Switzerland: Village Architecture

Is it not the Switzerland of your dreams? I find it so heartening that while you may find train tracks and electric warning signs slice through ... the charm and history of centuries old remain.

Switzerland: Springtime in the Alps

We are at home once more! After a week of groggy recovery, we are now back into the swing of home-life and happily reliving our trip through shared family memories. One of the truly great gifts of travel, I do believe. And so, the recollections continue to keep the trip alive ...

The day after we had our Swiss Family Adventure and right before Jane sat on a huge pile of stinging nettles (!!), we had a morning gallivant on the hillside of the Swiss village, Reckingen-Gluringen.

 The village you see in the distance is the village we stayed in. Tiny and lovely. The main road would shut down when the sheep or the cattle came through and we would hang out of our cottage windows and watch as though it were the most marvelous sight ever.

 After a glorious, but very busy tour of Italy, making grass whistles and doing a whole lot of nothing in the Swiss Alps was heaven.

Although apparently not yet having enough auto-adventure, right after our wildflower frolic Pops did take us on the most harrowing car-ride ever up the side of the mountain we were soon to encounter. Have you ever seen The Long-Long Trailer with Lucille Ball and Dezi Arnaz? There is a perilous scene where they skitter along a teeny mountain-edge road with sheer rock on one side and sheer cliff on the other. Take away the trailer, add three terrified children and swap Mt. Whitney for the Swiss Alps ... and it's basically the same scene. It took collective tears to convince Pops that this was not fun and me getting out of the car giving braking hand-signals to allow us to turn around without pitching off the cliff of doom.

I'm sweating just thinking about it.


But at the point we took these photos we were blissfully unaware of what was to come. And those are the moments in life to relish ... whether home or abroad.

European Adventures: Conclusions and Contentment

Our last full day in our Provençal farm home. Plans for photos in the poppy fields and dinner in Uzes. Tomorrow we pack-up, head into Arles for a look-around and settle in at the airport hotel 'til we rouse for an early morning flight on Wednesday. Mixed feelings about coming home! 

The trip has been more than we expected in many ways. Happy and thankful to have shared all with my little family. It's the memories that, I believe, will be the biggest treasure of all.

Merci. Merci.

Provence: To Revel and Muse

We've been in Provence for 2 days now. It's is so unbelievably beautiful here. Everything about everything is my most favorite ever. I went out shopping in Uzes yesterday and on my way home, driving through the countryside ... can I confess? I got all misted up. Not a full-on messy cry, but definite foggy-eyes. So, so happy to be here.

The children are swimming everyday (yesterday, four individual times) and eating bread and pastries to their heart's content. Last night we went to a "Fête du Pois Chiche" ... a "Festival of the Chickpea." (More on that later ... live music and masks ... like Zorro!) We even made friend with another couple who is staying in the same farm house as us and we are going to swap evening of kid watch. Pops and I get to go out to dinner alone tonight!

Interesting how the initial part of our trip, as grand as it was, required such exertion. Here ... now ... it feels effortless. Perhaps we appreciate it more? Perhaps I've learned to manage expectations better? Perhaps it is Provence? Perhaps it is just God's grace? For all the reasons, we are thankful and reveling in it.

As a side note, three of my dear friends are currently going through deep challenges with health, children, jobs. It is strange, to be here, and know of their days. And yet, helpless in myself to lend aid, I can pray. Prayer is the great unifier over great divides. In this big, wide world ... God is bigger yet.

Florence: A Peek at Our Watchtower

Looking back through some of our pictures has been so heart-warming for me. Totally putting some of the tired/worn-out/worried business into perspective. I am in a state of gratitude for all we are doing. Every bit of it.

Here you see a series of photos from our stay in the medieval watchtower (built in 1124!) outside of Florence. It was every bit of wonderful we had hoped for. And this is just a peek! Honestly, I can still hardly believe it myself.

Venice: Fresh Memories

 I've given up writing posts in chronological order. I am currently in Switzerland, finishing packing for our journey into France, and thought I'd reminisce on some of Italy. So. Here is a few photos of Venice! Venice became a quick favorite for our family. Sure it's busy and crowded and touristy ... but there is so much to look at. Bridges and flowers and boats and shops. And to our surprise, many quiet peaceful alcoves where we felt like we were alone in the city.

