France with Rise Up

The long awaited (postponed for two years due to COVID) Rise Up tour to Normandy France for the national D day celebration. We took the non-stop Delta flight from Salt Lake to Paris. It was fun because we had so many Rise up buddies on the same flight. 

 That is a LONG flight. We boarded with neck pillows and eye masks. I tried to sleep not sure how much sleep me or Liv got though. After arriving in Paris we boarded our tour bus. We had the most adorable tour guide Petra from the Netherlands. Basically everything out of her mouth was the most endearing thing ever! She spent the week teaching all of us how to sing Champs Elysees so we would be properly prepared when we finally saw the Champs Elysees later on our trip. Our first tour bus stop was at the sea town of Honfleur. 

 It was a cute little town and we enjoyed a lunch. Ordering food from a French menu was tough. But we learned how to use goggle image translate. Liv ordered shrimp. 

 Liv and Audrey were quite inseparable almost the whole trip. 

 I sat next to her Mom and the tour bus each day and we really enjoyed visiting. All the kiddos sat in the back and the parents in the front. Pretty sure they had the time of their lives riding all together for hours day after day. That night everyone was so tired. When we finally arrived at our hotel, we had dinner, but all the kids fell asleep on the table waiting for food to arrive. 

 Day 2: We started the day at the beautiful village of Arromanches. 

 Down on the beach they still have war cargo freights just resting on the beaches in memorial. 

 We watched an incredible video with real D day footage movie in the round. 

 Then, Liv and I snuck down to the beach, walked on the sand up to the war cargo freights and got gelato to eat on our walk back up the big hill to the tour buses. 

 Next, we had a quick stop at Utah beach. 

 There they had a Higgins boat that soldiers were unloaded onto beaches from. And lastly, we went to the quaint town of Saints-Mere-Englise, the first town that liberated in France. This is the town where a parachuter got stuck on the steeple of a church. They still have a manikin parachuter stuck up there and inside the church is the most beautiful stained glass windows with parachuters incorporated in. 

 The rise up kiddos performed in the town square full of veterans and army personnel. 

 Then, they marched in a parade down the streets in honor of D-day. 

 This was the town I found some WWII style army caps for the boys as a souvenir and they love those hats and wear them all the town. 

 Day 3: The kiddos sang at the American Cemetery in St. James. It was a beautiful ceremony and tribute complete with the most endearing speech for a WWII veteran. The kids sang Thankful in this beautiful place. A bunch of kiddos brought pictures of family members who had served in WWII and they videoed and took pictures of them in the cemetery holding photos of their ancestors that had served in the war.

 After this performance, we went to Mount Saint-Michel which was honestly one of the most dreamy places of the whole trip for me. It is a small city built on an island with a monastery at the top of the hill. It is the inspiration for the Disney Tangled castle I guess. 

 You weave through narrow streets in a circular motion lined with restaurants and shops until you get to the top. 

 We were able to tour the monastery which was so neat. 

 I would love to go back here and spend the night and eat a few of the nicer restaurants. One of my favorite parts of the whole island was walking back down the hill on the outside steps of the city.  

Next it was off to Pointe Du Hoc where US army rangers scaled cliffs to German bunkers (that were thought to be indestructible) and were able to grenade the bunkers which hugely assisted in the success of D Day. It was just a gorgeous place with beautiful beach cliffs but looking at those cliffs gives you all kinds of admiration for those rangers. 

 Day 4 (Actual D day): This was an incredible day filled with emotion and gratitude for the lives lost in Normandy on this very day in 1944. The kids started the day on gorgeous Omaha beach. Or tour bus driver was amazing he drove the huge tour bus through the quaint tiny French streets like a champ. As we were driving through the little quaint French town to get to Omaha beach the kids all busted out into song singing the opening Belle song from Beauty and the Beast. “Bonjour Bonjour Bonjour!” It was hilarious. At Omaha Beach they began by filming their next music video. As they were filming a crowd gathered to watch them, they were all asking who these kids were, when they were done filming the kiddos walked down the beach to where a there were some stone steps. The crowd sat on the steps and the kids sang their music video in entirety for them, then impromptu they sang Let there Be Peace on Earth right there on the very beach where the very most lives were lost on D day. I sobbed through the whole thing as I videoed this incredible thing. 

