July 20,2010

Sorry about the delay in blogging...life got in the way!

To catch you up in a nutshell...well, can't really do that, there was just too much packed into those weeks since school in Portugal ended until now. But I will try to give a brief overview which of course will not do our travels justice but I think it is the best I can do for now.

After the GLCA school year ended Mike and the girls and I headed off to London. We spent five days riding double-decker buses all around that great city. Covent Gardens, Bourough Market, Picadilly Square, The Tower Bridge, The Tower of London, Buckingham Palace and much, much more...it is all there...we stayed in a quaint little B&B that served us a hearty daily breakfast that included baked beans, meat, eggs, ceral, toast, tomatoes and mushrooms. That kept us going strong until well after lunch time.

One of our highlights was to see the musical "Oliver" live in one of the royal theaters. It was great!

After London we flew to France where our friend and co-worker from Portugal, Meredith, met us. We stayed for a week at a Marriot timeshare and rode the train into Paris 5 days out of the 7 we were there. Paris...what to say...of course, the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. We also visited the Rodin museum and Rue Cler (Where we found the best ice cream (actually gelati). Another favorite was the cafe lined square where the artists display their work. We bought a couple of small pictures...but passed on the larger one we really liked the best. One day Meredith offered to take the girls to Euro-Disney so Mike and I actually got to spend a romantic day in Paris on our own.

When we left our Marriot location we headed west toward Verdun to visit with some missionary friend...the Marshalls, who have lived there for about twenty years. We had a wonder 3 days with them.. the night we arrived they were hosting a World Cup party since France was playing...too bad they lost! The next day, Don Marshall, who is a history buff as well as a dedicated church planter, took us on a tour around the area where many French battles were fought during the Revolution, WWI and WWII. It was very interesting and quite sobering. Much destruction took place on the French soil. On Sunday, three churches including the one the Marshalls began, met together for a service and potluck and fun day. We got to meet lots of wonderful French people.

Some of the highlights of our visit to this French countryside were the red poppies growing wild everywhere, whole fields of them....what a sight! And, the little French villages each with a large (but sadly empty) cathedral at the center of town. France is mostly a secular country now. These little villages dot the whole countryside...even the farmers live in the village so there are vast areas where there are no buildings, just the fields stretching for miles...it is quite beautiful.

Before flying back to Portugal we spent one more afternoon walking around Paris, making sure we didn't miss anything. It really was an amazing 10 days in France!

On June 17 we flew out of Portugal...our home for 10 months...and headed back to the USA.

The transition to being home has not been easy. I don't think any of us realized how hard the adjustment would be. We are all trying to "find our groove" as Nina said the other day. Eventually we will get a rythem going...but, of course, none of us will ever be quite the same...nor do we want to be. We want to use this opportunity we have had too grow and learn...and we want to be ready as God puts another such opportunities out there and invites us to go or stay.

Thanks to all of you who shares this journey to Portugal with us. We hope you had a great time too.

Mike, Nancy and the girls

May 21, 2010

One more week of school at GLCA. Have we really been here for a whole year? It is now warm with blazing sunshine during the day and a cool breeze blowing most evenings... much like the weather we enjoyed when we arrived in Portugal last August. Flowers are blooming everywhere...we have forgotten the cold and damp of the winter past.


As the school year winds down we feel a wave of mixed emotions. We are excited about going home. We look forward to lots of hugs from our dear little grandbabies and lots of good conversation with our adult kids and sisters and brothers. Yes, some of you will have to hear more stories about Portugal. Just promise to tell us to be quiet when you have had enough. Of course, we feel some sadness too, because we have made good friends here and will miss many things about our adopted country not the least being the great bread!


A busy couple of months are coming up once school ends on May 28. On May 30, we leave Lisbon for a week in England. Our next stop will be France where we will stay in Paris to explore that city for a week. After Paris, we will rent a car and go on a driving tour of the countryside areas of France for a couple of days. We are anxious to get home but since we are here in Europe we felt it was wise to take advantage and see as much as we could.


