Joyful to be back in Alberta!

There And Back Again.

A Hobbit's Tale By Bradbo and Charo Pottins.

...And we find ourselves back where we started. We arrived back in Calgary on Thursday, at about noon local time, to find our parents waiting for us. My (Brad) mom even made a sign saying "Welcome Home Brad and Char!" Quite excellent to be welcomed home by our fan club and paparazzi. Between 4 parents, there were three camera flashes going off repeatedly. It was awesome, to be on the ground again for one, and to be back in Alberta, to walk out of the airport and not smell cigarette smoke everywhere, to find that there weren't hordes of other tourists pushing past us, and to hear English being spoken with a Canadian accent. Off to Swiss Chalet for lunch and then to my parents farm, where we find ourselves now.

As we went for a drive yesterday (after boosting and washing our car that had been sitting for two months), we realized how blessed we are to live in such a beautiful part of the world. There is something astounding about rural Alberta: seeing the rolling hill, the fields that are just beginning to turn color, and just how green it was! It doesn't get much better than this! A good soul-refreshing sight. For our Lethbridge mates, we're going to be back on Sunday afternoon.

Hmmm, some final thoughts about our trip, you ask? We were so blessed to be able to do this. It was such an eye-opening experience to see other parts of the world, and to experience culture and langauge that we hadn't experienced before. We realize that walking places is a decent form of transportation, but having a car is really quite nice. Knowing a second langauge seems like a very good idea now. Map reading is a good skill to have (one that I am still learning). Going by intuition doesn't always lead you in the right way, but following the horde of tourists usually leads you to a place that is somewhat more crowded. Which may or may not be the place you want to go. Resteraunts that cater to tourists charge you an arm and a leg for sub-par food and drink. The key is to find places that locals go, and you can get a good coffee and a pastry for 2 people for less that 5 Euro, instead of 11 Euro at a touristy place. Metro systems are not near as cool as you think they are. They loose their appeal within 10 minutes of breathing stuffy, stale air and holding onto a pole that thousands of other grubby hands of held on to. (Thank you Paris). The people we met and dealt with are by and large amazing people. The scenery was nice, but the people we met were gracious, tried hard to accomadate us and made our stays very pleasant ones (expect that one guy in La Spezia, that overcharged us like crazy...). Watching Family Matters in french is still funny. I'm sure I'll think of more stuff later as well.

My top three places we visited?

1. Glendalough, Ireland - ruins of an old monastery in the Wicklow Mountains close to Dublin.

2. Cinque Terre, Italy - a National Park in northwest Italy.

3. Venice - cuz it was our anniversary.

My (Char) final thoughts? Language is useful for communication, but is not always necessary. There are many times when even though I didn't understand a word they were saying, I still knew exactly what they were trying to say. Although I do understand now how valuable it can be to know a second language. Also, people are people no matter where you go, and as Brad said most people were nice, and helpful. I also have a greater appreciation for Canada, and it's landscape. Europe is amazing, but there really is nothing like driving through the prairies. Also, how blessed we are that we got to do this trip, but also how blessed we are to have good family and friends to come home to. Thanks to everyone who thought of us and prayed for us on our journey. It is always appreciated. Yup, it is good to be back.

My top three places?

1. National gallery in London. Amazing to see famous paintings in person

2. Strasbourg, beautiful city, and a good hospital

3. Pantheon in Rome. Rome itself was really hot, but seeing the Pantheon was a really cool experience.  

We're about to run a marathon...

A marathon of traveling to get home, that is.

But first, a bit about our stay on Santorini. Uh, it's been amazing! We saw a movie at an outdoor theatre, which was a sweet experience. Transformers 3 = bad. Location = good. We did a day tour of the whole island, and saw a traditional village, the volcano, hiked up a few hundred steps for kebabs, TOOK A DONKEY RIDE!!!, and watched the sunset from Oia. (Can we say that prairie sunsets might be better?) It was a busy but fun day. We rented a quad one day, and buzzed about the island on that. We went to black sand beaches and swam in the crystal clear blue ocean. We had indian curry one night, which was amazing! We're looking forward to making/eating curry when we get back home! And last but not least, we went snorkeling yesterday! An absolutely incredible experience, swimming among some reefs and seeing lots of fishes swimming by. Really amazing. Until we got back to the hotel and realized that our legs where so red and burned that we could've cooked kebabs on them. (At least mine [Brad] were).

A lot of cool stuff, not much time to write about it, as the internet is running out here. This just might be our last post before we get back to Canada. So, please pray for us as we travel. Today, a ferry back to the mainland port of Pireuas, tomorrow, a train to Thessaloniki (that we still need to get tickets for), the next day, a flight from Thessaloniki to London, where we are briefly meeting some friends, and then on Thursday, a flight from London Gatwick to Calgary!
 So, it'll be busy, but we are definitely excited about coming home.
We are dreaming about good food, and Starbucks.
We'll see you all soon,
Brad and Char

That'll do Donkey. That'll do.

