Hummus isn't actually Greek ...

Here we are! In a hotel in Meteora, a place with amazing landscapes – giant rock formations like pillars, and monasteries located at the top! In the past your options of visiting these places included rope ladders or being ‘wenched’ (pulled) up in a rope basket/baggy/hammock type deal – and these are HIGH. I don’t think I would have visited these back in the day. But now we have buses and roads and stairs and bridges, so hooray!

So we are a bit into our tour – we started in Athens on June 26th, and we met up with the rest of the group at the airport (that was a couple hours late) and checked into our hotel, got EXTRA excited about the fact that people delivered our luggage to our rooms, had some free time (for shoe purchasing?), and a great dinner. Our hotel also has a roof garden which is where we watched the Eurocup match of Russia and Spain, and has this view of the Acropolis...

Next was our departure from our hotel to the harbor to begin our 3 day cruise through the Greek islands and to Turkey! I’ve never been on a cruise before, and however cool they may be I don’t think I ever want to do one again. I mean, there are better ways to travel, and I don’t particularly enjoy spending long amounts of time lounging in the sun (or worrying that I’m going to burn) on the boat while in foreign countries – I feel like I can do that at home. That’s my family mentality speaking for me – I know that’s pretty much ideal for most people ... but it was relaxing. Another reason for not doing a cruise again is I felt like I was ALWAYS eating. And maybe I was, but from my family perspective if there is free food available you are going to take advantage of it and if felt wrong not to. So I needed to practice a little more self control. That is agreed. I am also becoming more aware of how my family has influenced me...

We sailed to Mykonos, a very beautiful and tourist driven island; to Rhodes, which is mentioned in Paul’s travels VEry briefly; to Patmos, where John heard the word of God and received the revelation for the last book of the New Testament; and Ephesus, which is the receiving city for the letter to the Ephesians, and has some significance in Paul’s ministry as read in the book of Acts. It was VERY hot in Ephesus, bordering 110 F, but we got air conditioned buses so didn’t have to endure too much. It is so amazing to see these places that are so ancient, and are all in ruins – I wonder what it looked like thousands of years ago, as some of the terrain is different since bodies of water have receded or moved since then. And it almost feels like it’s out in the middle of nowhere when at the peak of its reign it was a bustling hub. Also only a small portion of the city has even been excavated – the majority of the city has still not been unearthed! Our guide says that most excavation work is done in the summer – but that doesn’t really make sense because it is SO hot. Which is probably why when we drove by a patch that looked like archaeologists may have been working, there was no one in sight … popsicle break or something...

Tomorrow we head to Thesoloniki, but tonight we stay at a fabulous hotel – sometimes these package tour deals are worth it. What a contrast to bed bugs and laundry tabs. Here are a couple pic's I've taken lately to wet your pallet ...

A wall photo from the Island of Rhodes - I love seeing these old stone engravings, they've lasted through the years and still remain beautiful. This was along the Avenue of Knights, I believe. I should probably keep better track.

Our boat in the sunset! It's huge, and I still feel like I'm on it at times, and that was only a 3 day cruise! Quit the rocking already!

Ephesus! Hot and amazing. Our tour group is gathering in this photo, I think you can see Gaff. We took a moment and sang 4 verses of Amazing grace in this theater - the same theater mentioned in Acts when Paul was being yelled at because he was preaching against the use of idols. History right in my face and under my feet, just the way I like it.

1. First Class Hotels, 2. Breakfast and Dinner Included, 3. Air Conditioned Motorcoaches

OHHHH boy, tomorrow we meet up with the UPC tour, and I canNOT wait. AS the title are three of the top things I'm looking forward to. Well, I guess I'm looking forward to ALL of it but those are special bonuses that have not been seen on this trip thus far. Well maybe the breakfasts.

So we'll see if I'm able to update again before the trip is over - stay tuned.

Here I will divulge some pictures, since we're pilfering free wi-fi from somewhere nearby, and I don't know when that'll happen again ...

Magnificent view of Salzburg, good place to read, and was a location in the Sound of Music when they are learning to put words to the notes they've learned. When you know the notes to sing ...The train ride from Salzburg to Zagreb. Gorgeous.

This is Dubrovnik. Yes places like this actually exist. Ancient meets paradise.

This is us sitting at a cafe on at cliff that overlooks the Adriatic and the nearby Island, Lokrum which we went to and LOVED.This is us being hot from walking on the walls around the Old Town. It was hot. This may or may not have been a breakfast choice one day ... if you know me at all you can figure out the truth.These are Bianca's sunglasses, and they tint pretty nicely, so she made me take pictures through them.This is one of those pictures. And I think those glasses were just 5 Euro at H&M!!

