Introducing two Swiss people to you: Michel Giauque and Beat Giauque.

I wrote the following on  9 July 2010. 

About June 1993, our family had an interesting experience in Flagstaff.    I (Gerry Giauque) am writing this in July 2010, 17 years later.    You will see one of the reasons I am motivated to do this, below. 

In June 1993, Mom (Alice Giauque) received a phone call from a man who spoke in English but with a French accent.  Mom picked up on it immediately and spoke to him in French.  This is approximately what he said. 

”My name is Giauque.  I was wondering if you are related to me.”    Mom said that he probably was related to us, and that her husband, Gerry, would like very much to meet him when he came home. 

I don’t remember if I arrived home first, or if he arrived at our David Drive house first.

The man was Michel Giauque and his wife was Marianne Giauque.     They were on vacation in the Southwest of the United States.   Apparently they were driving a rented car, and apparently there had been a heavy snowfall in and around Flagstaff.   They had gotten a hotel, but the snow was so deep that they couldn’t drive north toward Utah.  Maybe the roads in town were plowed enough that they could drive around town.  Mom fixed dinner for them and  then we talked and talked.    They stayed overnight, in Nicky’s bedroom.   Apparently Michel had just started thumbing through the phone book, and found the name Geiser.   “Humm,” he thought, “that’s my mother’s maiden name.  I wonder if there’s a Giauque here too.”   He looked for the name, and found our name.   And then he called, and found a “French-speaking” Giauque!    It was us!    

I had forgotten about the part about finding Geiser.   But when Eric and Mom and I visited with Michel and Marianne in May 2000 at their place, they reminded me of that part of their visit. 

Apparently within a couple of months of their visit to us in Flagstaff, Eric had gone to Europe to work in Brussels.   Apparently he spent almost every weekend visiting some part of Europe, and so he also spent a night at Michel and Marianne’s  home.  In  2007, while we were spending 6 months in Strasbourg, we came to Switzerland and  also spent a night at their home.  

They have always been very hospitable, but Michel has made it clear, nicely but clearly, that he loves wine and has no interest in the Church.   Like most people from French-speaking Canton Bern, he was raised Protestant,  and his wife, from Zurich, whose maiden name was Schmidt, was raised Catholic.   Nevertheless, she has taught catachism (Bible stories) for the Protestant parish.    

Michel’s father was Achille Raymond Giauque.  The father of Achille Raymond (1898-) was Frederic Auguste Giauque (1855 - 1934), who is listed as “Secretaire,” (town clerk).     His father was Theophile Constant Giauque (1822 – 1897).  Theophile Constant’s father was Jean Jacob Giauque (about 30 Apr 1780-1858), who is listed as “President,”  which apparently means “Judge,” rather than President.  I will have to look in the DVD of the Diesse Parish records to be sure of that. 

Theophile Constant (1822-1897) had an older brother, named Aimé Auguste Giauque (1819-1860).  He married Elisabeth von Gunten, and is the father of Arnold Gustave Giauque, Senior, who arrived in Utah in Sept 1868, and who is my great grandfather.  Michel Giauque, who was born in 1943, is my father’s 3^rd cousin.   Michel was born when his father was fairly old, and his father was the last child of his father’s family.  This explains why I am one generation further away from Jean Jacob Giauque than Michel is. 

Michel had told me that there were German speaking Giauque people in Bern.   I believe that it was Sister Monique Portellano who told me that she thought there was a Giauque who was in politics in the town of Ittigen, a town located just east of Zollikofen.  I put off making contact with him, but this past summer his picture appeared in the free local Bern newspaper, in advertisements, showing that he was running for the Canton of Bern Parlement.   Perhaps he was running for re-election.  He apparently won.  He will be the president of the parlement next year.  His name is Beat Giauque.  Beat is a fairly common German male first name (we know of at least one other one).  It is probably the shortened form of “Beatitude,”  (or “Happy”). 

About 10 days ago,  I wrote him an email, after getting some help with German.  Last Thursday, 7 July 2010, I visited with him for an hour at his office in the Ittigen town hall.   He was born 13 April 1950 (is 60 years old).  He is slightly shorter than I am, very trim, has white hair and appears to be single.   He has several web sites, and can be found by doing a google search for “beat giauque.”   Some of the pictures of him show him with dark cricles under his eyes.  The best picture is at this site: http://www.ittigen.ch/de/politik/behoerden/behoerdenmitglieder/?personen_id=23487

In his office, Beat had a 3 ft by 4 ft diagram, in color, covered with glass, that someone had worked up for him.  He was willing to photocopy the diagram for me in several parts. 
I already have in my records most of the information he has, except of course the two most recent generations.   That information came from the microfilm I made in 1963 in Preles, of which a copy is in the Fam. Hist. Lib. in Salt Lake.  