When we last saw Char and Brad, they had just enjoyed their anniversary in Venice...
After that, we headed off to Trieste on the advisable the poorly translated
Tourist page. Thankfully, Trieste was pretty good. We saw a really big cave, and it was really big. The name of the cave, when translated, is actually "The Big Cave." It was big and only about 11 degrees inside. That was nice too.
We saw a castle and surrounding gardens there as well, the gardens were the best gardens we've seen this trip.
We got up the next day and started a marathon of traveling to reach our next destination: Piraeus, Greece. Here's the rundown: two hour train ride to back to Venice, a few hours of waiting, then a huge 36 hour ferry ride down the Adriatic to Patras, Greece. We arrived there after two nights of sleeping on the hard deck at about 5 in the morning. Then onto a 3 hour bus ride to Pireaus. Thankfully we found our hotel really easily and were able to check in right away. We made arrangements to get to Santorini the next day on a short 8 hour ferry ride.
Then, I (Brad) went to see if I could book our train tickets from Athens to Thessaloniki for when we get back from Santorini. We hadn't been able to do this yet because we literally couldn't. We tried to make reservations from Rome but were told that the only way to book tickets in Greece was to actually be physically present in the Greek statio. That you were traveling from. So we had to wait. So I made my way into Athens to the main train station and stood in line. I was then told by the clerk that I couldn't book tickets for August because, well I don't really know why. I was just told quite adamantly that I couldn't. So that was that. We're hoping to get tickets the day we travel. There are several trains going every day so we should be able to get something.
Anyways, we are now on Santorini and it is great!

Our hotel offers so many wonderful things like air conditioning, easy bus access, a pool, and pick up service from the port. Let me (Char) tell you there are only a few ways to get to the top and into the city. One way is to walk, which is ok if are ok with walking up some 400 uneven steps, and arriving sweaty at the top. The other way is to take a van, which is pretty good as it is air conditioned and rather comfortable. But I think the best (and Brad would agree with me on this) mode of transportation to the top is by donkey. Yesterday we experienced this first hand. We rOde to the top on donkeys. It was Awesome. My donkey in particular did not want to go, and whereas brad used encouraging words with his, I was attempting the clicking noises to make it go. However once the driver started to yell at it it decided it would go and quickly. Needlesss to say it was really really fun. Hh

Best Anniversary Ever!!!

Well, it's safe to say that the best way to spend the third anniversary with your loved one is to spend a few days in the city of Venice. Let me (Char) tell you about the city of Venice. The first day we arrived we had a wonderful supper in a quaint piazza in the cool of the evening and during the course of the meal were serenaded by an Italian man with a guitar. It was all very Italian. Then yesterday on our Anniversay we took a boat bus to the small island of Burano, which was idylic to say the least. And then headed to the small island of Murano, and purchased some famous glass, which is very beautiful. And since we had a bit of time before supper we thought to ourselves, "hey, let's take our free gondola ride." How is that possible you may be wondering. Well, a few weeks ago we were checking about something on the Eurail website and noticed that as a thank you to their customers they were giving free gondola rides, and it just happened to be for the time we were in Venice. So, we hopped onto a gondola (with a few other people) and enjoyed a quiet view of some of the smaller canals. It's nice to have unexpected but welcome surprises. We enjoyed supper at a local restaurant, and Brad had the best steak of his life, and walked back to our hotel in the rain. Fortunately we didn't wander too far from the hotel and it only took a few minutes.
   Then to top up our visit to Venice, we enjoyed a lot of contemporary art in the Venice Biennalle, a huge contemporary art show that takes place every few years, and has over 83 artist and tons of world pavillions, of which we saw only a few. My favorite work of art was an installation of pigeons. The artist had stuffed hundreds of pigeons and placed them where normal pigeons would be found. So, every time you looked into the rafters you would see pigeons and get annoyed at their presence, only to realise that they weren't real. I thought it was clever.
My (Brad) top picks included the pigeons as well, plus one called "Void". It was a large wooden sculpture of burnt wood, with a hole in the middle. It was a huge piece, put in the middle of a tiny room, which made it very hard to get around the sculpture and put the 'void' in the middle of our attention and you couldn't escape it. Very interesting and thought provoking.
Future plans? Tomorrow we are going to the city of Trieste, which is east of Venice, not far from the Slovenian border. Why go to Trieste? To see a big, huge cave. We had a couple days to kill before our ferry to Greece, and the cave won out. So, hopefully it'll be good and we'll have a good time there.
Our stay in Venice has been absolutely amazing. It's definitely a highlight of the trip.
On to another city!
Ciao,
Char and Brad.

Enough with the flowers, which way to the brothel?

