September 5-6, 2018 - Scottish Highlands and Edinburgh

Following a session at the Paris Temple, we flew to Edinburgh where we took a daylong trip to the Scottish Highlands including Glencoe and Loch Ness.  As is typical for this time of year, we had times of sun and times of drizzle.  It was beautifully green and mountainous and we had a sighting of the Loch Ness Monster while we were there!

The rolling hills and verdant pastures in the Scottish Highlands.  Scotland is divided into the lowlands in the southeast half of the country and includes the larger cities such as Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling, Dundee and Aberdeen.  The Highlands consists of the northwest half and is sparsely populated with Inverness being the largest city.  In an effort to retain population in the Highlands, the government provides incredible incentives such as free healthcare and education through university.  It is a sensitive subject for many in the UK.

Meandering river and hills in the Scottish Highlands.

A panoramic view of the mist-covered Glencoe mountains.  

Two of the "Three Sisters" mountains in Glencoe.

The lush green pastures of the Scottish Highlands.

Notice the various pines in the forest of the Scottish Highlands.

Ancient Roman viaducts that have survived over a thousand years in the Scottish Highlands.

A plaque describing the Three Sisters mountains of Glencoe.  The plaque also memorializes the massacre of the Clan MacDonald by the government during the Jacobite rebellion. Jacobites (James in Latin was Jacobus) were followers of King James II, who was deposed from the British throne because he was a Catholic.  The English reformation led by Henry VIII in 1534 which established the King of England as the Supreme Head of the Church of England which was then independent of the Roman Catholic Church.  On 13 February 1692, an estimated thirty-eight members of Clan MacDonald of Glencoe were killed by government forces on the grounds they had not been prompt in pledging allegiance to the new monarchs, William III and Mary II.   

Two of the Three Sisters of Glencoe.

A traditional Scottish bagpiper at the base of the Glencoe mountains.

Sister Burkinshaw with the Glencoe mountains in the background.

The Loch Ness Cruise Ship.

Elder and Sister Burkinshaw and Uncle Mark aboard the Loch Ness cruise ship.

Loch Ness is a freshwater lake (loch in Scottish Gaelic) 23 miles long and up to 750 feet deep in the Scottish Highlands southwest of Inverness.  It is best known for alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster,  known affectionately as "Nessie".

The banks of Loch Ness and the Church in the town of Fort Augustus.

This is a video we caught of the infamous Loch Ness Monster!  He was really scary!!!

While waiting for the bus with other family members, we discovered the Old Calton Cemetery in downtown Edinburgh with some interesting memorials.

This is the mausoleum of historian and philosopher David Hume (1711–1776), author of Treatise of Human Nature.  His was a household name across Europe in the 18th century, and a critical figure in the Scottish Enlightenment. He was a strong influence on many other thinkers and public figures, Adam Smith among them. However, his grave had to be guarded for 8 days after burial, due to strong public hostility towards him at the time of his death, largely due to his professed atheism.  His writings are still studied in depth today.

The Scottish-American Soldiers Monument, was dedicated on 21 August 1893 to Scots who fought and died in the American Civil War. Depicting a standing figure of Abraham Lincoln, with a freed slave giving thanks at his feet, it is a focal point of the Old Calton Cemetery, located just in front of David Hume’s tomb.  The inscription, "To preserve the jewel of liberty in the framework of Freedom" is a quotation from Abraham Lincoln. 

Edinburgh Castle is built on the plug of an extinct volcano.  Although there have been buildings there since the 2nd Century AD, it has been a royal castle since the early 1100's when David I was king of the Scots.  It is very imposing on the Edinburgh skyline.

Elder Burkinshaw on the steps leading up to Edinburgh Castle.  Climbing them was not a trivial feat!

Sister Burkinshaw at the entrance gate to Edinburgh Castle.

A panoramic view of the Edinburgh skyline from the Castle.

A view of the 17th century cannons which protected the castle.

The Edinburgh skyline including the North Sea in the distance.

The Scottish National War Memorial at Edinburgh Castle where all branches of the armed forces which fought in WW I and WW II are honored.  Since Sister Burkinshaw's "Black" line in from Scotland, we noted that there were many "Blacks" listed in the records of servicemen who died in these wars.

