Last day at the Europe North Area Office, visit from Janette and Jared, Salome's Wedding and short stop by Frankenberg (Germany) and Colmar (France)

We started our summer with me quitting my job on June 30th (in preparation for our move back to the US) and Janette and Jared arriving in London that same day. They came, not just to visit us but also to attend their cousin Salome's wedding in Frankfurt, Germany. We were so happy to show them England before our move back to the US. 

Here I am at one of my last days at the Europe North Area Office. The Europe North Area Presidency threw me a nice farewell. I will miss everyone!!


In this picture: Elder and Sister Naugle, Elder Whiting, Ellie and Lesley, me, Elder Phillips and Elder Aidukaitis

And my desk with the best view!



Janette and Jared arrived on Monday morning at Heathrow, and after a short stop by our home and the Europe North Area Office, we drove to Oxford. They were so lucky and caught a beautiful day:



And the next two days we showed them London: 


Panorama view from Skygarden: 


At the British Museum: 



And the V&A Museum: 



And the Imperial Museum: 


And the Natural History Museum: 


"Photo shoot" by Big Ben: 



Westminster: 


On Tuesday evening Jared and Janette went to see Hamilton, while Josh, Sarah and me attempted to see Operation Mincemeat - until the power outage in the theater put an end to that show (and we had to come back to see it again). 

Thursday, July 3, 2025

On Thursday we flew from London to Frankfurt to meet the Gesslers there and celebrate my niece Salome's and her fiancé Fabian's wedding. We stayed almost for free in the temple’s patron housing. Thursday evening we attended an endowment session, enjoyed a delicious Italian dinner, and spent the evening playing card games. It was great to hang out with the Gesslers again!


Then came the big day, and it turned out to be absolutely gorgeous:





The wedding reception took place in Frankenau, about an hour and a half north of the Frankfurt Temple. The setting was idyllic, and the wedding dinner was one of the best I’ve ever had.





I really enjoyed this kind of wedding—full of fun games and amusing presentations, including a slideshow narrated by Ting-Wai.


It was also great to see my cousin Ling Ling again!


The next day, we visited nearby Frankenberg. 
Fabian took some fantastic pictures with his drone:





We also spent some time by the Edersee, with a few of us brave enough to try the cold water:



and the others enjoying the "beach"


Family dinner and games at the guesthouse to wrap up a nice relaxing day:




The next day, we parted ways with the Gesslers - they drove off towards Sweden, and we went south towards Switzerland. 

On the way we stopped by the Schloss Auerbach:




and a stop in one of France's prettiest town: Colmar





Alongside its colorful half‑timbered houses and pretty canals, Colmar is also famous as the birthplace of Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty. To honor him, the city installed a 12‑meter‑tall replica in one of its roundabouts.


From there, it was only a one‑hour drive to Kaiseraugst, where we spent the night at the Gesslers’ apartment. 

To be continued… in the next blog post all about Switzerland.

























































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