Senior Couples Conference in Southern France

We had a Senior Missionary Couple's Conference in February that w.e attended along with 11 other couples from throughout the France Lyon Mission.

"The Lords of Les Baux" became powerful rulers in Southern France in the 11th to the 13th century.  They claimed to be descended from Bathazar, one of the 3 Wise Men.

 These are Trebuchets and were a type of seige machines used at the time.

This is Cherie in front of a Trebuchet.  Notice the hood and scarf she's wearing.  This area in France is known for having "Mistral" winds and they blow continually and are very strong winds.

 Elder Thomas and Elder Dooley had been very bad boys.

 Chateau d'If is a well known prison that Alexandre Dumas made famous in his book The Count of Monte Cristo.  This is where Edmond Dantes was held prisoner for 13 years just off the coast at Marseilles.

This is the 

 The LDS Chapel in Aix-En-Provence near Marseilles.

Large fountain/square/round-about in Aix-En-Provence.

 This is the Palace of the Popes in Avignon, France.  From 1309 to 1376 there were 7 Popes that resided in Avignon and this time is known as the "Babylonian Captivity of the Papacy."

 Lynn and Cherie in the gardens of the Papal Palace.

 This is a bridge in Avignon that was bombed by the Germans in WWII.  It spans the Rhone river.  It actually went over the river, then over an island, and then over the river again and ended by a tower you can see in the background.

 Lynn and Cherie with the bridge in the background.  You can see the tower just over Cherie's right shoulder (on your left).

 Lynn & Cherie in front of the Pont du Gard - an old Roman Aqueduct that dates back to the time of Christ being built in 1 AD.  It carried 44 million gallons of water a day 31 miles to the city of Nimes and only drops a total of 56 feet during the whole distance.  The central arch is considered the largest arch built by the Romans.  A picture of this arch is hanging in the College of Engineering at BYU.

 An ancient Olive tree that was planted in the year 908.

 Lynn & Cherie above the Pont du Gard.

 A Roman Colosseum / Arena in Nimes.  It is smaller than the one in Rome, but is better preserved.  It was used for gladiator combat and the entertainment of having criminals eaten by wild animals.

 Inside of the Colosseum.  We were able to tour the whole facility.  We could go down where they kept the animals they would be using, where they kept the prisoners, and where the gladiators prepared for combat.

 A well preserved Roman temple dating back to 16 BC.