trips.travels.trails

the deed is done

2011-06-11T19:38:00.000-07:00

(typed on a REAL computer and not my iPhone--so much easier!!)

The final day has arrived and we were anxious to get on the road. A cold front moved through the area last night so we woke up to cool temps and mild breezes. Breakfast was provided by BAK this morning--they brought in Chris Cakes to make fresh pancakes, sausage and scrambled eggs (lots of energy for our final journey). We packed up our bags one final time and loaded them on the truck for the final destination of LaCygne, then got on our bikes and headed east. People ask how our bottoms can take the long journey on a small bike seat. All I have to say is it gets easier every day we ride and one secret: Butt Butter (a biker's life saver)!

The scenery today was beautiful--rolling hills (a great challenge for bikers, but fun if you know how to use gravity and momentum to your advantage), lush trees and flowing creeks & rivers. This was the perfect weather day--the temperatures never got over 75 and the breeze was manageable, although it was out of the northeast--a direction we were going. We arrived in LaCygne mid-morning and rode another 8 miles further to reach the Missouri border. This part of the state doesn't have a river to divide its border, so it was anticlimactic when all we did to prove our feat was take our picture by a small green sign that read "Missouri State Line." Oh well, WE knew we made the 480 mile journey that strengthened our will, stamina, lungs and legs. A journey that gave us knew friends in Dave and Scott, a closer relationship with the Theimers, and a realization that we are not alone on any journey.

After reaching the border, all we could do was turn around and ride the 6 miles to Lake LaCygne park for our celebration picnic. Starla, the Theimer's daughter, was waiting for us with our vehicle to take us back to Topeka. We said our goodbyes to those we met on the trip and loaded up the bags, tents and bikes and headed for home, only stopping once at Louisburg for some apple cider donuts (because we could still eat anything we today!)

So was this trip worth it all? Absolutely!! Not many people can say they rode across Kansas on a bicycle. Spending time with good friends and meeting new ones was priceless. Enjoying a whole week with Chris and no other distractions was invaluable to our relationship. Raising money for CCCS and sharing why the message of Christ's love is so important, made this trip more than just about us. We are so blessed to have so many of our friends, family, and brothers & sisters in Christ around the world praying for us.

Would we do this again? Maybe not Kansas right away, but we are seriously thinking of trying another state next year. We have time to explore the possibilities and just enjoy our shorter jaunts around the area on our trusty Treks! Until the next travel bug hits...

My defining moment identified

2011-06-10T20:33:00.001-07:00

Since it was a last minute decision to sleep in the gym in Burlington because of the weather, we left all our clothes in our tent for the morning. That wasn't the beat decision because some rain came in through the door an soaked part of my duffel bag. Thank goodness for hand air dryers in the locker room otherwise it would have been a chilly start to the day if I had to ride in wet clothes.

Today was a beautiful day for riding but as life's ironies are, the wind switched to the north on the day that we were to ride north! At least it was much cooler and overcast most of the day. We took a very scenic route to Garnett which was just under 50 miles. The rolling hills and green land made it very enjoyable for me. But there was one moment that really made me realize that we are part of something so much bigger. Every day this week Dave has gotten a phone call at 9:00 from a VBS in Nashville, Illinois. These kids are collecting money for support of CCCS and learning about the different countries that CCCS has Christian schools in. Today, we all happened to be at a SAG stop when the call came in and Dave talked with the group. They sang "Jesus loves me" in three languages then the pastor prayed for us riders and CCCS. What a powerful moment when you realize that we are a family of Christ. Tears streamed down as we said AMEN! Even one o the SAG workers came over to pray with us. It was quite a witness. Thank you all for your prayers and support.

We continued our ride and came into Garnett around noon. Storms were threatening again and the staff encouraged everyone to be indoors tonight. We found a great spot to set up our beds, took HOT showers and crashed for 2 hour nap. Then it was time to check out the town and find that greasy hamburger joint we were all craving. We found it at Trade Winds Bar & Grill. The town is lovely with a center square that held entertainment for the BAKers. We had the best homemade ice cream made by the Mennonites. But suddenly another storm was forming and the staff wanted everyone to get back to the school. Too bad--we missed out on so much!

Well tomorrow we ride to the Missouri border beyond LaCygne. Starla Theimer will pick us up and then it's back to Topeka...

Feeling at home

2011-06-09T20:44:00.001-07:00

The morning came with refreshed muscles ready for another 60+ mile day. We are getting so good at taking down the tent and packing up. Now that we don't have our personal SAG, we load it all on the moving truck that hauls it to our next destination.

The weather looked threatening this morning, but it went just south and we road most of the morning with overcast skies--which is nice. The route out g Cottonwood Falls was on a very busy Hwy 50 to Emporia. There was a wide shoulder but it had rumble strips. So with semis whizzing by and bikers dodging debris on the shoulder, I thought to myself--I hope no one has a flat. Too late--I did. I was pretty far behind because I rode on it for a bit before realizing that is what was slowing me down. That meant that my group wasn't there to help. Luckily I called Twila and she happened to hear it. Her and Phil returned and we managed to change it but could only get 40 lbs of pressure in the tire with the little hand pump. I had to ride on that for 15 more miles before we found a nice bike couple who had a better pump. It was a challenge, but adds a good story to the week. Chris meanwhile was so far ahead and had no idea what had happened. It wasn't until the lunch stop in Olpe that we met up with the other half of our group and Chris finally checked his text messages to learn of my mishap. The guilt card was played!!

Tonight we had the opportunity to visit Twila's parent's home for a home cooked meal. Her mom and dad, sister Alice and husband, brother Lyle, joined us. It was so nice to be in a real home after a week of being a vagabond. We did some laundry too--always a good thing. We returned to our tent at the fabulous school facility in Burlington, only to watch this severe storm approach. We made the decision to camp inside again, so we didn't have to fight a storm. I don't know what is currently happening outside, but I do expect to find a waterlogged tent in the morning. Tomorrow is a shorter day that leads us to Garnett...

Rolling out the red carpet

2011-06-09T20:23:00.001-07:00

Day 5 - Wednesday

After a grueling day before, we made sure we would get a good night's rest, so we opted to sleep indoors in McPherson's wonderful facility. We left our tents set up and just hauled in the air mattress, pillows and blanket and crashed with a couple hundred others. Everyone was so exhausted that the room was silent at 10pm and didn't come alive until 5:30am. And amazingly, our bodies recouped and we were ready to take on a day of riding through the Flinthills. The winds weren't as bad but the temps were still very high. We stopped for lunch (at 9:30am!) in A park in one of the small towns along the route to Cottonwood Falls. It was breath taking when we rode up a long hill to suddenly be hit with the panoramic view of the Flinthills we had time to soak it in as we coasted down the other side. Awesome!! We arrived at our destination a little after noon and felt do welcomed by this community.

If you haven't ever visited this little gem in the Flinthills, you are missing out. They closed off the streets of downtown and had live Bluegrass music in front of the Emma Chase Cafe (where we had rhubarb pie), and had a beer garden next to the historic hotel (where they served brats), and they had the beautiful Chase County courthouse open for tours (the oldest existing courthouse in Kansas). The town did it right and the bikers really enjoyed of their hospitality. We camped at Swope Park near the pool. It was a nice quiet ace with trees. I rank this destination as the best so far. Tomorrow's road leads us to Burlington...

Goal for the day--finish what I started

2011-06-07T16:00:00.001-07:00

It didn't start off well...last night we experienced 30 mph winds all night and our tent struggled to stay upright. By 1am we opted to take off the rain fly before it took flight. That meant we were exposed to the outside including the 2 parking lot lights and the roar of the wind. By 2:00 we finally fell asleep with the help of our iPods blocking the noise. But wake up time was 5am!

We knew today was going to be our longest ride of 76 miles and we were facing temps of over 100 degrees and 40 mph south winds--so an early start was important. The first 55 miles to the lovely town of Marquette was great. We had a crazy crosswind that was made easier by drafting. At times we were leaning just to keep from being blown over. The SAG stops were great with one selling homemade cobbler.

We "fueled" up again with a delicious pulled pork lunch then got back on the road for the last 22 miles that included 11 miles into that 40+mph wind. This is where teamwork was the most important. We were riding in a drafting line of at least 5 people (but we picked up others on the way). We would trade up leaders every mile and could only manage maybe 8 mph (usually we ride at least 15-20)!! That last section took 2 hours and really tested our wills. We finally arrived in McPherson 7 hours after our early morning start --completely exhausted. I was so overcome with emotion and exhaustion that all I could do was sob uncontrollably. It was the strangest feeling--but made me understand how Olympic athletes feel when they give it their all and succeed. We succeeded! It was the most difficult physical thing I have done and I never want to do again!!

We are now cooling off in McPherson High School--pondering whether we want to drag our bedding tonight and sleep on the gym floor with 200 other people. It is air conditioned. We will see if the winds die down tonight. Tomorrow we head to Cottonwood Falls...

Early start. Early finish. Went nuts.

2011-06-06T17:20:00.001-07:00

(written Monday, June 6)

Thank goodness for an iPhone because we could check the weather to know that it was going to be a scorcher today. So we made plans to leave by 6:30 this morning. It does take us all a while (Theimers and us) to take down the tents and repack everything into our bags. We got on the road by 6:45 and discovered a nice quiet, beautiful morning was awaiting us. It was picture perfect with the sun coming over the horizon, the wheat fields waving in the slight breeze and only the sound of our bike tires whirring on the newly paves roads. We practiced our drafting again and close to 20 mph--it was awesome. We travelled thru Bazine, Rush Center, had lunch in LaCrosse, on thru Otis and ending in Hoisington--67 miles later and by 12:15pm. This was important since the temps were nearing 100 again.

