Tuesday, October 21, 2008
The Long Awaited Update!
Okay, okay! For those of you crying out for an update, this is it! And it promises to be a nice, long one as well. We’ve had pretty limited internet access for a while, either because it was too expensive or not working properly. And so, here you go. The last time I posted we had left Spain. So much has happened since then...Spain seems so long ago now. My plan for this post is to actually divide it into several posts. One section will include our short stay in Nice and then our time in Italy. Another section will delve into our experiences at L’abri, which is where we stayed in Switzerland, and Paris. The final section for now will be our wonderful stay with Jake’s aunt and uncle in Germany. Sound good? Well, that’s how I’m doing it, so it doesn’t really matter what you think. Here goes!!!
South of France and Italy (boring title, I know, but that's what it is)
We were a bit hesitant about returning to France after our horrendous experience at the train stations in Paris, but gathering up our courage, we set forth! We were supposed to call our hostel when we arrived in Nice, but unfortunately, we had no phone and the train station staff was (true to form) rather unhelpful. A really sweet lady tried to help us, but alas, nothing worked. Frustrated, I decided to go out and start following the directions, hoping that when we arrived at the location where the hostel supposedly picked you up in a shuttle, there would be a store open who might help us. We found a phone/call center within five minutes of leaving the station, though, so everything ended up working out just fine. And just to clarify things, the French are actually very nice, friendly, and even helpful...just not those that work at the train station (at least not generally).
Anyway, Nice was a cute town, especially in the city center with their markets. What was really fun was a short bus trip we took to Eze Village. The cobblestone streets wound their way up a hill with various shops set into the side. We stopped for some crepes on our way back down, which were delicious. After a hike down the hill and subsequent mountain, we took another short bus ride to Monte Carlo where Rebecca searched for a stone disc in the sewers (Indiana Jones computer game reference).
Leaving Nice, we journeyed through various towns in Italy, arriving at long last in the quaint town of Riomaggiore, part of the five villages that make up Cinque Terre. Anyone going to Italy, put Cinque Terre into your travel plans. As enjoyable as the rest of italy was, this was by far our favorite stop. Riomaggiore is the quintessential Italian town, and our hostel was really a little apartment with six beds, a kitchen, bathroom, and washing machine. We were able to wash our clothes (at last) and in typical Italian fashion, hung them out to dry on the clothesline outside our window. The full day that we spent in Cinque Terre was one beautiful view after another. We hiked from town to town, taking a ferry between the final two towns. Each picture was postcard pretty. The government, having noted the beauty of these towns, has made the Cinque Terre into a national park, thereby maintaining the charm for future generations, of which we were one.
Our next stop was Florence. On the way we stopped briefly in Pisa, which has practically one claim to fame, and that is it’s leaning tower. Pretty neat to see that, and then we continued on our way... One of the big things to do in Florence is to see Michelangelo’s David. I must admit, I was wary and doubtful that I would think it so very spectacular. Upon entering into the large room dedicated to the statue, I have to admit to being quite in awe. It was beautiful and even as we were leaving, I kept looking back (and no, not because of that...get your heads out of the gutters)! We met an Albanian artist named Albert one night in Florence who treated us to coffee and chatted awhile.
We had originally planned to head to Sienna next, but switched that with Rome due to the fact that the last weekend of the month had many free sights, including the Vatican on Sunday. We had three full days in Rome and they were packed. From the Colosseum and Roman Forum to the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica, we scoured the city. We even went a bit out of the city to see Ostia Antica, and old Roman port. Also included in our sight seeing adventures were some catacombs. The Vatican was crazy! We got in this huge line of people and it took us about 2 hours to get in. The museums were alright, but the really amazing draw was the Sistine Chapel. Now, I appreciate art, but I don’t always understand it very well. Since we got into the Vatican for free, we opted to get the audio guide. We were really grateful once we got to the Sistine Chapel. As I listened to the description of Michelangelo’s great work, I was struck with the realization that I was hearing the Gospel message, and so were all the people who walk through that chapel with an audio guide. It really was an amazing artistic accomplishment and in learning more about it, I wished I could have stayed even longer!