We bought a CD from a small group of musicians who were playing in one of these alcoves, a concert hall for the lucky who stumbled down their lane. We plan on playing it tomorrow to our long drive from Switzerland to France.

In the busy jumble of this trip of delights, I'm finding new reminders of how the small things bring such satisfaction and joy. A car trip filled with music and fresh memories. I'm looking forward to it.

Switzerland: Watch out, Here Come the Americans

Guess what? We had a Swiss Family Adventure today. While backing down a road, we backed off a stone retaining wall. The sound it made was disturbingly loud and spoke of a truly terrible situation. Short explanation? The front wheel was completely suspended in the air with the right bumper resting on the wall. To back up further would result in certain bumper/car separation. People were driving by on the little Swiss village road and either laughing or gasping in horror. But they all hurried by so they wouldn't get commissioned to help.

Fortunately, we were right by a lumberyard and working men. My pathetic high-school German was enough to convince them to help. Albeit, I think they just thought it was a silly lady who needed the battery jumped, or something simple like that. They were stunned to silence when they walked up to the scene. The pictures don't do justice to the "Oh.My.Goodness" of the situation.

But, after a minute of chin-rubbing and head-scratching, we all looked at each other and started laughing. Stupidity crosses language barriers and can ignite instant camaraderie. A jack, dolly, 2x6, 3 men and a wife got it done. And to top it all off, there is no visible damage to the car.

So again. Thank you for those prayers. It is quite evident we need them!

Roma: Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain

I've yet to properly download the photos from Florence and Venice, but here are a few more from our last full day in Rome. It was a "40-minute-walk" that lasted closer to 3 hours. (You'll detect some droopy shoulders in some of these photos.) However, the sights seen are those that are fun to say ... "I've been there!"

Rome is already becoming a somewhat distant and fond memory. The children feel very friendly towards the city and a bit like its' conqueror. We arrived this afternoon in Switzerland after a 5 hour drive that really wasn't that bad at all. I am thanking the heavens above we sprang for the EU chip for our GPS. It was spendy, but it has saved the day countless times when maps and roads and exits and roundabouts all collided with foreign names and plenty of confusion.

As we drove, it was so curious to see the Italian countryside morph into Swiss Alps. Even the houses, roads, and bridges began to take on a distinctly new form. And then, seemingly around a bend, we found ourselves in Sound of Music-land with rolling green hills painted with blankets of wildflowers, towering snow-capped mountains, and deep village-filled valleys. "Oh my!" trills Jane. "This is wonnnnnderful!"

The main Swiss day-excursion initially planned has been scrapped due to a pass that is still closed. I'm a little bit disappointed ... but in a way relieved that we can just be. Plans to hike and loaf and explore for our next couple of days. This is good.

"In Him we live and move and have our being ..." 
Acts 17:28

Travel Update: In Venice

We are just finishing up our time here in Venice (yes, we did the touristy/expensive gondola ride and loved it!) and are preparing for a drive through the Alps into Switzerland tomorrow morning. A little sad to be leaving Italy (and the daily gelato feastings!) but looking forward to a new pace and vistas.

I just finished composing a slap-dash email to my mother. An addendum, rather, to the "I'm so tired I can barely appreciate anything and keep on praying for us" email that I sent an hour ago. It seems I got a grip and a better perspective. Phew. For my dear ones who are reading and for posterity, I thought I would post it here.
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Okay, kids in bed, showered, feeling better. Thought I should send a follow up email. First things first, we are and have been healthy!! This is a huge answer to prayer. Lucette and Jane have some massive bug bites (L in particular) that are disrupting sleep, but other than that, we are all healthy and doing well. Such a blessing. Also, safety. We've been fine at all times. No real issues at all. Even managing crowed subways and buses, the kids have done an awesome job and we've all been able to stay together. Another huge answer to prayer.