It was a quick set up of tents, then on to the local swimmin' hole to cool off and shower. The towns have been so gracious to the almost 900 people who descend on them. The pools let us swim for free and the restaurants bring in extra help. We really appreciate their hospitality.

We were looking for a good hamburger at a local establishment but only the DQ served them. We did, however, stop at the Tap Room (which only has Coors regular on tap!) for a beer and anything deep fried. Did you know that mushrooms, pickles, onion rings and Rocky Mountain oysters all taste the same when deep fried in the same vat?! Then we continued our meal at Gambinos Pizza. Mmm...only a few more days of this before my body revolts.

Tomorrow is our longest, hottest, and windiest (not at our backs). If we can make it, it's all downhill from there...

Have you ever been to Beeler?

2011-06-05T16:05:00.001-07:00

(written Sunday, June 5)

I would suppose most people have not been to this speck of a town in western Kansas, but we have now! Today was a day of firsts--first time I have ridden consecutive days of more than 50 miles each, first time I have gone swimming in Ness City, first time I was in Beeler (population under 50), the first time I was bit by a red ant, and first time I have drafted while riding bike.

We are really enjoying getting to know people from all over the country. Since we are riding to raise money for Children's Christian Concern Society, we have gotten to know the executive director, Dave Saving. He is a veteran rider and taught us how to draft. We had optimal conditions for it--fairly flat and low traffic roads. Drafting helps bikers conserve energy by staying in the draft and out of the wind. We worked as a team--taking turns being the lead then moving formation to change leaders. It was so awesome to work together--communication is a key as we watch for cars from behind or bikes ahead. We made great time with a slight tailwind. Today's ride was 57 miles.

We arrived in Ness City as the temps were nearing 100. So we set up tent then headed for the pool. COLD!! and the showers were even colder! But it was wet and washed the road grime down the drain. The town has a few local eateries and the Cactus Club enticed us with fried chicken and mashed potatoes/gravy. I even ate the skin (because I can this week!) Because it is still over 100 outside, we are chillin' in the high school auditorium on cushioned seats (a nice change from a bike seat). Once the sun goes down, we will venture back to our tents and get a good night's rest before another hot day's ride to Hoisington tomorrow...

Egyptians in Scott City

2011-06-04T14:55:00.001-07:00

It was a 63 miler today and the best day for a ride. Never have I felt more energized while riding. The roads were smooth, quiet, and flat. We averaged 20 mph which is amazing for us. The wind was fairly calm for this part of the country and sort of at our back. The sky was overcast and somewhat cooler. All his adds up to a wonderful first day. Now we are in Scott City--chillin' in the city park in front of our tents getting our appetites ready for brats at the Lutheran church.

So were do the Egyptians come in? Well, Beth is from this area and she wanted to take us to a place she calls "the pyramids". It was a long drive on gravel roads through random desolated areas, but I do have to say that it was a very unique geological structure. I can say that this is a once in a lifetime visit! Been there, done that.

So tomorrow it is on to Ness City. What awaits us there...

Flat! But not a tire!

2011-06-04T08:39:00.001-07:00

If all rides could be like western Kansas then I'm giving up the car! We started at the border at sunrise and rode back to Tribune, then packed up camp, loaded the Escape, then hit the road toward our destination. We are currently eating an omelet breakfast at the Route 96 Cafe in Leoti. Only 20+ miles until Scott City where we camp for the night. And it's only 10am!!

Life in Tribune

2011-06-03T17:27:00.001-07:00

It was an uneventful drive to western Kansas. I don't know how we managed to get five people's bags and equipment into the Escape. But with creative squishing it fit. Beth is our personal SAG for a few days. She works for CCCS and a longtime friend of ours--so we feel well taken care of.

Our plans changed today as far as riding goes. A huge storm with big winds came up, so we opted to wait and ride from the border in the morning. We set up our tents in "tent city" and the winds almost blew us down, but these dome tents are pretty durable. We should get a good night's sleep with the sound of the wind drowning out the snorers!

I think we are ready ...

Are we crazy?

2011-06-02T18:12:00.001-07:00

It's the eve before another true road trip. This one is not by car but by human power--on a bicycle. "Biking across Kansas" is an annual ride that involves about 800 cyclists. This year Chris and I will be part of the pack. About 500 miles of riding in 8 days, seeing our fair state at a slower pace, camping at night, and eating anything we want to because we burn 2500 calories a day!! So this sounds like a great vacation, but as the time draws near, I'm not so sure I can really make it. Oh, I know I can physically make it, but the mind can mess you up. As Chris says, "take it one day at a time," so that is what I will do.

We leave for Tribune, KS at noon tomorrow, drive 6 hours, register, set up the tent, then drive to the Colorado border to ride the 16 miles to our starting point of Tribune on Saturday. Got it? We pray for tailwinds, no rain, and quiet roads.

And so it begins...

all wine roads lead to alsace

2010-05-15T13:48:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that we are on our last day of the river boat cruise on the Rhine. What could top the past days we have had, but the day didn't disappoint. Every day gets hard to get up early, but once we open our eyes and realize where we are, we prepare ourselves for a day of new adventures. Today it was the wine road through the region of France called Alsace (al-zahs). This is a wine vineyard region--white wines--and absolutely beautiful. It is a valley region between the Black Forest and the Les Hautes Vosges Mountains. Vineyards fill every spot not occupioed by half-timber houses of the 16th & 17th Century. It is out of a storybook. Little villages dot every few kilometers--some with old moats still intact. At any moment I think I will see the "six-fingered man" or Fezzik the Giant...INCONTHEEVABLE! (reference: The Princess Bride)

We drove all along "the wine road" to Riquewirh--a medievel town at the base of the mountain range. We stopped at the Hotel Cerf for a wonderful French/German meal. This area has changed nationalities at least 4 times since the turn of the 20th Century (now it is under France). I really love this area of France and want to see more of this country someday. We couldn't leave without buying wine, macaroons and local folkart.

Back on the bus to Colmar--the capital of this small state of Alsace. Ths is a larger city but still has an old town and the charm of France. We wandered the streets for a while before finding a quaint cafe. Up the spiral staircase to the second floor for espresso or "the" (tea). No English, but we managed to get what we wanted. When Euros are envolved, everyone speaks the language.

Tonight the "last supper" was one to remember...not to bore anyone, but we had 6 courses and our main course was a beef tenderloin in hollandaise sauce and white asparagus (only grown in this region this time of year) and ended with baked Alaska. Words cannot describe the pleasure to the tastebuds.

Tomorrow we disembark by 9:45am. It will be hard to get back to the real world, but exercise and healthy eating is on tap for our bodies next week. I thank my dad for this once-in-a-lifetime gift. We can never repay him for it, but know that spending time with him now is the best gift of all!

7 days, 3 countries...TIRED but happy

2010-05-14T13:13:00.000-07:00

When the alarm went off at 7:00 this morning, it was so hard to get up. Not that this cruise has been grueling or stressful--I've been plenty busier and stressed at home--but for some reason leisure can be tiring.

We docked at 5 a.m. in Strasbourg, France. Neither Chris, Dad, Judy or I have ever been to France so we were looking forward to a new country. It didn't disappoint. This time, instead of a walking tour, we went around the city's canals on a glass covered boat with an excellent tour guide. Strasbourg has been under German and French rule many times in its history and has been a key trade route on the Rhine and Ill rivers going back once again more than 2000 years. What was really impressive is that city is really, truly old. Much of the old town buildings are more than 500 years old and older. That is so hard to fathom when you come from America.

The city was bustling with tourists but it didn't loose any charm or beauty. The focal point of the city is the Strasbourg Cathedral. You would think we would get tired of seeing all these cathedrals, but this one is unbelievable--constructed of red sandstone and very ornate. Pictures will never do justice, but all the same, we took many! We wandered around the town, enjoyed an eclair and listened to beautiful spoken French language. I sure wish I had learned a language when I was young--it opens up the world.

We went back to the boat for lunch then the afternoon was open to do whatever we wanted to do, so Chris & I walked the 2 miles back to old town Strasbourg. We had a map and wound around streets, through the University, to our destination. As long as we stayed on our walking side of the path and out of the many bicycles way, we were fine. We found the art museum in the beautiful Palais de Rohan. Then we walked back along the river path as the sun finally peaked out from the clouds (first time this trip).

Back on the boat we enjoyed another wonderful meal of veal. The wine has also been enjoyable--it is part of the meal and are local wines. What will I do next week when I look in my fridge at home and don't see anything edible. I'm savoring every moment. Tomorrow we take the wine road tour of northern France--it is supposed to be beautiful. Until then...

rain can not hold us back in Heidelberg

2010-05-13T13:29:00.000-07:00

The skies are still cloudy and the air is chilly, but layers help to block out the cold. This morning we landed in Speyer on the Rhine. Speyer has a lot of history in Europe dating back more than 2000 years. Of course the town has been rebuilt many times over the past 2000 years but there were many historical sites including the largest Romanesque-style church in Germany. Now there have been so many facts given to us that I would never be able to tell anyone 5 minutes after I was told, but at the time of hearing it, I was enthralled.