Once this tour is over we will head back to Portugal on June 15 and prepare to leave Portugal for the US on June 17.


Once we are back in the USA our summer schedule begins...Mike and I plan to fly to DC to meet Jamie's parents who live in MD. I'm hoping I may be able to shop for a dress to wear to the wedding while we are in DC even though we will only be there for the weekend. Then on July 5 we need to have Nina and Kati up in MI to go to church camp at Lake Ann. We are hoping Lisa will bless us with a new little grand daughter while we are there.


Once back in Charleston we will have a little time to relax before we fly out to CO for Alex and Jamie's mountain top wedding on July 31. After that wonderful event, we will head home and hopefully be able to get to OH for Sange to give birth to our new little grandson. So many blessings!


School starts for the girls and for Mike in mid August...what will I do with my time? Once I have a chance to catch my breath I will be looking for ministry opportunities stateside...one thing this year has made me realize is that I want to be active for the Lord...I've spent too many years sitting on the sidelines...now I want to be a cheerleader for my Savior.

Thursday night Nina and I (Mike)experienced another slice of Portuguese culture. In typical Portuguese fashion, the bullfights did not start until 10 PM. We arrived without tickets hoping for some good seats to be available. As you can tell from the pictures, they were not. Last row at the top and surrounded by nervous smokers. I hung my clothes outside when we got home. That was about the only bad part. The pageantry and color of the opening ceremony, the "dancing of the horses" and the pomposity of the matadors was great. The horses are the real stars of the show as they dance sideways just out of the reach of the bull's horns as it charges. They also "charge" the bull and then feint and dodge at the last minute is a sort of animal world game of "chicken". Really fun to watch, but the most fun is when the team of "intellectually challenged" guys in green caps come out to humiliate the bull by making it stand still. In precise single file, they get the bull to charge and the first guy in line tries to jump on the bull's head and cover its eyes. The second guy jumps on to assist and so on until the last one has no place to hold except the tail. They all let go at the same time and run except the the guy with the tail who gets 'chased' by the bull for a bit, lets go, and then, in true macho fashion, walks away with his back to the bull. Cheers all around as the winners parade around the ring basking the adulation of the crowd who applaud and throw flowers and clothing parts to the heroes who, graciously, toss the clothing back and keep only the flowers.

The whole thing is repeated 6 times before closing about 1 AM. We went home tired, smelly, and looking forward new adventures to come. Who knew it would come so soon.

Last night we learned that Spain is not the only place where one can experience "running with the bulls". While visiting friends across the Tagus River (on the non-city side), we discovered that in this smallish town was a 100 plus year old tradition of a week long festival featuring bulls running through the streets. Feeling our environmentally procured Latin blood rising to the macho challenge, we said, "Let's go!". So we did. The crowd was large and we had to strain to see, but see we did. A bull came chasing people into the city square. A couple of quick thoughts came to me right away. One, this is a really big bull! Remember we were quite far from the action at the fight. Two, at the fight the bull's horns are blunted to minimize the damage should they actually make contact with something soft and vulnerable like your body. This bull's horns looked like it had been to the factory where they make spears and knives and know how to sharpen things to a needle-like point. Contemplating these issues and being totally sober, which most of the "runners" clearly were not, took a few minutes which allowed the bull to move on down the street before I could put myself in a place where it could actually chase me. As fate would have it, that was an opportunity forever lost, as that was the last bull of the night. I have been thinking about going back there tonight but it is raining today and I don't want to get wet. Think I'll read some Hemingway instead.

Mike

Changes in the air

Greetings from Mike,

One of the things we have enjoyed immensely here in Portugal is the fantastic view we enjoy from both school and our house. I especially enjoy watching the innumerable planes land and take off below us at Lisbon International Airport. The origins and destinations read like the index of an atlas and stir images of exotic locations and fascinating cultures. What a different week this has been! Very few flights in or out as northern European airspace has been shut down due to the volcano in Iceland. Who would have thought? Actually some of our missionary family here have been hosting people in their homes who are either stuck here or have found their way here to use Lisbon as a way out of Europe. Lisbon has maintained and even added flights to the US to help people get in and out of the EU.