That, I have to say, is the first time I (Brad) have ever asked the previous question. Probably the only time as well.
Two days ago, we took a trip to Pompeii, the city ruined by a volcano in 79 A.D. After extensive archeological digging, they have unearthed a city that is very well preserved. We got to wander around the ruins and see houses, shops, the forum, what must have been magnificent villas, theatres, and last but not least, a brothel. Needless to say, the frescoes on the inside were not the most "tasteful" or "family oriented" but rather pictures of services offered in that type of establishment. 'Nuff said.
All in all, a very interesting trip though. To see and imagine how people lived in that time of the world, and to walk on really old streets was very intriguing.
Yesterday, we dropped in on the Pope. He wasn't available to have tea. But, we did tour the museums and see the Sistine Chapel. With about a million other people. I felt kind of like we were in a herd of cattle, being herded through a corral system. There was only one way to go, and to go the other way would've been impossible. We find that tour groups can be pushy, as they all want to stay close to their tour guide and they are not opposed to using their elbows to get through. So, in turn, I don't feel bad about elbowing them back.
St. Peter's Basillica was truly magnificent as well. After a strict check by the morality police (a VERY strict dress code is enforced for in the basillica) we entered by far the biggest church we've ever been in. Covered in gold, marble and big fat cherubs, it definitely did what the architects wanted it to do: put you in awe of the Creator, and His splendor. Michelangelo's 'Pietà' scultpure was a simple portrayal of Mary's sorrow and pathos for her Son after he had died and had been taken down from the cross.
We found something that I (Brad) found very interesting: a bare cross. As you probably know, the Catholic church usually portrays Jesus still on the cross, and rarely is there a bare cross. But a few times in St. Peter's there were bare crosses. It was interesting.
Along with the theme of early Christian history, we visited the catacombs a few days ago as well, which was nice because it was underground and only about 15 degrees!! Quite nice to have natural air conditioning as we walked around 12 meters underground. We saw how the Christians, before Christianity was legalized, buried their dead in a way to differentiate themselves from pagans and in a way that was hidden from view. You can still see some of the early Christian art that decorated the tombs, such as the fish, the anchor, the dove, and other symbols of faith. I asked the question, "I've heard that Christians lived in the catacombs to escape persecution. Is that true?" After touring the catacombs, we could answer that question for ourselves: there's no way that people could live down there. For one, the constant coolness and dampness would've made it very uncomfortable, and secondly, the tufa rock that it was made out of, gives off sulphur gas, which is unhealthy for the lungs. As well, there was no evidence of habitation down there. So, the guide said conclusively that there was no way that people lived down in the catacombs.

From a few weeks back: Cinque Terre.

The crowds on the way to The Sistine Chapel. Try to find Brad!

So, wearing one piece wrestling suits was not permitted.

Char looking rather angelic.

And Brad poking a cherub in St. Pete's.

Finally, a few pictures from our adventures. Hope you enjoy them. We're off to enjoy the rest of the afternoon in Rome.

Ciao,
Brad and Char

St. Theresa was ecstatic...

For a quick art lesson, check out Bernini's sculpture called "The Ecstacy of St. Theresa". Char showed me yesterday, and it is quite the sculpture (and story) to behold inside a church...

Onto other stuff.
Today, I want to tell you about an experience we had in the "Mamertine Prison". Now, this is the traditional site where it was believed that Peter and Paul were held in prison in Rome. Our guide book was a couple years old, and it said the only admisson fee was "donation expected", so we were expecting to pay maybe 1 Euro each to get in. We get there to find that there has been some updates and some more archeological stuff done and now it costs 10 euro to get in and that includes an audio guided tour. So, I was still wanting to go in, so in we went. We got into the first room and the guide told us to go and check out the prison cell, which was pretty interesting. Small, very short ceilings, and dank and dark. It made sense why people wouldn't want to spend time in an ancient jail. We came up, and the guide started an audio and light show in the first room. Oh yeah, it was just the two of us on this tour. No more tourists were there at that time... So, there was audio, something about water, and how the rocks could talk, and then the lights illuminated certain areas of the walls as they were talked about... I felt that this was a bit cheesy, but no worse that the Sherlock Holmes Museum in London.
We went to the next room, and to another video presentation about different prisoners that were held there, and how Peter baptized the Roman jailer in the cell. (huh)
Another room, another video about how Peter, a simple fisherman became the first pope.
Another room, and yet another video about rocks talking to each other. These rocks were from different time periods of the city of Rome. At this time, both Char and I were in agreement that this was extremely cheesy and not worth the 10 euro we paid each to get in.
BUT, we weren't finished yet. The final multimedia presentation led us into a small chapel, where there was a very ornate crucifix. The audio started and talked about how the vitality of faith kept the Christian beliefs going. At the same time, there was a light show, illuminating different parts of the crucifix. It was at this time that we gave each other the raised eyebrow look.
Let us give you some snippits of the audio that was playing:
"Jesus said, 'I am the jar of good intentions.'"
"Jesus said, 'When my heart stopped beating, everyone else's started beating together.'"
As you might imagine, we were pretty ticked off at this misrepresentation of our Saviour. It also alluded to the belief of Universalism, didn't bring up the point that Jesus rose from the dead, and other things that we audibly gasped at. Needless to say, we were not impressed. A jar of good intentions? What the heck? If Jesus just had good intentions, he would've intended to die for our sins, and then just not have done it. Isn't there a saying, something about the road to hell being paved with good intentions?
And don't get me started on the fact that it was Paul and Silas who were in Phillipi and baptized the Phillipian jailer. No where in the Bible does it say that Peter was in Rome (I don't think...correct me if I'm wrong). Not a very heartwarming and faith inspiring visit. Don't make our mistake.
Now, as I go and calm down, here's Char.