We spent about 2 hours in Speyer, but it was rather quiet because today is both a religious holiday (Ascension Day) and a national holiday (Father's Day). Most of the shops are closed but they do keep the "tourist" shops open.

Following our little tour of Speyer, we took the optional tour to Heidelberg. I'd heard about this town and its castle from Jacob when he went with Sebastian 4 years ago. What an amazing site. This castle has only been partially been restored but is a beautiful palace made of red and tan sandstone with ornate carvings and a panoramic view of historic Heidelberg (not destroyed by WWII). It was a scene from "The Princess Bride" - with the moat, balcony, and 55,000 gallon wine barrel (the largest in the world).

After our tour of the castle, our guide took us to one of the 4 remaining buildings not destroyed in the mid-1600 fire. The Hotel Ritter is a beautiful 500+ year old building that we ate a wonderful German meal at. Then we walked around the mostly Baroque-style old town in the light drizzle. Even in the rain it was beautiful and way better than work (sorry people--but you would agree!)

Back on the River Ambassador we had an Epicurean experience. So what is Epicurean, you ask? Well, Wikipedia says "It propounded an ethic of individual pleasure as the sole or chief good in life. Hence, Epicurus advocated living in such a way as to derive the greatest amount of pleasure possible during one’s lifetime, yet doing so moderately in order to avoid the suffering incurred by overindulgence in such pleasure. The emphasis was placed on pleasures of the mind rather than on physical pleasures. Therefore, according to Epicurus, with whom a person eats is of greater importance than what is eaten." So that is a little wordy--in our language it means that we enjoy our food and drink to moderation (we had special wines with each course) AND enjoyed delightful meal conversation with Roy & Mary from Thunder Bay, Ontario. Just average people enjoying a new experience on a river cruise--similar to us. The people we have met have been as much a highlight as the places we have seen.

So tomorrow we head to Strasbourg, France--a new country for both of us. Until then...

planes, trains, automobiles (and boats)

2010-05-12T13:06:00.000-07:00

We've taken them all on this trip...today included a ride on the autobahn in a Ford Galaxy (which in Germany is a minivan) and an hour trip on the DB (train). We opted out of the tour of the wine town of Rudeshiem (which would have been a nice tour) for a trip into Frankfurt. Bob & Rita Flohrs picked us up and drove us to the city. Bob is a pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Frankfurt (English speaking) so we were given a tour of the church, their lovely European apartment, and downtown Frankfurt.

We did have a moment of panic when we entered an elevator in a department store. As we hit the button to go to the 8th floor, it stopped--as in no lit up buttons and shut doors. Thank goodness for the 2 German men who were with us who could understand the voice on the other end of the help button. We waited for what seemed longer than the 2 minutes before the person attached to the "voice" brought power back the elevator and took us down 3 floors then back to ground level before the doors opened. We quickly headed for the escalators instead and enjoyed a birds-eye view from the observation deck.

Frankfurt is the third largest city in Germany and a hub of a lot of international businesses. Their downtown has two sides--new modern skyscrapers on one side and the "old" part (rebuilt to look pre-war). We walked down the Zeil, a long street of shopping and lots of people, then ended up at an Italian ristorante for fabulous pasta and a bottle of Chianti. Yes, we are in Germany, but as Chris says, when in Germany eat as the Italians! It was wonderful food and good company. We were the Flohrs' first American guests since they moved to Frankfurt last August. After a big day, they put us on a train back to Rudesheim. It was a great way to end the day.

So what to do now? Well, Charlie's back in the lounge singing "I-M-C-A" (no hint of a Y) as we rest our tired feet. Tomorrow we tour Speyer in the morning and take an extra excursion to Heidelberg and its castle. I am really looking forward to that. Until then...

on the romantic Rhine

2010-05-12T03:06:00.000-07:00

This morning we are cruising up the Romantic section of the Rhine where most of the castles are. About every couple of miles there a beautiful little town nestled in the slate hillside with a castle perched on a hill. It truly is an amazing site, coming from the plains of the Midwest. This is also wine country (mostly Rieslings and other white wines--but German wines are not the sweet ones of the past--they have really gotten respect in the wine world).

I haven't mentioned the weather much because it isn't worth talking about. We have been fortunate not to get rained on, but it is very chilly (about 38 this morning). The boat has a nice glassed in area on the sun deck that helps, and they provide blankets for extra warmth. The lounge has become one of our favorite warm spots to watch the scenery.

We will be to Rudesheim by early afternoon, where we will meet Pastor Bob.

Ailments and Nazis

2010-05-11T12:57:00.000-07:00

Curious about that title, let me 'splain... the day included Chris and I having a short stint with ailments (Chris' included a bathroom and mine included some itching)--but time heals and it didn't slow us down just made us a little uncomfortable for a while.

Our afternoon took us to Marksberg Castle about 20 minutes from Koblanz. This was an extra excursion of our choice and about two-thirds of the passengers took advantage of this trip. Marksberg Castle is the only Medieval castle not destroyed by any wars. It is privately owned but open to the public. So now you are wondering where the Nazis come in. There were actually none, but our tour guide, Dieter, had the persona of an SS interrogator. Heaven forbid if you asked him a question! In his defense, he knew his stuff and his tough German exterior eased by the end of the tour. It made good conversation on the bus ride back to the boat.

This evening Chris & I sat with a fascinating couple who have led an interesting life. That has been a highlight of this trip. Because the ship is so small, we have made a point to meet many people. We like to listen to their stories, and even though we aren't world travellers (yet) we feel blessed with what opportunities we have already had.

Tomorrow we meet Pastor Bob and Rita Flohrs and will take us places, possibly Frankfurt and who knows where else. Should be fun! Until then...

The beauty of Koblenz

2010-05-11T04:18:00.000-07:00

This morning we are docked in Koblenz--a place where the Mosel River converges with the Rhine. It is one of the oldest cities in Germany going back 2000 years to the Roman era. But, like so many cities in Germany, it was 85 percent destroyed in WWII. The good thing is the people value history and so rebuilt the city to look mostly like it did. We took a 90-minute walking tour with a very knowledgeable guide. Too bad I won't remember most of the facts he gave us.

A little about the boat and it's captain (we listened to his talk this morning). It is a flat bottom boat that can sail in as little as 22 cm of water. The captain began navigating water vessels at the age of 16 and became captain at 21. He has had many years of experience and loves the life of travel. They are on the ship for 4 months then have a 4 month break. He is also a deep sea diver so travels to Indonesia on his break to dive.

This afternoon we are heading the Marksberg Castle. Hoping the many stairs to the castle will burn off the fabulous food we have been treated to. This noon we ate Black Forest Cake--like nothing I've ever had before! Until later...

eau de cologne 4711

2010-05-10T13:41:00.000-07:00

That's right--we were in Cologne, Germany today. But the trip there was just as enjoyable as the stop. What a way to travel through the countryside--at a rate of 15/mph looking at the beautiful towns and scenery from the view of the river. The bicyclists and walkers along the riverside were everywhere, then little pastures of sheep or horses or cows dotted the land. Even though it was cool and mostly cloudy, we zipped up our jackets and took advantage of the view.

At around 3:00 we docked at Cologne and went on a walking tour throughout the central part of the city to the cathedral. Ninety percent of the city was destroyed in the war, but those who rebuilt had to make it look like it did before the bombing. So even though it is a "new" city, it still had the charm of old Europe. Amazingly, though, the cathedral stayed intact (except for one stained glass window). The sheer size was breathtaking. This Roman Cathedral (supposedly) holds the remains of the Magi encased in a pure gold shrine.

After our walking tour, we walked through the shopping district and saw the actual place where Farina created the famous Eau de Cologne perfume. Unfortunately, I didn't realize how inexpensive it was, so I didn't buy any. Darn (sorry Katie--I would have gotten some for you if I had known!)

Our evening meal was the Captain's Welcome Dinner. Unbelievable! Six courses...including carrot ginger soup, beef carpaccio, veal, and chocolate souffle with pistachio ice cream. Now we are listening again to "Charlie" singing Elvis as I sip a white Russian. Ah, the life for such a brief time!

Tomorrow we tour Koblenz and Chris & I will take the extra excursion to Marksberg Castle. Until then...

Learn German in 15 minutes

2010-05-10T02:24:00.000-07:00

We are sitting in the lounge of the ship listening to our cruise manager giving us a lesson on German. Not sinking in much! Actually, understanding every word isn't as important as a smile. We are finding out what excursions will be happening this week. These are the optional tours. We are choosing to go to Marksburg Castle (the only medievel castle on the Rhine not destroyed)tomorrow and Heidelberg on Thursday. On Wednesday, we are going to be taken around the Rudesheim area by Dad's former pastor who is now a pastor in Germany. Looking forward to seeing what the locals do!

This was a view from the ship of last evening's sunset.

This is our room with a window. You can see how close the water line is.

As the sun sets on the Rhine (Sunday evening)

2010-05-10T01:06:00.000-07:00

In all fairness to Amsterdam, I found out why the city was filled with trash—their street cleaners are on have been on strike for the past 4 days. Do you know how much trash piles up in 4 days in a large metropolitan area? So even though I judge the city as dirty, I will have to visit another time when it is at its best.