Another change in the air is more personal as we have solidified our exit plans as well. We have considered the possibility of spending another year here but have reached the conclusion that there is not need for our abilities and have been looking for other options and places of ministry. We plan, Lord willing, to leave here May 30 and fly to London (assuming no volcano issues) for a few days before crossing the Channel to spend a week in and around Paris. After a few more days of "touring" we will return to Lisbon on June 15th to pack up and head for the USA on June 17th. All this planning has indeed "turned our hearts toward home". Emotionally we are ready! We both will see an increase in our duties as one of our key colleagues is leaving in early May. Pray for us that we will finish strong in the tasks set before us at GLCA.

Along with this, has come the apparent opportunity for me to rejoin the staff at EIU. I am pleased with this and look forward to the associated challenges.

We had an exciting week highlighted by Kati's hamster having several "blessed" events that was a complete surprise to all of us. Apparently the "hamster-sitter" was not as careful as she needed to be during spring break. Kati had some classic statements like wailing "We never should have let them get married!" (a school event several weeks ago). Needless to say there was a lot of excitment. Unfortunately (sort of) none of the litter has survived the first week.

The Portuguese country side is a spectacular blend of spring greens, olive trees, orange blossom aromas, and wild flowers... We are really enjoying that part of the environment here as well as the fellowship of our extended "family". Only a few more weeks to go...

Mike for all

April 11, 2010

After driving for about 7 hours from Portugal we arrived in Andalusia, Spain to spend a week at the Marriott Resort....the sun was shining and we were ready for a vacation! The resort is very family friendly and quite beautiful. It is situated on the Mediterranean Sea on the southeastern coast of Spain. After exploring the grounds, we settled in for a night of rest on soft, overstuffed mattresses in a lovely suite decorated in the Spanish style.

Sunday morning was Easter so we decided to try to find a church...there was nothing except Catholic masses available so we decided to attend an Easter Processional in the nearby small town of Marbella. The processionals are a yearly event. Since we had never attended one, we thought it might be interesting and educational. We couldn't tell much of what was going on but, when we returned to the hotel, Mike looked it up on the Internet and gave us some back ground. It seems the processional is based on the medieval guilds and fraternities...each group wearing its special colors and carrying relics designated to that guild. Somehow it is all tied into the church and Holy Week. They also carried large floats depicting various Passion Week events and people.

We did have a moment of panic when Mike realized he wasn't carrying our camera. He thought he had left it sitting beside the car. As he sprinted back to our parking spot, Nina and I prayed the camera would still be there. Mike returned with a thumbs up...he had locked the camera in the car!

Monday we woke to a gray sky...and this after the weather report had promised sunshine all week. Go figure! We decided it was a good day to just hang out at the resort...the girls played basketball and soccer and ping pong while Mike and I explored the beach...ending up at a little cafe where we drank a coke...from a bottle, no less.

Our plan for Tuesday was to visit the Rock of Gibraltar...which is actually a part of England. Of course, that meant a lunch of fish and chips at Smith's London Style cafe. We rode the cable car to the top of the rock...it is way, way up there...where we could see for miles. To Kati's delight, she got to see the monkeys that inhabit the rock. They are wild but protected animals.

Wednesday brought the sun out in all its' glory. We had breakfast at an outdoor cafe, visited a street fair and then headed back to the resort to take advantage of the sun and surf.

That night we went to dinner at a restaurant that served authentic Spanish food...the girls didn't much like the shrimp with their beady eyes staring at them from their plate of paella. The evening ended with a wonderfully energetic threesome dancing the Flamenco for us.

Thursday brought more sun but some cooler temperatures. We drove the hour and a half to Ronda, the oldest city in Spain and where bull fighting started. The drive took us through the mountains over winding, twisting roads (that is why it takes an hour and a half)...with spectacular views. We took lots of pictures on the way. I was pretty tense because of my fear of heights, but Mike is a great driver and maneuvered the roads like a pro. I can't describe the rugged beauty of this area...you'll have to see the pictures. The city itself is amazing, build on a gigantic chasm that separates the old (pre-1300's) city from the newer (post 1400)...again, the pictures tell the story.