Italy. We're in Italy! It's gorgeous here, the weather is perfect and the food divine. We are continually amazed at the "fast food" that consists of artisan bread and slices of carved meat and cheese with a bottle of Pellegrino. It's Italy's answer to chili-dogs and mountain dew ala 7-11. Accommodations. Every place we have booked, so far, has been represented correctly, easy to find, and offered up by gracious hosts. Having a little home to come to versus a hotel room has been wonderful. There is even a park right next to our home here in Venice that the kids can go run around in. I would do it this way again. Very comfortable, pleasant, and practical with the kids. It's also afforded us a more "local" way to stay and view the cities we are in.

The sights were are taking in each day are so much, it's almost hard to process them in the now. I have a feeling it will take time to really sort out what we think of them and how they impact us. We rode the Venice gondola today. Peter was very pleased. He really is quite fond of the city. Also, great shopping. I really have done virtually none up until this point (not easy w/ kids in tow). I bought some luscious teal leather gloves in Florence on the Ponte Vecchio and in Venice I bought a leather handbag and a pair of shoes. Super fun.

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... and then some mushy, "I love you, mom, what would I do without you" stuff. Warm thanks to all of you who continue to keep us in your prayers. You are blessing our family daily.

The Trip Continues: Firenze

Our trip has continued, even though my posts took a hiatus. Power-sources being what they are (for both the computer and myself) and all. And the photos? I've got them, but loading them up requires a team effort from Pops and myself. I'm not even sure why it is so complicated, but such is many things over here!

After our whirlwind days in Rome we called Giuseppe. Giuseppe was the man we hired at the airport to take us to our Rome apartment. He was kind and honest so we asked for his card and he picked us up when our stay was over. -- "It is a dream for you American come to Roma to see everything so old, no? Ahh, and for us in Italia, we dream of coming to America where everything is so new..." Perspectives are so interesting, aren't they? -- Giuseppe took us to the location of our rental car pick-up. Since we needed the car for a good length of time, we actually "purchased" the car through an agency and then will "sell it back" to a corresponding agency in Marseille, France.

I was almost shocked seeing the car there with our name on it ready to go. Somehow it is surprising when the plans we made months ago are actually working out for us in the present. We packed into our little car, armed with maps and plenty of cluelessness and off we went. We managed the autostrada (the rest-stops have full-on delis and espresso bars) and a few hours later we drove to our watchtower in Bagno a Ripoli, a village just outside of Florence.

And watchtower, you ask? Yes. We are staying in the watchtower of a medieval villa from 1146. It is beyond fantastic. I have taken a zillion photos and can't wait to share them. Yesterday evening, we took a cooking class from our hosts who own the villa and learned how to make pasta from scratch and why eggs are not refrigerated in the stores. (If they are fresh, they are fine at room temperature for 3 weeks. Nobody here refrigerates their eggs and you purchase them off the shelf in the grocery. Makes you wonder about our eggs, doesn't it?) Needless to say, we ate very well last night and are feasting on the leftovers this evening.

Florence, the city, is gorgeous. More of an elegance than the gritty, ancient Rome. But mercy. Getting there requires a car-trip down the hill to a park and ride and a bus into the city. Their bus system is highly efficient ... if you can figure it out. We have spent a lot of time on buses, and not always heading the right direction.

And as a keeping-it-real note, I've had one full on melt-down and a mini-melt-down earlier today after a bus/laundry/dinner debacle. (It's a long story) The trip is magnificent and I am so grateful. But life and reality still exist and being exhausted in busy cities with three young children where you don't speak the language ... hard. Plus, I seem to want to feel overwhelmed at the magnitude of our trip. Feeling like I am not making the most of our time or I wasted our time at failed efforts to see/do. Feeling like this trip is a one-shot deal, so I better do it right.

However. Through a couple of encouraging emails and a word from the Lord (seriously), I am resting on this thought: "Don't look at this as a trip of a lifetime, but the trip you are taking now." Somehow, this feels profound to me. And those prayers I cajoled you all into? I'm am coveting them. Thank you.

Our last night in the watchtower. Time to finish off baths and appreciate an evening of calm in the Tuscan countryside. See there, Anna? Moments of blessing abound. 

Buona sera.