Tonight we got a taste of what we will experience throughout the week as far as the food goes. Part of the cruise package are the meals. We were a little unsure if this was a good thing since part of the experience of traveling is eating at local restaurants. Well, tonight’s meal on the ship gave us that taste. Uniworld makes sure that we experience the best of the regions we are travelling through and tonight we had a 5-star menu of the Dutch cuisine. Now I couldn’t tell you exactly what we had but some highlights started with deep-fried smoked gouda cheese and ended with a sour cream raisin crepe. Another bonus was unlimited complementary wine during the meal. And for some reason our waiter thought Chris & I needed a full glass at all times. It was all good.

We are watching the sun set as we sit in the lounge listening to a “Charlie”—an enthusiastic Eastern European singing some Johnny Cash and some Tina Turner. Did I mention that we are probably the youngest people on the cruise? But it’s all good. We are meeting people from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Great Britain and Israel. In the words of Charlie— we are “rrrrroolllling down da rrreeva”

About the Dutch

2010-05-09T08:53:00.000-07:00

We made it! After a longer than normal flight which took us over New Foundland, the southern tip of Greenland and the northern tip of Iceland (north of the volcano), we arrived in Amsterdam at 10 a.m. Sunday(which is 7 hours ahead of Topeka time). The flight was uneventful but not the easiest to get a decent sleep. It was a crowded plane but Chris & I had the window side (Dad was seated smack dab in the middle of the row of 5).

The Amsterdam airport was busy and it took us a while to connect with the Uniworld guide, but eventually we were loaded into a bus and transported to the dock where the River Ambassador was waiting. It would be a couple hours before we could get in our room so we opted for a quick look into the city.

As I had experienced before, it is easy getting around in Europe and feeling comfortable on public transportation. We walked to the center of the city and caught a cable car to the Van Gogh museum. Even though we were dead tired, we saw the more than 200 works by Van Gogh plus many of his contemporaries of the impressionist era. My favorite was "Sunflowers." Because we were not so good with the language, somehow we rode the cable car back for free (let's hope the conductor isn't reading this). We tried, but no one seemed to know what we should do, so we just got on and rode.

My thoughts on Amsterdam: it's not that impressive. Everywhere we went (whether through the center of the city or riding the bus from airport) we saw lots and lots of trash and graffiti and most of the buildings are square and non-descript.

Our boat set sail at 5:00 and we are now slowly cruising up the Rhine (runs south to north) heading for Cologne tomorrow. Until then...

Wondering about the ash (written May 8)

2010-05-09T08:35:00.000-07:00

Our next journey begins as we embark on Europe. As a 25th wedding anniversary gift from my dad, Chris & I (along with Dad and Judy) are taking a week-long river boat cruise down the Rhine River. Now we are waiting in Chicago O’Hare , for our flight to Amsterdam. So far, we are lucky and our flight is scheduled to leave as promised at 6:22pm with no threat of the volcanic ash affecting arrival time.

It’s still not real to me that we are going. I’ve been so consumed in the planning of Katie’s wedding of last week and trying to get all my work done at church, I really haven’t thought about the amazing trip we should have. From Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland, we will be touring many of the castles along the Rhine. If you want to look at a sample itinerary, go to Uniworld’s page.

This is Chris’ first time overseas and will receive his first stamp in his passport! I’m not seasoned either but enjoyed last year’s Washburn University trip to Germany. My dad, on the other hand, has traveled abroad quite extensively and will be a good resource for us.

I’m writing this at the airport but am unable to post to my blog until I can get free internet access—that could be sometime tomorrow. Until then…

the end of the road

2009-06-10T20:42:00.000-07:00

It was hard to get up this morning because it was so comfortable sleeping. It was time to make breakfast with whatever we had left in the cooler. We cooked up the last of the Nathan’s hot dogs and mixed them in the scrambled eggs, brewed a pot of coffee, toasted some bread on the gas grill, and poured a glass of orange juice. It was a meal fit for a king.

Today we headed home via Table Rock Lake, MO. It was another day of winding around roads (I almost got car sick) and forcing the car to make it up steep elevations. We arrived at Table Rock around 1 p.m.—just in time for lunch. I had prepared tuna before we packed up camp, so we devoured that with crackers, finished the milk, last apple, and the praline candy we bought in Charleston which got soaked in the cooler (it was meant as a gift, but was too disgusting to present to anyone.)

As we were picnicking, we noticed a great bike trail around part of the lake. Well, it was our last day and we needed to get our legs moving after riding in a car for so long. Even though it was in the 90s with high humidity, the ride was what we needed. It was about 5 miles and wound around a small part of the lake. We loaded them up again and headed for Branson (only a few miles away.)

We only drove through this crazy town. Neither of us have been there and felt that just looking at all the Vegas-like signs and buildings, we got the gist of the city. That’s all we needed. Now it was time to haul our cargo home to Topeka. We arrived home around 8 p.m.

I think the part I enjoy most about camping is the challenge of being organized in chaos and being ready for anything. Neither Chris nor I feel like we are ready to be back in our own beds. We are really enjoying this trip together. Sure, there’s lots of laundry to do and unpacking the tent again to make sure it is all dried out, but we have seen a lot of country in these 2,800 miles. I think next time we do a big road trip we will head to the Northwest--I hear they have lots of rain there too!

always room for one more at the table

2009-06-10T20:40:00.000-07:00

Our journey is drawing to a close, but not without more adventure. We drove nine hours today...through Birmingham AL, Tupelo MS, Memphis TN and numerous little towns during our last couple hours on 2-lane roads. The landscape changed from hilly to flat to very hilly. We ended our day at Blanchard Springs Caverns campground in north central Arkansas.

Once again we found this place by Googling and once again it didn’t disappoint. It’s managed by the National Forest Service so it was rustic yet well designed. Each campsite was remote enough to feel like we had the place to ourselves but there were clean restrooms and running water within a short walk . We got in right at dusk but we are really good at setting up quickly. While Chris set up the tent and unloaded the equipment, I started supper.

We ate a “traditional” camp meal—spaghetti! It’s actually a simple meal and easy to clean up. This time we had some guests join us. Chris suddenly stopped and told me not to move. About 10 feet away, heading toward us was a little skunk. He must have heard it was Italian night. Then after supper, I was doing the dishes and Chris had gone to the restroom. I thought it was him coming back, making a lot of rustling noise, when I looked over at the trash bag we had hanging on the clothes line. There was a large raccoon reaching into it. With a little shriek and a “get away from that,” he scurried off, only to revisit us later as we were in our tent playing cards. We watched him try to get into my camping supplies in a large Rubbermaid container (the food supplies were in the car). He raised the lid and started rummaging when we yelled out. It was his last chance to grab something, so he snatched a bag of paper cups. I don’t know what he was going to do with that, unless he was having a keg party or something! We put everything back in the car and went to bed.

Even though it was pretty humid, we slept so soundly until the thunderstorm rolled through in the middle of the night. Not much rain, just a nice reminder of being in the great outdoors.

a long day's journey into night

2009-06-10T09:37:00.000-07:00

The crows (I think they are following us) woke us up early, so we got up for breakfast. Since the weather was perfect (finally no rain), we could enjoy a leisurely breakfast of pancakes and eggs under the towering pines. The squirrels stayed close, but didn’t beg.

When we drove to the campground yesterday, our little 4-cylender Hyundai struggled with some of the steep climbs. We mentioned that this would be a tough ride on the bikes. Well, we really wanted to get some more riding in, so we ventured on a short ride from the campground to the hotel and back. It was only 3 miles, but one of the toughest climbs we’ve encountered. One stretch was ¾ of a mile with a 5 percent grade. We both made it (I wasn’t going to give up) and so did our lungs! It was a great ride, through beautiful scenery.

Packing up in dry weather is a lot faster so we were on the road in good time for a very long drive today to the town of Fifty-Six, Ark., in the Ozark National Forest. I think we will put on almost 500 miles. This will be our last night of camping—I wish we had another day!

southern hospitality

2009-06-10T09:35:00.000-07:00

So far this trip has not disappointed. After leaving Charleston, we headed south to Savannah, Ga. This is one place neither of us have ever been to and is considered one of the 10 cities in America that should be visited...so we did.

Not knowing where to begin with only three hours to spend, we went to the Visitors’ Center. There on the bulletin board, almost unnoticeable, was a photo-copied map that showed a bike route around 15 of the 22 “Squares” that Savannah is built around. Each Square is like a beautiful little park, some with monuments, some with fountains, but all with huge trees draped in hanging moss. Around each Square are amazing southern homes, enormous churches and quaint shops. We also rode through Forsyth Park that looks like something out of “Gone with the Wind” or “Forrest Gump.”

This was the best way to see the heart of the city in a very short time.
We parked our bikes near the City Market area and enjoyed wings and beer at “Wild Wings Café” (not to be confused with Buffalo Wild Wings.) We had just enough time to wander through a few shops in the market, loading up on souvenirs for friends and family back home. Back on our bikes we completed the loop ending back at the Visitors’ Center where our car was parked. The city of Savannah did not disappoint us—we liked it as well, if not better, than Charleston because of its quaintness, charm and simplicity. We will go back someday.

Then it was back on the road for a 5-hour drive to Cheaha State Park in the Talladega National Forest, Alabama. We found this camp site by just Googling for an area somewhere an hour west of Atlanta. This has to be one of Alabama’s best kept secrets. What a great place to enjoy the great outdoors. Besides great camping for all kinds of campers, there is a hotel, restaurant and store all on the top of Cheaha Mountain—Alabama’s highest point (2,407 feet). The view was almost like the Smokies and since it isn’t well known, it was so peaceful.