Friday was our last day so we decided to go to lunch and then stick close to the resort enjoying the amenities it has to offer. It turned out that the restaurant recommended to us for lunch was a place out in the hills...no town around...that offered an amazing view, and the best meal we had had all week.

Saturday morning we said goodbye to our soft beds, showers with lots of water pressure, the view from our balcony (in one direction were the mountains and in the other direction the sea) and, of course, the maid who brought in fresh towels and tidied up each day. Yes, we got a bit spoiled!

On the drive back to Portugal, we stopped to look at some Roman ruins in the city of Evora. There is nothing quite like seeing something that was built over two thousand years ago. To imagine that the Roman empire reached so far and wide...that the Romans were in control of the Holy Land during the time that Jesus walked this earth and that their influence reached all across Europe and into Asia...it is mind boggling to me!

Thankfully the Lord granted us safe travel and we are now home...ready to get back to real life here in Portugal. School starts tomorrow.

Swiss trip mini-report

Hey,

We had an awesome trip to Switzerland last Friday (3-19), good weather, great travel mates, and a vistas galore. EasyJet worked well for us and we arrived in Geneva about noon safe and sound. We bussed downtown for a quick lunch and a look at the Reformer's Wall, a monument to Reformation leaders that were centered in Geneva in the 15 and 16 hundreds. Also played checkers with huge pieces in the park. Took the train back to the airport and caught another train (this will be a trip-long theme) to the town of Vevey which is west about 1/2 way down the north side of Lake Geneva. The French Alps are on the south side of the lake and are spectacular. From Vevey, we took a local train up the side of a mountain and then hiked the rest of the way to the Emmaus Institute for a late supper and our rooms for the night. We found the place and the people outstanding and enjoyed our visit very much. We were to return on Sunday night.

Saturday morning, we headed back down the hill and "trained" further west to Chillon to visit the castle there. It was very cool as you can see. A picnic lunch by the lake and then we were back on a train headed over the Alps to Interlaken. The slow train revealed vista after vista of rugged mountains, chalets, and quaint villages. We arrived late (another theme of this trip) and took a cab up a mountain to our supper and digs in Beatenberg. Spectacular is the best word I can think of to describe the views.

After breakfast, we bussed down to Interlaken and arrived early (an exception) for English service at a small church. Since it was raining a bit, we dropped into a local bakery/cafe and enjoyed a warm drink and the ambience. Church was a highlight for several in our party. Good sermon, singing, and fellowship with a small motley (Germans, Swiss, Americans, French, Canadians, and 3 Africans from different countries seeking asylum) group of people meant for wonderful worship. Lunch was cheese fondue (Kati's birthday meal) and then the fast train to Bern, Geneva, and Vevey and up the hill to Emmaus again.

Back to Geneva in the morning, a short tour of the area where John Calvin did most of his great theological work and then back to the airport for the EasyJet ride back to Lisbon.

A whirlwind tour for sure but well worth it. I have left out lots of details about the trip (including taking the wrong train the wrong way and "losing" part of our group by doing so) and it is impossible to effectively report on the fun and laughter we enjoyed. It was a great time and we should recover soon..

March 25, 2010

This is Nancy's take on the Swiss trip.

Switzerland! Think postcards pictures and chocolate. Yes, being in Switzerland was like being in a life-size postcard! It is as beautiful as you ever imagined.