On that note let's talk about something that was inspiring. Yesterday to familiarize ourselves with the city  of Rome, we decided to take our own little walking tour. We started at the Coloseum where we took pictures of the outside (today we went inside the Colloseum, which was cool, but that's another story), from there we walked by the Roman Forum, and down that street and into a big white impressive looking building, which we think was the cultural heritage center or something. We really don't know. From there we wondered to the Piazza Navona,  and looked at a Bernini fountain, and then from there we made our way to the Pantheon. Let me tell you about the Pantheon. The building was first built for the pagan gods of the time, like Venus, and a few others I can't really remember, and then with the rise of christianity the building survived because it was turned into a church and the statues of pagan gods were replaced with saints. But the most amazing thing about the Pantheon is an archutectural wonder because it is circular and you can fit a perfect sphere inside the building. There is also a 9 meter occulus at the very top that allow sun and rain in. The floor is also built on a slight slant so as to drain whatever water comes through the top. When we got there, it was 2 in the afternoon and the beam of light through the occulus was pretty cool. I think, for me, it was one of those "I can't believe I'm here" moments. I remember studying it in art history class and telling myself that one day I wanted to stand in that building and look through the occulus. It's pretty incredible in life when some of the things that you only dream about become a reality, and sometimes waiting for them makes the reality that much more significant. It was definately a high light for me.

I think that's all for now. We are going to rest and nurse our sunburns. 34 can be really really hot when you are on marble and pavement. Until later, Caio

Sudden thoughts from Florence!

Here we go: some points from our stay in Florence.
1. We are now the Popplefers. At least according to the day trip tour guide that we went with yesterday. Italians have a hard time with the obscure German names.
2. Tap water here is seldom cold. Thankfully there is faucets for drinking water scattered around the cities. These are usually colder.
3. My bed in the hostel this week is more like a hammock with a wooden pole down the middle. I get into bed and I don't get out until absolutely neccesary.
4. We sweat all the time. And just because a store is in a mall doesn't mean it's air conditioned.
5. We visited Pisa today to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. In all other situations our camera lens has been exceptional. But today, it was gracious enough to fix the lean in the tower whenever we took a picture. The wide angle lens curves the edges in so it made the tower straight. Quite humourous, as basically all we went to Pisa for was to take forced perspective pictures of the tower.
5. Every time I (Char) go the bathroom, I play a little game I like to call "how does it work?". The bathrooms here are not as boring as in Canada, there are many stages of the game. The game begins with locating the bathroom, as they are not always clearly marked. Next there is the matter of whether I have to pay for it or not, and if so to who or what? With that out of the way I can proceed to the toilet, which may or may not have a toilet seat, or toilet paper. Some have both, some have neither. The fun part comes when I get to figure out how to flush it. To flush I can either:push a button, pull a lever, pump a foot pedal, press a foot button, or push down a lever. Today was a special day as I encountered my most unique toilet and got instructions on how to use it from a very concerned Italian lady. Unfortunately she was talking to me in Italian, and when she realized I still didn't understand, she proceeded to show me. It was a squatter toilet, and from many hand gestures and motions, I understood that I needed to: use it very quickly, push the button on the wall and then run out as quickly as possible. The Italian people are so helpful. The game ends when I come out and tell Brad if I won the game by figuring it out.