A mural honoring those who died in the armed forces of Scotland in the two world wars.  "They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them"

A plaque and mural honoring the women of Scotland who cared for the soldiers.
"In honor of all Scotswomen who, amid the stress of war, sought by their labours, sympathy and prayers to obtain for their country the blessings of peace."

The hallway of the Scottish National War Memorial.

Elder Burkinshaw, Uncle Mark and Aunt Robyn in front of the Royal Palace within Edinburgh Castle where the crown jewels of Scotland are kept.

Within the Edinburgh Castle Royal Palace are the "Honours of Scotland" or the crown jewels.  Although Scotland consists of the northern third of the isle of Great Britain, it existed as the independent Kingdom of Scotland from the 5th century AD until 1707 when it became part of the United Kingdom.  

Entrance to the Great Hall of Edinburgh Castle.  A wonder of medieval Scotland, the Great Hall was completed in 1511 for James IV (who later became King James I of England and the sponsor of the King James translation of the Bible) and stands at the heart of the castle. 

Inside the Great Hall of Edinburgh Castle.  Its magnificent wooden roof is one of the most remarkable in Britain.  Giant beams rest on stones engraved with heads and important symbols like the thistle - a badge of Scotland.

The painting featured prominently in the Great Hall of Edinburgh Castle is of Scottish Ensign Ewart of the Scots Greys heroically capturing a French eagle at Waterloo.

One of several sets of armor and swords displayed in the Great Hall of Edinburgh Castle.

Sister Burkinshaw in front of the fireplace of the Great Hall of Edinburgh Castle

Sister Burkinshaw on the Royal Mile which is a succession of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland, near the Castle.

Scotland reminded us of the beauties of the lands of our forefathers. Granny Abraham (Catherine Young Abraham) was born 21 Jan 1863 in Castlerow, Edinburgh, Scotland which is south and a little east of Edinburgh. Her mother Catherine Black is said to have worked in the woolen mills in Iverness and raised there. We of course shopped several times at various Woolen Mills stores and bought the Black clan tartan. Catherine Black's obituary says, "She was a kind hearted and careful mother and by her wise counsel and Christian example reared an exemplary family. The world was better because she lived and her kind deeds will stand a monument to her noble life for generations."  There are no memories of Granny Abraham on family search at this time. There is somewhere, maybe with my cousin Sylvia a record which has her talking. Sylvia was little at the time and sang an alphabet song which was also recorded.  Catherine Young Abraham (Granny Abraham) was buried in Byron, Wyoming and her mother Catherine Black was buried in Rock Springs Wyoming As with each opportunity we were very grateful for the opportunity to visit Scotland.

Elder and Sister Burkinshaw

September 2-4, 2018 - Paris

Since the London Temple was closed from September 2 through October 2 for cleaning, we had some time to do a little traveling.  Our first trip was to Paris with Elder Burkinshaw's brother Mark, sister-in-law Wendy, sister Robyn and Robyn's friend from her ward, Sharon Coombs.

Robyn, Mark and Elder Burkinshaw at St Pancras International train station where we met after Robyn arrived at Heathrow airport and we took the Eurostar train under the English Channel through the "Chunnel" (Channel Tunnel) to Paris. 

Elder and Sister Burkinshaw, Robyn, Sharon Coombs and Mark at the Paris Marriott executive lounge having a snack after a long day getting to Paris.

Elder Burkinshaw in front of the entrance to the square where the Louvre Museum is located.  Mark, Wendy, Robyn and Sharon went on a tour of the Louvre, a ride down the Seine River, the Eiffel Tower and the Notre Dame Cathedral but since Elder and Sister Burkinshaw had already done the "tour" in 2005, they just walked around Paris to the same sites. 

Sister Burkinshaw next to the Pyramide (which serves as the entrance to the Louvre) and the Louvre.  The Louvre is the worlds largest art museum with nearly a million square feet of floor space and over 38,000 pieces of art.  You could spend several days at the museum and not begin to see it all and can easily become lost within. It hosts 8+ million visitors annually (most were there that day ;-).  The Louvre began as a 12th century castle and after it was no longer strategic for defense, became a palace.  In 1682, Louis XIV moved his residence to Versailles Palace and left the Louvre to exhibit his extensive art collection.  Thus it evolved into a museum and Paris' most famous historic monument. 