We set up camp and enjoyed a great Nathan’s Hot Dog meal, campfire and Jiffy Pop. The deer and squirrels kept a watchful eye on us, but other than that it was like we had the place to ourselves. If you are ever in northeastern Alabama, it’s worth the winding drive to this area.

chucktown rocks

2009-06-07T18:57:00.000-07:00

We packed up...again (at least we didn't have camping equipment this time) and made our way south to Charleston. The heavy clouds began to break up by the time we rolled into town turning into a glorious day.

We found our B&B, but we couldn't check in until 5 p.m., so we had four hours to get on our bikes and ride around the downtown Charleston area. What a great way to see a lot of area in a short amount of time. We rode all along the Charleston Harbor, enjoying the view on all sides (water on one, amazing southern homes on the other). We then found a place to park our bikes and walked all along the outside and inside of Market Street. If you haven't been there, it's a five block long street with open-air buildings that once were the site slaves were sold, but now house hundreds of vendors inside, and many quaint shops, art galleries and restaurants outside. It's an amazing site. We enjoyed poking our heads into many little shops and galleries, but then felt the need to get back on our bikes and see more of the area.

It was getting close to 5:00 and time to see the Ashley Inn Bed & Breakfast. The Innkeeper was waiting and showed us around the 6-bedroom southern home. Our room is lovely with direct access to the second-floor veranda. We enjoyed wine and snacks as we decided where to eat seafood. We chose the Charleston Crab House. It was a good choice.

We sat out on the rooftop and shared crab cakes then broiled mahi mahi, shrimp and sea scallops, finally ending with key lime pie. Everything was fabulous!

We continued walking around the area, then drove even farther out before returning to our B&B to play a couple games of cribbage and "Rebecca's Rummy" on the veranda. Breakfast tomorrow is served at 8:00, so it's a good night's sleep before heading to Savannah.

roasting the fatted pig

2009-06-06T19:24:00.000-07:00

Patrick Meyer graduated from West Florence High School today. He looked less than thrilled to sit through the commencement of almost 400 graduates, but it went very fast. He was in the top 15% of his class and is heading off to the College of Charleston to major in biology this fall. He hopes to someday be an orthopedic surgeon--but who knows.

Then it was time for all of us (Laurie's family and the Meyer clan) to prepare for the grand festivities this evening. A friend of Laurie's gave, as a graduation gift, a pig that he barbecued all day. It was served Carolina style, after it was done, he flipped the split hog over and pulled the pork away from the skin. Then he poured gallons of their style of sauce--a vinegar based sauce that was fabulous. We just grabbed a fork and pulled off from the pig, all the pork we wanted. Mouthwatering!

Beside pork, there was so much food and drink. It was a grand event. Lots and lots of neighbors and friends of Patrick's came. To keep all the children busy, they had a 25 foot tall inflatable slide in their front yard. Patrick works for the business that rents them, so he got it for free. Chris tried it too and has war wounds to prove it.

The sky cleared this night for the first time since we left Topeka. This was a night we should have been camping, but we retired to our motel room and will leave for Charleston tomorrow.

living like a king

2009-06-06T06:22:00.000-07:00

On Friday, we got to see how one of the wealthiest families in our nation's history lived. After packing up our soggy tent and belongings at the cozy, little campground near Ashville (we are getting the packing down to about an hour now), we wound our way through the beautiful tree saturated mountains to Biltmore Estates.

If you've been to Europe and seen some of the gothic-style architecture, this was America's closest thing to a royal palace. Instead of describing it to you, check out their Web site: www.biltmore.com. It was a fabulous day. Not only the tour of the enormous mansion, but the gardens and grounds were breathtaking. Take 140 Central Parks, and you get the size of the Vanderbilt's property in the mountains. The designer of Central Park was the designer of these grounds. We wanted to ride our bikes around the area on their great trails, but we ran out of time. It was on to Florence to see the Meyers for Patrick's high school graduation on Saturday.

We arrived in Florence at the best time--meal time! Cevyn and Laurie treated the crowd (I think there were 14 of us) to genuine Southern hospitality with a shrimp (and more) boil. Outside they filled huge pots with boiling seasoned water and filled them with potatoes, polish sausage, corn on the cob, and shrimp. Then poured the cooked pile of food onto a foil-covered table. We just grabbed what we wanted and ate to fullness. It was wonderful.

As we sat out in Cevyn's "man cave" (screened porch), we listened to the rain again. It was great to catch up with everyone. Laurie's family was busy in the kitchen and I knew I would bog down the well-oiled machine, so I played "Mary" and just listened and socialized.

We are in a motel for the next couple of nights, so no unpacking in the rain. As much as I love the outdoors, I am looking forward to a bathroom 15 feet away.

rain, rain, go away...

2009-06-04T17:37:00.001-07:00

The best part about camping, for Chris and me, is the breakfast. I love all the camping gadgets and organizing it all. This morning, we decided to have pancakes, eggs and juice/coffee. Chris fired up the old campstove and I mixed up the batter. He also got to try out his new percolator coffee pot. What a great way to start the day. The rain finally let up, but the high trees above us showered their wet leaves as a light wind shook them. It was hardly noticeable. A pair of deer joined us for a while as we finished our meal.

The plan for the day was to ride the 11 mile loop through Cade’s Cove on our bikes. If we would were here one day earlier, we could have ridden the loop without motorized vehicles, but this morning we had to share the road. At first it was very frustrating—tailing behind the slowest moving cars or Harleys (they are loud and louder), but finally we passed the cars (bikes usually don’t do that, but the drivers would stop at every wild creature they saw—you see one deer, you’ve seen them all!) We did get to see four black bears walking through the meadow—that stopped all traffic for the photo op.

The ride was awesome—a lot of coasting, but when you go down, you have to go up at some point. There were a few very steep, winding hills, but we geared down and made the climb. I love my new bike for its ease of riding on so many types of roads.

We packed up and spent the rest of the day driving through the Smokies and the Blue Ridge Parkway. The scenery was breathtaking. We stopped for a light lunch under a canopy of trees and listened to the babbling of Laurel Creek. Fly fishermen dotted the streams and tourists stopped to capture the moment. It was a great day to appreciate all that America has to offer.

Tonight we are camping near Ashville NC. Our campground is back woodsy like—Chris thinks he hears banjos in the distance. It was once again RAINING when we got here so we had to set up in the wetness. But, the screen tent was a life-saver (good thing we make happy mistakes) and I made burgers, fried potatoes and pork n’ beans. It always tastes better with the sound of the rushing river in the background. We should sleep well tonight. Tomorrow we will tour the Biltmore Estate before arriving in Florence SC to see Cevyn & Laurie and boys.

you can only be so prepared

2009-06-04T17:30:00.000-07:00

If I could rate our adventure today on a scale from 1 to 10, it would be in double digits. Our drive to the Great Smoky Mountains was very uneventful—we drove 525 miles, cruising through Paducah KY, Nashville TN, and finally to the GSM National Park. We made good time, despite losing an hour to Eastern Daylight Time.

The campground at Cade’s Cove was lovely. Our spot was C-7, complete with a fire ring, picnic table and tent pad. It was time to finally unload the car and get set up so I could cook our first camp meal. As we started to pull out all the camping gear, including the tent, cookstove, lantern, etc, we started to feel the exhilaration of camping in God’s beautiful world. It was time to set up the tent first. I unrolled the tent and just stood there staring at it as Chris came over to figure out why I wasn’t putting it up. Then he realized it too…it was not our camping tent, but our screened-in tent for the picnic table! *$#()$%^* (actually, laughing was all we could do, it was pretty funny and we will never forget it!)

What were we to do? Our brand new tent must have gotten put up on the shelf in the garage and we grabbed the wrong tent—their cases look a lot alike. It was now 7 p.m. and we hadn’t eaten AND we didn’t have a place to sleep. Thank goodness for the Garmin GPS that we borrowed from the Theimers. We plugged in “Wal-Mart” (that’s where we got our last, unused tent) to see where the closest one was. Only 28 miles to Maryville TN to the nearest Wal-Mart, but in the mountains it took Chris 45 minutes one way.

Sure enough, they had the same tent we have on our garage shelf for the same price ($49). So Chris picked it up and then stood in the Express Checkout for 15 minutes behind the four women, each with more than 10 items. Finally, two hours later, he arrived back at the campsite. All this while, I set up the screen tent and began cooking the chicken/veggie foil dinner. It was getting dark and ominous. Then the heavens unloaded buckets of water on me. I’m so glad we accidentally packed the screen tent—it was the only thing to protect me and we could eat in a drier setting.

We ate and listened to the monsoon on the other side of the thin screen, praying for it to stop so we could finally set up the sleeping tent. At about 10:30 p.m. the rain let up enough for us to get set up. It’s kind of difficult to put together a 10’x13’ tent in the dark with oversized ponchos on, but with a few re-dos, we erected the structure, blew up the air mattress, made the bed and prepared for sleep. It was a beautiful night—the clouds opened up again with another deluge, but this time we stayed dry.

Morning greeted us with an alarm clock of a large crow perched above our tent, cawing until we emerged from our cocoon. Another day begins…

the smell of elephants fills the air

2009-06-03T06:44:00.000-07:00

The rain from Kansas has moved into St Louis, but just a gentle drizzle. Chris & I took a bike ride around Forest Park (about 5.5 miles) this morning. It was beautiful and and great bike-friendly trail. Yes, the smell of elephants did fill the air near the zoo, it would have been fun to stop but we are on a schedule today.