After the hectic pace of Rome, we were thrilled to get to Sienna, where we took a bus to a little town called San Rocco. We stayed in a Villa located on a private farm. The location was remote and quiet, and we had our own room...yah!!!!! The lady and her daughter who ran the place helped us arrange a wine-tasting tour, which was a lot of fun. We were actually taken to a vineyard called Mozart Vineyard where they play Mozart 24/7. They have apparently joined together with students from a University (in Florence, I think) in order to study the affect music has on plants. It was fascinating to walk through the Vineyard there, hearing music coming from the numerous speakers set up everywhere. When we weren’t out tasting wines, we were back at our beautiful villa, taking walks on the property, or sitting on a balcony reading, or chatting with some of the other guests. It was extremely relaxing, so much so that putting on our backpacks on the day we left was torture.
However, Venice was next and we couldn’t miss out on that! Venice is, of course, unlike any other city. When we first arrived I looked out the front of the train station and for a split second wondered why there was a boat driving down the street! We actually stayed in a hostel on the Island, which made the experience even better. Our hostel had a free breakfast and a free dinner. We would all sit around a large table in the common room, and although it was awkward at first, this arrangement made it easy to get involved in conversations. Our first night there we stayed up until midnight talking with a couple of other people we’d met. We only had one full day in Venice, but we made the most of it, visiting a church, heading up a tower for a really unique panoramic view, and even taking time to get lost. Gondola rides in Venice are ridiculously expensive because they can be, so since we weren’t exactly willing to spend 100 euros on one, Rebecca bravely assembled a group from our hostel and six of us we got together in the afternoon. Definitely overpriced, but I suppose it’s one of those things you just have to do when you’re in Venice. We had a great time.
Well, upon leaving Venice, we boarded a train bound toward Switzerland. We were thrilled with the prospect of an entire week in one place. Even though they remind you on their website that L’abri is not a place for a relaxing vacation, we felt pretty good about being told where to go, what to do, and what to eat. It’s not always so bad being taken care of...
Explanation of Pics:
1. A narrow street in Eze Village...it was like this all over and lots of fun to wander through!
2. On the hike down from Eze Village, we enjoyed this view...
3. Rebecca posing with Monte Carlo as her background.
4-5 Cinque Terre...gorgeous, isn't it?
6. This is one shot of many of the Roman Forum.
7-8 The Colosseum.
9. Bet you can't guess what this one is...oh, the leaning gave it away, huh? When my mom was here 35 years ago, she took pictures of her friends which came out with the tower straight and her friends leaning! Check out Rebecca's sight for our tribute to that little mishap!
10. Another view of Cinque Terre because I liked it and it's pretty!
11-12 Ah, Venice! This is our little group on a gondola ride!
13. This is the Mozart Vineyard. They were in the midst of grape harvesting season, so some of the grapes were still on the vine.
14. The view from our villa balcony!
15. This is me at the Vatican. I'm overlooking the grounds.
Anyway, Nice was a cute town, especially in the city center with their markets. What was really fun was a short bus trip we took to Eze Village. The cobblestone streets wound their way up a hill with various shops set into the side. We stopped for some crepes on our way back down, which were delicious. After a hike down the hill and subsequent mountain, we took another short bus ride to Monte Carlo where Rebecca searched for a stone disc in the sewers (Indiana Jones computer game reference).
Leaving Nice, we journeyed through various towns in Italy, arriving at long last in the quaint town of Riomaggiore, part of the five villages that make up Cinque Terre. Anyone going to Italy, put Cinque Terre into your travel plans. As enjoyable as the rest of italy was, this was by far our favorite stop. Riomaggiore is the quintessential Italian town, and our hostel was really a little apartment with six beds, a kitchen, bathroom, and washing machine. We were able to wash our clothes (at last) and in typical Italian fashion, hung them out to dry on the clothesline outside our window. The full day that we spent in Cinque Terre was one beautiful view after another. We hiked from town to town, taking a ferry between the final two towns. Each picture was postcard pretty. The government, having noted the beauty of these towns, has made the Cinque Terre into a national park, thereby maintaining the charm for future generations, of which we were one.