We arrived in Geneva on Friday afternoon to bright sunshine and warm temperatures. This weather was especially welcomed by the Swiss people because, as one lady said, "It has been a long, cold winter." We had a few hours to explore before heading to the Emmaus Institute, the Bible Institute where we planned to spend Friday night. We hopped on a bus...well, actually it wasn't quite a hop since we had to figure out how to pay for it...needed exact change for the machine, in Swiss francs. Thankfully, Miriam, one of our group is nearly fluent in French. After struggling for awhile to figure out the machine on our own, we asked the bus driver. He was quite helpful and we finally made onto the bus with our tickets in hand. Just as we were settling into the seats, one of the group suggested we would be more comfortable wandering around Geneva if we shed our backpacks. So, we hopped off the bus and headed back into the bus station to stow our backpacks in lockers which involved another quest for exact change. It turned out to be a great suggestion!

Finally we were back on the bus and headed to the City Center of Geneva. The bus was packed with a group of preteens from Ireland who were in town for a gymnastics tournament. We talked to them, as we always do when we hear English being spoken in a foreign country. Their Irish accents were really fun to listen to. Once at the City Center we headed to the river where we picnicked on bread and cheese (you have to do that in Europe, don't you?) After lunch we walked over to the the Monument to the Reformers...and Mike and Kati played a game of giant chess in the park. Before we knew it, it was time to get back to catch our train to Vevey where we would be staying that night. Somehow we found out that there was a train we could take back to the airport/train station/bus station that took only 6 minutes rather than 30 minutes by bus, and at the same cost. Duh! We took the train.

Back at the train station, we bought tickets to Vevey and found the correct platform so we could catch our train. Now, there are fast trains and there are slow trains (that stop at EVERY little berg)...guess which one we happened to be on? So, even though we thought we had lots of time to get to Emmaus...it took longer than expected. We panicked just a little as the minutes ticked by...we were to be at the Institute by 6:30 if we wanted the evening meal we had reserved. Finally we reached our little berg...we got off and looked around and found ourselves in the middle of a residential neighborhood with no idea which direction to go on foot. It was already after 6:30 by this time and dusk was approaching. Fortunately we saw a car with two women sitting in the parking lot next to the tiny, deserted train stop. Miriam talked to them in French and, after they gave us directions, the seven of us started trekking up, up, up a small street/trail through the houses. We had no idea how far it was but we felt confident we were going the right way. What a relief when we actually saw a sign ahead that pointed us on to the Emmaus Institute.

What I haven't mentioned is the beauty surrounding us...Geneva itself is nestled at the foot of the mountains and it is lovely, but it wasn't until we were walking along to the Emmaus Institute that I first felt the awesomeness of where we were...snow-capped mountains were in the distance, but not so far in the distance. This is when I first felt I was living this moment in a postcard setting that was real!

After more upward walking, we came to the Institute. Everywhere you can look from there is beautiful! We just couldn't get enough of it. I hope our pictures will actually be able to convey the beauty. Even though we were late, a hot meal was ready for us and we were shown to our rooms. Charlene, our hostess couldn't have been nicer. After our meal, we settled into our rooms for the night...no television or computers to distract us so we...slept.

Saturday morning the mountains were still there! That may seem obvious, but, you know, I just had to look out and make sure. We ate breakfast in the dining room... in full view of the mountains...delicious bread, yogurt, fruit and, of course, coffee and juice. Charlene told us, since we were returning to stay at Emmaus on Sunday night, we could leave anything we didn't need in our rooms till we returned. This lightened our backpacks somewhat...in fact, Mike and I combined ours so we only had one bag to carry. The rest of the girls and women decided that they each wanted their own bag.

This time we trekked down, down, down the hill (which by the way is a lot easier) back to the train station. Today, we were headed down the lake to see the most visited place in Switzerland, a castle in Chillon. After a short train ride we were at the castle. Once at Chillon, we toured the castle...well worth the couple hours it takes. Mike bought a hat since he had forgotten to bring one and he wanted to avoid getting sunburned. The historical aspects of the castle were interesting...the human suffering that went on inside despite the beauty of the surroundings outside is a subject for both poetry and art.