Beat’s  father was André Giauque (1919-), whose father was Oscar Giauque (1879 -1933), whose father was David Louis Giauque (1847-1908), whose father was Théophile Constant Giauque (1822 – 1897), the same one whose brother was Aimé Auguste Giauque mentioned earlier.  Since the nearest common ancestor of Michel and Beat is Theophile Constant, they are more closely related than they are to me.   Michel is the 2^nd cousin of André, mentioned above.  Beat is my 4^th cousin, and Michel’s children are my 4^th cousins.  When you consider that Sharon Giauque and her brother Kent Giauque the dentist are my 3^rd cousins, you can see that we Giauque people, both in the US and in Europe are quite closely related (3^rd and 4^th degrees).   I am thinking too of Piero Donelli, the industrialist who lives near Milano, and is the 4^th generation of Arnold Gustave Giauque Senior’s older sister, Julie Cécile Giauque.  He, like Sharon Giauque, is my 3^rd cousin. 

Surprisingly, however, the Racine family in Salt Lake, descendants of Henri Racine and Corrine Giauque, is only fairly distantly related to us. . . probably as about 7^th cousins. 

End of this entry.

Extract (a "copy") of a marriage notice of Philibert Gauchat.

This particular blog post is for the benefit of some distant relatives of ours, named Kimberly Harper and Kelly Aley.

I think you will be interested in what I just accidentally found on the DVD of the church records from Parish Diesse. 

Item no. 6 (left hand side) of this page (page 30) says, in French : (and I ‘ll give the English translation below) :

6	Fevrier 28 1835	Extrait du Régistre du Mariage de Gléresse p…  n… 1835 le 28 fevrier a été béni dans l’eglise de ce lieu le Mariage de Philibert fils de Josué Gauchat, de et a Preles, Par. De Diesse, avec Marie Julie fille de Gabriel Belljean, de Gléresse.  Ce qu’atteste en leur souhaitant la benediction divine M. Lempsot  Gleresse le 6 mars 1835.	Gleresse.    déclarés présumés mort.  Les e… Gauchat=Belljean selon décision du Conseil Exécutif à Berne le 8 mai 1907.
6	February 28 1835	Extract of the Marriage Registry of Gleresse (a town southeast of Preles), p… n… (illegible)  1835 the 28 February was blessed in the Church of this place (town) the marriage of Philibert, son of Josué (Joshua) Gauchat, from and at Preles, parrish of Diesse, with Marie Julie, daughter of Gabriel Belljena, from Gleresse.  To which (I) attest and wish them divine blessing, M. Lempsot.  (Done at) Gleresse on 6 March 1835.	Gleresse.  Declared presumed dead.  The e… Gauchat-Belljean in accordance with the decision of the Executive Council at Bern, 8 May 1907.

Problems Americans can have outside of the USA.

Well. . . a few minutes ago Bro. Millet rang my doorbell.  He is the overseer of the Missionary Apt. Bldg. where we stay.  He asked me if I could go talk to a lady in English, because he doesn’t do English.  I went downstairs, and found a 38-40 year old lady who was frustrated with trying to get around Europe.    She had two high school kids in tow and they had not found their lodging last night until 3 a.m. this morning.  And their map and GPS told them the Swiss temple was in Thun, not Zollikofen.  Gutsy people. . . (No language skills at all!)  They’re kind of at the mercy of the locals!  I wouldn’t have done what they did (at least I wouldn’t go to China, because I don’t do Chinese!)   I probably wouldn’t even go to Russia or Greece, Stacy!  

Anyway, she started to cry when she found there was an English speaker here.  I took her to the temple hostel, got them fixed up and took them to a little restaurant.  They’ll come to the temple tomorrow.  Mom said, “I hope the girls remembered to bring their recommends!”   She’s right! 
Publish Post
Anyway. . . let’s count our blessings!  And always be prepared (…huh!  Is that ever possible?)  Luv, Dad.  

I am going to try to resurrect this blog.   (This is Grandpa Giauque speaking).   The last blog we posted here was from one year ago, right after we and Nicky and Sylvia returned from Italy.

We have just returned from South eastern France, and I sent a few thoughts to Stacy, which I might post here later.   Photos will come later.

In order to improve my Italian, I generally walk around the temple block listening to General Conference in Italian (exercising and studying Italian at the same time).  Fairly recently, I started reading the Conference talks in Italian as I listed to them.   That helped.  The last two days, I've branched out, and started reading (while walking) the Liahona in Italian.  The language is more challenging.  And I've run across some really super articles.   Now I want to share parts of those articles with you, in English.    

The only problem is that I should have been following these instructions decades ago!  I apologize to all of you for not doing it!

First of all, look at this neat site (an official Church site):  http://www.mormon.org/mormonorg/eng/new-mormon-org

Liahona » 2004 » September

Family Home Evening Suggestion Box

“Family Home Evening Suggestion Box,” Liahona, Sep 2004, 32

These once-in-a-while ideas for family home evening can add variety to your Monday nights.

Be Consistent

When you hold family home evening week after week, lesson after lesson, some Monday evenings may seem like failures and others may exceed your greatest hopes. But it’s consistency that is essential.

