Monday, 07 August 2006

Europe Post No. 5

After a brief intermission over the weekend so I could attend a wedding (congratulations Steven and Joanna!), the travel journals continue!

7-23-2006: Homeward...

Our journey is now bringing us west... slowly back towards home, but towards Salzburg for the first part of the week and then back to Germany in Köln and Aachen.

Yesterday, our time was spent largely in the Haus der Musik, converted from a Viennese 19th Century noble's home into a loaction that is devoted to sound, Viennese composers, the Wiener Philharmoniker, and Brain Opera. One of the most amazing was the study on sounds felt and heard by fetuses, specifically with ultrasounds. The other sweet ones were the oversized instruments demonstrating the four types, including a giant organ pipe. The weirdest was probably this listening room with bizarre-looking art, dark lighting, and avant garde Mozart remixes. I even conducted the Wiener Philharmoniker... sort of. The museum has a simulator which allows visitors to conduct the orchestra, which will applaud if you conduct well and give a thumbs down if you don't. The simulator didn't respond terribly well unless the baton was pointing straight at it, so I just went for theatrics. However, the players were satisfied-they gave me applause.

We tried actually earlier in the day to visit the Figarohaus, but at an entry price higher than those for the Haus der Musik, we said, "no thanks." But now I can say I at least saw where Beethoven studied with Mozart (and even drank a Coca-Cola on the ground floor of the building).

Now that we're out of Vienna, I'm going to try and snap a few moving photos. Apparently the Austrians LOVE sunflowers-we've seen entire meadows full of them and I see more now.

7-25-2006: The Hills Are Alive...

Salzburg has been the biggest test of our mettle. Tempers have flared, patience has been lost, and the heat has SOARED. But hasn't been all bad, thankfully. Frau Kernstock has a tiny orange kitten named Janie. After getting to the B&B and feeling considerably stressed, Janie was just what we needed. We snuggled her for longer than I could guess and had some delicious food at an honest to goodness biergarten, the Gasthaus Kuglhof.

Yesterday, we saw how beautiful Salzburg truly is. The very-hot bus dropped us off along the river, where we had a fantastic view of the Austrian Alps. Once inside the town, we reached the Mozartplatz and the statue of the big man himself (he's quite tall). We then took a look inside the Heilege Rupertsdom, where five pipe organs have been installed, where Mozart was married to Constanze Weber, and later worked as organist. Then we stopped by the Salzburg Museum, devoted this year entirely to Wolferl. Jordan and I even did some target shooting like they did in Austria; I almost hit the bullseye on my first shot! We even saw the entire Köchel catlog.

We then visited the Franciscan Church and had some dinner at the Zipfer, which was tasty. The evening was topped off with listening to street musicians play balalaikas, including Mozart music. I really liked the "Serenade" movement from Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and their version of "Rondo alla Turca." When we had finally had enough, a taxi driver took us home. Roaring through the streets of Salzburg in his car has been possibly one of the coolest adventures we've had the entire trip. This guy truly was a pro-he's the nuttiest taxi driver I think I've ever ridden with and it was a blast.

Today we look forward to The Sound of Music bus tour. As we wait, the family continues watching more CNN (the daily ritual, it seems) and Janie quietly alternates purring and napping on our floor. Somehow, the world seems a little more at rest when a cat sleeps.

7-26-2006: Cologne is a CITY

It's boring really late at night in the Hauptbahnhof. It's cooler, but there are far less people, it's quite, the stands are all geschlossen, and it feels sleepy.

The tour was pretty good. Our guide, Peter, was funny and knew the tour backwards and forwards. Singing the soundtrack was fun-Peter heard me singing and wanted to give me the microphone during "Do Re Mi" but I was too shy. Oh well, at least he knew I was singing. The bus was comfy, but I made a discovery. We were riding with a largely American group; no matter how aggravating all the East Asian tours have been (and I mean OBNOXIOUS), Americans may still be the tackiest tourists on the planet. Not to mention pushy-I thought I was going to get trampled in the initial rush for seats onto the bus. But it was fun, and some of the people were nice.

I really liked the Mirabell Garten. The tunnel with the creeping vines was sreally neat, but the fountain was the most refreshing. However, the standing-still lady with the pink hair and not enough clothes wasn't so refreshing. It was in poor taste.