Soon it is off to the Great Smoky Mountains to camp tonight. Drizzle is in the forcast, but as long as we don't get the storm we encountered yesterday, it's all good.

It is hard to say good bye to Kendra, Karl and June, but we will see them again in July. They were great hosts.

On the road again...

2009-06-02T18:49:00.000-07:00

So the Meyers are travelling again. We have been anticipating this trip for weeks (or months). The car has been packed for 3 days, the bikes are tied securely to the back of the little Hyundai, and Chris and I have mapped the route on-line, on paper and on GPS. Nothing can stop us now!

Our day began at the crack of dawn. We were up, gathering last minute items, checking the packing list and securing the house for our 9 day adventure to South Carolina and back. It was good we bought the largest cooler--all the wonderful food for camping takes up lots of space.

The drive to St. Louis was non-eventful until 10 minutes from our destination. The sky grew black and the large raindrops began splattering the windshield, then the heavens let loose. There was hail, tree branches and rain (like being in a carwash). Luckily it lasted for the last 10 minutes before we came to Kendra, Karl and June's house in Clayton, Missouri.

We are so excited to see the Fays, especially baby June. We ate at the Schlafly Bottleworks--a great local brewery and eatery. We enjoyed the beautiful St Louis weather after the storm. Then it was a wonderful evening of strolling about around the Lutheran seminary.

June is the highlight of the day. She is a beautiful, easy-tempered 4-month-old with gorgeous curly eyelashes. It is so fun to see Kendra and Karl enjoy their family. We discovered that Kendra is the same age that I was when I first got to know her (she was 7). Wow--such history.

Tomorrow it's the Great Smoky Mountains.

home at last, home at last

2009-03-24T17:02:00.000-07:00

It was a long journey getting here, but I finally walked into my home at 3:00 this afternoon. We were delayed only an hour this morning in Atlanta due to fog, but the pilot put it into overdrive and got us to KCI in an 1 hour 40 min (normally at 2 hours 15 min). I couldn't believe the emotion that came over me when I saw Chris waiting at the airport. I missed him.

All the luggage made it too, which is always a relief. Unfortunately, I still brought a memory of the trip home with me...during the week, I had been having some pain in my right index finger that probably started with a hangnail or something. Well, it was getting infected and progressively got worse in the last 36 hours. My finger tip swelled to the point of bursting (but there was no open sore) and the pain was becoming unbearable. I got an appointment with my doctor today and it was pretty bad.

I won't go into the details, but I am now on 2 antibiotics and will have to get it x-rayed on Friday to make sure the infection didn't go into the bone. At least the pressure is relieved and I'm not in as much pain.

Now, on to the reflective part of my trip. What did I learn from traveling abroad? More than I can pinpoint right now. It did make me appreciate some things in America, but it also made me wish that we, as Americans, can be more earth-friendly, healthier eaters, better walkers, and more gentle. I loved meeting so many young people from around the world and listening to their views of how life is in their world. I know I will go back to living my life the same way, but I do hope that I can take time to reflect on this adventure every once in a while and know that I grew just a little.

Thanks to all who kept up with my daily rambles, so now I don't have to retell it all over again! Until the next time I stray from Topeka...

so close, but yet so far

2009-03-24T04:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was one of those days. It seems like eons ago, that we got up at 5 a.m. to catch a shuttle to the Stuttgart airport. At that point everything was looking good. We got our boarding passes, my luggage was under the weight restriction, all our paperwork was in order to leave Germany.

As the seating at the gate was overflowing into the next area and boarding was getting ready to take place, the Delta worker announced over the loudspeaker that our plane was having some mechanical problems and they would report back in an hour. A low groan came from the crowd, but an hour was till within our 3-hour layover time we had in Atlanta.

The hour passed and this time the captain came out and announced that there was a fuel leak on the plane and the mechanical crew was working on it, it should be about another hour..."we apologize for the delay."

Surprisingly the crowd was fairly patient, what could they do? Fixing the fuel leak was a strong enough argument for patience. Finally after three hours, we were able to board, but that put our flight out of the rotation for runway usage, so another hour on the ground in the plane (I took a sleeping pill, so I got some shut eye) before we left the beautiful land of Germany.

The flight west is a lot longer than east (not sure, maybe flight route or headwinds) but it took more than 10 hours to land in the states, but the journey didn't end there.

Of course we missed our connecting flight to KCI, but getting through customs was stressful enough. Nothing moves fast in the world of the CBP. I didn't check my watch, but I would suspect it took us 2 hours, including the rescheduling of our flight home.

Nothing was available last night for us (one in our group did get on a late flight), and at first I was scheduled to go out at 1:30pm today with Shalyn and Lana at 10:50 a.m. That really made me sad, but with the persistance of the Delta employee, she found a back door way to get me on that 10:50 flight. So armed with hotel and meal vouchers, we were determined to make the best of it, knowing at least we would get a good night's rest.

My body is on a different time schedule yet so I was up early this morning and thought a little blogging would pass the time. I am so ready to see Chris and sleep in my own bed tonight. One last post when I make it home safely...

the last supper

2009-03-22T22:14:00.001-07:00

With no restaurants within walking distance, we decided to eat at the hotel restaurant. It was also an excuse to use up our euros instead of trying to get them converted back in the States.

It was a wonderful meal. I finally had my kraut and sausage. The plate was artistically arranged with a pile of mashed potatoes layered with six sausages in a radial pattern, then the kraut placed on top. One of the best meals so far. Of course I also had to get some dessert of apfel (apple) strudel with cinnemon ice cream. All washed down with a dunkel bier.

We had nice quiet evening, reflecting how much we have done in such a short time. This was only a taste of Europe, but I know that when the opportunity comes along again, I will be back to see more of it. There will be some culture shock going back to the U.S. and I'm not looking forward to the jetlag this week, but it is worth it.

My next blog will be from the other side of the ocean.

one step closer to home

2009-03-22T08:01:00.000-07:00

We are on our last leg in Germany before we flight out early tomorrow. It started with a repacking of our suitcases to make sure we could haul it to the train station. I know mine weighs at least 65 pounds. Finally we got our ticket to Stuttgart and boarded the fast train. For the first leg to Ulm, we realized we were sitting in a reserved seat, but the nice conductor found other seats for us. Then in Stuttgart's main station, we had to figure out where the local trains left to take us to the airport, we had only 9 minutes, but we made it with 3 minutes to spare.

Shalyn found us a nice airport hotel...verz chic and modern, but we aren't close to anything, so I think we we hang out in the room tonight and watch German\American movies.

Shalyn and Lana are getting a little giddy as the end of the trip draws close--a combination of knowing we are going home and exhaustion. I'm turning into the mother! Anyway, I am looking forward to seeing everyone and sharing my chocolate. Aufwiederzan (I don't have my German dictionary to figure out the spelling! I'm also typing on a European keyboard and the z's and y's are switched!)

a 'doner' is worth a thousand words

2009-03-21T13:49:00.001-07:00

The night was coming fast and the three of us were ready for peace and quiet. Since there was not a delivery place for supper, we thought that this would be a great time for a "doner" (the e has the dots over them). This is the most popular fast food in Germany (even more popular than brats!) It is actually a Turkish food, almost like a gyro. Sebastian always talked about them (he pronouced it as duna) and that was the one food he missed the most.

I have to say that it is fabulous. But I do think it is not so good for you and I'm not sure of the sanitary-ness of it (the server was a lot on the greasy, fat, hairy and hurley-like)--but he was friendly and served it with a toothy smile.

Tonight was the first time this whole trip that we stayed in our hotel room for the evening--reading, blogging, re-packing (I think I can get it all home!) It was nice, but unfortunately, Shalyn is in the beginning stages of a cold so she has been sneezing and sniffling. We went to a pharmacy (they only have drugs there--not like our drug stores with everything else). All medications were behind the counter and you had to ask the pharmacist for them.

Guten nacht.

Spend a day in Munich and get run over by people

2009-03-21T09:38:00.000-07:00

(Left) This is us at the Hofbrauhaus...a nice gentleman from three tables away noticed we were trying to take a picture of ourselves and graciously offered his service. (Right) And of course, here is another picture of me with beer in Germany. This was at the market area where they had all these little venders. We ate it outside and were frozen to our seats by the time we finished.

It was agreed by the three of us that we were really glad we had a week to get used to a foreign country staying in a fairly small town, because Munich is crazy!

We did some research online to figure out what to do today and came up with the best plan of walking all around the City Center (which is the heart of Munich). Our hotel is only a few blocks away, so after a nice breakfast (but not as nice as in Friedrichsafen), we were braced for a day of exploration.

Armed with a city map, we made our way to Marienplatz which is bordered by beautiful kirches (churches). It was hard to fathom the age of these places, and how they had to be restored after WWII. There was so much to see, you can link to the Wikipedia page to read about the places. It was sooo cold, though. We had our scarves, hats, gloves and winter coats but were still chilled to the bone. The beer didn't help, but the brat did!

After a while of exploring the historical side of the city, we found our way to the Hofbrauhaus. It was a site to behold, and packed. Amazingly we found a little table for the 3 of us, ordered our beer (not the liter size), and watched people and waitresses. It also was a good place to warm up.