Our next stop was Florence. On the way we stopped briefly in Pisa, which has practically one claim to fame, and that is it’s leaning tower. Pretty neat to see that, and then we continued on our way... One of the big things to do in Florence is to see Michelangelo’s David. I must admit, I was wary and doubtful that I would think it so very spectacular. Upon entering into the large room dedicated to the statue, I have to admit to being quite in awe. It was beautiful and even as we were leaving, I kept looking back (and no, not because of that...get your heads out of the gutters)! We met an Albanian artist named Albert one night in Florence who treated us to coffee and chatted awhile.
We had originally planned to head to Sienna next, but switched that with Rome due to the fact that the last weekend of the month had many free sights, including the Vatican on Sunday. We had three full days in Rome and they were packed. From the Colosseum and Roman Forum to the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica, we scoured the city. We even went a bit out of the city to see Ostia Antica, and old Roman port. Also included in our sight seeing adventures were some catacombs. The Vatican was crazy! We got in this huge line of people and it took us about 2 hours to get in. The museums were alright, but the really amazing draw was the Sistine Chapel. Now, I appreciate art, but I don’t always understand it very well. Since we got into the Vatican for free, we opted to get the audio guide. We were really grateful once we got to the Sistine Chapel. As I listened to the description of Michelangelo’s great work, I was struck with the realization that I was hearing the Gospel message, and so were all the people who walk through that chapel with an audio guide. It really was an amazing artistic accomplishment and in learning more about it, I wished I could have stayed even longer!
After the hectic pace of Rome, we were thrilled to get to Sienna, where we took a bus to a little town called San Rocco. We stayed in a Villa located on a private farm. The location was remote and quiet, and we had our own room...yah!!!!! The lady and her daughter who ran the place helped us arrange a wine-tasting tour, which was a lot of fun. We were actually taken to a vineyard called Mozart Vineyard where they play Mozart 24/7. They have apparently joined together with students from a University (in Florence, I think) in order to study the affect music has on plants. It was fascinating to walk through the Vineyard there, hearing music coming from the numerous speakers set up everywhere. When we weren’t out tasting wines, we were back at our beautiful villa, taking walks on the property, or sitting on a balcony reading, or chatting with some of the other guests. It was extremely relaxing, so much so that putting on our backpacks on the day we left was torture.
However, Venice was next and we couldn’t miss out on that! Venice is, of course, unlike any other city. When we first arrived I looked out the front of the train station and for a split second wondered why there was a boat driving down the street! We actually stayed in a hostel on the Island, which made the experience even better. Our hostel had a free breakfast and a free dinner. We would all sit around a large table in the common room, and although it was awkward at first, this arrangement made it easy to get involved in conversations. Our first night there we stayed up until midnight talking with a couple of other people we’d met. We only had one full day in Venice, but we made the most of it, visiting a church, heading up a tower for a really unique panoramic view, and even taking time to get lost. Gondola rides in Venice are ridiculously expensive because they can be, so since we weren’t exactly willing to spend 100 euros on one, Rebecca bravely assembled a group from our hostel and six of us we got together in the afternoon. Definitely overpriced, but I suppose it’s one of those things you just have to do when you’re in Venice. We had a great time.
Well, upon leaving Venice, we boarded a train bound toward Switzerland. We were thrilled with the prospect of an entire week in one place. Even though they remind you on their website that L’abri is not a place for a relaxing vacation, we felt pretty good about being told where to go, what to do, and what to eat. It’s not always so bad being taken care of...
Explanation of Pics:
1. A narrow street in Eze Village...it was like this all over and lots of fun to wander through!
2. On the hike down from Eze Village, we enjoyed this view...
3. Rebecca posing with Monte Carlo as her background.
4-5 Cinque Terre...gorgeous, isn't it?