One young woman shares her testimony of the power of holding family home evening each week. “I cannot recall one single family home evening that significantly changed my life,” she says. “Rather it is my memory of family home evenings as a whole that has strengthened my testimony and led me down the path of truth. We spent each Monday night as a family for as long as I can remember. We studied the scriptures, played kickball, held family councils, played games, and learned to love and respect one another despite our individual faults and weaknesses. My father eagerly tried to instill in us a love for the gospel and the happiness that could be ours if we obeyed the commandments.

“By the time I turned 14, I refused to go to church, but family home evenings continued. My father continued to have hope for me. Eventually family home evening became my only link to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I headed down the wrong path and made several mistakes, but somewhere deep inside my heart I knew that the gospel was true and that nothing I did could change that fact.

“At the age of 18, I knew I had to make a decision: Would I follow the Savior or would I follow the world? I could not serve two masters. I chose to follow the Lord and through repentance returned to full Church activity. I believe it was the determination of my father to continue to hold family home evening—even though I chafed against it—that made the difference.

“Now my husband and I hope to help instill a love of the Savior and His Church in our children through, of course, regular family home evening.”

This entire section is pretty good.

Liahona » 2004 » September

The Link in the Chain

By Eva FryEva Fry, “The Link in the Chain,” Liahona, Sep 2004, 36

When my children chose not to attend church with me, it broke my heart, and I wondered if I could continue my own Church activity.

In 1970 I joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I was well prepared: I did not use alcohol, smoke cigarettes, or drink tea or coffee. I had quit all those things when I realized it was time for me to change my life and find a church where I could take my children.

My conversion had begun after my sister-in-law developed a favorable opinion of the Church and arranged for me to receive the Church magazines. I later read the Book of Mormon, and I recognized its truthfulness. My three children and I were baptized shortly thereafter. My husband was not keen on this new life his family was living, because he felt it would take us away from him. Yet he allowed us to attend.

For a few years, although I experienced opposition from some family members, I was very happy. Each Sunday I went to church with my children, and I loved it. The gospel was just what I was looking for, and it filled any emptiness left over from my troubled childhood with an alcoholic father.

But as my children grew older, things began to change. They wanted to be boating with their dad on Sundays rather than sitting in meetings. All of a sudden I found myself going to church alone. I was hurt. I would drive to church, sit by myself, cry, and go back home again.

Finally I told my stake president I was going to quit attending church because it was breaking up my family. He counseled me to ask Heavenly Father if that was what He wanted me to do. I accordingly went home to fast and pray, and I received my answer. My mind was impressed with the following words: “You are the link in the chain. If you break the link, everything will be lost.” These words sank deep into my heart, and I made a commitment that I would continue my activity in the Church.

It was hard for me to go alone because I was very shy, and I realized my children had been my security blanket. Once again, I took my problem to the Lord. This time I felt impressed to draw closer to my ward family. So I would go to church, look for someone else who was alone, and force myself to speak to that person. Over the years my fear has left me, and now I have many friends in my ward.

My commitment to faithfully attend church has also paid off. One by one my children have returned to the Church, and all three are active. They are raising my nine grandchildren in the gospel, and each one is walking in righteousness.

My mother and sister have been converted also. My sister’s husband is a bishop, and two of her children have served missions. My son also served a mission, and a grandson is currently serving. Our family is very close, and although my husband has not yet joined the Church, he has grown in many ways.

I thank Heavenly Father every day for my blessings and for the happiness and joy I experience in my family. I am so grateful I took to heart the answer to my prayer: “You are the link in the chain.”

Keep the Chain Unbroken

“I thought of an experience I had long, long ago. In the summer we lived on a farm. We had a little old tractor. There was a dead tree I wished to pull. I fastened one end of a chain to the tractor and the other end to the tree. As the tractor began to move, the tree shook a little, and then the chain broke.

“I looked at that broken link and wondered how it could have given way. I went to the hardware store and bought a repair link. I put it together again, but it was an awkward and ugly connection. The chain was never, never the same.

“As I sat … pondering these things, I said to myself, ‘Never permit yourself to become a weak link in the chain of your generations.’ It is so important that we pass on without a blemish our inheritance of body and brain and, if you please, faith and virtue untarnished to the generations who will come after us.

“You young men and you young women, most of you will marry and have children. Your children will have children, as will the children who come after them. Life is a great chain of generations that we in the Church believe must be linked together.”
President Gordon B. Hinckley, “Keep the Chain Unbroken,” in Brigham Young University 1999–2000 Speeches(2000), 108–9.

This is for people who think *we* have it tough!

Liahona » 2004 » September

Putting Family First in Ukraine

By Marina Mikhailovskaya and Benjamin Gaines

Marina Mikhailovskaya and Benjamin Gaines, “Putting Family First in Ukraine,” Liahona, Sep 2004, 38

Saints in Kharkov, Ukraine, work to strengthen their families despite many obstacles.