Finally we hit the streets with the fabulous shopping. It was like every expensive and inexpensive store ever created, all jammed into one huge area. What amazed us more was the mobs of people. On a chilly day in March, thousands of people descended into this area. I would hate to see what it was like in the summer. Even the stores were packed with people. If you are claustrophobic, this was not the place to be. I got all my souvenier shopping done (except I can't find German coffee beans for Chris, unless I went to Starbucks--which WON'T happen).

We are resting after a long day and will adventure out again to find our evening meal. Tomorrow we will check out a little more of the city then make our way to Stuttgart. I am so glad we got to experience both the small town life and big city world. As much as I am enjoying this trip, I am starting to feel the Topeka is calling me back...there's no place like home.

over the river and through the woods...to munich

2009-03-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

This is my team, Maike and Steffen, as we worked on our project. Sidebar: They were in complete amazement that I was 44 years old--when I was showing them my family on Facebook, they were trying to figure out if I had kids when I was 10! I guess I didn't stick as the old one too badly.

Spring school at Zeppelin University is over. Our class was told at the last minute that our 10 minute presentations had to be cut down to about 5 minutes because the director of marketing at ZU had only 35 minutes total to hear 7 groups present on social media. The entire class did an awesome job and there were some great suggestions for the use of social media. And, surprisingly, Tim Goebel (the director) really changed his view on its use. He finally realized that to be an "innovative, unique and interactive" school that they claim to be, they need to be using social networking tools in their recruiting. That was a huge change from last Monday when we first met him. It was great to see it work!

Then we ate our last meal at ZU (it was a wonderful salmon in a pastry) where I had a great conversation with a student from Denmark. He told me that young adults get paid $700 a month to GO to college(which is also free for them). And he was blown away how much we had to pay to just do our week class in Germany! But then he went on to say that the wealthiest Danes pay 75% in income tax and the lowest rate is 45%. He was really for socialism, but was very interested in how the U.S. opperates. I really had to go back to my 6th grade civics class to tell about the electoral college, checks-and-balances, etc. It was a stimulating conversation to say the least!

Then it was back to Hotel Traube to say farewell to a wonderful accomodation. Packing our suitcases were a little more difficult with the shopping that happened this week and I think my suitcase weighs more than 60 lbs. plus a backpack coming in at 20 lbs! When it is time for the plane, I will use my duffel bag to get my suitcase under the restricted weight.

We were thrilled to find out that our train ticket to Munich was only €41 for all 3 of us (Shalyn, Lana and myself). I guess up to 5 people can ride for that price as a group rate. So on the train we went, hoisting our luggage wherever we went (I have bruises to prove it). First to Lindau which is a beautiful spot on Lake Constance in the mountains. There was a lot of snow, it reminded me of Minnesota (I wanted to cross-country ski). Then we met a young man (we guessed him from 16-21) who helped us figure out the train in Lindau, and he joined our ticket (since 5 could ride) so our ride was even cheaper per person. That was a really long ride (2.5 hours) but on a fast train through beautiful country. I do have to say the trains are the best way to travel, and it's unfortunate that the States don't have a great system.

Shalyn did a great job getting a hotel near the city center (but on the street with the strip clubs--like Vegas!) We made a wrong turn out of the train station so this kind gentleman with no English, tried his hardest through gesture to point us in the totally opposite direction on the other side of the tracks! We have developed such strong muscles hauling our luggage, but we made it.

We wandered the streets tonight (it is very cold) and found a modern German restaurant that the hotel clerk recommended. I had some pasta and off course a dunkel bier. Tomorrow we will really see the town and go to the Hofbrau Haus. Time for a good night sleep.

a view of the Alps from the train window as it whizzed by

all work deserves some play

2009-03-19T14:55:00.000-07:00

Today was a total work day in class. Well, almost. Dr. Barb had us do some "observation" of social media as homework today. That meant that we were to go to City Center (Stadtbahnhoff) and watch people, and if we just happenend to find a store that looked fun, we could do a little shopping too.

We found a huge apotheke (drug store) that had the cheap, but good chocolate, so we stocked up! Then we found a wonderful little jewelry store that strictly had all kinds of semi-precious stones. I bought myself and Katie a bernstein pendant (amber). It was fun, trying to communicate with the shop owner who only knew a couple English words.

Then back to class to work with our team all afternoon. We are ready for our presentation tomorrow and I am very pleased with our work. I think it will be more about the process of the presentation than the actual results of Zeppelin University accepting our suggestions of using social media in their marketing strategy.

Our evening ended with a great American/Greek/Mexican restaurant in Germany. We heard from the ZU students that it is great, so we went. It was great, but mostly American, so we had hamburgers and fries (German style). Mine had zucchini and cheese. It was great. They served us a shot of ouzo. That went down smoothly!

Time for bed again. Tomorrow we leave this town and head to Munich for a couple days. EVERYONE says, "You have to go to the Hofbrau Haus." So that is on our list.

another day, another adventure

2009-03-18T15:29:00.000-07:00

This has been quite a full day. As usual we enjoyed our delicious hotel breakfast but today we had the option of eating a wonderful bread pudding with apples and raisins. And of course, all the other wonderful other foods that I am getting used to.

Then, as mentioned in my previous post, class was busy and productive. Friday is presentation day and my team has worked very hard. Then the fun really began. We made plans with our whole group (minus James, the only guy) to take the "Kataraman" (ferry) to Constance. Half of the group rode with Nikola (not sure if that is spelled right) in her car to the port, the rest of us went with Karolin (from Hamburg) on the bus to get to the port. That's when the adventure started.

The bus was late, we had 1 minute from bus drop off to get to the port, buy our ticket and get in the ferry...and 2 blocks to run. And run we did, but many of us had our heavy bookbags with laptops to drag along. It was a busy street with cobble stones, but thank goodness for Karolin and her ability to talk to the ferry conductor in their native tongue, asking to hold the boat. It worked and it was so worth the effort.

Konstanz is a beautiful old city, full of life and shopping! I did buy my German shoes that were even on sale (they are very European but I like 'em!), special chocolate, some gifts and a child's book on German words (for a grandchild someday!!) After the traditional shops, they took us to a modern mall. Malls are malls, but the stores were still fun to wander through. The video below was a street performer who just happened to remind us of Kansas.

It was so great getting to know Karolin. She shared lots of information about Germany and her studies. She is also an expert on excellent teas and someday when I ever get to Hamburg, I will try to look up her family business. She promises to teach me the right way to enjoy tea!

Back to the hotel, a little swimming in the hotel pool and then homework. I'm ready to crawl under my down comforter and get a good night's rest.

there's no "i" in teamwork

2009-03-18T06:59:00.000-07:00

Class has been really great. We continued to study more on public relations and the new way of using it in this world of technology. I really hope to use some of these strategies at Faith Lutheran Church in a way that can reach outside our walls. Whether Zeppelin University embraces these concepts or not, the students here will take this knowledge into their professions--they can't help it!

We are heading to the ferry soon to go to Constance. I guess it is still part of Germany, so no Switzerland yet (bummer).

Hagnauer Winzerhaus

2009-03-17T13:20:00.000-07:00

After spending time with my team on our group project about how to promote Zeppelin University with the use of social media, almost all the students went on a field trip. We went west of Friedrichshafen to an area of vineyards called Hagnau. This part of Germany makes wines with a shorter growing season (no rieslings).

We took a tour of the vaults then enjoyed an hour and a half wine tasting session, starting with semi-dry yet fruity whites then moving to some reds. My favorite was the Spatlase (which is my favorite in America too). I added to my limited wine knowledge, plus I had to buy a bottle to bring back to the States.

We are all getting tired sooner, so a "quick" run to the local pub/restaurant for some "gulaschsuppe" (beefy soup) and of course another beer (what else is there?) Then we are getting to bed early tonight.

I do have to say that it is such a treat to meet so many people from Europe. Tonight I was talking with a girl named Nikolai (originally from Austria) about the culture and how they are similar/different. She was so helpful in understanding what to expect from the more rural area of Friedrichsafen to the Munich area we will experience on Saturday. Even in small countries, there are dramatic differences in the people and culture.

I asked some students if there are many non-traditional students in Germany and they said that most my age go back to school for their Masters and those who want a bachelors are usually in their 60s. I thought that was interesting. I have not felt any judgment or awkwardness in the age gap--everyone has been so gracious (they even like my "oldies" music!)

Tomorrow we are planning on taking the ferry across Lake Constance to the town of Konstanz (Constance), Switzerland. I'm looking forward to adding another stamp to my passport!

Marketing Zeppelin raise questions

2009-03-17T05:14:00.000-07:00

Class this morning was very lively. We are working on a PR stategy for the university here so we heard from the director of marketing for ZU. Very interesting. For a school that is only 5 years old (and it is also a private university), and cutting edge in education, using social media is very scary for them. We had great discussion with the students (both ZU and others), that it would be more detrimental to NOT use social media.

German institutes of higher education have not ever marketed themselves to recruit students (it was also free), but now that is changing. Students now have to pay (although still a fraction of U.S. students) and institutions are starting to brand themselves. Our two cultures are still very different but the students in both are seeing the need for change.

Social media is scary for those who want to control the outcome, so change comes hard. Our project is for each group (I'm working with Steffen from Hamburg and Maike from Zeppelin Univ) to come up with a PR strategy involving at least two kinds of social media. It will be a great learning process.