Venus and David send their regards from Florence

Well, we have arrived in Florence and have spent the last few days walking everywhere in the old city. Mostly the first day was spent walking to and from the information center next to the train station as we tried to book a tour and figure out how to get advance tickets so we wouldn't have to spend hours standing in line. But it was worth it as we got up early yesterday and viewed the Birth of Venus with only a handful of people in the gallery. It was pretty awesome. As we didn't have to stand in line for hours we had plenty of time after we were done the Uffizi gallery at 10am. So, we had a "second breakfast" and went to view a Jewish Synagogue. It was refreshing to see a different house of worship than all the catholic churches we have seen. Then today we visited the Academy and saw the David in person. It was pretty impressive, but we weren't allowed to take pictures, which I think is just a ploy to sell more postcards.
  Yesterday, we also did a bit of shopping and noticed that the more expensive stores had much better air conditioning. The Gucci store in particular had excellent air conditioning, and you know when there is a security gaurd and each bag gets its own shelf that you are in pricy territory. Brad actually touched a bag. I told him not to because they are so expensive that they don't even put price tags on them, because they assume if you are in the store, than you have the money to purchase one.
  An interesting experience I (Brad) had the first day we were here happened as we were walking down the street. I should note that there are a lot of priests, monks and nuns dressed in traditional robes around the city. So, as it was hot outside and we were dressed for the warm weather, I was wearing a tank top and shorts. We couldn't go into a church nearby since I had my shoulders uncovered. So, we were walking away from this church, when a monk turned the corner and was walking toward us. Now, I don't know if he was just having a bad day or if he was really warm, or perhaps regretting his vows, but he gave me in my summer apparel the "glare of death". Seriously, he stared me down for a few seconds as we passed each other on the narrow sidewalk. Imagine a rather large balding monk on a narrow sidewalk staring you down. Not a pleasant experience. I admire men of the cloth, but sometimes you gotta wonder: they probably get really hot under there. It must be enough to make anyone miserable.

Tomorow, we're off to the countryside, as we booked a bus tour for the day. We're going to see a small village called San Gimignano, Siena, and tour a wine estate in the area of Chianti. Is it sad that we are both really looking forward to the air conditioned bus that will take us?

And Char bought a skirt. She looks hot in it.

Brad wishes it was culturally acceptable for men to wear skirts so that he could get more air circulation. The monks would not approve.

Saturday, off to Pisa for the day for lots of pictures of forced perspective with the leaning Tower of Pisa. Hopefully on Sunday we can find an English speaking church to attend, and then Monday, off to Rome!

When in Rome...

Ciao,
Char and Brad

Our first taste of Italy

After a fairly uneventful train ride to La Spezia, Italy, we were excited to get to our hotel and hopefully get some sleep. To our great excitement, we found that our room had A/C in it! This was a great thing as it was really quite humid and hot when we stepped out of the train.
We woke up and bought a 2 day pass to Cinque Terre National Park and hit the trails for the last two days! It's hard to put into words the sights we saw and the amazing natural beauty of the area. We really wish we could upload some pictures, but we can't find the motherboard of this computer to get a USB port. Needless to say, we took upwards of 500 pictures in the last two days. Unbelievable sights! Several of these pictures were pretty much the same angle as the ones from our Italy calendar at home, which we bought for inspiration through the last winter. The sea, in Char's words, "was the best color of blue, because it was blue, green and white, and clear. It was just incredible. I took a lot of pictures of that."
For those of you who want to know the details of where we are, look on Google Maps, and type in La Spezia. That's where our hotel is, and a little to the west and north is the 5 villages that make up Cinque Terre: Monterossa, Vernazza, Coringlia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. We took a train to Monterossa and then hiked to Vernazza along a coastal trail, which wound it's way partly up the mountainside, through vineyards and lemon groves. The path was quite steep, filled with endless steps (usually in the upward direction) and amazing vistas with great panoramic views of the sea and surrounding hillsides. We were reading that this area has been cultivated for the last 1000 years, and there are terraces all the way up the hillsides, so that the farmers can grow grapes and other plants. It took about 2 hours to get to Vernazza, and we were covered in sweat by the time we got there. A boiling hot day deserves gelato.
Let me tell you about the amazing gelato in Italy: its like having a piece of fresh fruit in icecream form. Words cannot express the awesomeness of raspberry gelato.Char rather enjoyed the dark chocolate variety. After refilling our water bottles and rehydrating ourselves, we continued onto the next village, Corniglia. So, doing a strenuous hike in the hottest part of the afternoon, we stopped frequently in the shady patches to leave sweat marks on the rocks where we sat. Again, winding through terraced vineyards and farms was in some places enchanting. We arrived in Corniglia, sweaty and hot. But with smiles on our faces from an amazing walk through some of the best scenery we have ever seen. Well worth the effort and time put into it.
Today, we went back and visited the other two villages, and the 20 minute walk between the two of them seemed like a leisurely stroll. Heck, it was a leisurely stroll. More gelato ensued along with focaccia pizza, which was rather tasty and we had another amazing day enjoying Cinque Terre. The villages themselves were full of steep streets, narrow staircases leading up the hillsides and little old ladies sitting on benches talking in Italian. Probably about all the tourists that come along the path. So I took a picture of them.
Plans for tomorrow? Not much. We might explore La Spezia a bit, but the main thing is rest, for the next day we're heading to Florence to start a week in Tuscany! We hope to do some day trips to Pisa, Assisi, Siena, see the country side and hopefully do a vineyard tour and enjoy life "Under the Tuscan Sun."

Ciao,
Brad and Char

Just a quick one...