Elder and Sister Burkinshaw with Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" painted about 1505.

The Mona Lisa has been described as "the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world". The Mona Lisa is also one of the most valuable paintings in the world worth about $800 million in 2017.

Elder Burkinshaw in front of the Arc de Tiomphe du Carrousel, one of several famous gates in Paris.  This one is located adjacent to the Louvre Museum.

From the Louvre, Elder and Sister Burkinshaw strolled about 2 miles down the Seine River (a very peaceful and serene walk) to the Eiffel Tower.  As we were walking, we noticed what appeared to be an Egyptian Obelisk in the distance.

In 2014 when we visited Egypt, we visited the Luxor Temple where we observed that one of its two obelisks was missing.  We were told that the missing obelisk was in Paris.

The Luxor obelisk is over 3,000 years old and was originally situated outside of Luxor Temple, where its twin remains to this day. It first arrived in Paris on 21 December 1833, having been shipped from Luxor via Alexandria and Cherbourg, and three years later, on 25 October 1836, was moved to the centre of Place de la Concorde by King Louis-Phillipe. It was given to France by Muhammad Ali Pasha, Ruler of Ottoman Egypt.

Elder and Sister Burkinshaw in front of the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower is a wrought iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris.  It is named after Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower in 1887-89 as the entrance to the 1889 World's Fair.  It was initially criticized by France's leading artists but has become a global cultural icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world.  It is the most-visited paid monument in the world with over 7 million visitors annually.  When our 4-year-old granddaughter Rosie saw this photo, she said "Grandma and Grandpa are in Paris!"  She had become familiar with the Eiffel Tower watching Peppa Pig on holiday in France!

Sister Burkinshaw in front of Notre Dame Cathedral.  Notre-Dame is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité of Paris. The cathedral is widely considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture.  It was begun in 1160 and largely completed by 1260.  In the 1790s, Notre-Dame suffered desecration during the French Revolution when much of its religious imagery was damaged or destroyed. Soon after the publication of Victor Hugo's novel "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" in 1831, popular interest revived and a major restoration project began in 1845 and continued for twenty-five years. In 1963, centuries of soot and grime were cleaned from the Cathedral facade, returning it to its original color. Another cleaning campaign was carried in 1991-2000. 

Inside the Notre Dame Cathedral facing the altar.  It was wonderfully cool place to rest inside compared to the very hot (85°F) and humid day outside.

Looking towards the back of the cathedral.  Notice the organ pipes on the second level which appear very similar to those in the Tabernacle on Temple Square in Salt Lake City.

Panoramic photo of the 14th century painted wood carvings of the life of Jesus on Choir Screen inside Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris.

Wendy, Mark, Elder Burkinshaw, Robyn and Sharon Coombs at a sidewalk restaurant (George V) in Paris with the Arc de Triomphe Champs-Élysées (at the center of Place Charles de Gaulle) in the background.

Elder and Sister Burkinshaw, Robyn and Mark with the Arc de Triomphe Champs-Élysées.

Elder and Sister Burkinshaw in front of the Paris Temple which was dedicated in 2017.  The Temple is located in Versailles, which is about 30 minutes west of downtown Paris.

Elder and Sister Burkinshaw with the Christus statue in the courtyard of the Paris Temple.

A panoramic shot of the courtyard of the Paris Temple, left to right is the Christus statue, the visitors center (which is attached to the Temple), the Paris Temple and the patron housing building.  The gardens are very pretty and well cared-for.

Inside the Visitors Center, there is a scale model of the temple with cut-away walls so you can see how the temple appears inside.  The basement level has the baptismal font, the ground level the Brides Room and the upper level the two-stage endowment rooms.

The ground level shows the entrance with the recommend desk and the upper level shows the relatively simple but beautiful Celestial Room

The grand staircase with the sealing room located on the upper level of the Temple.

The Paris Temple model from the front inside the visitors center.

We saw many interesting historic sites in Paris, but the quiet, beautiful, stately Paris Temple was the highlight of our trip.


Elder and Sister Burkinshaw