This is one of my favorite moments in Vienna, buying the metro ticket, and finding exactly how I felt on the screen. One of the best things in Europe - translations into english. Oh, and getting to see Anna Hackett was AWESOME.

That one time we almost lost Bianca ...

Salzburg, amazing. I visited most things Sound of Music, and even watched the film at our hostel one evening! Fabulous. Bianca and I hiked one of the hills to get a spectacular view, only to find it's one of the views in the movie too! I'd add pic's but I'm at an internet cafe ...

So we headed to Zagreb a couple days ago, and firstly I would recommend the trip simply because the views from the train are spectacular. You get SO high up, and can see the mountains and the small villages that are nestled in the valleys below. All I could think was 'places like this really exist?' And they do. Wait 'til I get to where we are now.

Zagreb was great, you should go. We met up with some friends of Hillary's that she knows from the Balkan Task Force at UPC as well as from ROM. They have two very adorable girls, one of which enjoys ice cream very much, but apparently not as much as her chin, neck, and shirt. They invited us over to their apartment to watch the Eurocup match that night that was Croatia vs. Turkey. This was when we almost lost Bianca, as we had to catch the tram and after Hillary got on the doors closed and ... Bianca didn't make it. Her motto that day, hug a tree. Hillary went back and got her and we laughed about it. The Eurocup match was an amazing game that went into overtime and Croatia scored with like, 2 minutes remaining. It was amazing until Turkey scored a goal 2 seconds after the game seemed to be over. And then it was penalty shots and unfortunate events ensued. BOO Turkey. Shameful win.

Now we are in Dubrovnik, AKA paradise. It is GORGEOUS here. You HAVE to come. It's hot and breezy, right on the Adriatic, has lots of ice cream, and an Island we went to today to just swim and rest and swim and rest. And I haven't burned! Yet ... we could say we almost lost Bianca again as she got a scrape on her knee that was a little concerning during a 'swim' section of the day, but that would be a lie as she's fine and bandaged ... she might have a weird tan line ...

We leave in a couple of days for Vienna, a short stop on our way to Athens to meet up with the UPC tour group. SO excited for that - people carting us around, no more figuring out for ourselves what we need to do or where we need to go. Freedom can be overbearing sometimes. :)

Until then! I don't know when internet will happen again, but hopefully it'll mean pictures.

24hrs in Munich is NOT enough.

We really only had about 24hrs in Munich, and Munich is awesome. Plus they have a really great coffee place that sells real size cups of coffee. IT's fantastic. But it's still Germany so check out what their cups look like:So yesterday (not the Hilary Duff song, or the Beatles song, ACTually yesterday) we were able to go and visit Dachau. There's this great organization called New Europe that does free tours in English in many major cities in Europe, and they offer other specialized tours for a reasonable fee done by the same guides that lead the free ones. They are pretty fantastic. And so it was that we did a tour through them to visit Dachau. What an experience - it's interesting how much of our trip has been about WWII, and it has been absolutely fascinating and strange to be able to stand in these places, learn more about their history and what happened in the very environment you have entered into. Dachau is basically the only concentration camp that was functioning the entire 12 years the 3rd Reich was in power, and Hitler's reign seems to have somehow revolved around it's functionality. It was also the model camp for other camps in Germany, and trained many of the guards that went on to run camps elsewhere. I'll put some pictures up, but you should really visit for yourself:

Many memorials have been erected so that we never forget what happened here, and make sure that nothing like it happens again. But are we really aware of the ways humans are treating humans in other parts of the country? The Nazis were not the first to think of concentration camps, and even today human rights injustices continue to occur in countries that don't make it on our daily news.All of the barracks in Dachau were removed in the 60's, as they were in very poor condition after the war and also after being used as a refugee camp - there is no way to really understand the living conditions these people experienced. The refugees were Germans who had fled to neighboring countries during/before the war, and were forced to return after - getting a first hand glimpse of what they were trying to escape.They have built a model of the barracks for you to walk through, and it show the 3 different stages that Dachau experienced - from housing 50 men in one room, to around 70, to nearly 500 when other camps were being evacuated and moved to central Germany.

What an interesting journey! We met a new friend on the tour as well, Shannon from Montana. She's pretty awesome (Shannon if you're reading this, we think you're pretty awesome!). So we stopped by our favorite coffee spot before leaving for Salzburg:And now we are safely in Salzburg! Needing to do some laundry, and needing to see EVERYTHING possible that was in The Sound of Music. That last part may only be my personal goal, but we'll see. The Eurocup is going on now and there is a game IN Salzburg TOnight, that's pretty exciting. To tide you over until we have some pic's to share of Salzburg, here is a staple item, the Mozart Ball - It's delicious. Mozart Balls are chocolate, hazelnut, marzipan and pistachio put together in a little ball of heaven. Feel free to throw in a 'That's what she said'.