We went out for supper tonight at a more traditional French restaurant and after looking at the menu, ordered something that she recognized. Her pizza was quite delicious according to her. Now, myself on the other hand, wanted something new. So I ordered Carpaccio de beouf. I knew that it was something beef related and thought perhaps it was a stew. But when it was brought to the table, it kind of made me think of a cheeseburger. It had fries, some cheese, even lettuce with it. But the beef was a bit rarer than a burger. In fact it was quite raw. The thin strips of beef were just lying on the plate, cool and raw. There was cheese on top of it and a lemon to squeeze on top of it. All in all very tasty, just not at all what I expected.

Nice is nice...

our last day in Strasbourg we had a little time to kill and thought "hey,we are still having stomach problems. Let's check out the hospital." And that is exactly what we did. Brad and I spent the better part of Sunday afternoon waiting on a hospital bed waiting to hear whether we had anything serious. It was a university hospital so we had our temperature taken frequently, and they even hooked Brad up to an IV, which we figured was to keep him from escaping. They also checked Brad's reflexes by asking him to close his eyes and raise his hands, which seemed a bit penicostal for a country full of catholics. It turns out there was a bit of an infection, but they gave us enough pills to open our own pharmacy and we should be o.k.

After that experience, we were so excited about sitting around and not doing much that we hopped onour overnight train to Nice. Sleeping on a train was not like being gently rocked Ina cradle. It was more like Andre the Giant shaking us. Char wanted to get out of that Pit of Despair. 13 hours later we arrived at Nice. Tired and sweaty we walked to our hotel to find that we couldn't check in until 2pm. Luckily we could drop off our packs and we walked around and put our feet in the Mediterranean Ocean! That was the first off many times that we've gone swimming in two days. The ocean has been amazing. Really salty though. It's like it's salt water or something. For supper we were sick of sandwiches and microwave dinners so we hunted down a good cheap restaurant. What we found was that the local cuisine is excellent! In particular, the spring rolls and sweet and sour pork were phenomenal! Nice really does have the best Chinese this side of the Mediterranean!
Today we walked up Castle Hill, which used to be the fortified city of Nice and were greeted with amazing panoramic views of the ocean, the beach, the city and the hills beyond. We had one of those moments that we couldn't believe we are actually here!
Plans for tomorrow: more beach.
Plans for 2 days from now: more beach and then catch a train to Cinque Terre, Italy. It's a whole new ballgame then. New language, new ethnic foods like "pasta" and "pizza" to try.

Ciao,
Brad and Char

Going backwards is not as good as going forwards...

Well, after a disappointing trip to Versailles (which we would rather not talk about at the moment), we arrived in beautiful Strasbourg. We were greeted with an orchestra welcoming commity, and fresh air. Although we forgot to write down directions to our hostel, a very nice lady pointed us in the right direction, only to have Brad take us in the wrong direction. It was a beautiful walk and the sunset was breathtaking, so even as we arrived an hour later we felt refreshed. The last couple days of exploring Strasbourg and Colmar have been wonderful, kind of like a homecoming for Brad as his ancestors walked the same roads. You can also feel the German influence in the choice of flowers and the architecture, which makes us excited to walk over the Rhine River and into Germany tomorrow.

Strasbourg has been so much better than Paris, which really shows our Canadian-ness. We love our space (at least three feet) and our green spaces with clean air, and we have high hopes after our rest in strasbourg that we can deal with the crowds in Nice.

That's all for now,
Char & Brad :)

More adventures in Paris...

So, I had to go to the pharmacy this morning to pick up some antiboitics and some other drugs. It's an interesting experience buying drugs from a pharmacist that doesn't really speak english. It came down to me making hand gestures and sound effects of bodily functions gone wrong and I got the right stuff.

Did I mention that we both have what we think is food poisoning?

Good times. It actually started a couple days ago with me having to run to the bathroom quite quickly, and then taking the day and just resting. Then yesterday, Char started having the same "symptoms" but because it was Sunday, we couldn't find an open pharmacy. First thing this morning, drug time!! We believe they are working. We would appreciate your prayers for a quick and speedy recovery.

In the midst of sickness, we did go and check out the largest flea market in Paris, which was a bit overwhelming and busy. The Metro stop alone was full of beggars and people trying to sell us used metro tickets. Then outside the station, lots of people hawking belts, watches, sunglasses, etc. Honestly, it kind of reminded me of India. We had read that that part of the city was one of the poorer parts of the city.

Yesterday, we did venture out and found Hillsong Paris, which was really good. It was all bilingual. One song in French, the next in English. It was a neat experience to have that sort of unity in church. Then, onto another pilgrimage: to Starbucks. Let me tell you, if you think Starbucks is expensive in Canada, it's cheap. We paid €8.50 for two small drinks!!

Today, after twe had started our drugs, we again ventured out slowly and found our way to Notre Dame and Sainte Chappelle, two old churches on the Ile de la Cité. Sainte Chappelle was floor to ceiling stained glass and it was breath taking. It was built around 1250 to house "the true crown of thorns". The glass was stunning. Notre Dame was really crowded with other tourists, so I don't think our visit did it justice. It was definitely nice though.