Once again time was getting away from us...this seemed to be an on-going theme...so after another picnic lunch we caught the train to Interlaken which we had hoped to explore. Riding a train through the mountains is the way to go. No worry about getting lost or traffic. Well, if you have a fear of heights, you may not want to look too closely at the tracks which are very close to the edge in some of the mountain passes. We passed through small villages, by late season ski runs, farms, waterfalls, streams, lakes, and wineries, and a few towns. It was truly one glorious sight after another. Again, we were on the slow train that stopped at many small towns so the trip lasted longer than we expected. We enjoyed every minute of it, but now realized we would be lucky to make our 6:30 meal at the place we were to stay on Saturday night. (the Bible Institute in Beatenberg).

We arrived in Interlaken and asked about the train to Beatenberg. That is when we found out there is no train, only a bus, and the last one of the day was gone. One of our teacher who is from Canada had had her first, second, and third ride on a train today. Now she would get her first ride in a taxi. We hired a 7 passenger taxi and headed up a very, very steep mountain to the Bible Institute. Again, we were about thirty minutes late for the evening meal. Not to worry. God was good and the hosts were kind and we ate a hot German meal. Did I mention that this part of Switzerland is as German as the area around Geneva is French. The language, the architecture, the food and the customs are all German here.

Since time had flown by and we hadn't gotten to do as much as we had intended on Saturday, we were determined to get an early start on Sunday morning. After breakfast, we sprinted to catch the bus back down to Interlaken. It was literally pulling out as we got on. Of course, for some reason the bus trip down the mountain was quicker than we had anticipated and we got to Interlaken an hour before the English-speaking church service we planned to attend. Since it was drizzling rain, we began to look for a place of shelter. We found just what we needed at a coffee shop and pastry bar. While some of our group had their picture taken with a group of American soldiers on holiday from Germany, the rest of us settled down to a cup of warm mocha. Since today was Kati's 11th birthday, Miriam surprised her with a chocolate bunny and we sang "Happy Birthday" to her for the second time. We had promised her we would sing to her at every meal today.

A little before ten AM, we headed over to the Brethern Church for service. The regular minister was out of town so the speaker was a retired missionary who had spent his career in New Guinea. It was great to sing and hear a sermon in English. I think that is one of the things I miss most about being in Portugal. After the service, we met others who were visiting the church. Among them were three young men from different parts of Africa who had come to Switzerland seeking asylum from the dangers in their war-torn homelands.

After a lunch of cheese fondue (a big thing in Switzerland)(of course we sang "Happy Birthday" to Kati once more)...we were off to the train station again.

It was time to head back to Geneva. This time we decided we would take the faster train and go by way of Bern and Lausanne. The trip gave us a very different view of Switzerland from the one the previous day...much flatter, less rural, more German and frankly, quite a bit less beautiful...but it was faster and if it hadn't been for getting on the wrong train on one of the switches we would have made it back to Emmaus with time to spare. The wrong train switch was a mini-adventure in itself...you know one of those things you look back on but in the moment it seems big...we rode the wrong way to the end of the line (which fortunately happened to be the next stop) took a taxi back to our starting place and found the correct connection.

As we trekked back up the hill to Emmaus it had started to rain, but even that didn't dampen our spirits because we knew where we were going and we knew a warm meal and cozy accommodations awaited us...we made the walk at a fast pace and got there in under 15 minutes!

The next day, our last, we headed out early for Geneva after settling up our bill at Emmaus. We had the routine down and were sure we would have lots of time to explore and "meander" around the city. Things went smoothly but of course time flew by and we found ourselves rushing around to do all the things we had planned. We bought take-away lunch (that is what it is called here) and ate in a little park. We found old town and explored the church where John Calvin preached. We looked at Swiss watches in lots of shops...none of us bought one. Suddenly it was time to get back to the airport to catch our Easy Jet back to Portugal. Just a few days ago I had commented to Mike, "Why would anyone wait to buy souvenir's at the airport?" As we were buying chocolate for Mike and a hat for Kati and a t-shirt for Nina I realized why...because they ran out of time while touring!

Our whirlwind Switzerland trip came to an end and we got back to Portugal Monday evening and started revving up for another week of school...but hey, spring break starts on April 2...so stay tuned.

Nancy