Today we saw the huge mountain fortress called the Hohensalzburg. It was possibly cooler than Edinburgh Castle, but that's all up for debate. Riding buses wasn't quite as much fun as tzxis. It was sort of cool, though-I was lazily reading the USA Today while we were waiting for Linie 1 and this random college guy in the next seat at the bus hub was suddenly all excited that he couold read what the headlines were saying. All I found out was that he told me he was from Washington studying abroad and I replied that I was from Michigan and not studying abroad. It's kind of cool meeting random people my age-there are LOTS of them here in Salzburg.

Okay, after being briefly interrupted to get on our train, I have more to write (just a little). Our accomodations are much nicer-a second class sleeping car instead of a couchette, which means that we have a chamber completely to ourselves with comfier beds. I really like the conductor this time-he seems friendlier and a little more understanding than the others. Now that my brother has shown us all the features of the car, it is time to SLEEEEEEP as we bounce towards Cologne. No, it is NOT a giant bottle of perfume. It's the city in western Germany!

7-29-2006: -Insert Your Own Title Because I Wasn't Creative Today-

Köln is an exciting place. The day we arrived, we explored the Kölnerdom. It may have been the time of day, but I thought it was considerably darker than the others after looking at my pictures. However, it may have been even more grand than the York Minster. In any case, both the balcony and the gallery organs sounded fantastic.

Yesterday, we took a trip to the old city of Aachen. For a city probably the size of Grand Rapids, it has a LOT of small town charm. The Pfalz was yet another neat church. However, it was a bit smaller than I pictured after looking at the Germany guide book (which weighs as much as a small brick). Its Schatzkammer was unbelievable - the reliquaries which held Charlemagne's remains were easily the coolest. Seeing his bones was just plain chilling and maybe a little disturbing. Oh yes, and then there's the Italian bistro to mention. Gnocchi are delicious little treasures and drowning that nasty old bee in some wheat beer was just plain exhilarating. I have Dick and Rose's bug trap back the resort to thank for thinking of that.

Our final day is back in Köln mostly at the Dom and the Roman Museum. However, we're all thinking about home.

Home...

7-30-2006: America is MY Home

Three weeks is a long time. Shortly into the month of July, we were finalizing plans. We were asking Will and Angela to look after our home and the precious kittycats.

Then we got on some airplanes, flew for hours, rode a train for several more, and collapsed at the Saxon House in exhaustion after our first decent meal.

It's been great, but considering that it's almost August, it is time to go home. We've seen our forefathers' old stomping grounds. We've visited houses of prayer, where people sought Jesus the best they knew how. And we've stood in awe of the places we've visited. And, like any family, we've had a couple of meltdowns. But how could have we avoided them? We pushed Jordan to his limits between navigating mass transit systems he's never even seen before, sprechen all the deutsch, and everyone trying to manage the heat.

We have lots to be thankful for, yes. We've seen places we have longed to see. But more importantly, we've had folks praying for us back at home, as I'm reminded at while looking at the airline pretzels. Pretzel twists were originally designed to represent hands folded in prayer, and I think of that as I eat them. It's comforting to know that friends like Pete and Ben said they'd pray for us. We have needed it, and it was answered. We've been kept safe when maybe we felt scared. We've held ourselves together somehow when we got upset at one another. And God stayed with us, just as always. All along, all three weeks, from York to Köln and now to Ludington.

It's a little weird to wake up in Köln and know that we'll go to bed thousands of miles, a continent and an ocean away, at home in Ludington. Great IS God's faithfulness. Customs was seamless and the agent was funny. I can't imagine dealing with passengers leaking meat juices through their suitcases. Humanity truly has come up with some real winners.

Goodbye, Europe. Meat pies and chips and wurst and schnitzel, they were grand. Music's capital and history's centers, they were fabulous. And the heat wave, that was just plain ridiculous. But now it's time to return to the Great Lakes, and I am glad. And so are three kittycats. They have been very lonely. And thank you, God, for keeping us close all the time.

Glory be to the Father,
And to the Son,
And to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning,
Is now, and ever shall be.
World without end, Amen.

Currently Listening Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 35-41 Symphony No. 40 in G minor: I-Molto allegro see related