Well, I should go buy some chicken noodle soup for Char and I to eat for supper and some bread for tomorrow: if all goes to plan, we're heading to Versailles tomorrow.

Cheers,

Brad & Char

Ahh, sweet Paris.

I think it's official: we really like Paris!! It's been super good to us. (except this keyboard. The keys are not where I think they should be. If I type like I nor,qlly do; this is zhqt hqppens:) Not pretty. So, anyways pictures do not do justice to things that you see in real life. For example, the Eiffel Tower! It's huge! And greyish-brown. Char and I always thought it was black... huh. We bought the tickets to walk up the stairs to the second floor, which was the cheaper way to go and it's a long way to the top if the top is a long way up! 700 steps to be precise. So that was tiring. But amazing views from the top!

We also went to the louve today. Pictures do not do the paintings justice, they are so much larger in person then in pictures. That's the one thing that seeing things in person does for the appreciation of art, it shows the scale of some of the most famous paintings. And I (Char) feel bad for saying it as an art major, but the Mona Lisa did not make me smile. However there was a picture of monkey painting that sure did the trick.

So far Paris has been good to us, and the apartment we're staying in is lovely, and cosy. We look forward to the days to come and seeing Notre Dame and Versailles. I (char) also plan to buy some really great Paris kitch. That's all for now,

Au Revoir!

In Paris!

We are in Paris! We left Dublin early this morning and arrived in France 10 minutes ahead of schedule. And yes God is so good! After I posted last night, we go word from a lady who is going to rent us her flat for the week! So, 8 days in the city of love! Thanks for al your prayers, it's good to be here. I think we're going to go to bed now...

Bon vivre!

Brad & Char

Future Plans...

We leave for Paris tomorrow morning at 6:30am. That means we have to be at the Dublin Airport at 4:30am. So, that means we don't get much sleep tonight. BUT, on the plus side, we have one night booked in Paris! So, praise God for that. But please keep praying that we could find a good situation in Paris for the rest of the nights we want to spend there.
We're planning on doing some research once we get down there and hopefully finding something good. But for now, we're just gonna giv'er.

Thanks for praying.
We'll catch you later.

Peace.

A day out in the countryside... and a few more pictures.

Well, today our cousin Carrie had a friend of hers drive us out to Glendalough, which as a really old monastic settlement. With ruins that were about 1000-800 years old. It was one of those afternoons that was perfect: whenever Char and I think of Ireland, we think of misty, lush, green hillsides with old stone buildings. As well, add in a major portion of Lord of the Rings type scenery! We fully expected to see some hobbits or elves using the forest paths. Absolutely amazing scenery!

Yesterday, Carrie took us on a walking tour of Dublin, which was really interesting to see the sights and experience the buskers and street performers, the alleys, and the colors of Dublin.
I should add that Carrie is an amazing cook! We have been super blessed to have amazing food while staying with her!! So any cousins, take note and come visit!!
This morning we went to church with Carrie and Dublin Vineyard Church. Again, just a God-send, to come together with other believers and hear a message of the pursuit of holiness and to come to God in worship. Great times. Then, to see the ancient monastery and the outdoor sanctuary of rural Ireland was a great way to continue worshiping God. There are moments that you definitely feel like you are in Europe, and this afternoon was one of them.  

Char with sheep!

St. Kevin's Chapel

The Upper Lake at Glendalough

Char and Carrie

Absolutely amazing!

A few anticipated snapshots of the trip thus far...

in Trafalgar Square

Char likes the lions as well

The Houses of Parliament

Brad attacking Arundel Castle

In Arundel Castle Gardens

Arundel Castle

On Worthing Pier. On the south coast of England.

Bath, England

"Mind the Gap." You hear this every time you get on and off any train in England.

Without warning, a ninja could come and drop kick you as well...

St. Paul's Cathedral, London

Yes,  yes I am...

We did enjoy the great art for free! Tate Modern Art Gallery, London

I'm starting to think in a British accent...

