at Landstuhl Army Hospital) for a week. So I flew into Frankfurt Hahn on Saturday morning and flew back to London on Sunday. Nothing like a weekend trip, especially when it fits so nicely around work schedules.

LUXEMBOURG AMERICAN CEMETERY
This cemetery honors all of those who fell during the Battle of the Bulge, including General George Patton.

The Gate to the Cemetery

The Cemetery Chapel

Chapel ceiling

Rocks are left on the crosses by those who came to visit. 

Life.

LUXEMBOURG CITY

The City

The City Fortress allowing the city to be completely impenetrable for centuries. It is an internal maze with many levels. Quite sophisticated.  

City Square

The city has many quaint nooks like this one. This staircase took us to the restaurant where we ate lunch. It had a great assortment of Alsatian food. 

The Olympic Torch Arrives

The Olympic Torch was brought through Bury St. Edmunds on July 7, 2012.
My sister and brother-in-law were in town to help us celebrate, which was so special. We started the day with a picnic at a friend's house before proceeding to the main street to watch the parade. Like the whole of 2012, there was a sense of national pride and excitement in the air. In addition, the family of the torch bearer was present and so proud. It was touching, and a great way to start off the Olympic Season.