This afternoon we are going on a wine tasting trip to a vineyard. This is sponsored by ZU. I'm excited to try the local wines.

meersburg or bust

2009-03-16T13:22:00.000-07:00

It was a great afternoon in Meeersburg. We took the bus to the really old part of town where the oldest castle (the first fortress to be shot upon by a canon) had open tours. Luckily they had a brochure in English so we knew what we were looking at. All these relics from the Middle Ages with no ropes or anything to keep the people away (that wouldn't happen in the States.) It was surreal, almost like DisneyWorld!

We ate at an awesome little restaurant and I had Jagerschnitzel (or something like that).

It was a fun evening but three German men were trying a little too hard to get to be our friends. We think we may end up on some sort of German "Facebook" somewhere! It's good to be in large groups! It's early to bed tonight because we have homework due tomorrow. It feels like we have been here for longer than a couple of days!

Now an official Zeppelin student

2009-03-16T03:42:00.000-07:00

School was fun...yes truly fun! My class is on social media (Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc). This was one key way Obama won his election and we looked at how it actually worked. It's a new world in communication and these strategies work in so many elements I'm coming to the reality that this can work in the church environment too, but I do realize that change comes s l o w l y. (But I will still keep at it.)

Our class room is cool--overlooks the lake and today we see the sun, even though it is crisp outside. I am really appreciating the view of international students. We are all in the learning process together. Education=good...complacency=bad.

I do have to say, that listening to the students with their German accent reminds me of Sebastian and how much that short time impacted our lives (I miss you Seb!). I hope to connect with Stefi today--she was an exchange student from Friedrichsafen at Topeka West a couple years ago and we really enjoyed getting to know her.

Not sure of our plans after school today, maybe Meersburg...

Zeppelins are not just for flight

2009-03-15T14:07:00.000-07:00

Tonight was really great...students from more than 40 countries are represented this week at Zeppelin University. We learned about what to expect this week and it ended with a great jazz band and wine and beer in the school lobby. I think Washburn needs to try something like that!! (BTW--Zeppelin beer is excellent...a darker beer that is really smooth.)

The school is just one building but really modern. Spiral staircases are very popular in Europe (saves space). They gave us a tour of their art in the school that is inspired by their strong emphasis of business. Actually, I was having trouble finding the art in it (very different).

Our evening meal was very locally flavored--it's literal translation means "mouth bag." It was very good. We also had a hot potato salad and carmalized onions. That was enough to fill me for the day!

Well, tomorrow is a full day, so I better get into my nice toasty bed (with the feather comforter).

Sontag in Friedrichsafen

2009-03-15T06:53:00.000-07:00

This photo is from the top of this huge observation tower that overlooks the lake and the city--but it was windy and cold!

We got a taste of the town today. We figured out the bus routes and the euros--not so hard. I am still amazed at how much I can figure out in German (way easier than Spanish--must have been passed along in my genes!)

We went down to Lake Constance and took lots of pictures of the Alps across the way (Austria to the southeast and Switzerland to the southwest). We also found the coolest children's playground that would never be found in the States. You're never too young to play.

We met up with our teacher, Dr. Barb DeSanto, and she has been to this area frequently so now we know where we want to go when the shops open. I can't wait to go shopping (I'm making my list of who to buy for, so send me a request!) We also stopped at the Zeppelin Museum but will go back when we have more time. It's still pretty chilly but invigorating. I'm prepared though (my mother taught me well.) The people have been so helpful and kind. A smile goes a long way :)

This afternoon we have orientation with Zeppelin University and learn about the rest of the week in class. So far we have met students from Ohio, Italy and Latvia. There will be lots more international students when we meet tonight. It all makes the world seem that much smaller.

breakfast of champions

2009-03-15T02:27:00.000-07:00

So Dad said that German breakfasts are amazing and after experiencing one, I can heartily agree!

The hotel serves breakfast from 7-10 every morning so we were thinking more like a continental meal. Well it is like a restaurant with a huge buffet of all kinds of meats, cheeses, eggs, breads, fruits, breads, cereals, breads...

I think I made the hostess think that all Americans are stupid, though. I didn't realize that SHE would serve the coffee and I was helping myself. Oh well, the coffee was really good and the cream was direct from the cow (or almost!)

Tomorrow I will be brave and try the soft boiled egg.

We are going the check out the town today and figure out the bus system. It's cool and overcast with 50% chance of rain. I'm bringing my umbrella.

I have lived a full life

2009-03-14T12:58:00.001-07:00

Ever since Sebastian came to stay with us, he always talked about "Tuner" pizza. Well, now I can say that I have eaten and LOVED tuna pizza.

We walked randomly around the town tonight to find a place to eat. People recommended Bahnhof restaurant, but it was packed so we found a little pizzeria. Luckily Shalyn grabbed my German dictionary before we set out and we could figure out what was on the menu. I ordered the tuna pizza with onions--amazing (but they don't cut it--just one big pizza pie!) Lana got the tortellini and Shalyn got a really spicy but delicious speghetti. And of course, the 1/2 liter of Dunkel Wiezen (wheat) beer.

It was a great night and now we are all ready to crash. It's 9 p.m. in Germany and only 3 p.m. in Topeka. I'm settling in for a long winter's nap. Guten Nacht!

Finally to our destination

2009-03-14T09:28:00.000-07:00

After a long afternoon and being up more than 24 hours (not much sleep on the plane), we made it to our wonderful hotel. It is on Lake Constance, but the skies are overcast so we can barely see the Alps. I even noticed a Zeppelin flying over the lake.

I am rooming with Shalyn and Lana (Lana is on the cot). It's really nice and contemporary. We just got back from the pool were (well it's Europe) most everyone had suits. Actually they all did, but the children. Lana checked out the sauna and was greeted by a European "moon." Oops--we decided to wait on that for another time.

I guess the hotel has free wine and beer later on, so when in Rome (or Germany...)

It's not all fun and games, we do have to go to class on Monday.

On the train to Friedrichsafen (via Ulm)

2009-03-14T09:25:00.000-07:00

Riding the trains are a great way to get around—it’s quiet, fast and cheap. The trains run through the cities and the country so we are seeing everything from factories, to homes, to vineyards (lots of vineyards straight up the steep hills).

I got my first 100 euros in the ATM—it’s like Monopoly money—so colorful! I am glad that the exchange rate is so much better—about $1.25 to the 1 euro. I bought my first amazing sandwich—the bread was great and it had fresh mozerella cheese and tomatoes. Wundabar!

I’m amazed at how much of the rules of the German language I remember from Seb, Jacob and Dad, but I still don’t know what they mean. I do have a little dictionary to check it out. The culture shock isn’t too bad yet.

And yes, we had to change trains in Ulm--the sister city to New Ulm, MN. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see much of the town or the postoffice. But I can say I've been there!

Stuttgart airport - 8:30 am (local time)

2009-03-14T09:23:00.000-07:00

(This was written at the airport but I couldn't post until we got to Friedrichshafen)

The night was long, the plane was full, but we made it safely to Germany. It was the most beautiful sight coming into Stuttgart. The hilly mountains, covered with dark pines, were cut into by small villages of red-roofed houses in cream, gold and white. The low clouds nestled in the ravines. It was out of a picture book.

As we approached Stuttgart, the houses and apartment buildings increased, then the factories with their smoke stacks poking through the clouds.

The airport is quiet, the people are quiet—a nice change from America. We are waiting for the other group of WU students coming from their connecting flight from London. Then it’s on to the train heading to Friedrichshafen.

I do have to say that I had a very enjoyable time watching people. My favorite thing was all the really cool boots that the women are wearing. And I love boots! I think I will have to buy me a pair sometime this trip. The European fashion is great—skinny jeans, boots, leather, black…chic.

the smell of onion rings is killin' me

2009-03-13T09:40:00.000-07:00

Same old story, hurry up and wait. We are sitting in the airport waiting for another hour to catch the flight to Atlanta, then on to Stuttgart.

Everything has been a piece of cake so far...checked in online, self-serve luggage check-in, everything in place. Traveling is so much easier than it used to be, even though there are so many more precautions and restrictions.

Chris was a wonderful chaffeur of three women. Shalyn Marsh and Lana Kraus are also students at Washburn that I have been enjoying getting to know. So there we were, all scrunched in the Elantra with the suitcases barely fitting in the trunk. (Sidebar--Lana and I have exactly the same suitcase, so I had to tie a ribbon on mine so I could identify mine.)

The smell of the onion rings from the guy sitting across from me is making my stomach hurt. The two eggs for breakfast have already worn off. Guess that bag of trail mix is calling my name.

I better sign off for now. Atlanta is my next stop.

the night before the dawn

2009-03-12T18:50:00.000-07:00

My suitcase is packed with some room to spare. My backpack has all the essentials for a long flight. My clothes are laid out for tomorrow's journey. I'm ready to go.

If you would have asked me 10 years ago to go by myself (without Chris or a close family member), I would have shrank in my shoes and said no. But life is funny. The new paths we take, the experiences that lead us to better (and sometimes worse) places all cause us to grow. And that is what I have done these past few years...grow.

It started with the epiphany moment (thanks to Pastor Pete) when I suddenly realized that it was time for me to go back to school. Three years later, with only seven weeks left in my undergrad life, I begin to get reflective.

Heading to Germany with mostly strangers (Shalyn and Lana are becoming good friends, but a generation seperates us) is a huge step. But I'm not panicking, my breathing is still normal, my heart beats slowly. I'm ready.

Pray for me as I step outside my comfort zone. Pray for the group as they encounter frustrations.

Here I go...