On the morning of 19 August 1991, families in Ukraine woke up to startling news: The government they had lived under for nearly 70 years had suddenly ceased to exist. In an instant, life changed forever.

Dmitry Mikulin from Kharkov, Ukraine, remembers well both that morning and the disorienting days that followed. “We went to sleep in one country and woke up in another,” he says. “Almost immediately, people began to experience real freedom in many facets of life.”

Many viewed the freedom to believe in God as a great blessing. Elder Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the land of Ukraine for the preaching of the restored gospel on 12 September 1991. A year later missionaries first came to Kharkov, Ukraine’s second largest city. And in January 1993, a branch was organized in the residential Alekseyevka area of town.

In his dedicatory prayer, Elder Packer asked “that the people [in Ukraine] will be blessed with food and clothing and shelter.” Obtaining these necessities has been a challenge for most citizens of Ukraine. Many have had to work long hours at the expense of family time. For others, the opportunity to grow rich through privatization of business has provided a distraction from home life. In addition, Ukraine has one of the highest divorce rates in the world, the number of out-of-wedlock births is increasing, and more couples are choosing to have one child or to remain childless. Somehow, for many citizens of Ukraine, the family has seemed to lose much of its significance.

But Latter-day Saints in Kharkov say the Church has helped restore their faith in the family. Dmitry, a returned missionary who recently moved from Kharkov to Moscow and now serves as second counselor in the Russia Moscow South Mission presidency, is one of these valiant Saints. He was sealed to his mother and father in the Freiberg Germany Temple in April 2000 and to his wife, Viktoriya, in the Stockholm Sweden Temple in August 2003.

“When we heard of the restored gospel, it gave us hope, a strong foundation, and faith in eternal life for our family,” he says. “Those problems that once seemed important became insignificant. Priorities in the family changed; values and the feelings of confidence and protection appeared.”

Dmitry’s father, Sergey, is currently Kharkov district president. He adds, “Our Church is the only place where people learn the truth about the family.”   (This is a great quote!!!)  

Because of this fact, members of the Alekseyevka Branch are committed to building on eternal principles to strengthen families, not just their own but also other families who are striving to be in the world but not of the world (see John 17:11–14). The “family first” attitude has helped many here to achieve happiness in home life despite those distractions inherent in modern Ukraine. For Saints in Alekseyevka, the family and eternal goals permeate everything they do.

Stand Ye in Holy Places

Vitaly Yemtsov served in the Soviet army on the East German side of the Berlin Wall in 1988. “I had a normal childhood,” Brother Yemtsov says, “but when I lived in Germany, I saw how families suffered under a foreign government. I felt bad for them. Soldiers often treated them harshly. After that experience, I wanted to have a better family life than those I saw, better even than the family in which I grew up.”

After his service in the army, Vitaly Yemtsov and a childhood friend became dissatisfied with the spiritual emptiness they felt and dedicated themselves to finding the truth. Both quickly accepted the restored gospel just months after the Church was introduced in Kharkov. “When I met the missionaries, I finally found spiritual food, especially for the family,” he says. “I found what is lacking all around us.”

However, faith does not free Brother Yemtsov and his wife, Lyudmila, from the family-threatening pressures and challenges of life. Within 18 months, both left well-paying jobs that required too much sacrifice of family time. Both found new jobs offering comparable salaries. Even so, everyday life often makes it difficult to focus on the family. Brother Yemtsov works nine hours a day, six days a week painting and repairing cars. Sister Yemtsova until recently worked as a warehouse manager. She now works at a care center for the elderly. In addition, Vitaly serves as branch president and as an institute teacher, and Lyudmila is district Young Women president.

Like others in their country, the Yemtsovs continually face challenges stemming from influences that subtly work against the family. Brother Yemtsov often feels isolated at work as the only employee who neither smokes nor drinks. “Everyone was surprised when I told them that I don’t do any of that,” he says. “Some considered me crazy in the beginning. Most respect me for it though.”

Alcoholism is a serious problem in Ukraine; some people do not know anyone who does not drink. Smoking is almost as widespread, especially among youth. Pornographic images are visible on advertisements and are for sale on almost any street corner.

“There is temptation everywhere,” says Sister Yemtsova. “Satan works diligently here. But the Spirit works diligently too. We find that it is not just how much time we spend together as a family but also what we do during that time that is important. And we make it a priority to do things that strengthen our bond.” For example, they say that family prayer and scripture study have become crucial, daily reminders of the importance of family happiness.

“The Lord said, ‘Stand ye in holy places,’ ” says Brother Yemtsov (D&C 87:8). “We try to make our home our own holy place so time spent together here will bring us closer.”

Choosing What Is Important

If he so chose, Aleksandr Chervyakov could have it all materially. Nine years ago he founded his own food technology company. Clients come from all over Ukraine and even Russia to take advantage of his firm’s services. “Without the Church, I could have easily become one of those people who works all the time and earns more than enough money but lacks the blessings of a loving eternal family,” Brother Chervyakov admits.