I heard it through the Glockenspiel

We are safely in Germany! We traveled to Munich today, and this is the first time I can say the phrase ‘I just flew in from Paris’. I’m not sure if I ever want to say that again, just because the rest of France was better than Paris. Yesterday we made the drive up from Fontevraud to Paris (Orly, so south Paris – I would NEVER want to drive IN Paris – Yikes) and we were fine until we came to the point of exiting freeways and trying to find our hotel. I have never been more lost in my life. The only map I had was that of the Metro since we knew there was a Regional Express line that ran near our hotel … it’s the second time this trip we’ve left it in the hands of God and gone to our nearest helpful human and asked for help. Both times we’ve gotten help from Mappy.com – something like google maps – but it was very much not helpful because the signs in Paris SUCK. They are tiny and usually not visible or not to be found. I can only think that Jesus was having a good laugh, and then decided He’d help us find it because we got so lost we found it. I have no idea how. And then we nearly got lost trying to find the airport today but we’re finally OUT of Paris and couldn’t be happier.

Munich is pretty awesome – I’m bummed to only be here for 24hrs. We head to Salzburg tomorrow (SOUND OF MUSIC!!! I’m totally renting a bike …) so our time is limited. We did walk around today and had the privilege of hearing the Glockenspiel at 5pm – it’s basically a giant cuckoo clock set inside a building. No seriously, dancing men and jousting knights, and all promenade before the cuckoo clucks the time of day (which technically here shouldn’t it cluck 17 times because of Europe’s choice of the 24hr clock?). We plan on doing a tour of Dachau concentration camp tomorrow and then head on to Salzburg. OH I’m excited. Until then! Sorry no pictures … here’s something from paint … Now back to watching the Eurocup.

Fontevraud

Must-See France list:

1. Normandy - it's beaches, D-day sights, beaches, cemetery and beaches. Did I mention the beaches? Because they are phenomenal.

2. Mont Saint-Michel - it literally looks like something out of a snow globe. Until you go into it, then its life-size. But check it out! It's unreal, an Abbey built on an Island!

3. The Loire Valley. Are you kidding me? Places like this actually exist? We turned a corner and we crossed a bridge that overlooks a river and behind the river is a town on a hill with a Chateau and ... wow. I feel like I'm in the movie Ever After. Only I looked up that Chateau and it's at least 2 hours from here, and probably not worth the gas.

4. This Abbey - Fontevraud L'Abbaye. We're staying here. See link and picture.

5. Anywhere but Paris. No seriously. Get out of the tourist track and into real life. And visiting Lille and our missionary connections was really one of the best things EVER.

Ready, set, go.

Lille

So we made our way out of Paris, but weren't able to see Notre Dame - due to some delayed departure as well as the fact that it took us about 2hrs to figure out where to buy a train ticket and to stand in the right line. The machines in the station don't work with credit cards from other places because the ones here have some sort of chip with a code in them, so they are for the European elite to bypass the nasty lines the tourists have to wait in. secretly i think that's genius, but don't tell my fellow travelers i told you so ...

We arrived in Lille around 4 yesterday and were picked up by Ali, a missionary we found connections to through UPC's Fred and Ardi Lupton. He brought us to his house, and introduced us to his familly - wife Francoise, sons Nathan, Theo and Raphael (4,7, and 1 respectively) who are adORable. Ali took us (along with Theo and Nathan, who decide even if we don't speak French they will rapidly speak it to us anyway) to the main office he works out of with his ministry, and for a short drive around Lille. We also met some people he works with, and Martin who is from Seattle will be taking us around today. All in all it is very nice to be with people from here, who we can talk with about their ministry and lives here, and can take a break from the life of a tourist (which would be a terrible life and I would never wish on anybody). Plus it is rainy which is actually nice because it reminds us of home, or at least grounds you in the idea that other people call this home. Weird that rain can have a sort of reality check kind of effect.

Movin' On Up ...

We are saying goodbye (and in some cases, good riddance - see post below, or just ask us about laundry in Paris - but that's a fresh wound so give it some time) to Paris today. The hope is to get one last glimpse of Notre Dame and then hop on a train to Lille which is north of us, and is home to some missionaries we are looking forward to meeting and staying with a couple of days. I am very excited to get out of the heart of tourism and meet some locals who are doing God's work in this country. Here are some parting gifts that Paris has left us with:

Hall of Mirrors at Versaille - The treaty signed to end WWI in 1919 was in this hall!

In the gardens of Versaille - fountains are all the rage.The grounds of Versaille are quite extensive, and secluded spots for jumping pictures abound.Jumping pictures are necessary at the tower! It took us at least 20 tries, and we actually have good ones in the air but I just LOVE this one.Goodbye Paris!

The Good News Is ...