 Next, it was off to the American Cemetery where the President of France was speaking in commemoration of D day. The kids performed during a wreath laying ceremony, we heard more veterans speak, and actual WWII fighter jets flew overhead. 

 The cemetery was decked out with American and French flags placed in front of each grave. It was right by the ocean and gorgeous.  I was totally touched by the graves for unknown soldiers. 

 Honestly, the whole day was filled with patriotism and love for the men and women that sacrificed so much to preserve the freedoms we enjoy today. Not even sure if Liv fully grasps just how cool it was to be performing in those places on that day it will truly be something I never forget. That night we moved to Paris and the first thing we did when we got there was go to dinner. Liv ordered Escargot! She was the only person in the whole tour group that did. She loved them and wanted me to order more. 

 Day 5: First day in Paris. We got on a Paris tour bus and hopped off at Montemarte. We walked up the stairs to the art district, went inside the Sacre-Coeur Basilica, wandered around watching artists paint and sell their artwork, Liv bought Macarons. 

 We made it a point to next ride to the top of Eiffel Tower even though we didn’t really have enough time before a call time for the next performance. Liv really wanted to ride to the top so we did it anyways. We got to see all the views of Paris from the top. 

 Then, we had to jog along the Seine river to try to get to L’eglise de la Madeleine performance (last performance of the trip). We ended up getting there with plenty of time to make the performance and this was an incredible place to perform. The acoustics in this beautiful church were unreal. 

 Ended the night with dinner at a French restaurant. All the kids sat at tables together and the adults at another. All the kids remember about French restaurants was how strongly they all smelled of cigarette smoke even outside. After dinner, we took a river Seine cruise. 

 Liv was thrilled to see Notre Dame up close after performing in Hunchback. 

 Then, we walked back to the Eiffel tour to watch the twinkling lights turn on and enjoyed strawberry Nutella crepes. 

 We braved using the French subway to get back to our hotel late at night. Luckily, we were in a big group. 

 Day 6: We started the day riding an elevator to the top of Montparnasse the highest Paris skyscraper. They had this totally cool roof top scene. Music was playing, the kids started an impromptu dance party and took pics by the I love Paris sign. 

 Then, it was off to Versailles. We explored he gardens (every time I go there I feel like I could spend a whole day in those gardens) and we toured the palace. 

The kids were so tired I love this pic I captured of them all exhausted.

Then, we had 1 hour of time before we had to meet back at the bus. There were many miracles that allowed us to get an uber, communicate with our French only speaking driving to get us to the Paris temple and wait for us while we walked the grounds. We were able to meet up with some rise up friends who were also at the temple and this prompted another impromptu performance- the kids sang Let There be Peace on Earth for the missionaries serving at the temple. It was a very special experience hearing the kiddos sing that very special song on those beautiful temple grounds and totally worth all the chaos to get there. 

 We ended the night at another Parisian restaurant for dinner. 

 Day 7: This was an optional add on Disney Euro Day and if you ask Liv her favorite part of the whole trip. 

 We ended up pairing off with the Edwards, the Southwicks, and Hunters and we had such a blast all day.

 Josh was great and had cell data that allowed him to use the Disney app and navigate us all around Disney Euro and home thank goodness. My phone and data was all used up by the end of the day without him not sure how we would have all gotten back. Disney Euro had several different rides from Disney California and it was so fun to experience them. 

 The favorite ride of the bunch was Crush’s Coaster. We stayed until the park closed and watch the incredible light show filled with Disney magic and drones. They were all starving at the end of the day luckily Josh had a bag of carrots that all the kids snacked on. 

 The next morning, we got up early for the long flight home. It was all an incredible trip that Liv and I will never forget. I was sad Derek and the boys couldn’t be there with us to experience it, but not sure how much they would have loved riding around on a bus full of singing choir kids everywhere anyways.