Fortunately, when two young missionaries asked if he would like to know more about Jesus Christ, he said yes. He and his wife, Lyudmila, and daughter, Inna, were baptized in 1995. Since then he has reduced his time at work so that he can nurture relationships within his family as well as serve in the Church. He has been the branch president and is currently second counselor in the branch presidency. The Chervyakovs were sealed in the temple in August 1997.

“One thing that has helped us keep our priorities in order has been family home evening,” says Aleksandr. “It’s so easy to forget what is truly important. Monday nights provide a great opportunity to forget about everything that is not important and to concentrate on our family.”

He says of their family home evening activities: “We always read from the scriptures or from the Liahona. If there are any family-related issues, we discuss them. Right now the question is, Which university will Inna enter when she graduates next year? We have been discussing that a lot lately. And we have fun. I think it’s a great secret of life that being with one’s family is fun. Sometimes we even dance.”

Sharing the Truth

President Gordon B. Hinckley has said: “We believe that the family is the basic unit of society. You can’t have a strong community without strong families. You can’t have a strong nation without strong families—the father, the mother, the children as one unit working together. Now the family is falling apart all over America, all over the world. If we can just cultivate good, wholesome family life among our members, I don’t worry very much about the future of this Church.” 1

Unfortunately, many families are struggling. However, there is tremendous hope because of the dedication of the Saints. Few people in Ukraine know the eternal principles that lead to happiness in the family, but the number is growing. As members live these teachings, their friends and family notice. Opportunities are abundant to share the peace members experience at home because of their diligence in establishing a house of God.

President Hinckley noted: “If we live the gospel, people will come into the Church. They will see the virtue of our lives, and they will be attracted to the message we have to teach. That message places great emphasis on the family.” 2And it is a message the Saints in Kharkov have embraced.

Dear loved ones,
Gerry, Nicky, Sylvia and I just finished two weeks together while the temple was closed for maintenance. We had to put all of the things in our apartment into the cupboards because they were going to put up new wall paper, paint the walls and put in new carpet. We did this before Nicky and Sylvia came on Monday June 1, 2009. They flew into Zurich Airport then we drove to the Jura Mountains for a branch picnic and activity at Forest Jump where there are wires through the trees that the young at heart could slide on. It was cold and windy but Sylvia enjoyed the horses and dogs. Two years ago we bought an old car. It needed brake work but they also discovered that the brake lines were rusted. Luckily this was discovered while we were here and not on the road somewhere in Italy. It forced us to rent a bigger, more powerful, nicer, air-conditioned car to drive the 1000 or so miles in Italy. That was a blessing in disguise. It made the trip so much more enjoyable. Sylvia had a hard time in the car because she loves to climb, run and touch things and wasn’t entertained by the DVD’s or the books
Tuesday June 2--We saw Luzerne and Lugano, Switzerland and crossed the Alps through the 13 Kilometer long Goddard Tunnel. This is certainly a beautiful part of the world. We drove about 300 K and stayed in Como, Italy.
Wednesday June 3 we visited Milano and Verona, Italy. We revisited the Milano Cathedale to take pictures of Sylvia and the pigeons reminiscent of 1972 when Rod and Eric were babies and also among the pigeons. Verona is a pleasant town with a coliseum and many old beautiful buildings. Parking is always a problem in the towns but we found places to park. We spent the night at Aviano Air Force Base north of Venice. It was out of the way but the price of $41 was right. It was a beautiful 2 bedroom apartment with kitchen, washer and dryer, etc. We drove about 400 K
Thursday June 4 We drove to Pordenone and took the train about 100 K to Venice. We walked about Venice seeing the canals, gondolas, crowds of people until we got to St Mark’s Square to see to cathedral etc. We took the Boat-Bus back to the train station, quickly caught the train and picked up our car that was parked at the train station. There was an accident so the detour was long. We stayed again at Aviano Air Force Base Apartment and used the commissary.
Friday June 5 We drove the busy freeway to Ferrara but I was little disappointed with the city. We drove a narrow freeway to Ravenna, Italy and we were very excited to see many, many beautiful mosaics that were built about 450 A.D. The Roman Empire Capitol was moved to Ravenna because it was easier to defend so it wasabout this time the buildings were built. In the baptistery we saw the beautiful mosaics and an infant baptism. We drove to Bologna to our hotel. We traveled about 250 K.
Saturday June 6 We drove to Florence and visited the cathedral, baptistery, old bridge, Uffizi Art Museum. Gerry spent most of the day with Sylvia as she slept, walked on walls, walked on inclines and discovered the things on her level. We drove to Camp Darby Army Base and Recreation Facility. The rooms were very basic but the pine trees were nice. We drove about 300 K.
Sunday June 7 We went to church at the Livorno Branch (it seemed more like a ward but because there is not a stake in that part of Italy it is still a branch.). One of the brothers who works in the temple was at church but his wife was gone visiting family. We drove about 20 minutes to Pisa and enjoyed the leaning tower, cathedral and baptistery. Nicky climbed to the top. We then went about another 20 minutes to Lucca which has a lot of medieval buildings and towers. We stayed at Camp Darby.
Monday June 8 We drove to San Gimignano, to see their many towers and the beautiful Tuscany countryside. Then we went to Siena which has also a lot of medieval buildings. These are two beautiful cities. We then drove 2 and a half hours to northern Rome and our hotel. I chose a hotel outside of Rome for the price, and the free parking and internet. It said that it was 8 K from the center of town but it seemed farther away than that. It was quiet with large rooms and breakfast included.
Tuesday June 9 We drove to the train station about 5 minutes away and parked our car in a large parking lot for about $2.50 for all day. We took the train into the main train station so that we could buy a Rome Pass which gave us unlimited transportation and two museums. We took the metro to the coliseum and used our first museum pass. The pass also saved us from standing in line. We liked the coliseum, but really liked the Pantheon. Sylvia wasn’t impressed but liked the horses and the fountains. We ate pizza by the pound at the Tavola Calda. We saw Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps along with thousands of others. We took the metro and train back to the hotel.
Wednesday June 10 We walked at least a mile through the Vatican Museums to get to the Sistine Chapel. Those miles include the Pinacoteca (Picture Gallery), the Raphael Rooms and many, many statues. We then went to St. Peter’s Square and St. Peter’s Basilica. What an big building. Very impressive. As Nicky said we ate like the Giauque family usually eats. I brought cans of chunky soup, ravioli and lots of juice. But we finally stopped at a sidewalk café and had lasagna, salad and cold water.
Thursday June 11 I had made a reservation to the Borghese Museum on line because Amy said that they only let 250 people in during a 2 hour block of time. We left our car in the parking lot, took the train then the metro to the park near the museum. It was a long walk through the park. They wouldn’t let us bring the stroller, cameras, purses etc into the museum so it was hard for Sylvia to take her nap. Finally she went to sleep in Nicky’s arms and we took turns holding Sylvia, listening to the audio-guide and looking at the beautiful statues and paintings. For many centuries the rich families and the high church offices had strong ties. The museum was started by a Catholic cardinal from the rich Borghese Family. One of the statues that he had commissioned was very sensual so he had a moral carved into the base. The statue by Benini of David as he throws the sling shot is very good. We had lunch in the park consisting of canned Ravioli, juice, cheese and water. We then caught a small bus that we thought would take us to the nearest metro station but the driver was probably deaf and we went all over Rome until we arrived down town but not near a metro station. We talked to another driver and he said he would talk us to the metro but he drove for another half hour until we got the metro. We got off the metro to get on the train. It was very crowded. Everyone got on the train but we didn’t realize that it was an express train that didn’t stop at our stop. Two and a half hours after leaving the park we finally reached our car and started driving the 4 hours to Camp Darby Army Base. Sylvia was not happy in the car but we made it there
Friday June 12 We left Camp Darby at 9:00 A.M. and arrived in Zollikofen at 9:00 at night. We stopped for 3 hours at Portofino, Italy. The cruise ships and yacht stop here. The parking cost 5 E per hour or about $7.50. We also drove near the marble quarries but only saw all the large blocks of marble in the storage lots. The freeways were good. We especially liked the Aosta Valley which was on the way to St. Bernard Pass to get through the Alps. What a beautiful drive. We drove about 650 K. When we arrived at our apartment we were lucky that the work had been finished because the other American couple’s apartment was not yet finished. They said that on and off they were without water, without laundry facilities for 10 days and had few quiet days. Nicky and Sylvia stayed at the temple hostel which was closed except for them. They stayed there 4 night for a total of 55 SF but ate and often bathed at our apartment.
Saturday June 13 We did 4 loads of washing. Now I know that we were lucky to do that because for 10 days while we were gone the laundry room was full of furniture from apartments that were being remodeled. We drove to Grindelwald and really enjoyed the mountains. We tried to recognize the 3 tallest mountains in Switzerland: Jungfrau, Monch, Eiger. There were dozens of paragliders near the mountains. They must have had fantastic views. Then we went to Kandersteg to see the mountains from another angle.
Sunday June 14 Gerry and I drove to Bern to return the rental car by 8 A.M. I spent the morning playing with Sylvia on the swings near the temple hostel and getting ready for the afternoon church. Gerry goes to the German Ward because he wants to learn more German. We drove 30 K to French Bienne Branch because the building near our apartment is the German Ward. The temple workers were not back yet so the attendance was small. We had dinner in our apartment. I bought a Raclette Machine. It is a special melted cheese eaten with small potatoes, pickles, pickled onions. I usually have tomatoes that I cook on the grill but I didn’t have tomatoes. We drove into Bern to see the bear pit but the last bear was put to sleep in March and the construction of the new pits is not done. It started to rain in the night. We took pictures around the temple.
Monday June 15 We drove our Renault Car to Zurich Airport for Nicky‘s 1:00 P.M. flight. It rained a little all the way. We finally got a DVD player that would play Lion King so Sylvia could watch that a little. She finally went to sleep in her stroller while Nicky was checking in. There was an unknown problem with Nicky’s passport so it took a really long time to check in. Nicky flew to JFK to stay with Stacy for a few days. Benjamin has worked a lot but he really missed Nicky while she was gone. Putting things back in our apartment is a little complicated because the plugs in France and Switzerland are not the same. We also have an American key board, electric shaver, two computers, electronic devices, lights, printer, TV and only one outlet near the computers. But they all work now.
This is long, so pick and choose what you want to read. Love to all, MOM, ALICE