6. This is one shot of many of the Roman Forum.
7-8 The Colosseum.
9. Bet you can't guess what this one is...oh, the leaning gave it away, huh? When my mom was here 35 years ago, she took pictures of her friends which came out with the tower straight and her friends leaning! Check out Rebecca's sight for our tribute to that little mishap!
10. Another view of Cinque Terre because I liked it and it's pretty!
11-12 Ah, Venice! This is our little group on a gondola ride!
13. This is the Mozart Vineyard. They were in the midst of grape harvesting season, so some of the grapes were still on the vine.
14. The view from our villa balcony!
15. This is me at the Vatican. I'm overlooking the grounds.
L'abri and Paris
Okay, I know my titles are boring, but I don't care!
L’abri- This is a Christian community dedicated to people (primarily young people) with questions about God, the Bible, social issues, etc... You name it... We began each day with breakfast at 8:00 (except Sundays and Thursdays, which were our days off and we started at 9:00). After breakfast we had a little time before we were expected to be at our assigned place from about 9:30-12:30. Each student was either assigned to work in the mornings or in the afternoons. If you weren’t working, you were down at Farel House to study. Everyone pitches in and helps at L’abri, so work assignments consisted of various tasks, from cooking and cleaning to making sack lunch for days off and taking care of the grounds. At lunchtime, everyone was divided into two groups, going to their respective chalets. Here we ate while one of the workers facilitated a formal discussion. During formal discussions, someone asks a question and the entire group focuses on that question for the hour. The afternoon session then goes from 15:00-18:00. If you worked in the morning, you study in the afternoon and vice versa. 18:30 is dinner and after that everyone retreats to whatever activity most suits them, usually ping pong on the deck or games in the common area. A little later, someone might organize a group to go to the pub in Villars, which is the town nearby.
On Sunday afternoons and Thursdays, we each participated in various activities...hiking, shopping, sleeping, skiing in the winter, etc... We went hiking one day up Death Hill. And, yes, there is a reason for that name and there are three of them. Death Hill #1, Death Hill #2, and Death Hill #3. I climbed them all...slowly. But it was breathtaking, so I forgive whoever suggested the hike.
Our time at L’abri was wonderful. I especially loved the study time. They have a huge library with books on a wide array of subjects and tapes upon tapes with lectures by Dr. Schaeffer, his wife (they started L’abri), and others who were invited to L’abri. There’s just a lot of time to read and reflect and as we approached the halfway mark of our trip, I found myself in need of that!
We tacked two extra days onto our time at L’abri (mainly because they were showing Pride and Prejudice...the BBC version, of course...on Sunday night). Well, okay, that wasn’t the only reason. Anyway, we left reluctantly, as we always do, and continued on to Paris.
Paris in the Fall...it was beautiful. And we had no problems with the train station this time. In fact, the guy who helped us was friendly and even funny! Our hostel was nice and in a great location! We did the major things, of course...the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. Valerie had recommended going up the Eiffel Tower at night, and I have to thank her for the suggestions. After awhile, the panoramic views begin to all look the same (after all, how different can one big city really look from another?) Anyway, the night view of the Eiffel Tower as well as from it, was breathtaking! I wasn’t especially fond of the elevator because I could see out, which had a dizzying affect!
We took a short ½ day trip to Versailles where we saw the palace of Louis XIV as well as the gardens. We weren’t able to make it to Marie Antoinette’s home...slightly disappointing, but you can’t do it all! The Louvre was incredible...beyond huge. We got a bit lost, but once we found ourselves again, we were able to follow the map rather well.
We also really enjoyed the Rodin museum. Sculptures are a lot of fun and they let you take pictures...even better!
We left Paris, excited to meet Jake’s aunt and uncle in Germany (for those of you who don’t know, Jake is a friend of ours back home...although you probably guessed).
