Dear friends and family,
I’m sorry that I haven’t kept everyone up on what has been happening with Randel. As some of you know from the blog he began to run a low grade fever the last 7 days of our trip. When we arrived back at Minneapolis we went for our regular Mayo appointments but no reason could be found. The fevers increased in intensity and for over 2 more weeks were continual and high. We went to the emergency room here three times and to our doctor twice. The best guess was that some of his liver tumors had outgrown their blood supply and had died. His fever was his body’s response to the dead material. I gave more detail on this part on our blog-AndersonsvsEurope.blogspot.com. You can read it if you are interested. In addition he was finding it more and more difficult to eat and was losing weight. When I came home from school for lunch, last Wednesdy, the 17th, I could see that he was fading so took him to the emergency room. That trip showed he had a parasite so we elatedly thought we’d found the answer to his now three week long illness. But the magic pills didn’t seem to be doing anything and he was worse on Thursday and Friday. We had a followup appointment with our family doctor on Friday afternoon. Randel couldn’t even sit up on the exam table. As the doctor looked at me and said I think we need to put him into the hospital for observation, at least, I was nodding my head and saying thank you. So we went to the hospital on the evening of the 18th.
By morning he was very critical with a massive loss of blood. Normally a healthy male has a hemoglobin count of 15-17. His was 4.0. His INR level (thinness of blood to prevent blood clots) was 16 when it should be between 2 and 3. He could hardly respond verbally. The surgeon on call and the gastroenterologist did not paint a very hopeful picture so I called the kids to come home. The surgeon really got things moving thankfully and got him into ICU quickly so a pick line could be put in his neck for the 6 different fluids they were trying to pump into him. At least 5 doctors interviewed me trying to figure out what was going on that morning. By late morning he was in surgery to have a scope down his throat and a bleeding ulcer was discovered at the top of his small intestine. The gi doctor was able to successfully cauterize it(with a new to Norfolk method) and was very surprised that he found just one. He told us several times that Randel’s athleticism and divine intervention saved his life. At a hemoglobin of 4.0 his heart rate should have been 140-160 and the doctor said he could not have touched him without putting him into cardiac arrest. But Randel’s rate was only 80 thanks to years of sweating it out in the gym and on the track!!
Brett and Elise arrived in the early afternoon as did my mom. No matter how old you are it is good to see your mommy when things are tough! My cousin, Debbie, and her husband, Dennis, were planning to visit Mom that day so they brought her down and were a wonderful support and help with the kids. We hadn’t seen Mom or Grant and Sarah and the grand kids since we got back from Europe because Randel’s been too sick. Grant and Sarah arrived a bit later so everyone got to see Randel. He didn’t get to see Rose and Calvin but they sure brightened my day. The late afternoon brought new concerns as Randel’s fever when up and he began to shake violently and was breathing so hard. At this point the medical staff considered putting him on a ventilator but I explained that he’d been doing this for 2-3 weeks with his high fevers so they waited awhile and it subsided. I just held him and sang or talked in his ear. He felt absolutely miserable during and after this and really thought he wasn’t going to make it. I kept telling him otherwise but we were all wondering. He described it later as being in agony. We’ve learned this misery was probably due to all the blood in his stomach. By Saturday night he was improving and has continued to do so. He was in ICU until Monday afternoon and he got to come home yesterday, Wednesday. All totaled he’s had 9 units of plasma and 7 units of blood. He lost over half of his blood supply. Hemoglobin is up to 10 now and will take some time to get back to normal. The ulcer probably developed because of his cancer-he always has a very high gastrin level-and the fever reducers Mayo said he could take to try to get that down. We still aren’t sure why he’s had such high fevers but it could be the tumors dying or the parasite. He also developed C-diff, another intestinal infection, while we were in the hospital so he’s on quite a regimen of drugs now. As one of the doctors said he just has numerous rare medical issues. I’ve told him before he doesn’t have to go to these lengths to prove how special he is.
Reflections-Our overall feeling is one of extreme thankfulness. So thankful he is still with us!! We’ve had an army praying for him and if we didn’t get you contacted it’s because it was a flurry of activity and we are still processing all that’s happened. We’ll take your prayers now as he has a long way to total recovery. Our kids were amazing-such a wonderful support for both of us. We are truly blessed to have such great children. Our friends and church family have stepped in to help with mowing, food, errands, cleaning, and anything we need. I have a wonderful coworker who could and did step in and do my job for me as I haven’t been back to work yet. We’ve had many phone calls, emails, and visits and appreciate them all. We experienced so many God-incidents where He gave us just what we needed at the time we needed it. We felt his peace and presence in so many ways. We had many tender times together-just the two of us and also with the family. One came on Saturday night as we gathered around his bed before the kids went back to the house to sleep. We prayed together and then Brett began and we all joined in singing “Great Is thy Faithfulness”. He didn’t know that’s what I’d been singing in Randel’s ear during the afternoon. It was a moment I will cherish forever. God has been so very faithful in so many circumstances for so many years! We are still wondering how he’s going to use this new experience in our lives and in the lives of others but we know he will. Randel has been an inspiration to so many and is totally amazing in his acceptance of suffering and uncertain circumstances. He lives out his favorite verse (2 Thessalonians 5:16-18-Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.) and inspires us to do the same.
Thankful for you and your caring also!
Betty
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
August 18 update on Randel
Hi everyone,
Thanks for your prayers for Randel. I do have an update.
When I came home from school for lunch yesterday (Wednesday) he was fading and symptoms were worsening. I prayed for guidance and felt definitely led that I needed to get him some medical help. Our doctor's office sent us directly to the emergency room where he was hooked up to an IV and many tests again performed. Just before we left around 6 the doctor reported that one of the tests showed he has a parasite probably picked up on our trip. It's a hard one to detect and often takes 2 or 3 tests to find. It is very serious for someone with a suppressed immune system but at least we know what it is! He's on a three day course of drug treatment. We haven't seen improvement yet but are hopeful that by tomorrow we will have turned a corner for the better. Please continue to pray. He's still so weak and can't eat. But we are so thankful for the diligence and wisdom of all our doctors here and at Mayo. God is providing for us through the loving care of others and His peace in the storm.
Thanks again and keep the prayers coming,
Betty
Thanks for your prayers for Randel. I do have an update.
When I came home from school for lunch yesterday (Wednesday) he was fading and symptoms were worsening. I prayed for guidance and felt definitely led that I needed to get him some medical help. Our doctor's office sent us directly to the emergency room where he was hooked up to an IV and many tests again performed. Just before we left around 6 the doctor reported that one of the tests showed he has a parasite probably picked up on our trip. It's a hard one to detect and often takes 2 or 3 tests to find. It is very serious for someone with a suppressed immune system but at least we know what it is! He's on a three day course of drug treatment. We haven't seen improvement yet but are hopeful that by tomorrow we will have turned a corner for the better. Please continue to pray. He's still so weak and can't eat. But we are so thankful for the diligence and wisdom of all our doctors here and at Mayo. God is providing for us through the loving care of others and His peace in the storm.
Thanks again and keep the prayers coming,
Betty
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
August 16
This is Betty again. Just in case any of you were checking back to see how Randel is doing I would like to ask all of you for some special prayers for his healing and return to health. It's been over three weeks of having a fever now. The first week it was low grade but for the next 10 days it was consistently around 102. The last 4 days he has had some relief from the fever in the morning but by mid afternoon it begins to return and sometimes climbs quite high (103.5). He has chills with it and has had no appetite so has lost weight and is very weak. The doctors now think that some of the tumors in his liver have outgrown their blood supply, have died, and are causing this fever as his body gets rid of the dead material. He's being a patient trooper as usual but we'd love to have this behind us! We are so thankful that he wasn't real sick while we were on our trip. Thank you to all who are praying for him and please continue. If you have a prayer chain or special prayer groups at your church would you consider adding his name to the prayer list? Our mighty God works mighty wonders and we know He answers prayers! We trust His plan in this. The rest of us are back at our jobs. Elise had students today for the first time and said many of her last year's students came by to say hi and ask about our trip. Brett has handled the first week of his new responsibilities well and is learning the ropes. I worked 3 and 1/2 days last week and this week am back full time. It's good to be back and I'm thankful for an understanding boss who allows me time to take Randel to the doctor, hospital, etc. We're all enjoying our memories, pictures, and videos!
Thanks so much,
Betty
Thanks so much,
Betty
Sunday, August 7, 2011
We are home!!
Dear ones,
The eagles (or maybe crazy turkeys) have landed!! This is Betty reporting that we are home. We spent part of Tuesday finishing up Paris with Notre Dame and the downtown area. Also took the subway to Monmartre to take a look at Sacre Coeur. Then back to the campground where we all spread our belongings out and repacked to include the items we added. We got it all in! Wednesday’s trip home went smoothly with no hitches returning the rental car or catching our flights. It was a 3 hour trip to Iceland and after an hour there we continued for 6 more hours to Minneapolis. Randel's brother, Rol, picked us up and Karen and Chris joined all of us for pizza. It felt good to be back in the USA-nice to be able to read and understand all the signs! But it was a very long day and we thankfully spent the night at Rol and Karen’s. They have been such a blessing to us as usual!
We’d made Randel’s regular Mayo checkup for Thursday and Friday to save a trip so he and I headed out real early to get there for a blood draw. Randel had continued to have fever off and on but that morning it was worse than usual and has been since then. After his blood draw he was shaking and weak enough that we got him a wheelchair. After checking in at the next appointment I was wheeling him to the waiting room and this tall young man comes up and says, “Hi Betty, Mom said you might be here today!” It was my nephew, Luke, with his wife, Erin, and new baby, Hendrick!! What are the chances that Randel and Erin would have an appointment in exactly the same place and at the same time in that huge place?!! No chances! Another God incident as He knew we needed each other at that time. Randel and Erin were in at their appointments for about an hour and a half so Luke and I had a good visit and I got to cuddle the baby! Please keep Erin and her family in your prayers as she learned she has a couple of malignant nodules where her previous thyroid cancer was located. We met again at lunch and were absolutely blessed by being with them. Back in Lakeville that evening Karen cooked all of us a wonderful supper with watermelon and sweet corn which we had been craving. Sarah, Russ, their girls, and Chris all joined us too so we had a great time catching up.
Friday we had more routine tests for Randel but also some new ones to try to figure out what is going on with his health. The blood work does not indicate any infection but his liver counts were up. The blood cultures are still cooking so we hope we’ll get some answers by tomorrow. There has been a little new tumor growth but that is typical. He was pretty miserable on the trip home as the fevers have gotten higher and last longer. We stopped at Mom’s to get Elise’s car but she’s in Canada so didn’t get to see her. Her neighbors and our dear friends, Rod and Betty Banks, were there mowing so we had fun visiting with them. We got to Norfolk around 9 pm tired but so thankful for the trip we’ve had. As we reviewed it together we recounted the many times we knew God was directing our steps and how we felt his presence. It was as if He were saying, “Here is a special gift for you because I love you.” “And here’s another, and another.” We saw His hand in so many of the experiences we had both planned and unexpected. And being together was priceless! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
I wish I had better news on Randel. He has pretty much been in bed since we got home with fevers that are up around 102. We called back to Mayo on Saturday and they had us go to the emergency room here. After three hours of more blood work and a chest XRay the doctor gave us the choice of admitting him for observation or going home because the tests all look good. Randel really wanted to come home so we did but he’s not any better as of today, Sunday. We’re to see the doctor here tomorrow and call Mayo as something may have shown up by now on the blood cultures. It could be a bacterial infection which seems unlikely by now or a viral infection that transplant patients are prone to get. Another possibility is that some of the tumors have outgrown their blood supply and have died and his body is dealing with that dead material. Please pray that the doctors can figure this out and that the fever subsides. It has really worn him out and we are very concerned. He has remained his positive self in spite of dealing with this for 12 days now. Pray for some relief for him. I’m to go back to work tomorrow but don’t think I should leave him so pray for wisdom and strength for me too. Brett and Elise left early this morning. It was so hard to say good-bye after being together for 2 months. They had to get Elise as least partially moved into a new apartment as much of her stuff was stored in Brett’s bedroom over the summer. Both go back to work tomorrow also. While we were on the trip Brett’s boss called and asked him to take the position of director of the men’s shelter at the homeless mission where he works. He prayed well into that night and said yes to this new huge responsibility. So keep Brett and Elise in your prayers also.