I don't know know what to call this blogpost.

First, I'll post the pictures in reverse order. That way, you'll see them in the correct order!!!


O.K., this is a picture of our family in about May 1985 (24 years ago!). This is the picture we used as a "proof we are who we claim we are," when we were in Angers, in France. (Everybody who doesn't speak French please remember: the name of that town is pronounced like "On-JAY," not like what it looks like in English!).

Analyze the picture carefully!
















While we were in Angers, we attended a branch presided by a brand new (in many ways!) branch president named Jean-Yves Raveneau. He was 25 years old. He called his father to be his first counselor (keep it in the family, yeah!) and me as his second counselor. I guess I was 44 at that time.



Well, here he and his wife Marie-Antoinette are! They just spent a week at the temple. Jean-Yves has served again as branch president (6 years) and has served as second counselor in the Angers Stake Presidency since the creaton of the stake about 4 years ago. It was so nice to invite them over for dinner. They left their kids (4 of the 5 are married) at home with their own families.

















Another picture of him. He seems to smile more in real life than he is smilling in this photo.
















Interesting things going on here:

1. A new second counselor has been called in the temple presidency. The former first counselor and his wife (assistant matron) had to cut their mission short for a variety of reasons. The former 2nd counselor, a really fine Frenchman serving as a temple missionary, is now the 1st counselor. The new 2nd counselor is a local Swiss (German) speaker who also speaks English very well, a fair amount of French, and a little Italian. The former 1st counselor was a lingusitic wizard, so there will be a little more challenge in that respect. However, we are pleased to see a native German speaker in the presidency, because it seems the Swiss Germans (on whose territory the temple is located) don't attend the temple as much as the authorities wish they would.

2. I noticed on the www.lds.org under the country site section, under Switzerland, that the European Area Presidency is being re-organized too (about Aug. 1, I think). Elder Robert Oaks is to be released, and will be replaced by his first counselor, a native German, named Elder Kopischke. The former 2nd counselor, a Frenchman, Elder Gerald J. Causse' is the new 1st counselor. The new 2nd counselor is a Portuguese, Jose' Teixeras. Very (!!) interesting!


Weather is beautiful here. Days are busy!

There's no end to the "excitement!" Today, we had 2 people pass out in the temple within 30 minutes of each other! Because it was too warm in the temple? I didn't feel like it was too warm! Not enough oxygen? Just getting too old? There certainly is a place here for a group of temple workers who know what needs to be done. The word is that it takes 4 months to train someone to do all there is to do. I believe it. But we are getting there (we've been here for 3 mos. and 20 days). There seems to be five people (I guess I should say "couples") on each shift, morning and afternoon, who are the "work horses," and now we are almost "trained."

Take care, all of you.

New post, but no pix! Sorry. May 3, 2009

Hello all,

We just returned from Stake Conference, held in Lausanne. It was presided by Elder Gerald J. Caussé of the First Quorum of Seventy / Second counselor in the Europe Area and former president of the Paris Stake. He was accompanied by an area Seventy, Elder Michel Paya, former president of the Nice Stake and former mission president in Spain. There was a change of stake presidencies. The old one, a French Canadian (with a strong Quebec accent) is named Ochs (pronounced Oaks!), and we have to suppose that’s because he has some German in his father’s line. He was the first stake president of the Lausanne stake, which was split off of Geneva about 4 years ago. The new stake president is a young man, bishop of Yverdon ward, about 40, and his name is Märki. That’s a Swiss-German name. . .two dots above the "a," so I suppose he married a French speaker and moved to Yverdon.

It was a very nice conference. The Sat. evening session was held in a nice chapel in Lausanne. The chapel seemed to be in a different place than where I remember the chapel was when we lived in Pully (suburb of Lausanne) for 3 months in 1972. But maybe, just maybe, after 37 years, it isn't that the chapel has been moved, but that the area has changed a lot. I’ll have to ask someone we know from those days, and whom we see almost every week at the temple, and whom we saw again today: the De Pierraz family. They are our age. Back in ’72, they took us (Rod, Eric and us) to visit a chocolate factory one Saturday.