Picture Explanation:
1-3 These are just pictures of the scenery at L'abri...just to give you a taste of what we saw when we looked out our window every day... : - )
4. Cows are cool...and they make pretty bell noises!
5. This is Chalet Bellevue, where the students lived at L'abri.
6. The Louvre at night is even more beautiful than during the day. You head down into the glass pyramid and there it is...a labyrinth of rooms filled with all kinds of art!
7. The Mona Lisa...what can I say? Rebecca can vouch for me, I stared at it, trying to get it, but to no avail (ducks throwing items from those artsy people reading this).
8. At the Rodin museum: The Thinker...what is he thinking about? You decide...
9. A view from the Eiffel Tower...Paris at Night!
10. The Eiffel Tower...bet you didn't know that one, did you?
L’abri- This is a Christian community dedicated to people (primarily young people) with questions about God, the Bible, social issues, etc... You name it... We began each day with breakfast at 8:00 (except Sundays and Thursdays, which were our days off and we started at 9:00). After breakfast we had a little time before we were expected to be at our assigned place from about 9:30-12:30. Each student was either assigned to work in the mornings or in the afternoons. If you weren’t working, you were down at Farel House to study. Everyone pitches in and helps at L’abri, so work assignments consisted of various tasks, from cooking and cleaning to making sack lunch for days off and taking care of the grounds. At lunchtime, everyone was divided into two groups, going to their respective chalets. Here we ate while one of the workers facilitated a formal discussion. During formal discussions, someone asks a question and the entire group focuses on that question for the hour. The afternoon session then goes from 15:00-18:00. If you worked in the morning, you study in the afternoon and vice versa. 18:30 is dinner and after that everyone retreats to whatever activity most suits them, usually ping pong on the deck or games in the common area. A little later, someone might organize a group to go to the pub in Villars, which is the town nearby.
On Sunday afternoons and Thursdays, we each participated in various activities...hiking, shopping, sleeping, skiing in the winter, etc... We went hiking one day up Death Hill. And, yes, there is a reason for that name and there are three of them. Death Hill #1, Death Hill #2, and Death Hill #3. I climbed them all...slowly. But it was breathtaking, so I forgive whoever suggested the hike.
Our time at L’abri was wonderful. I especially loved the study time. They have a huge library with books on a wide array of subjects and tapes upon tapes with lectures by Dr. Schaeffer, his wife (they started L’abri), and others who were invited to L’abri. There’s just a lot of time to read and reflect and as we approached the halfway mark of our trip, I found myself in need of that!
We tacked two extra days onto our time at L’abri (mainly because they were showing Pride and Prejudice...the BBC version, of course...on Sunday night). Well, okay, that wasn’t the only reason. Anyway, we left reluctantly, as we always do, and continued on to Paris.
Paris in the Fall...it was beautiful. And we had no problems with the train station this time. In fact, the guy who helped us was friendly and even funny! Our hostel was nice and in a great location! We did the major things, of course...the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. Valerie had recommended going up the Eiffel Tower at night, and I have to thank her for the suggestions. After awhile, the panoramic views begin to all look the same (after all, how different can one big city really look from another?) Anyway, the night view of the Eiffel Tower as well as from it, was breathtaking! I wasn’t especially fond of the elevator because I could see out, which had a dizzying affect!
We took a short ½ day trip to Versailles where we saw the palace of Louis XIV as well as the gardens. We weren’t able to make it to Marie Antoinette’s home...slightly disappointing, but you can’t do it all! The Louvre was incredible...beyond huge. We got a bit lost, but once we found ourselves again, we were able to follow the map rather well.
We also really enjoyed the Rodin museum. Sculptures are a lot of fun and they let you take pictures...even better!
We left Paris, excited to meet Jake’s aunt and uncle in Germany (for those of you who don’t know, Jake is a friend of ours back home...although you probably guessed).
Picture Explanation:
1-3 These are just pictures of the scenery at L'abri...just to give you a taste of what we saw when we looked out our window every day... : - )
4. Cows are cool...and they make pretty bell noises!
5. This is Chalet Bellevue, where the students lived at L'abri.
6. The Louvre at night is even more beautiful than during the day. You head down into the glass pyramid and there it is...a labyrinth of rooms filled with all kinds of art!
