Up In The Night

We did not have our Danish class again today....last day of our Spring break....sigh.  It is also the last day of the Easter holiday.  All the stores were closed and the streets of Copenhagen seemed quieter than usual.  

With our free time, we should have been studying, but we did what we love to do.....we set off to see the sights!  We went to one of the beautiful parks in Frederiksberg....the lovely grounds that surround the Frederiksberg Castle.  Not Frederiksborg....where the Carl Bloch paintings are housed, but a Castle that lies within the city limits.  It is huge....and it is beautiful.  

Doesn't this look inviting?  Imagine how it will look in all these pictures when the trees are fully leafed out.

A distant view of the castle

Getting closer!

A view from in front of the castle

The pictures give you an idea of its beauty, but you wouldn't be able to hear the wind rustling through the trees, or the noisy honking of geese...or the haunting cries of birds large and small.  The wind carried the sounds of children's laughter and the soft banter of happy conversations.

Hey!  Do you think he thinks she is pretty?

We saw what we think is cranes in their great nests high atop grand old trees.

The castle is set back in and up above the gardens, giving a magnificent view of ponds, gently flowing rivers and streams and grassy fields.  People lazed in the grass, picnicked on blankets, strolled with their dogs, jogged or speed walked, and sat contentedly on benches - all soaking up the sun.

We loved being a part of it all.  We ended that portion of the day by ambling through a cemetery. Flowering trees, daffodils and stately trees gave it an air of hope, serenity and beauty.  Cemeteries can be so lovely!

FHE tonight was fantastic...as always.  I spent some time visiting with a returned missionary from Temple Square.  She loved that mission...who wouldn't?  From all that she told me about her experiences, it must have been incredible.  She said that she saw miracles all the time...both large and small.  She said that Temple Square is a mission of miracles.

One experience she shared was seeing a young woman wander in to Temple Square one morning.  The missionary approached her and began a conversation.  The young woman lived in the area and had many questions about the Gospel and the Church.  She wanted to know more and had gone to Temple Square many times, but no one ever talked to her!  This day when my friend talked to her, she was elated and had her first missionary discussion that afternoon.  She was baptized 2 months later, and is currently serving a mission in San Francisco.

You know....one thing I love about visiting with these marvelous YSAs is the way their testimonies come through in their conversations.  Sometimes it is a simple statement, sometimes it is there between the lines.  But it is always there. 

Family Home Evening was over by 9, but CRUD and great conversations carried the evening until after 1 a.m.   

It is such a nice thing to be able to sleep in!