The music for this conference was by a fairly small choir that sang a cappella. i.e., without a piano accompaniement. They sounded really good, even though there were only 18 of them! The quality of most of the talks was pretty good, and those by the visiting authorities were really outstanding. Of course they get plenty of practice! Both Elders Caussé and Paya have tremendous leadership skills and have done very well in their professions. About a month ago, they changed the stake presidency in Nancy Stake (and called our friend Rui Sousa of Strasbourg as a stake counselor). I am expecting they will make a change in the temple presidency here this week. . . one counselor will very likely be released.

It was fun to see several people at conference that we see at the temple. Not only did we recognize them, but they even recognize us. We had the privilege of driving the 2nd Counselor of the temple presidency and his wife to this morning’s session. Last night, we took the same route, from Bern to Fribourg to Vevey, on Lake Leman, and into Lausanne. Very nice drive, and loads of beautiful mountain scenery. You would think you were driving from Layton to Provo, except that the mountains are even higher, still covered with a fair amount of snow; plus lots of green farmland (instead of wall-to-wall city), and just before coming into Canton de Vaud, the Canton of which Lausanne is the capital, we got a beautiful view of the lake with the very high mountains on the other side (south side) of the lake. But as we drove west along the lake, the height of the mountains quickly became lower, so that by the time we got to Lausanne, there weren’t any mountains to speak of on the south side of the lake. Get a map of Switzerland and take a look at our trip. Unfortunately, there was more haze in the air today, so it was less impressive. Still, Pres. and Sis. Brouillet were pleased that they came with us.

The Church is considerably more mature than it was in ’72, or even ’85 (when we were in Angers, France). We would like to have seen more youth, however, and that was the theme Elder Caussé discussed last night. His General Conference talk in April 2008, a talk in which he cited a famous French story called “The Little Prince,” was about that too. He seems to be homing in on “Teach the youth. . . the next generation.” Our young people need to be having good experiences in their homes and at church that will build their testimonies!

Sister Brouillet told us about an LDS Youth Camp they were involved with about 30 years ago. Apparently it was really quite an experience, as about 40 French kids climbed the Alps, and then got into a position where they couldn’t get down. A path that was supposedly available, which had been used by WW II Resistance fighters, had overgrown and become unusable, and in 1970, it wasn’t good enough to be used by this group of kids. They were on a steep mountain, late at night, but luckily it was July, not January. They had to be careful, because there were steep cliffs nearby that they could have fallen off of. The leaders (Bro. and Sis. Brouillet) knew about the cliffs, but the kids really didn’t. Wow! Quelle émotion (what a hair-raiser)! They spent the night on the mountain, and were able to get back down the next day, I guess. I told her (Sis. Brouillet) that we need to have things like that written up and deposited in the Church Archives!

Elder Caussé was in the temple the other day, visiting with the Temple President. He was walking fairly fast in one direction and I was walking the other direction. He was shaking peoples’ hands , and as he came to me, he stuck out his hand and looked at my name tag and said, “On a tous les deux le même prénom.” (We both have the same first name.) I said, “oui” (wee = yes.) (What else could I have said. . . now really?) Then we kept on going our separate ways.

Speaking of names, it’s fun when people come up to me, look at my nametag and say, “You really don’t have an American name, do you?” And recently I’ve been saying, “No, I don’t have an American name like “Dances with Wolves” or “Sitting Bull” or “Crazy Horse.” * Those * are the people who had American names (meanings names of people who are not immigrants), you know! “ Then I wink. What they really mean to say is “You don’t have an English name.” And then I continue, “You know, my ancestors are from near here. . . just about 40 kilometers away. I am a descendant of native speakers of French.” Then some of them get really confused. Some want to know if I really am from here, or was born in the US. It takes some explaining. I need to be out in town, or over in Neuchatel (find that on the map!), instead of in the temple, explaining why my French-speaking ancestors were motivated to move to Utah!!

We now attend Bienne Branch, and if I were living where all the Giauque family originally came from, the village of Prêles, I would be. . . a member of the Bienne Branch. . . where we attend!

As usual, I just ramble when I write. We would like to hear / read some of *your* (written) ramblings! Especially if you are one of our relatives (grand-children or grand-nieces and g. nephews) who are aged 12, or 10, or 8, or 7, or so. You know who you are! WE know who you are! You could write out some of your thoughts on paper and ask your parents to scan and send them to us (and/or to other relatives). Or you could actually type them on the computer. I think more and more that it’s important to write, especially if you keep a copy for yourself, which you can read in another 10, 20 or 30 years. We still have some of the notebooks our kids wrote when we lived in Angers, France.

The Gospel is true!! Elder Caussé said, “The Gospel and our families are not different! They are the same!” (He was saying this, because many French people want to spend time with extended family, but at the expense of attending their Church meetings.) We want our children, grandchildren and extended family (including grand nephews and grand nieces) to know how important we think it is to “hold to the iron rod.” How blessed we are!

So. . . we’re looking forward to seeing some writing!

Luv,
Dad & Mom, Grandpa and Grandma, Gerry and Alice, etc. etc. etc.