Well, we finally are posting again. We made it to Dublin a few hours ago, after a 3 hour ferry ride. I (Brad) have never been on a big boat again, so to show my excitement, I promptly fell asleep. The back story: on Tuesday, we left London. What did we do in London, you ask? We did the British Museum (Char's highlight was the Egyptian artifacts and mine was the early European history stuff. And everything was absolutely huge!), The National Gallery (we saw some Caravaggio, Turner, Monet, Van Gogh, a Da Vinci and so much more. And they were so much more beautiful in person. Much better than an art text book.), The Tate Modern Museum (we saw some Rothko paintings, interesting installations and scultpures. REALLY COOL!), The Design Museum (an amazing exhibit about type fonts, which I was in awe of), we went to communion at Westminster Abbey (at 8:00am in the morning, with only about 10 other people. Really peaceful experience), The Sherlock Holmes Museum (which was a bit anti-climactic to say the least...), Hillsong London Church (it was Sunday morning and we were hoping to go to church, but had no idea where to go. We got off the Tube at Tottenham Court Road to go to the British Museum, and the first thing we see outside of the tube station was Hillsong London. Amazing! It was held in a incredible theatre that hosts 'We Will Rock You!'which is a Queen musical. Definitely a God thing that we saw it and were able to worship Him with hundreds of brothers and sisters.), and we went down to Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park, which was not too far from our hostel, and met one of Char's dad's best friends from boarding school in India. He was been doing work with the Muslim people for about 30 years, and one part of his ministry is to go down to Speaker's Corner and debate with them every Sunday afternoon. What an amazing opportunity to see free speech at work! Well worth it if you're in London on a Sunday afternoon!
So, to continue, after we had communion at Westminster, we boarded a train bound for Arundel, a village close to the south coast of England, which happens to have a castle that is still lived in by the Duke and Duchess of Norfolk. For me (Brad) this was the third time I had been in Arundel, so to actually be able to go in the castle was a huge experience! We loved it! Amazing stone architecture and amazing home decor and incredible gardens! We spend the night in a hotel, which was such a relief and hundreds times better than the hostel in London: sharing a room with 10 other people is no way to spend a holiday. Take note.
Then, on to Worthing, home to some of Brad's friends from previous trips to England. It was such a blessing to stay with John and Barbara again and experience warm English hospitality! A whirlwind tour of some local sights ensued with an exciting adventure driving down a pedestrian walkway in Brighton! We got up the next day after a great sleep and adventured up to Bath Spa, where we found the Roman Baths to be expensive, so Char took a very nice picture of the entrance. Instead, we went to the Jane Austen Centre, where we experienced a beautiful gift shop and a slightly cheesy display (perhaps slightly less cheesy than Sherlock Holmes...) After a walk beside the river Avon, we waited for our next train. A game of iPod Scrabble ensued, which Brad won.
We left Bath at 8:00pm, and 3 trains later, arrived at Holyhead, Wales very cold and tired at about 2:00am. Being the cheap Mennonites we are, we "slept" on the station floor to await our 2:00pm ferry to Dublin. Again, not a fun, enjoyable, look back with fond memories event. Especially since I was able to sleep and Char was not, which Char duly noted in her journal at 5:00am. (It's not my problem that I can fall asleep as well as my dad can...) So after a day waiting around Holyhead, we boarded the ferry and now we find ourselves in my cousin Carrie's flat in Dublin! The smell of chicken fried rice is starting to waft in the room, and we are excited about the next few days of seeing the sights of Dublin and it's environs. We feel hopeful that the journey will only get better from here! After a few days in Dublin, it's on to Paris and not being able to speak French.
We're going to try to upload a few pictures in the next few days, so keep your eyes peeled for that!
Char is glad we're out of London, so that Brad will stop talking with an English accent. Little does she know that I will pick up an Irish one just as quick...
We'll talk to you soon!
Cheers,

We Think The 80's Are Coming Back With A Vengeance...

As we are at the Apple Store in London on Regent Street, it only seemed appropriate to stop and check our email, Facebook and blog. It's a lot easier this way than on our iPod. Today we got our architecture on and went to St. Pauls cathedral and then to the design museum and then to the Tate Modern. So pretty much we   were in heaven all day. We're hoping for a better nights sleep tonight, because last night was hot and stuffy. And a guy with the loudest flip flops I've ever heard kept going in and out of the room. It sounded like he had suction cups on the bottoms. Yeah hostels... Anyways, we are still doing good. Cheers 'til next time.

It's a long way to the top of the top is way up!

We're here! We made it to London at about 6 a.m. Local time. Our flight was populated by a band sitting right behind us that gave us some entertainment by hitting on a girl that was sitting beside them. For 8 hours. Their persistence was incredible! Anyways, I all of the sudden remembered that I need to buy Bovril when we are on our way home so please remind me. Char and I found our hostel easily enough and wedged ourselves into a 12 bed dorm room. The bunk beds are 3 beds high! Char gets the top bunk cuz she really wanted it. But with the stuffiness and the warmth, she's not so sure. We finally showered after a nap this afternoon. We feel better. But, even more exciting than the eventual hot water in the showers, was the fact that we made our way to 221b Baker St. There we met Dr. Watson and got our Sherlock on. That was cool. Then, we stopped at Starbucks. Coffee is always a good thing and the actual shop looked pretty much the same as any other Starbucks. So, we'll probably go hang out in Kensington Gardens tonight and figure out our next move. Cheers!

The Day Before

Well, here goes.
As Bilbo Baggins put it, "It's a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no telling where you might be swept off to."
We're off on our adventure tomorrow.
We'll see you when we get back.