7. The Mona Lisa...what can I say? Rebecca can vouch for me, I stared at it, trying to get it, but to no avail (ducks throwing items from those artsy people reading this).
8. At the Rodin museum: The Thinker...what is he thinking about? You decide...
9. A view from the Eiffel Tower...Paris at Night!
10. The Eiffel Tower...bet you didn't know that one, did you?
Ingolstadt and Rothenburg
Wolfgang and Julie Garber met us at the train station late Thursday night and then let us keep them up into all hours of the night chatting. They are amazing! We slept in on Friday, had a leisurely morning, and then once their kids got home from school, we all took off for the weekend. They took us to Rothenburg, which is this gorgeous German town. Walking down the streets, I thought the houses must be cardboard cutouts or at the very least, enlarged dollhouses. The first night there, we went on the Night Watchman Tour, which took us through the city streets, outside the walls, sharing what life was like in the 1300’s. Wolfgang and Julie had been on this tour before and said that it keeps getting better. The Night Watchman was mysterious with great dose of humor and kept all of us entertained.
The following day we explored Rothenburg, shopping, eating, and visiting the criminal museum where we learned all about torture methods, ways of executing criminals, and various other punishments for various other crimes. Interesting!
Shopping in Rothenburg got us in the mood for Christmas, especially the huge Christmas store they have there. It looks like Christmas, it smells like Christmas, it must be Christmas, right? But I suppose we’ll simply have to wait like the rest of you!
On Sunday we stopped in another medieval town for lunch and then back to Ingolstadt. Monday was spent exploring Ingolstadt, visiting the churches, castles, and stores there. It had gotten too cold by then to ignore and we finally broke down and bought coats. I think we’ll be very grateful for that as we continue heading North. Our last night there, I went with Wolfgang and Julie to the older kids’ school where they were having their version of what I suppose we would call a “Back to School Night.” It was fun learning about their schools and curriculum. A night out for Greek food followed, then back home to bed.
We were sorry to leave the Garber household on Tuesday. We feel like leaving home again, and that just keeps getting harder instead of easier. But off we go again...this time headed for Berlin. Until next time...
Pics:
1. Wolfgang and Julie in front of the Christmas store in Rothenburg.
2. The kids (Dominic, Jacqueline, and Rebekka) during our walk in Rothenburg.
3-4 The beautiful city of Rothenburg...did I mention how beautiful it was?
5. This is a picture of the river in Ingolstadt the day Wolfgang showed us around. He's an amazing guide!!!
The following day we explored Rothenburg, shopping, eating, and visiting the criminal museum where we learned all about torture methods, ways of executing criminals, and various other punishments for various other crimes. Interesting!
Shopping in Rothenburg got us in the mood for Christmas, especially the huge Christmas store they have there. It looks like Christmas, it smells like Christmas, it must be Christmas, right? But I suppose we’ll simply have to wait like the rest of you!
On Sunday we stopped in another medieval town for lunch and then back to Ingolstadt. Monday was spent exploring Ingolstadt, visiting the churches, castles, and stores there. It had gotten too cold by then to ignore and we finally broke down and bought coats. I think we’ll be very grateful for that as we continue heading North. Our last night there, I went with Wolfgang and Julie to the older kids’ school where they were having their version of what I suppose we would call a “Back to School Night.” It was fun learning about their schools and curriculum. A night out for Greek food followed, then back home to bed.
We were sorry to leave the Garber household on Tuesday. We feel like leaving home again, and that just keeps getting harder instead of easier. But off we go again...this time headed for Berlin. Until next time...
Pics:
1. Wolfgang and Julie in front of the Christmas store in Rothenburg.
2. The kids (Dominic, Jacqueline, and Rebekka) during our walk in Rothenburg.
3-4 The beautiful city of Rothenburg...did I mention how beautiful it was?
5. This is a picture of the river in Ingolstadt the day Wolfgang showed us around. He's an amazing guide!!!
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