Thank you for going on this grand adventure with us and especially for your faithful prayers. Do check back as we may get more pictures posted eventually. Or make friends with Elise as she has three albums posted on her Facebook page. It was the trip of a lifetime and we are and will continue to relish the memories!
Love,
Betty
The eagles (or maybe crazy turkeys) have landed!! This is Betty reporting that we are home. We spent part of Tuesday finishing up Paris with Notre Dame and the downtown area. Also took the subway to Monmartre to take a look at Sacre Coeur. Then back to the campground where we all spread our belongings out and repacked to include the items we added. We got it all in! Wednesday’s trip home went smoothly with no hitches returning the rental car or catching our flights. It was a 3 hour trip to Iceland and after an hour there we continued for 6 more hours to Minneapolis. Randel's brother, Rol, picked us up and Karen and Chris joined all of us for pizza. It felt good to be back in the USA-nice to be able to read and understand all the signs! But it was a very long day and we thankfully spent the night at Rol and Karen’s. They have been such a blessing to us as usual!
We’d made Randel’s regular Mayo checkup for Thursday and Friday to save a trip so he and I headed out real early to get there for a blood draw. Randel had continued to have fever off and on but that morning it was worse than usual and has been since then. After his blood draw he was shaking and weak enough that we got him a wheelchair. After checking in at the next appointment I was wheeling him to the waiting room and this tall young man comes up and says, “Hi Betty, Mom said you might be here today!” It was my nephew, Luke, with his wife, Erin, and new baby, Hendrick!! What are the chances that Randel and Erin would have an appointment in exactly the same place and at the same time in that huge place?!! No chances! Another God incident as He knew we needed each other at that time. Randel and Erin were in at their appointments for about an hour and a half so Luke and I had a good visit and I got to cuddle the baby! Please keep Erin and her family in your prayers as she learned she has a couple of malignant nodules where her previous thyroid cancer was located. We met again at lunch and were absolutely blessed by being with them. Back in Lakeville that evening Karen cooked all of us a wonderful supper with watermelon and sweet corn which we had been craving. Sarah, Russ, their girls, and Chris all joined us too so we had a great time catching up.
Friday we had more routine tests for Randel but also some new ones to try to figure out what is going on with his health. The blood work does not indicate any infection but his liver counts were up. The blood cultures are still cooking so we hope we’ll get some answers by tomorrow. There has been a little new tumor growth but that is typical. He was pretty miserable on the trip home as the fevers have gotten higher and last longer. We stopped at Mom’s to get Elise’s car but she’s in Canada so didn’t get to see her. Her neighbors and our dear friends, Rod and Betty Banks, were there mowing so we had fun visiting with them. We got to Norfolk around 9 pm tired but so thankful for the trip we’ve had. As we reviewed it together we recounted the many times we knew God was directing our steps and how we felt his presence. It was as if He were saying, “Here is a special gift for you because I love you.” “And here’s another, and another.” We saw His hand in so many of the experiences we had both planned and unexpected. And being together was priceless! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
I wish I had better news on Randel. He has pretty much been in bed since we got home with fevers that are up around 102. We called back to Mayo on Saturday and they had us go to the emergency room here. After three hours of more blood work and a chest XRay the doctor gave us the choice of admitting him for observation or going home because the tests all look good. Randel really wanted to come home so we did but he’s not any better as of today, Sunday. We’re to see the doctor here tomorrow and call Mayo as something may have shown up by now on the blood cultures. It could be a bacterial infection which seems unlikely by now or a viral infection that transplant patients are prone to get. Another possibility is that some of the tumors have outgrown their blood supply and have died and his body is dealing with that dead material. Please pray that the doctors can figure this out and that the fever subsides. It has really worn him out and we are very concerned. He has remained his positive self in spite of dealing with this for 12 days now. Pray for some relief for him. I’m to go back to work tomorrow but don’t think I should leave him so pray for wisdom and strength for me too. Brett and Elise left early this morning. It was so hard to say good-bye after being together for 2 months. They had to get Elise as least partially moved into a new apartment as much of her stuff was stored in Brett’s bedroom over the summer. Both go back to work tomorrow also. While we were on the trip Brett’s boss called and asked him to take the position of director of the men’s shelter at the homeless mission where he works. He prayed well into that night and said yes to this new huge responsibility. So keep Brett and Elise in your prayers also.
Thank you for going on this grand adventure with us and especially for your faithful prayers. Do check back as we may get more pictures posted eventually. Or make friends with Elise as she has three albums posted on her Facebook page. It was the trip of a lifetime and we are and will continue to relish the memories!
Love,
Betty
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Germany and Paris
Hi everyone,
We are in Paris on our last day. Can’t believe we will be packing up this morning after we spend a little more time in the city. Our big concern is Randel’s health. He’s been fighting a low grade fever and feeling rather punk for the last 5 days so we’d appreciate prayers for his health. Also for Elise as she’s been having headaches. It must be time to come home! This has been a long enough trip that there are things about getting back home that we will really appreciate.
Brief update but again not enough internet for picture uploading. Please check after we get home as we’ll upload more then. Also Elise will have picture on her Facebook page.
Rothenburg is a wonderful medieval city and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves there. A highlight was hearing an organ concert at St. Jakob’s and taking the night watchman tour. The guide was dressed as a night watchman and walked us all around the walled city with a very entertaining explanation of sites and history. Our kind of humor! Ate one supper in a cellar restaurant. Fun shopping there also.
We did our first hotel in Heidelburg as it was raining and Randel was not feeling well. Television-what a concept!! We listened to BBC and learned a little news. We’re coming home on the 3rd and it sounds like that’s the day something has to happen for the gov to pay its bills. The next morning we toured Heidelburg castle. Saw the gigantic wine barrel-about 4 times as tall as a person. Meant to have refreshments during a siege. The next two days were on the Rheine River. How we loved the castles-very storybook and fairytale like! One morning we rented bikes and rode about 14 kilometers along the river and took a cruise boat back. Fun and beautiful!
The cathedral at Cologne was the next big stop. Brett, Elise, and I climbed the nearly 600 steps to the top for an incredible close up look at the Gothic carvings everywhere and a view. Randel rested as he’d done the same with Grant in 1999. Cologne was 90% destroyed in WWII but the cathedral was nearly untouched. The inside is so tall and has beautiful stained glass.
Yesterday, August 1st we drove to Paris and still had time to visit the Louvre-pretty amazing to see Winged Victory, Venus de Milo, Mona Lisa, and much more. The size of some of the paintings is gigantic. We walked the Champ Elysee to the Arch de Triumph and then to the Eiffel Tower. We stayed to see it lit up at night and a light show at 10. Very beautiful. We will soon head down to Notre Dame and the city center. We are riding public trains and subway from our campground. That has worked quite well for us in most of the major cities with maps and lots of thinking. We Nebraskans are not used to doing this public transportation thing.
The weather was very cool in Germany but warmed up yesterday. We plan to pack up this afternoon and tonight and will be on our way tomorrow morning. We’ve already had so many moments of remembering earlier time in our trip. We’ll need time to process and remember all we’ve seen and done. It’s been incredible-a trip of a lifetime. Thanks for your support, thoughts, and prayers. We’ve felt them and God’s presence with us so strongly.
Blessings to all and we’ll see you soon!
Betty
We are in Paris on our last day. Can’t believe we will be packing up this morning after we spend a little more time in the city. Our big concern is Randel’s health. He’s been fighting a low grade fever and feeling rather punk for the last 5 days so we’d appreciate prayers for his health. Also for Elise as she’s been having headaches. It must be time to come home! This has been a long enough trip that there are things about getting back home that we will really appreciate.
Brief update but again not enough internet for picture uploading. Please check after we get home as we’ll upload more then. Also Elise will have picture on her Facebook page.
Rothenburg is a wonderful medieval city and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves there. A highlight was hearing an organ concert at St. Jakob’s and taking the night watchman tour. The guide was dressed as a night watchman and walked us all around the walled city with a very entertaining explanation of sites and history. Our kind of humor! Ate one supper in a cellar restaurant. Fun shopping there also.
We did our first hotel in Heidelburg as it was raining and Randel was not feeling well. Television-what a concept!! We listened to BBC and learned a little news. We’re coming home on the 3rd and it sounds like that’s the day something has to happen for the gov to pay its bills. The next morning we toured Heidelburg castle. Saw the gigantic wine barrel-about 4 times as tall as a person. Meant to have refreshments during a siege. The next two days were on the Rheine River. How we loved the castles-very storybook and fairytale like! One morning we rented bikes and rode about 14 kilometers along the river and took a cruise boat back. Fun and beautiful!
The cathedral at Cologne was the next big stop. Brett, Elise, and I climbed the nearly 600 steps to the top for an incredible close up look at the Gothic carvings everywhere and a view. Randel rested as he’d done the same with Grant in 1999. Cologne was 90% destroyed in WWII but the cathedral was nearly untouched. The inside is so tall and has beautiful stained glass.
Yesterday, August 1st we drove to Paris and still had time to visit the Louvre-pretty amazing to see Winged Victory, Venus de Milo, Mona Lisa, and much more. The size of some of the paintings is gigantic. We walked the Champ Elysee to the Arch de Triumph and then to the Eiffel Tower. We stayed to see it lit up at night and a light show at 10. Very beautiful. We will soon head down to Notre Dame and the city center. We are riding public trains and subway from our campground. That has worked quite well for us in most of the major cities with maps and lots of thinking. We Nebraskans are not used to doing this public transportation thing.
The weather was very cool in Germany but warmed up yesterday. We plan to pack up this afternoon and tonight and will be on our way tomorrow morning. We’ve already had so many moments of remembering earlier time in our trip. We’ll need time to process and remember all we’ve seen and done. It’s been incredible-a trip of a lifetime. Thanks for your support, thoughts, and prayers. We’ve felt them and God’s presence with us so strongly.
Blessings to all and we’ll see you soon!
Betty
Friday, July 29, 2011
Switzerland and Black Forrest
Brett Says:
July 25 – In the morning Elise and Mom took a dip in the Mediterranean while Dad and I broke camp. They had a great time splashing in the waves and we left for Switzerland around noon. Our drive was filled with breathtaking scenery and quaint little villages. It was a stark contrast going from sea level to high up in the Alps in one day. The girls were swimming in the morning, then were bundled up for about a 50 degree night! We decided to camp in a deep mountainous valley near Stechelberg, which is south of Interlaken.
July 26 - The activities for the following day were left to me to plan. I led our clan through a rigorous yet enjoyable and efficient day hiking on the Gimmelwald side of the valley. We had fairly cloud-free views of the Jungfrau, Mönch, and Eiger mountains. We were powered by some delicious Alpenkäse (cheese) and Alpenbutter that we had purchased that morning. The sights were truly indescribable so I hope I have enough battery to post some pictures. About 2/3 of the way through our hike we stopped at a little farm place that was also a restaurant. Needing some protein, we decided to order some milk shakes despite the high price (5.50 Swiss Franks, about $7). What we received was the literal interpretation of milk shake which was ice cream free. Though still tasty, we had some good laughs over this difference. Our most exhilarating experience of the day (yes, even more so than the milk shakes) was at Sprutz waterfall. I had misread my information and thought that we were just taking a little shortcut that would provide a nice view of the falls. When we arrived I found out that we were actually going to hike behind the falls, then climb up a slippery, wet, unprotected row of stairs. At our elevation one could easily plunge to an imminent, yet very scenic, demise. Thankfully, we all made it safely past this obstacle and all the way back down to camp.
July 27 – We hung out in Interlaken for awhile that morning before heading off towards the Black Forrest. The drive was scenic and exciting in places. We found a campground about 40 miles SW of Stuttgart and had a wet but relaxing evening. I had a good time speaking German with the campground staff. They were very complimentary despite my bad grammar and I think appreciated the fact that I was trying. Dad and I speak about the same amount of German which has come in handy, especially in the more rural areas where English speakers are sparse.
July 28 – We broke camp fairly early and drove to Rothenburg ob der Tauber. We found a campground that has free internet! Hallelujah! Which is what I am currently using. We are about to head out so we will write about Rothenburg later. Blessings to all!
BA
July 25 – In the morning Elise and Mom took a dip in the Mediterranean while Dad and I broke camp. They had a great time splashing in the waves and we left for Switzerland around noon. Our drive was filled with breathtaking scenery and quaint little villages. It was a stark contrast going from sea level to high up in the Alps in one day. The girls were swimming in the morning, then were bundled up for about a 50 degree night! We decided to camp in a deep mountainous valley near Stechelberg, which is south of Interlaken.
July 26 - The activities for the following day were left to me to plan. I led our clan through a rigorous yet enjoyable and efficient day hiking on the Gimmelwald side of the valley. We had fairly cloud-free views of the Jungfrau, Mönch, and Eiger mountains. We were powered by some delicious Alpenkäse (cheese) and Alpenbutter that we had purchased that morning. The sights were truly indescribable so I hope I have enough battery to post some pictures. About 2/3 of the way through our hike we stopped at a little farm place that was also a restaurant. Needing some protein, we decided to order some milk shakes despite the high price (5.50 Swiss Franks, about $7). What we received was the literal interpretation of milk shake which was ice cream free. Though still tasty, we had some good laughs over this difference. Our most exhilarating experience of the day (yes, even more so than the milk shakes) was at Sprutz waterfall. I had misread my information and thought that we were just taking a little shortcut that would provide a nice view of the falls. When we arrived I found out that we were actually going to hike behind the falls, then climb up a slippery, wet, unprotected row of stairs. At our elevation one could easily plunge to an imminent, yet very scenic, demise. Thankfully, we all made it safely past this obstacle and all the way back down to camp.
July 27 – We hung out in Interlaken for awhile that morning before heading off towards the Black Forrest. The drive was scenic and exciting in places. We found a campground about 40 miles SW of Stuttgart and had a wet but relaxing evening. I had a good time speaking German with the campground staff. They were very complimentary despite my bad grammar and I think appreciated the fact that I was trying. Dad and I speak about the same amount of German which has come in handy, especially in the more rural areas where English speakers are sparse.
July 28 – We broke camp fairly early and drove to Rothenburg ob der Tauber. We found a campground that has free internet! Hallelujah! Which is what I am currently using. We are about to head out so we will write about Rothenburg later. Blessings to all!
BA
Venice Pictures
Elise promised, so here are a couple (it takes forever to get them uploaded, otherwise we'd do more):
Monday, July 25, 2011
Rome and Italy
Hi everyone,
Betty is reporting this time to let you know we are OK and have not had much internet. We won’t be able to include pictures this time but here’s an update.
We arrived at our Camping Tiber outside of Rome on July 17 (after a stop in Assisi) in time to watch the Women’s World Cup championship in the campground restaurant. They were so nice and set us in a private room with a TV tuned to the game. The next day we did ancient Rome with the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, the Forum, Capitol Hill, Victor Emmanuel monument, Pantheon, Trevi fountain, and the Spanish steps. Whew!! It’s amazing to see all these places that have influenced our civilization and that we’ve heard about. The next day we walked on the Appian Way and visited the catacombs of San Sebastian. Supposedly this is where both Peter and Paul were first buried. Over three miles of underground passageways and tombs. After a few more sights Elise and I did some shopping while the guys toured some more. On the 3rd day we toured the Vatican City and St. Peters. We were so excited to see the Sistine Chapel and it is not a disappointment. Breathtaking! Randel especially enjoyed all the art work at the Vatican. St. Peters is huge and filled with art also. The view from the dome is great.
The next couple of days were in Florence where we enjoyed more art including “David”. We all did some shopping but Elise and I really hit the market place for gifts and souvenirs. The next two days we were on the Italian coast and that’s where we still are tonight. We’ve camped in a very unique spot at Moneglia just a few villages up from Cinque Terre. The campground goes straight up a mountain and there are tiny terraced spots for tents. You park your car outside and pack everything up steps (80 to our spot). But we have a view of the Mediterranean Sea and the crashing waves put us to sleep at night. Yesterday we did the beach and today we took the train down to Cinque Terre and hiked between three of the villages(about 7 km). Very steep with lots of steps but spectacular views most of the way. It’s been great to be out of the cities and to have some down time for a couple of days.
Switzerland next! Thanks for your many prayers for our safety and enjoyment of this time together. We are having an unbelievably good time! Love to all,
Betty
Betty is reporting this time to let you know we are OK and have not had much internet. We won’t be able to include pictures this time but here’s an update.
We arrived at our Camping Tiber outside of Rome on July 17 (after a stop in Assisi) in time to watch the Women’s World Cup championship in the campground restaurant. They were so nice and set us in a private room with a TV tuned to the game. The next day we did ancient Rome with the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, the Forum, Capitol Hill, Victor Emmanuel monument, Pantheon, Trevi fountain, and the Spanish steps. Whew!! It’s amazing to see all these places that have influenced our civilization and that we’ve heard about. The next day we walked on the Appian Way and visited the catacombs of San Sebastian. Supposedly this is where both Peter and Paul were first buried. Over three miles of underground passageways and tombs. After a few more sights Elise and I did some shopping while the guys toured some more. On the 3rd day we toured the Vatican City and St. Peters. We were so excited to see the Sistine Chapel and it is not a disappointment. Breathtaking! Randel especially enjoyed all the art work at the Vatican. St. Peters is huge and filled with art also. The view from the dome is great.
The next couple of days were in Florence where we enjoyed more art including “David”. We all did some shopping but Elise and I really hit the market place for gifts and souvenirs. The next two days we were on the Italian coast and that’s where we still are tonight. We’ve camped in a very unique spot at Moneglia just a few villages up from Cinque Terre. The campground goes straight up a mountain and there are tiny terraced spots for tents. You park your car outside and pack everything up steps (80 to our spot). But we have a view of the Mediterranean Sea and the crashing waves put us to sleep at night. Yesterday we did the beach and today we took the train down to Cinque Terre and hiked between three of the villages(about 7 km). Very steep with lots of steps but spectacular views most of the way. It’s been great to be out of the cities and to have some down time for a couple of days.
Switzerland next! Thanks for your many prayers for our safety and enjoyment of this time together. We are having an unbelievably good time! Love to all,
Betty
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Just keeps getting better and better!!
After Vienna we started driving (on the 13th) towards Munich. On the way we stopped at the church where the wedding was filmed for “The Sound of Music”… so cool to see! We had fun singing SOM songs as we drove through the Austrian Alps :) We found a spot to camp outside of Munich and the next day went to see Dachau Concentration Camp. It was very sobering as expected, and the weather was gloomy which fit the mood of the day. We all felt like some comfort food of good’ol American KFC that night so we found one (once again… SO THANKFUL for our GPS!) and enjoyed it thoroughly.
The next day (the 15th) was…. AMAZING! Probably one of my favorites. We got to see Neuschwanstein and Hohenschawangau castles. Neuschwanstein is the one that the Disney castle was modeled after. They were breathtaking! I’ll put some pictures of the outside up, but we couldn’t take pictures on the inside – which is too bad because it was so impressively beautiful. After the castles we drove to ITALY!!! The country that I’ve been most excited to visit :) We drove through the Italian Alps and… oh my… AMAZING!!! It was just hillside after hillside of vineyards with quaint villages nestled at the base and always having at least one beautiful church steeple reaching into the sky. And then the CASTLES! Probably every five minutes you could see another castle – some of them are just ruins now, and some are still kept up really well. I was just in awe for the whole drive, I love seeing God’s beauty in other places of the world!
We stopped at a campground a couple hours from Venice and it was raining so we stayed in a camping cabin – it was very cute and had its own bathroom which was nice and convenient. We got a good nights sleep and then headed towards VENICE! We got into the city mid-afternoon yesterday and took a vaporetto ride down the Grand Canal to St. Mark’s Square. Then we just wandered our way back through the city (along canals, over bridges, through narrow passageways, under laundry hanging out to dry and flowers on windowsills… just as wonderful as I imagined it), enjoying ice cream and legit pizza on the way. I enjoyed it so so so much! Just to wander through the streets of such a beautiful place… there was new beauty around every corner! After enjoying the city, we went to meet up with Jonny Wapelhorst – my very good friend Audrey’s brother. He’s been studying in Spain and now traveling Italy for the week. He recently got one of his bags stolen, and then his other bag got sent on an airplane to Paris instead of to Milan with him! He’s having such a great attitude about it and just enjoying the adventure :) It was so great to spend some time with him and hear about his past 7 weeks and to share our stories with him. We’re hoping to connect again in Rome.
As I said in the title, every day really does just keep getting better and better! I’ve been excited for Italy, France, Switzerland, and the Romantic Rhine all trip and that’s what we’ve got left to do! God has continued to keep us safe, healthy, and getting to where we need to go and I am SO thankful! We have to leave out campground right now, but I’ll post some pictures the next chance I get. Arrivederci! (Gosh I love Italian words :)
Elise
The next day (the 15th) was…. AMAZING! Probably one of my favorites. We got to see Neuschwanstein and Hohenschawangau castles. Neuschwanstein is the one that the Disney castle was modeled after. They were breathtaking! I’ll put some pictures of the outside up, but we couldn’t take pictures on the inside – which is too bad because it was so impressively beautiful. After the castles we drove to ITALY!!! The country that I’ve been most excited to visit :) We drove through the Italian Alps and… oh my… AMAZING!!! It was just hillside after hillside of vineyards with quaint villages nestled at the base and always having at least one beautiful church steeple reaching into the sky. And then the CASTLES! Probably every five minutes you could see another castle – some of them are just ruins now, and some are still kept up really well. I was just in awe for the whole drive, I love seeing God’s beauty in other places of the world!
We stopped at a campground a couple hours from Venice and it was raining so we stayed in a camping cabin – it was very cute and had its own bathroom which was nice and convenient. We got a good nights sleep and then headed towards VENICE! We got into the city mid-afternoon yesterday and took a vaporetto ride down the Grand Canal to St. Mark’s Square. Then we just wandered our way back through the city (along canals, over bridges, through narrow passageways, under laundry hanging out to dry and flowers on windowsills… just as wonderful as I imagined it), enjoying ice cream and legit pizza on the way. I enjoyed it so so so much! Just to wander through the streets of such a beautiful place… there was new beauty around every corner! After enjoying the city, we went to meet up with Jonny Wapelhorst – my very good friend Audrey’s brother. He’s been studying in Spain and now traveling Italy for the week. He recently got one of his bags stolen, and then his other bag got sent on an airplane to Paris instead of to Milan with him! He’s having such a great attitude about it and just enjoying the adventure :) It was so great to spend some time with him and hear about his past 7 weeks and to share our stories with him. We’re hoping to connect again in Rome.
As I said in the title, every day really does just keep getting better and better! I’ve been excited for Italy, France, Switzerland, and the Romantic Rhine all trip and that’s what we’ve got left to do! God has continued to keep us safe, healthy, and getting to where we need to go and I am SO thankful! We have to leave out campground right now, but I’ll post some pictures the next chance I get. Arrivederci! (Gosh I love Italian words :)
Elise
Friday, July 15, 2011
Viennese Geburtstag
Brett says:
July 12 - I don't know exactly what year the change happened, but I am to the point where I no longer welcome the age increase that accompanies every birthday. True, age is more than just a number, but how did my number end up getting so high? Due to my interest in numbers I try to make a milestone of every birthday by finding something unique about my current integer. This year, at age 27, marks the last time that I will be x^x (x raised to the power of x), unless I live to be 256. This occurs just three times in a normal person's life: At age 1 (1^1=1), age 4 (2^2=4), and age 27 (3^3=27).
Sorry about that mumbo jumbo. Anyway…..
I was blessed to have a marvelous birthday this year. We were in Vienna and the rest of my family gave me the day to do whatever I wanted. We began the day with a 343 step climb to the top of the south tower of Peterskirche.
Mom is undeterred by the climb
From there we went over to the "Haus der Musik" (the house of music). It contained very good and interesting exhibits about the physical nature of sound and also housed some neat treasures (Mozart's piano from his time in Vienna, Schubert's glasses…). It also gave the chance to virtually conduct the Viennese Philharmonic which was really a blast.
I found myself wishing that they would have given Music a bit more respect. It seemed at some points as if they were pedaling a new-age "all sound is music" philosophy which conflicts with my musical beliefs. Music needs a creator and a mathematical base. Any bumpkin with an oscilloscope can tell you that. But I digress….again.
Those cellists never pay attention
In the afternoon we headed out to Schonnbrunn palace, summer residence of the Hapsburgs. The scenery in the open to the public gardens was amazing.
Being in Vienna, I naturally wanted to catch a concert but avoid the touristy pitfalls. When we got off of the subway, we had not gone 10m before we were hounded by powdered-wig solicitors trying to sell overpriced tickets to gimmicky performances. The Vienna opera house was unfortunately closed the day we were there. We were able to find a much better option after some searching. There was a concert of historical instruments in St. Ruprecht's Church, the oldest church in Vienna (12th-Century). The quarted featured a Soprano singer, Traversflote (Baroque flute), Viola da Gamba (looks like a cello but has 7 strings and is fretted) and a Cembalo (Harpsichord). It was amazing! It felt a bit wrong to be listening to the Baroque heavyweights Telemann, Bach and Handel in the town that birthed the classical era, but I in no way regret the decision.
I am so thankful my family went along with me and allowed me to have such a special day. Maybe 27 won't be so bad….
Strauss and I (the real golden one is being refurbished).
BA
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Czech Republic...land of castles and whole grain toilet paper
Brett says:
Jul-8: Our first day in the Czech Republic, we bravely drove in to the Prague city center (our GPS doesn’t have a Czech map) and did most of usual things. Prague is a beautiful city and we enjoyed a full day of sight-seeing.
Charles Bridge
On top of the city tower
Jul-9: The next day we decided to get out of the city and drove to Karlstejn castle in the morning. The long uphill hike was worth seeing the magnificent fortress constructed in the 14th century. We returned back to our campground south of Prague to regroup. We had tried to contact our Czech relatives (on my Father’s Mother’s side) that morning and wanted to see if they had left us a message at the desk. No luck. Despite not having an address, we decided to drive to Sobeslov to see if Dad could remember where the house was he visited 10 years ago with Grant. It was about a 90 minute drive and with no hesitation, Dad directed us right to the house of Ales and Zdenka.
Zdenka was just a teenager when my parents visited in 1972 and Elise and I had heard stories about the run-ins they had with the Police when they were together. Czechoslovakia was a scary place back then, oppressed by a Communist government. They were fined a couple times for minor offenses and could never feel at ease.
We found Ales and Zdenka in their garden and were welcomed warmly. Though we could only communicate through German, a second language for both parties, we had a fun time conversing and catching up. Elise and I were able to get a taste of the Czech hospitality that our parents were able to experience nearly 40 years earlier. It was very moving to see the effort they made to make distant relatives who show up unannounced feel welcome. We are so blessed to be able to make these special connections.
Karlstejn Castle
Ales and Zdenka
The next day, July 10th, we spent a very enjoyable afternoon in Cesky Budejovice with Zdenka’s parents – Zdenek and Zdenka – and her 22 year old daughter, also named Zdenka (yes, there are 3 Zdenkas in a row), who spoke perfect German and good English. That evening we headed south to Cesky Krumlov and camped there for the night. My father places a very high value on camping in close proximity to any body of water. This particular night, on the Vlatava river, we were nearly blown into the raging torrent by the gale force winds. Still, no complaining is allowed.
Zdenek, Zdenka and Zdenka
July 11th - We went into the city center of Cesky Krumlov and saw the castle before driving to Vienna.
Krumlov looking up
Krumlov looking down
Jul-8: Our first day in the Czech Republic, we bravely drove in to the Prague city center (our GPS doesn’t have a Czech map) and did most of usual things. Prague is a beautiful city and we enjoyed a full day of sight-seeing.
Charles Bridge
Jul-9: The next day we decided to get out of the city and drove to Karlstejn castle in the morning. The long uphill hike was worth seeing the magnificent fortress constructed in the 14th century. We returned back to our campground south of Prague to regroup. We had tried to contact our Czech relatives (on my Father’s Mother’s side) that morning and wanted to see if they had left us a message at the desk. No luck. Despite not having an address, we decided to drive to Sobeslov to see if Dad could remember where the house was he visited 10 years ago with Grant. It was about a 90 minute drive and with no hesitation, Dad directed us right to the house of Ales and Zdenka.
Zdenka was just a teenager when my parents visited in 1972 and Elise and I had heard stories about the run-ins they had with the Police when they were together. Czechoslovakia was a scary place back then, oppressed by a Communist government. They were fined a couple times for minor offenses and could never feel at ease.
We found Ales and Zdenka in their garden and were welcomed warmly. Though we could only communicate through German, a second language for both parties, we had a fun time conversing and catching up. Elise and I were able to get a taste of the Czech hospitality that our parents were able to experience nearly 40 years earlier. It was very moving to see the effort they made to make distant relatives who show up unannounced feel welcome. We are so blessed to be able to make these special connections.
The next day, July 10th, we spent a very enjoyable afternoon in Cesky Budejovice with Zdenka’s parents – Zdenek and Zdenka – and her 22 year old daughter, also named Zdenka (yes, there are 3 Zdenkas in a row), who spoke perfect German and good English. That evening we headed south to Cesky Krumlov and camped there for the night. My father places a very high value on camping in close proximity to any body of water. This particular night, on the Vlatava river, we were nearly blown into the raging torrent by the gale force winds. Still, no complaining is allowed.
July 11th - We went into the city center of Cesky Krumlov and saw the castle before driving to Vienna.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Sweden and more
Brett says:
The formatting is pretty rough on the post and I was unable to do pictures for the last few days. Hopefully we'll have internet again soon!
Betty Says:
Greetings again!
Here’s a short summary and some pictures to catch you up on our Scandinavian part of the trip.
June 23-This night was the closing ceremony for the games. Since it was Swedish Midsummers Eve we were treated to traditional Swedish dancers and fiddle music. Soon we were invited to dance around the Maypole with them!!
June 24-Drove most of the day to Bergen, Norway. Beautiful scenery through the mountains. Lots of sheep, waterfalls, and tunnels. Warmly welcomed by Cherise’s relatives, Ingvard, Rhoda, and Sarah into their home overlooking a fjord. They are amazing people!
June 25-Ingvard took us to the Stortvedt part of town (Cherise’s last name) to show us where her family members lived before emigrating. There’s a big church, school, nursing home, and farm that bear the family name today. We took the funicular up the mountain to overlook the city-beautiful view. Wandered around the city and tasted whale in the fish market. Ingvard is a professor, counselor, and motivational speaker. We got to go with him on a boat in the harbor as he gave one of his talks. Rhoda is a professional singer originally from Kenya. Sarah has just finished her training to be a teacher.
June 26-This was my day to see the fjords, one of my requests for the trip. They are beautiful. We stopped at several spectacular waterfalls as well. Spent the night in a camping cabin with grass growing on the roof, a common sight in Norway. All five of us tucked in quite nicely
June 27-A big driving day as we came all the way to the Stockholm area to spend time with Lisbeth. Her grandmother and my greatgrandmother were sisters. We’ve visited her before in ‘72 and ‘78 and she came with her family to see us in ‘81. Other family members from both sides of the ocean have visited each other also so the relationship is strong and special. It was wonderful to see her again but miss Henry who died 12 years ago. Lisbeth speaks very good English and is so knowledgeable about so many things. Her hospitality and welcoming spirit are superb!
June 28-Relaxing morning and traditional breakfast with hard bread, cheese, fish eggs, etc. Around 11:30 Cissi, Lisbeth’s daughter came with her husband, Anders, and son, Christoffer. Cissi came to see us in ‘78 and ‘81. She brought pictures of her trips so we had fun reminiscing. The afternoon and evening were spent with much visiting and enjoying being together. They live on the island of Gotland so have to take a ferry to go anywhere else.
June 29-Our family plus Cherise took the subway and tram to Skansen, the first open air museum in Europe. We wandered through the historic buildings and watched demonstrations on glassblowing, flat bread baking, etc. Very nice and warm day. For supper we went to visit Hans and Annalie Hellman and their 3 children in Bromma. Hans was with Grant in Stockholm when 9/11 happened and he tells the story just as Grant does. Fun time getting to know them better and he took us to Drottingholm Palace, the official home for the Swedish royal family.
June 30-We five headed back downtown to Gamla Stan, the old city. Narrow, winding cobblestone streets, squares, and churches. A highlight was the changing of the guard complete with a concert from the military band. Brett and Randel went to see the Vasa, a 1628 ship that sank in the harbor but was brought up in the 60s. Lizbeth fixed a salmon supper and we enjoyed another wonderful evening together. She is so amazing.
July 1-Brett and I made a quick trip back to the downtown and Gamla Stan to finish up some souvenir shopping. Around noon we left and drove to Toppmyra which is near Dalby near Uppsala. I explained how Toppmrya is the farm of my ancestors in an earlier post. We were so warmly greeted by the Hellman family. Our first couple of hours were trying to understand Swedish from Evald and Clary. For supper we went to their son, Claes’ house. (Hans, mentioned before, is their other son.) It is a wonderful home he has built himself but sadly his wife, Anna, died of cancer within a few weeks of when they moved in. Evald’s sister, Eivor, and her daughter, Eva, came to help with the cooking and translating. Both Eva and Claus were invaluable for that!!
July 2-Randel and Claes took Cherise to the airport at 5:30 am. Our dear Swedish friends took us to Castle Wik. The farmers around had to work for him a certain number of days a year. We were able to get inside and learn more about its history. The highlight was climbing up a medieval staircase that led from the basement (near the dungeon) up to the 4th floor-narrow, dark, and winding!! Relaxing afternoon. Great food. A very special walk led by Claes through the farm-wooded and farmland-to the big lake it borders. The lake goes all the way to Stockholm and Claes skated it this past winter. He showed us a burial mound. It’s a beautiful farm!
July 3-I already wrote about attending the Dalby church. After lunch we said good-bye to the Hellmans and drove to Uppsala where we saw the Domkyrka. Lisbeth and Henry were married there 50 years ago last Friday. Then back to Lisbeth’s and felt like we were coming home. She said she’d been longing for us. So sweet.
July 4-Repacked and said our good-byes to Lisbeth. I do think she’ll come to see us-we hope so! Drove south along Lake Vattern and stopped at Granna to get polka-gris candy. Found an out of the way campground by a lake. Hoped to see moose but no luck. Nice picnic on the dock. Sang “Stars and Stripes Forever” to celebrate.
July 5-Way in the south of Sweden is the land called Skane. That’s where my father’s mother’s parents, Nels and Elise (where we got our Elise’s name) Johnson emigrated from. We found their little community of Ostra Vemmenhog and the big church there. We’d been there in 72 and 78 but a new find this time for the gravestone for Nels’ father, Jons Andersson. The church was having a service at 2 so we were invited to stay. When we said we would eat our picnic lunch first the two church wardens set up a table and chairs for us right outside the church door complete with tablecloth and flowers! We made up the majority of the congregation for the short service. Afterwards we all sang “Children of the Heavenly Father” together in Swedish and the priest gave us a Swedish psalm book to help us learn Swedish before we come back. We felt so warmly welcomed. Another lakeside spot for the evening to camp in Denmark.
July 6-This was a driving day to arrive in Leipzig, Germany by evening. The part of Germany that was under communist rule certain looks drab compared to the rest of Europe that we’ve seen but there is construction going on. Lots of empty buildings with graffiti all over. Again pretty close to a lake for our campspot.
July 7-We did Leipzig in the morning. This was the place Brett wanted to come for two reasons. The city was important in the 30 Years War and Swedish Gustav Adolphus was killed there in his attempt to help establish Protestantism. Brett had studied up on the war so had interesting facts for us. But more so it was the place where Bach did most of his music writing as cantor at St Thomas Church from 1723-1750. We toured the church and the Bach museum. Then on to the Czech republic to explore the place of Randel’s mother’s heritage. Found a campground south of Prague.
The formatting is pretty rough on the post and I was unable to do pictures for the last few days. Hopefully we'll have internet again soon!
Betty Says:
Greetings again!
Here’s a short summary and some pictures to catch you up on our Scandinavian part of the trip.
June 23-This night was the closing ceremony for the games. Since it was Swedish Midsummers Eve we were treated to traditional Swedish dancers and fiddle music. Soon we were invited to dance around the Maypole with them!!
June 24-Drove most of the day to Bergen, Norway. Beautiful scenery through the mountains. Lots of sheep, waterfalls, and tunnels. Warmly welcomed by Cherise’s relatives, Ingvard, Rhoda, and Sarah into their home overlooking a fjord. They are amazing people!
June 25-Ingvard took us to the Stortvedt part of town (Cherise’s last name) to show us where her family members lived before emigrating. There’s a big church, school, nursing home, and farm that bear the family name today. We took the funicular up the mountain to overlook the city-beautiful view. Wandered around the city and tasted whale in the fish market. Ingvard is a professor, counselor, and motivational speaker. We got to go with him on a boat in the harbor as he gave one of his talks. Rhoda is a professional singer originally from Kenya. Sarah has just finished her training to be a teacher.
June 26-This was my day to see the fjords, one of my requests for the trip. They are beautiful. We stopped at several spectacular waterfalls as well. Spent the night in a camping cabin with grass growing on the roof, a common sight in Norway. All five of us tucked in quite nicely
June 27-A big driving day as we came all the way to the Stockholm area to spend time with Lisbeth. Her grandmother and my greatgrandmother were sisters. We’ve visited her before in ‘72 and ‘78 and she came with her family to see us in ‘81. Other family members from both sides of the ocean have visited each other also so the relationship is strong and special. It was wonderful to see her again but miss Henry who died 12 years ago. Lisbeth speaks very good English and is so knowledgeable about so many things. Her hospitality and welcoming spirit are superb!
June 28-Relaxing morning and traditional breakfast with hard bread, cheese, fish eggs, etc. Around 11:30 Cissi, Lisbeth’s daughter came with her husband, Anders, and son, Christoffer. Cissi came to see us in ‘78 and ‘81. She brought pictures of her trips so we had fun reminiscing. The afternoon and evening were spent with much visiting and enjoying being together. They live on the island of Gotland so have to take a ferry to go anywhere else.
June 29-Our family plus Cherise took the subway and tram to Skansen, the first open air museum in Europe. We wandered through the historic buildings and watched demonstrations on glassblowing, flat bread baking, etc. Very nice and warm day. For supper we went to visit Hans and Annalie Hellman and their 3 children in Bromma. Hans was with Grant in Stockholm when 9/11 happened and he tells the story just as Grant does. Fun time getting to know them better and he took us to Drottingholm Palace, the official home for the Swedish royal family.
June 30-We five headed back downtown to Gamla Stan, the old city. Narrow, winding cobblestone streets, squares, and churches. A highlight was the changing of the guard complete with a concert from the military band. Brett and Randel went to see the Vasa, a 1628 ship that sank in the harbor but was brought up in the 60s. Lizbeth fixed a salmon supper and we enjoyed another wonderful evening together. She is so amazing.
July 1-Brett and I made a quick trip back to the downtown and Gamla Stan to finish up some souvenir shopping. Around noon we left and drove to Toppmyra which is near Dalby near Uppsala. I explained how Toppmrya is the farm of my ancestors in an earlier post. We were so warmly greeted by the Hellman family. Our first couple of hours were trying to understand Swedish from Evald and Clary. For supper we went to their son, Claes’ house. (Hans, mentioned before, is their other son.) It is a wonderful home he has built himself but sadly his wife, Anna, died of cancer within a few weeks of when they moved in. Evald’s sister, Eivor, and her daughter, Eva, came to help with the cooking and translating. Both Eva and Claus were invaluable for that!!
July 2-Randel and Claes took Cherise to the airport at 5:30 am. Our dear Swedish friends took us to Castle Wik. The farmers around had to work for him a certain number of days a year. We were able to get inside and learn more about its history. The highlight was climbing up a medieval staircase that led from the basement (near the dungeon) up to the 4th floor-narrow, dark, and winding!! Relaxing afternoon. Great food. A very special walk led by Claes through the farm-wooded and farmland-to the big lake it borders. The lake goes all the way to Stockholm and Claes skated it this past winter. He showed us a burial mound. It’s a beautiful farm!
July 3-I already wrote about attending the Dalby church. After lunch we said good-bye to the Hellmans and drove to Uppsala where we saw the Domkyrka. Lisbeth and Henry were married there 50 years ago last Friday. Then back to Lisbeth’s and felt like we were coming home. She said she’d been longing for us. So sweet.
July 4-Repacked and said our good-byes to Lisbeth. I do think she’ll come to see us-we hope so! Drove south along Lake Vattern and stopped at Granna to get polka-gris candy. Found an out of the way campground by a lake. Hoped to see moose but no luck. Nice picnic on the dock. Sang “Stars and Stripes Forever” to celebrate.
July 5-Way in the south of Sweden is the land called Skane. That’s where my father’s mother’s parents, Nels and Elise (where we got our Elise’s name) Johnson emigrated from. We found their little community of Ostra Vemmenhog and the big church there. We’d been there in 72 and 78 but a new find this time for the gravestone for Nels’ father, Jons Andersson. The church was having a service at 2 so we were invited to stay. When we said we would eat our picnic lunch first the two church wardens set up a table and chairs for us right outside the church door complete with tablecloth and flowers! We made up the majority of the congregation for the short service. Afterwards we all sang “Children of the Heavenly Father” together in Swedish and the priest gave us a Swedish psalm book to help us learn Swedish before we come back. We felt so warmly welcomed. Another lakeside spot for the evening to camp in Denmark.
July 6-This was a driving day to arrive in Leipzig, Germany by evening. The part of Germany that was under communist rule certain looks drab compared to the rest of Europe that we’ve seen but there is construction going on. Lots of empty buildings with graffiti all over. Again pretty close to a lake for our campspot.
July 7-We did Leipzig in the morning. This was the place Brett wanted to come for two reasons. The city was important in the 30 Years War and Swedish Gustav Adolphus was killed there in his attempt to help establish Protestantism. Brett had studied up on the war so had interesting facts for us. But more so it was the place where Bach did most of his music writing as cantor at St Thomas Church from 1723-1750. We toured the church and the Bach museum. Then on to the Czech republic to explore the place of Randel’s mother’s heritage. Found a campground south of Prague.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Catching up
Brett says:
We wave been in a Wifi wasteland for over a week. Even now, we are paying 9 Euro for 2 hours. The following posts should catch us up.
BA
We wave been in a Wifi wasteland for over a week. Even now, we are paying 9 Euro for 2 hours. The following posts should catch us up.
BA
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Everyday is great!
Hi everyone,
I think Cherise was the first one to say this but every day we now say if this was the only day we'd had in Europe it would have been worth the trip! We are having the best time imaginable and will begin to catch you up a bit as soon as we can.
We've been to Norway and back to Sweden now spending time with Lisbeth near Stockholm. She is so amazing and we visit for hours. The past two days we've spent on Toppmyra, the farm where my great grandmother, Erika Charlotta was raised and met my great grandfather(John Gustafson mentioned earlier). My great great grandparents lived there also and we were in the little house built by my great great grandfather(Jon Erik Olsson) this morning. We also worshiped in their little Dalby church this morning. It was all in Swedish, of course, but still a special experience. We stayed with the farmer and wife, Evald and Clary Hellman, who now live on Toppmyra and who has become dear friends over the years. My dad and Evald really connected in 1978 when we were there together. I will send more details later but just wanted to let you know we are OK.
Cherise flew on to Germany on Saturday so we are missing her. Tomorrow we will head to southern Sweden to visit the Johnson side sites. After that we head back to the continent. We are half way through our grand adventure.
So much more I could share but will try later.
Love to all,
Betty
I think Cherise was the first one to say this but every day we now say if this was the only day we'd had in Europe it would have been worth the trip! We are having the best time imaginable and will begin to catch you up a bit as soon as we can.
We've been to Norway and back to Sweden now spending time with Lisbeth near Stockholm. She is so amazing and we visit for hours. The past two days we've spent on Toppmyra, the farm where my great grandmother, Erika Charlotta was raised and met my great grandfather(John Gustafson mentioned earlier). My great great grandparents lived there also and we were in the little house built by my great great grandfather(Jon Erik Olsson) this morning. We also worshiped in their little Dalby church this morning. It was all in Swedish, of course, but still a special experience. We stayed with the farmer and wife, Evald and Clary Hellman, who now live on Toppmyra and who has become dear friends over the years. My dad and Evald really connected in 1978 when we were there together. I will send more details later but just wanted to let you know we are OK.
Cherise flew on to Germany on Saturday so we are missing her. Tomorrow we will head to southern Sweden to visit the Johnson side sites. After that we head back to the continent. We are half way through our grand adventure.
So much more I could share but will try later.
Love to all,
Betty
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Randel runs at the games
Brett says:
Since our last post we have been all the way to Bergen on the east coast of Norway, back to Stockholm on the west coast of Sweden. We are lodging with Lisbet (my Grandpa's second cousin, I believe) on the north side of Stockholm. There is so much to share but would like to start with a video of the games. I would like to start posting media more often rather than boring old words so there will hopefully be more to come. I am posting this in widescreen so it formats a little funny. Let me know if there are any playback issues. Enjoy!
BA
Since our last post we have been all the way to Bergen on the east coast of Norway, back to Stockholm on the west coast of Sweden. We are lodging with Lisbet (my Grandpa's second cousin, I believe) on the north side of Stockholm. There is so much to share but would like to start with a video of the games. I would like to start posting media more often rather than boring old words so there will hopefully be more to come. I am posting this in widescreen so it formats a little funny. Let me know if there are any playback issues. Enjoy!
BA
Thursday, June 23, 2011
June 23 from Betty
Hi everyone,
Here's an update on our hero athlete! We spent yesterday at the track where Randel ran the 1500 in 8 minutes and 8 seconds! Pretty good time for a bum leg and the hemoglobin issues he's had this year. His time was good for 5th place in his age category. He said his leg didn't hurt too much as he ran. Immediately after the race he had to throw the shot put. He got 8th in that event and the distance was around 30 feet. It's in meters so we'll convert it and send it later. His pulled hamstring made it hard to get the lift he needs from his right leg to throw. But as was stated at the opening ceremonies every athlete here is a champion! And we supporters couldn't agree more when we personally know the obstacles overcome to be here! Brett, Elise, and Cherise were with us all day so Randel had one of the biggest fan clubs! We cheered loudly and took lots of pictures. Hopefully we can post some soon. He had to miss the 400 as it was at the same time as the shot. This afternoon he'll do the 800.
Being at the games is unbelievable. As I looked around the crowd standing at the track yesterday I saw jackets that said Japan, China, Germany. UK, Australia, South Africa, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria, Iran, India, and on and on. Politics are put aside and everyone is celebrating the second chance at life given through transplantation. We cheer for all the athletes regardless of their country and it's touching to see people helping and congratulating each other. Great experience!!
Last evening we were all invited to Pia and Jan's home for a feast! They are experts at hospitality and we were treated like royalty! The table was beautifully decorated with many candles and the food was unique and delicious. Dessert was a midsummer's cake covered in whipped cream and strawberries. We ate that around the coffee table overlooking the beautiful view of the sea. But the best part was the conversation and connecting! Randel and I said our good-byes at the end of the evening. Such dear people to us! The kids are still there this morning but will join us for the day soon.
I learned this morning that the World Transplant Games website has quite a bit of coverage of the games if you are interested. I will check it out and send the link soon as well as a few pictures.
Tonight is the closing ceremony and a midsummers festival.
Love to all,
Betty
Here's an update on our hero athlete! We spent yesterday at the track where Randel ran the 1500 in 8 minutes and 8 seconds! Pretty good time for a bum leg and the hemoglobin issues he's had this year. His time was good for 5th place in his age category. He said his leg didn't hurt too much as he ran. Immediately after the race he had to throw the shot put. He got 8th in that event and the distance was around 30 feet. It's in meters so we'll convert it and send it later. His pulled hamstring made it hard to get the lift he needs from his right leg to throw. But as was stated at the opening ceremonies every athlete here is a champion! And we supporters couldn't agree more when we personally know the obstacles overcome to be here! Brett, Elise, and Cherise were with us all day so Randel had one of the biggest fan clubs! We cheered loudly and took lots of pictures. Hopefully we can post some soon. He had to miss the 400 as it was at the same time as the shot. This afternoon he'll do the 800.
Being at the games is unbelievable. As I looked around the crowd standing at the track yesterday I saw jackets that said Japan, China, Germany. UK, Australia, South Africa, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria, Iran, India, and on and on. Politics are put aside and everyone is celebrating the second chance at life given through transplantation. We cheer for all the athletes regardless of their country and it's touching to see people helping and congratulating each other. Great experience!!
Last evening we were all invited to Pia and Jan's home for a feast! They are experts at hospitality and we were treated like royalty! The table was beautifully decorated with many candles and the food was unique and delicious. Dessert was a midsummer's cake covered in whipped cream and strawberries. We ate that around the coffee table overlooking the beautiful view of the sea. But the best part was the conversation and connecting! Randel and I said our good-byes at the end of the evening. Such dear people to us! The kids are still there this morning but will join us for the day soon.
I learned this morning that the World Transplant Games website has quite a bit of coverage of the games if you are interested. I will check it out and send the link soon as well as a few pictures.
Tonight is the closing ceremony and a midsummers festival.
Love to all,
Betty
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
June 21-We are enjoying Sweden
Hi everyone from Betty,
We may never catch up with telling you about the past 10 days so I'm going to just attempt to fill you in on our time in Sweden so far and later we will post about the missing days.
We did all our registration on the 17th and attended a team supper while Brett and Elise picked Cherise up at the airport. We began to learn how to use the trams and buses and by now can get around quite well. The team hotel is in downtown Gothenburg and that's where Randel and I are staying. Brett, Elise, and Cherise (until she flew to northern Sweden) continued to camp a couple more evenings but now are staying with Pia and Jan about 20 minutes away unless you get lost which we have so they drive the car back and forth.
On the 18th Randel ran in a 5 K race-an opening event. He came in 6th in his age group but pulled a ham string in the process. His main competitions are tomorrow so please pray that he'll be able to compete or make the right choice not to if he shouldn't. There is an athletic trainer here who will help tape him up in the morning and give him advice. He will try to do the 1500 and the 400 but the times are quite close together so he may have to pass on one. He will also throw the shot put so it will be a full day. B and C are picking Cherise up at the airport right now so we will all cheer him on tomorrow!
The opening ceremony was also on the the 18th in the afternoon. It was so awesome to see the teams from 51 countries march into a big hall at Liseberg, a big amusement park here. They marched through the city for a few blocks before entering and Randel said they were cheered on by people out there as well. The four of us were waiting inside and Randel was able to spot us as the USA team came in. There are around 1850 athletes and many supporters here. The hosting Swedish team marched into ABBA's Dancing Queen. Very festive and everyone was nearly dancing in the aisles. There was entertainment and lots of excitement. The rest of the evening was to be spent in the park so all 5 of us rode a gigantic swing and another ride that shot you up into the air. All in the rain but we had a great time.
Other highlights have been watching the Sweden beat Finland in floorball finals on Sunday. It's basically hockey on foot with sticks and a round ball. The Europeans take it very seriously! We cheered the Swedes on and learned their cheers. Most Swedish people speak flawless English and we have had no difficulty being understood. Everyone is so helpful as we ask for directions or help of any kind. It has been fun to share the few Swedish words I do know and the Swedish people are appreciative when I do. We've had fun sharing with them the songs, customs, foods, and traditions that we carry on. They seem to enjoy that.
I have absolutely loved connecting with Pia again. As Brett mentioned she lived with us for 3 or 4 months back in 1979 in Valentine. We've always called her our first daughter and when Grant was born she wrote him a letter telling him she'd tried us out and we were pretty good parents:-) She's the one who got us started doing our St. Lucia day tradition and taught me how to make pepparkakar. It was wonderful to meet her husband, Jan, and daughter, Andrea, who is 8. Pia and Jan came in to meet us the first night and we've been to their home the past two evenings. They have a lovely home that overlooks the sea. Both evenings we have watched the sunset which doesn't really happen until 10:30 or 11. It doesn't set like at home but slowly moves across the sky. Pia has treated us to tea and sweets each evening. Last evening Elise and Andrea played soccer (football here) and Elise taught her some new moves. We visit with Jan and Pia about everything. So interesting to here their perspectives on many topics. Jan lived in the US for some time and has a sister in Boston. They have been very helpful with many details as well as hosting Brett and Elise and tonight Cherise will join them.
Other game news-We have had great conversations with people from many countries as well as meeting our fellow USA teammates. Probably the most memorable contact was with four gentlemen from Iran. One of them wanted to give me a woven dresser scarf in exchange for 5 of our team USA pins. That will be a treasure. One spoke good English and all were eager to have their pictures taken with us. We learned later that they were not to shake hands with women but Elise and I did shake their hands. Their government paid for them to come but no families were allowed to come.
We eat breakfast in the hotel and it is a daily Swedish smorgasbord. That may have slowed Randel down on the first race. Lunch and dinner are served in the Games Village and we have to take a tram ride to that building. The food has been good.
Last night we took the car back to the hotel after visiting Pia and Jan and after we were headed in the right direction I said, "All we have to do now is follow the signs for the Centrum and hope we don't hit a moose." The words were just out of my mouth when a big moose began to cross the road in front of us. He paused to step over the little fence that divides the two lanes and looked right into our window as we went by!! On both of our previous trips to Sweden I had been disappointed that we hadn't seen moose as there are moose crossing signs all over. Now I've seen my moose but next time I hope it's not so close up and personal!
Today we took a break from the Games, picked Brett and Elise up, and headed into the center of Sweden. Jan loaned us his GPS and we were thankful for that! We went first to the Immigrant Museum in Vaxjo but only got about 1/2 hour there as they were closing for some special event. It was interesting to me to see my college, North Park, and home church, the Covenant church, mentioned in the panel on religious information on immigrants. Next we found the very small village of Rosas where Randel's great-grandmother, Carolina, was born in 1847. It's in Smoland the area from which many immigrated. We could see why if they tried to farm the area. It's very wooded with many rocks. Rocks are piled everywhere and made into walls and fences. There were many lakes so it is very beautiful. The houses are mostly barn red with white trim. Very picturesque. The roads were very narrow and we continued to look for moose but no luck! Sheep, cattle, and a few horses grazed in the tiny fields. Not much for crops. Next we headed north to Vastergotland just in from Lake Vattern for those of you who know Swedish geography. It's better farm land there but still some wooded areas. There we found the village of Varsas, where my great grandfather, John Gustafson, was born in 1856. We were able to go inside the church where he was baptized and attended while he grew up. This was very special for me as he is the one great grandparent I knew as he lived to be 97. He was a man of great faith and I remember visiting him after church on Sundays. He would ask me to say my Sunday school memory verse for him. It really connected for Brett and Elise when they realized that he was Albertina's father as they remember her. He came to the states with his new wife, Ericka Charlotta, in 1881 and eventually bought and lived on the farm where I was raised and my mother still lives. That was in 1913 so the farm has been in the family for nearly 100 years.
I know some of you are my family who are interested in this history but this did get a bit long! Hopefully we will now keep up a little bit better but no promises. We have been going at quite a pace as we are excited to see everything. We've had a little down time now but not much.
Randel thinks he's feeling pretty good and just jogged a mile on the treadmill in the gym as I wrote this. Hopefully he's good to go in the morning!
Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. We are living a dream and loving every minute of this. The kids are troopers and we've laughed often and are enjoying our time together. We need to see if our white Elvis suits are ready for tomorrow!
Love to all,
Betty
We may never catch up with telling you about the past 10 days so I'm going to just attempt to fill you in on our time in Sweden so far and later we will post about the missing days.
We did all our registration on the 17th and attended a team supper while Brett and Elise picked Cherise up at the airport. We began to learn how to use the trams and buses and by now can get around quite well. The team hotel is in downtown Gothenburg and that's where Randel and I are staying. Brett, Elise, and Cherise (until she flew to northern Sweden) continued to camp a couple more evenings but now are staying with Pia and Jan about 20 minutes away unless you get lost which we have so they drive the car back and forth.
On the 18th Randel ran in a 5 K race-an opening event. He came in 6th in his age group but pulled a ham string in the process. His main competitions are tomorrow so please pray that he'll be able to compete or make the right choice not to if he shouldn't. There is an athletic trainer here who will help tape him up in the morning and give him advice. He will try to do the 1500 and the 400 but the times are quite close together so he may have to pass on one. He will also throw the shot put so it will be a full day. B and C are picking Cherise up at the airport right now so we will all cheer him on tomorrow!
The opening ceremony was also on the the 18th in the afternoon. It was so awesome to see the teams from 51 countries march into a big hall at Liseberg, a big amusement park here. They marched through the city for a few blocks before entering and Randel said they were cheered on by people out there as well. The four of us were waiting inside and Randel was able to spot us as the USA team came in. There are around 1850 athletes and many supporters here. The hosting Swedish team marched into ABBA's Dancing Queen. Very festive and everyone was nearly dancing in the aisles. There was entertainment and lots of excitement. The rest of the evening was to be spent in the park so all 5 of us rode a gigantic swing and another ride that shot you up into the air. All in the rain but we had a great time.
Other highlights have been watching the Sweden beat Finland in floorball finals on Sunday. It's basically hockey on foot with sticks and a round ball. The Europeans take it very seriously! We cheered the Swedes on and learned their cheers. Most Swedish people speak flawless English and we have had no difficulty being understood. Everyone is so helpful as we ask for directions or help of any kind. It has been fun to share the few Swedish words I do know and the Swedish people are appreciative when I do. We've had fun sharing with them the songs, customs, foods, and traditions that we carry on. They seem to enjoy that.
I have absolutely loved connecting with Pia again. As Brett mentioned she lived with us for 3 or 4 months back in 1979 in Valentine. We've always called her our first daughter and when Grant was born she wrote him a letter telling him she'd tried us out and we were pretty good parents:-) She's the one who got us started doing our St. Lucia day tradition and taught me how to make pepparkakar. It was wonderful to meet her husband, Jan, and daughter, Andrea, who is 8. Pia and Jan came in to meet us the first night and we've been to their home the past two evenings. They have a lovely home that overlooks the sea. Both evenings we have watched the sunset which doesn't really happen until 10:30 or 11. It doesn't set like at home but slowly moves across the sky. Pia has treated us to tea and sweets each evening. Last evening Elise and Andrea played soccer (football here) and Elise taught her some new moves. We visit with Jan and Pia about everything. So interesting to here their perspectives on many topics. Jan lived in the US for some time and has a sister in Boston. They have been very helpful with many details as well as hosting Brett and Elise and tonight Cherise will join them.
Other game news-We have had great conversations with people from many countries as well as meeting our fellow USA teammates. Probably the most memorable contact was with four gentlemen from Iran. One of them wanted to give me a woven dresser scarf in exchange for 5 of our team USA pins. That will be a treasure. One spoke good English and all were eager to have their pictures taken with us. We learned later that they were not to shake hands with women but Elise and I did shake their hands. Their government paid for them to come but no families were allowed to come.
We eat breakfast in the hotel and it is a daily Swedish smorgasbord. That may have slowed Randel down on the first race. Lunch and dinner are served in the Games Village and we have to take a tram ride to that building. The food has been good.
Last night we took the car back to the hotel after visiting Pia and Jan and after we were headed in the right direction I said, "All we have to do now is follow the signs for the Centrum and hope we don't hit a moose." The words were just out of my mouth when a big moose began to cross the road in front of us. He paused to step over the little fence that divides the two lanes and looked right into our window as we went by!! On both of our previous trips to Sweden I had been disappointed that we hadn't seen moose as there are moose crossing signs all over. Now I've seen my moose but next time I hope it's not so close up and personal!
Today we took a break from the Games, picked Brett and Elise up, and headed into the center of Sweden. Jan loaned us his GPS and we were thankful for that! We went first to the Immigrant Museum in Vaxjo but only got about 1/2 hour there as they were closing for some special event. It was interesting to me to see my college, North Park, and home church, the Covenant church, mentioned in the panel on religious information on immigrants. Next we found the very small village of Rosas where Randel's great-grandmother, Carolina, was born in 1847. It's in Smoland the area from which many immigrated. We could see why if they tried to farm the area. It's very wooded with many rocks. Rocks are piled everywhere and made into walls and fences. There were many lakes so it is very beautiful. The houses are mostly barn red with white trim. Very picturesque. The roads were very narrow and we continued to look for moose but no luck! Sheep, cattle, and a few horses grazed in the tiny fields. Not much for crops. Next we headed north to Vastergotland just in from Lake Vattern for those of you who know Swedish geography. It's better farm land there but still some wooded areas. There we found the village of Varsas, where my great grandfather, John Gustafson, was born in 1856. We were able to go inside the church where he was baptized and attended while he grew up. This was very special for me as he is the one great grandparent I knew as he lived to be 97. He was a man of great faith and I remember visiting him after church on Sundays. He would ask me to say my Sunday school memory verse for him. It really connected for Brett and Elise when they realized that he was Albertina's father as they remember her. He came to the states with his new wife, Ericka Charlotta, in 1881 and eventually bought and lived on the farm where I was raised and my mother still lives. That was in 1913 so the farm has been in the family for nearly 100 years.
I know some of you are my family who are interested in this history but this did get a bit long! Hopefully we will now keep up a little bit better but no promises. We have been going at quite a pace as we are excited to see everything. We've had a little down time now but not much.
Randel thinks he's feeling pretty good and just jogged a mile on the treadmill in the gym as I wrote this. Hopefully he's good to go in the morning!
Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. We are living a dream and loving every minute of this. The kids are troopers and we've laughed often and are enjoying our time together. We need to see if our white Elvis suits are ready for tomorrow!
Love to all,
Betty
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Sweden!
Brett says:
It has long been a dream of mine to visit "The Motherland." On Thursday night we found a beautiful campground in Aksim, just outside of Gothenburg, with our tent set up just about 10 yards from the North Sea. It is a magnificent view with sailboats, swans and long hours of sunlight. Yesterday we were able to make the connection with Elise's friend Cherise, even though her flight was delayed about 4 hours. Mom and Dad checked into their hotel yesterday so just Elise, Cherise and I camped out last night. We also had the privilege of meeting Pia and her husband Jan yesterday evening. Pia is a relative on my Mother's side and came to live with my parents for 3 months when she was 19 in 1979.
Today was the first day of the transplant games and Dad competed in the 5k, just missing out on a medal. One of the most entertaining parts of these games are the crazy outfits for the USA team members. Here's a picture of my parents:
It looks like Elvis and Evel Kenevel were the team tailors. We are still behind put will try to keep posting the next few days and get caught up.
BA
It has long been a dream of mine to visit "The Motherland." On Thursday night we found a beautiful campground in Aksim, just outside of Gothenburg, with our tent set up just about 10 yards from the North Sea. It is a magnificent view with sailboats, swans and long hours of sunlight. Yesterday we were able to make the connection with Elise's friend Cherise, even though her flight was delayed about 4 hours. Mom and Dad checked into their hotel yesterday so just Elise, Cherise and I camped out last night. We also had the privilege of meeting Pia and her husband Jan yesterday evening. Pia is a relative on my Mother's side and came to live with my parents for 3 months when she was 19 in 1979.
Today was the first day of the transplant games and Dad competed in the 5k, just missing out on a medal. One of the most entertaining parts of these games are the crazy outfits for the USA team members. Here's a picture of my parents:
It looks like Elvis and Evel Kenevel were the team tailors. We are still behind put will try to keep posting the next few days and get caught up.
BA
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
June 14 from Betty
Hi from Betty again,
Internet will soon run out so just a note to say we spent all day in Amsterdam! Canals and bicycles!!! We'll get you more details later. Tomorrow we head up along the Holland coast over the dyke to northern Germany. We hope to find some of the villages my mother's Dutch relatives came from.
Love to all,
Betty
Internet will soon run out so just a note to say we spent all day in Amsterdam! Canals and bicycles!!! We'll get you more details later. Tomorrow we head up along the Holland coast over the dyke to northern Germany. We hope to find some of the villages my mother's Dutch relatives came from.
Love to all,
Betty
Monday, June 13, 2011
June 13 from Betty
Hi everyone,
This is Betty sending her first post so hi to everyone from the Netherlands. I will just add a few of my comments to what Brett and Elise said about our travels thus far. I found all the Normandy sites to be very moving. The American cemetery we visited had over 9,000 graves and another nearby had over 5,000. 300 hundred were marked as "known only to God". We also visited a museum at Arromanches which explained the artificial port built there by the Allies after the invasion. There was a group of WWII veterans from England on the tour looking very dapper in their uniforms with medals across their chests. It was touching moment at the end when one of them politely asked if he could point himself out in a picture that was hanging on the wall. He was in a jeep entering a bombed out French village. The tour group applauded him and his fellow veterans. What sacrifices have been made for our freedom.
London was awesome and we learned to navigate the public transportation system like pros for Mid-westerners who love their cars. It would be crazy to drive in downtown London although Randel and I did back in 1972 when we visited the first time. Now there is a congestion tax you must pay to drive into the city. We really loved riding on the top level of our double decker bus from the campground. We had to then catch an overland train and then transfer to the Tube underground.
The dryer is done so I'm heading to bed and we'll fill you in on the wonderful day we had for Randel's birthday yesterday later.
Blessings to all! We are so thankful for your prayers for our health and safety!
Betty
This is Betty sending her first post so hi to everyone from the Netherlands. I will just add a few of my comments to what Brett and Elise said about our travels thus far. I found all the Normandy sites to be very moving. The American cemetery we visited had over 9,000 graves and another nearby had over 5,000. 300 hundred were marked as "known only to God". We also visited a museum at Arromanches which explained the artificial port built there by the Allies after the invasion. There was a group of WWII veterans from England on the tour looking very dapper in their uniforms with medals across their chests. It was touching moment at the end when one of them politely asked if he could point himself out in a picture that was hanging on the wall. He was in a jeep entering a bombed out French village. The tour group applauded him and his fellow veterans. What sacrifices have been made for our freedom.
London was awesome and we learned to navigate the public transportation system like pros for Mid-westerners who love their cars. It would be crazy to drive in downtown London although Randel and I did back in 1972 when we visited the first time. Now there is a congestion tax you must pay to drive into the city. We really loved riding on the top level of our double decker bus from the campground. We had to then catch an overland train and then transfer to the Tube underground.
The dryer is done so I'm heading to bed and we'll fill you in on the wonderful day we had for Randel's birthday yesterday later.
Blessings to all! We are so thankful for your prayers for our health and safety!
Betty
Apologies
Brett says:
We have really been going, going, going. So far, we have done an excellent job filling each and every day with activities but have been forgoing any sort of down time. Due to this, our posting on this blog has been a bit sparse so far. Another hurdle has been internet access. It is much more restricted than in the States and I have had a hard time finding places where I can use it. Our last campground in England charged 5 pounds (about $8) for a 24-hour access period. Obviously, we do not want to pay that every night.
We met a nice nice English couple while having lunch at the British museum on Friday. After telling them our ambitious plan for both traveling and lodging, one of them said, "Well, that seems American." I feel like our pace is a stark contrast to the way Europeans go about their day. Before 8am or after about 7pm most places look like a ghost town. Another one of our repeated observations is that a large portion of the cattle here are actually laying down in their pasture rather than standing and grazing like most industrious American cows. It's those funny little differences that let you know you are in a foreign place.
We survived left handed driving in the UK and drove all day today, making it to a secluded campground between Amsterdam and Haarlem in The Netherlands. It is about 11:20 here and we are finally doing our first load of laundry, using internet as we wait.
It has been quite an adventure and I just hope we have the endurance to last for 7 more weeks!
'til next time,
BA
We have really been going, going, going. So far, we have done an excellent job filling each and every day with activities but have been forgoing any sort of down time. Due to this, our posting on this blog has been a bit sparse so far. Another hurdle has been internet access. It is much more restricted than in the States and I have had a hard time finding places where I can use it. Our last campground in England charged 5 pounds (about $8) for a 24-hour access period. Obviously, we do not want to pay that every night.
We met a nice nice English couple while having lunch at the British museum on Friday. After telling them our ambitious plan for both traveling and lodging, one of them said, "Well, that seems American." I feel like our pace is a stark contrast to the way Europeans go about their day. Before 8am or after about 7pm most places look like a ghost town. Another one of our repeated observations is that a large portion of the cattle here are actually laying down in their pasture rather than standing and grazing like most industrious American cows. It's those funny little differences that let you know you are in a foreign place.
We survived left handed driving in the UK and drove all day today, making it to a secluded campground between Amsterdam and Haarlem in The Netherlands. It is about 11:20 here and we are finally doing our first load of laundry, using internet as we wait.
It has been quite an adventure and I just hope we have the endurance to last for 7 more weeks!
'til next time,
BA
Saturday, June 11, 2011
We're Here!
Elise here - my first time posting! It's been a total whirl-wind of a week! It's past midnight here (Saturday night) and this is the first chance we've had to use internet but I'm gonna write quickly cause we need to get to bed!
Last Sunday we drove up to stay at Rol & Karen's just outside Minneapolis. They were so wonderfully hospitable (as always) and sent us off Monday morning with an amazing brunch (GREAT last meal in the states!). Rol dropped us off at the airport, and we pulled up RIGHT behind Cherise & Jenna!!! Cherise and I booked flights a month apart and unknowingly booked the same one... awesome :) We were on the same flights until Iceland and then she and Jenna went to Sweden (where we'll meet up with Cherise on the 17th) and we flew into Paris.
We spent the first 2 nights in a wonderful campground in Normandy and visited Utah & Omaha beach and several other places associated with D-Day. The very first place we stopped was a German soldier bunker/hide-out thing (I don't remember what it's called) and we were just walking back to the car when all of a sudden... BANG BANG BANG...and lots of more bangs and lots of shouting and lots of soldiers running towards us!!! I was so confused (and scared!) and pretty much just hit the deck! I can't stop laughing now when I think about how funny I must've looked :) We didn't know whether it was a re-enactment (since it was the day after D-Day we were there) or if it was military training... either way it was a pretty exciting/funny/odd way to start our trip :)
Then Thursday we drove to Calais (France) to catch a ferry to Dover (England) and then drove to Paris. Spent all day Friday seeing the sights in London - Big Ben & Parlaiment, Westminster Abbey, British Museum, Trafalgor Square, Downing Street, St. Martin in-the-fields, etc. I really enjoyed every minute of it - it's just like NYC! So much diversity - it's a people-watching paradise :) Today we went to Stonehenge and to see the Roman Baths in Bath. Another fantastic day! Tomorrow we will see the rest of the things in London that we didn't get to see yet :)
I'm super thankful that European campgrounds are amazingly CLEAN and well-kept, they're much nicer than the U.S. I'm also thankful that I can sleep in the back seat of the car - it's been too cold for me at night... I'm kind of a wuss. I'm also thankful that Brett & Dad are such fantastic drivers - the roads here are TINY and people go so fast! Plus it's really weird in England when we drive on the left side of the road. I'm also thankful for the safety we've had - I feel like God's just looking out for us and taking care of all the details :) So we're one week in and all is very well - Praise the Lord :)
elise
Last Sunday we drove up to stay at Rol & Karen's just outside Minneapolis. They were so wonderfully hospitable (as always) and sent us off Monday morning with an amazing brunch (GREAT last meal in the states!). Rol dropped us off at the airport, and we pulled up RIGHT behind Cherise & Jenna!!! Cherise and I booked flights a month apart and unknowingly booked the same one... awesome :) We were on the same flights until Iceland and then she and Jenna went to Sweden (where we'll meet up with Cherise on the 17th) and we flew into Paris.
We spent the first 2 nights in a wonderful campground in Normandy and visited Utah & Omaha beach and several other places associated with D-Day. The very first place we stopped was a German soldier bunker/hide-out thing (I don't remember what it's called) and we were just walking back to the car when all of a sudden... BANG BANG BANG...and lots of more bangs and lots of shouting and lots of soldiers running towards us!!! I was so confused (and scared!) and pretty much just hit the deck! I can't stop laughing now when I think about how funny I must've looked :) We didn't know whether it was a re-enactment (since it was the day after D-Day we were there) or if it was military training... either way it was a pretty exciting/funny/odd way to start our trip :)
Then Thursday we drove to Calais (France) to catch a ferry to Dover (England) and then drove to Paris. Spent all day Friday seeing the sights in London - Big Ben & Parlaiment, Westminster Abbey, British Museum, Trafalgor Square, Downing Street, St. Martin in-the-fields, etc. I really enjoyed every minute of it - it's just like NYC! So much diversity - it's a people-watching paradise :) Today we went to Stonehenge and to see the Roman Baths in Bath. Another fantastic day! Tomorrow we will see the rest of the things in London that we didn't get to see yet :)
I'm super thankful that European campgrounds are amazingly CLEAN and well-kept, they're much nicer than the U.S. I'm also thankful that I can sleep in the back seat of the car - it's been too cold for me at night... I'm kind of a wuss. I'm also thankful that Brett & Dad are such fantastic drivers - the roads here are TINY and people go so fast! Plus it's really weird in England when we drive on the left side of the road. I'm also thankful for the safety we've had - I feel like God's just looking out for us and taking care of all the details :) So we're one week in and all is very well - Praise the Lord :)
elise
Monday, June 6, 2011
D-day has begun!
It's ironic that 67 years ago today France was invaded by allied soldiers. Hopefully today's visitors will be slightly less unruly. We are currently stopped in Toronto, waiting to get on our plane to Reykjavik, Iceland. From there we will continue to Paris arriving at 1pm local time, 6am Central.
We were blessed with great hospitality last night and this morning from my Uncle Rol and Aunt Karen. We got a good night of sleep and made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare. This next leg will be the longest. Neither Elise nor I have been succesful in figuring how the toilet in the airplane flushes. We will report...oh we're boarding. Iceland ho!
BA
We were blessed with great hospitality last night and this morning from my Uncle Rol and Aunt Karen. We got a good night of sleep and made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare. This next leg will be the longest. Neither Elise nor I have been succesful in figuring how the toilet in the airplane flushes. We will report...oh we're boarding. Iceland ho!
BA
Sunday, June 5, 2011
It's a Packing Day miracle!
As I write this we are currently eastbound on I-90 (I love my droid). We received a very pleasant surprise as we were packing today. Mike Christensen, a friend from my parent's church, will be living in our house while we're away so my parents were cleaning out some drawers for him. First, my Mother found a $100 bill in the back of one of her dresser drawers. Amazing, right? Only about ten minutes later, however, Dad found five bills amongst the many nearly empty bottles in the back of his bathroom drawer. He peeled them off one at a time: fifty, hundred, hundred, hundred, hundred. $450! So we made $550 today.
I am very tempted at this point to make a wise-crack about my parents age, punctuated with a clever suggestion of senility. However, I am going to chalk this one up to God's provision instead.
BA
I am very tempted at this point to make a wise-crack about my parents age, punctuated with a clever suggestion of senility. However, I am going to chalk this one up to God's provision instead.
BA
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Final Preparations
Well, we've reached the 11th hour. A trip that seemed so far away for so long is nearly upon us. All of us have had final preparations that have been taxing:
Elise will be staying at Schoo Middle School (pronounced "sko"), continuing to teach 6th grade next year. However, she is changing teams which will mean a different classroom. She also moved out of her apartment the same weekend which meant rearranging two very significant parts of her life in a short amount of time. I think we did pretty good but I now have a room full of Elise stuff and it is beginning to smell a bit girly in here. I really admire my sister for the number of significant relationships she is able to maintain and I know she is trying to spend as much quality time as possible with those people in the next few days.
Dad has had a few paintings to finish up and I even heard a rumor that he relived his college glory days by staying up until 4am to finish one of them. But isn't it true that no good art can take place before midnight? His last few pieces have been really good so I think it holds true.
I have had a large variety of things to do. On the way to get my international driver's license last week the throttle cable for my motorcycle (1971 Honda CB350) snapped. I was looking forward to letting my brother use the bike this summer, as sitting unused is about the worst thing for these old bikes. That will be one of tomorrow's projects. The last four days I have been finishing up everything at the mission and will definitely be missing everyone there while I am gone. Packing? More of an abstract thought than a plan at this point. I also need to update some insurance and get other finances in order.
Mom has the toughest job of all of us, keeping the rest of us on track. She is the most prepared in our group and I don't think this trip would be possible without her ability to plan ahead. She has already been researching campgrounds as we try to get at least the first few nights planned out.
That's pretty much where we are. I think we are all looking forward to just being on the plane. That way, even if we forgot anything it will be too late to worry about it!
I'll try to get the other family members to post here. I feel like I've been monopolizing the blog.
'til next time
BA
Elise will be staying at Schoo Middle School (pronounced "sko"), continuing to teach 6th grade next year. However, she is changing teams which will mean a different classroom. She also moved out of her apartment the same weekend which meant rearranging two very significant parts of her life in a short amount of time. I think we did pretty good but I now have a room full of Elise stuff and it is beginning to smell a bit girly in here. I really admire my sister for the number of significant relationships she is able to maintain and I know she is trying to spend as much quality time as possible with those people in the next few days.
Dad has had a few paintings to finish up and I even heard a rumor that he relived his college glory days by staying up until 4am to finish one of them. But isn't it true that no good art can take place before midnight? His last few pieces have been really good so I think it holds true.
I have had a large variety of things to do. On the way to get my international driver's license last week the throttle cable for my motorcycle (1971 Honda CB350) snapped. I was looking forward to letting my brother use the bike this summer, as sitting unused is about the worst thing for these old bikes. That will be one of tomorrow's projects. The last four days I have been finishing up everything at the mission and will definitely be missing everyone there while I am gone. Packing? More of an abstract thought than a plan at this point. I also need to update some insurance and get other finances in order.
Mom has the toughest job of all of us, keeping the rest of us on track. She is the most prepared in our group and I don't think this trip would be possible without her ability to plan ahead. She has already been researching campgrounds as we try to get at least the first few nights planned out.
That's pretty much where we are. I think we are all looking forward to just being on the plane. That way, even if we forgot anything it will be too late to worry about it!
I'll try to get the other family members to post here. I feel like I've been monopolizing the blog.
'til next time
BA
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Itinerary
Anderson Europe Trip Approximate Itinerary Summer of 2011
June 5-Leave Norfolk
June 6-Leave from Minneapolis
June 7 Arrive in Paris
June 8-Normandy
June 9-ferry at Calais to Dover
June 10-12-London
June 13-ferry back to Calais and Belgium
June 14-15-Amsterdam and drive through The Netherlands-see villages of ancestors
June16-Drive through Denmark
June 17-Arrive in Gothenburg, Sweden for World Transplant Games and visit with Pia
June 18-Randel runs in 5K race and Opening Ceremonies
June 19-21-Gothenburg and day trips to central Sweden
June 22-Randel runs in 1500 and 400 and throws the shot put
June 23-Randel runs in 800 and Closing Ceremonies
June 24-26-Olso and Bergen in Norway
June 27-drive across Sweden to Stockholm
June 28-July 3-time in Stockholm with Lizbeth and family and Uppsala with the Hellmann family
July 4-family sights in southern Sweden and Copenhagen
July 5-drive to Czech Republic
July 6-Prague
July 7-8Karlstein Castle and visit relatives
July 9-Ceske Krumlov
July 10-Vienna
July 11-Vienna to Salzburg
July 12-Salzburg
July 13-to Munich
July 14-Munich
July 15-Munich to Venice
July 16-Venice
July 17-drive to Rome
July 18-20-Rome
July 21-Florence
July 22-23-Cinque Terre
July24-Drive to Interlaken
July 25-26-Switzerland
July 27-Rothenburg and Wartburg
July 28-Black Forest
July 29-Along Rhine to Cologne
July 30-August 2-Paris
August 3-Paris to Minneapolis
August 4-5-Mayo Clinic
Home
BA
Friday, May 6, 2011
Transplant Games
Our plan is surely an ambitious one. It bears asking, "What was the impetus for all of this?" My father has been blessed with fairly good health in the nearly 8 years since his transplant. So much so that he has been able to compete in the National Kidney Foundation's Transplant Games. These games are held nationally in even years and internationally in odd years. I don't remember the date for sure, but I believe it was last summer that we found out the 2011 games were taking place in Göteborg (Gothenburg), Sweden. Being that we are all Swedish and that we still maintain contact with some relatives from that area, our interests were piqued. Still, I don't know if any of us really believed we could go.
2011 Transplant Games website
Slowly but surely a few things began to fall in place. Mom and Elise have no problem with a two month vacation, due to their teaching schedules. Likewise, Dad, with his art, would be able to free himself for the summer. My job posed a bit more of a problem. Homeless shelters are 24-7 entities and we are perpetually short staffed. Thankfully, my supervisors allowed me to take the time off without pay, effectively green-lighting the trip from my perspective.
Another potential snag was the sheer cost, especially of the games themselves. Though the Transplant Games are at their core a celebration of survivors, they are also an opportunity raise funds for the transplant cause. The total cost to stay on site and compete (just for Mom and Dad) was a whopping $3,000. Fortunately, there was a fund raising page which could be used to help mitigate the costs. However, my parents only found out about it a couple weeks before registration was due on March 31 (coincidentally Mom's birthday). What transpired in these weeks was a tremendous outpouring of love. The complete goal of $3,000 was met on the night of the 31st. You can see the site here.
My Mother is an incredibly strong person. She is not dramatic nor does she overly emote. But as she sat in our living room, watching the names of those willing to give a little scroll by, she was deeply moved. I want to thank all of you who helped prove Luke 6:38 to be true.
Other things:
-I did finally get my passport. Hooray for responsibility!
-Next post will be our rough itinerary.
-Here is the vehicle we will be driving/living in. (though presumably less pimped out)
Thanks for visiting!
BA
2011 Transplant Games website
Slowly but surely a few things began to fall in place. Mom and Elise have no problem with a two month vacation, due to their teaching schedules. Likewise, Dad, with his art, would be able to free himself for the summer. My job posed a bit more of a problem. Homeless shelters are 24-7 entities and we are perpetually short staffed. Thankfully, my supervisors allowed me to take the time off without pay, effectively green-lighting the trip from my perspective.
Another potential snag was the sheer cost, especially of the games themselves. Though the Transplant Games are at their core a celebration of survivors, they are also an opportunity raise funds for the transplant cause. The total cost to stay on site and compete (just for Mom and Dad) was a whopping $3,000. Fortunately, there was a fund raising page which could be used to help mitigate the costs. However, my parents only found out about it a couple weeks before registration was due on March 31 (coincidentally Mom's birthday). What transpired in these weeks was a tremendous outpouring of love. The complete goal of $3,000 was met on the night of the 31st. You can see the site here.
My Mother is an incredibly strong person. She is not dramatic nor does she overly emote. But as she sat in our living room, watching the names of those willing to give a little scroll by, she was deeply moved. I want to thank all of you who helped prove Luke 6:38 to be true.
Other things:
-I did finally get my passport. Hooray for responsibility!
-Next post will be our rough itinerary.
-Here is the vehicle we will be driving/living in. (though presumably less pimped out)
Thanks for visiting!
BA
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