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
Friday, July 29, 2011
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
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