Yes yes, we all know that the good news is Jesus. But on an update from Paris, I must give you the other good news - we are staying at a Marriott Courtyard Hotel! Now, to go along with this, as well as a puzzling credit card statement that my Mom may stumble upon later, here goes ...

We arrived in Paris on Sunday afternoon/evening, deciphered the Metro system: (thanks Daddy, I think because of you I get a strange exhilaration at the challenge of figuring a new one out EVERY city we travel to) and headed to our "hotel".

http://www.booking.com/hotel/fr/hoteldelaterrassepar.en.html

There you can see it online. Here is our picture.

They also display a brochure depicting pictures of the rooms and lobby unlike anything I've actually seen in the place - a very flagrant display of false advertising. And if you search for availability it says it is fully booked. It is a cheaper hotel, roughly comes out to 20 Euro per person, or 60 for our room each night. But as you walk into the hotel you realize THIS is NOT what I had in mind. No elevator, a smell of glue, men putting in new carpet along the small winding staircase, and our room being on the 4th floor did not bode well for our stay. We reached our room (after much huffing and puffing) to find a room not much bigger than our beds, and a bathroom - very tiny - whose door cannot open out all the way without runing into one of the beds. Okay ... I guess for 20 Euro each, this isn't a bad deal, we paid more at our beautiful hostel in Luxembourg. We also realize that hey, this is just a place for us to sleep, and we will be out on the town most of the day anyway. It's got beds and a shower therefore good enough for sleeping.
So we headed back out, stayed out until about midnight, and came home to crash. At some point during the night either Jesus or Hillary's stomach woke her up (we think mostly Jesus, but you can decide), and she used the facilities, only to find while she was looking in the mirror, a bug crawling up her neck. YES, a bug crawling up her neck. She quickly trapped it in the sink, checked for others on her body, and moved to scope out the rest of our beds. Bugs on the pillows. In the bed. Not a ton of bugs, but more than 5 which sure feels like a ton of bugs. Picture necessary:

EEEEEWWWW. She was taking pictures of them for proof to show to the reception in case they wouldn't believe us when we complained, and I woke up from a flash from her camera. I turned to ask her if everything was alright, and she somewhat calmy replies, 'um, there are bugs in our beds ...' and Bianca and I needed no further instruction to jump straight out of bed and try to brush off any bug that may have still been in contact with us. This was at 4 in the morning.

We all head downstairs to see if the reception is open, or at least if we can use the internet in their lobby, since due to some quick thinking Bianca thought of some possible alternatives of hotel options since her step dad has points with Marriott that he never seems to use. PRAISE THE LORD. We head down and find a sleeping receptionist who we promptly wake up and attempt to communicate about the bugs. Difficult between either no French or no English, but creepy crawly sign language and a trip to the room were enough to get the message across. It's a good thing Hillary trapped two in the sink or he might not have believed us. But as we came back out from the viewing in the bathroom there was one on the pillow, so case solved. Meanwhile Bianca is madly trying to connect with family over the internet - interestingly enough facebook chat came to our rescue, even if I don't want to admit it I must. Also good thing we're 9 hours ahead and it was 9 or so in Seattle.

So by the blessing of the Lord (and Bianca's Mom - thank you THANK YOU) we were able to get out of that hotel, more or less fully refunded (the guy attempted to charge me for that night even - like we actually slept more than 4 hours in bug infested beds and I should pay for it - No. I turned to him and said, 'You want me to pay for tonight?!?' with a pretty good look of disbelief, and he seemed to agree that was asking a bit too much) and were on our way to the Marriott at like ... 6:30 in the morning? They said check-in would be at 3, but we figured we could at least leave our bags. In reality, they let us in our room on arrival, and it is SO amazingly beautiful and different than the nightmare we were in merely hours earlier.

So, the good news is we are now in a Marriott Courtyard. The bad news being we had to sleep in bug infested beds to get here - which also means we've found a couple stragglers trying to hop along for the ride. Bianca made a good point, they've already won, they got the room at the other hotel, I just wish they'd leave us alone!! Every once in a while one of us feels like they're crawling all over as well, but that's just the human psyche for you.

Other than bugs and moving all of our stuff on the metro, Paris has been wonderful!! We took an illuminations tour - one of those sightseeing buses by night that also came with a boat ride on the seine, and it was fabulous. Some pictures of that on the blog to come as well. Yesterday we made the Louvre, Saint Chappelle, and the Cluny Museum (that one has that tapestry of the Lady and the Unicorn - fabulous!). Today I'm hoping for d'Orsay, Rodin, Orangerie, and the Army Museum.

Hope you all are very well, and have enjoyed reading the exploits of my trip to France thus far. I'll let you know if anything else ridiculous occurs, as we have free internet in our hotel! Very nice. Some other pics: