Changes...

I've posted 2 brief blogs already about my new city (click here) ... Several of you have asked how my move has gone, getting into my new apartment. So I thought I'd send a couple of photos.

I left things in November in a partial, continued unpacking stage, but still it looks pretty good! In most places in Europe, rented or purchased, you must install your own kitchen-- that is appliances AND cabinets! Everything including lights. You just get wiring and bathroom toilet, shower and sink. Other than that-- you're on your own!

Kitchen before, in the moving in stage .... and after, but still not finished, below.
You may notice that my appliances literally take over the kitchen: stove/oven, front-loading clothes washer, dish washer, then on far right, my clothes dryer. There was no room for the washer and dryer in the bathroom, and some apartments in Europe people have it in their kitchen. Will take some getting used to.

Living room -

Office -

A big Danke schön (thank you) for all those who have prayed for me in these transitional days!

"I Voted!"

The button I'm wearing today, on election day, says, "It's up to you." I'm really glad to be able to be part of "the Process" (as they say) & to really feel that I can make a difference, in a democratic society! We'll see how the results turn out to be this evening... The small ballot boxes were outfitted with touch screens and they tabulate, inside the machine below where I cast my votes, both digitally and on paper.

Napoleon in Germany

October 14th, 1806 -- the date of the twin battle between Napoleon's army and the Prussian- Saxons above the city of Jena -- at Jena and Auerstedt. Napoleon won, commemorated by a monument on the hills above the city.

I was privileged to see a re-enactment on the 200th anniversary of this occasion, along with my American friends Jeff and Deanna, and their British friends from their kids' kindergarten, Julia and Alistair, and kids.

We relived the history; fog was thick on that date in 1806, and I realized that gun powder from muskets and canons can really toss up a lot of "fog," so to speak, during a war.

Plunge

I'm diving into a "new world" -- a new city, in a Northern state of Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony). I've written before with a few photos, and wanted to add these from my recent days there moving in. Braunschweig will be the 2007 City of Science in Germany.

Above left is the Rathaus -- town hall. Right is the steeple of the Brunswick Cathedral, built in the 1100's by Henry the Lion, with a lion statue beside it. The bronze statue is a duplicate of the statue which Henry had made to represent his power (the original is inside the Dankewarderode Castle, pictured below). He ruled a wide section including the area from the North Sea to the Alps.

When Deanna and Jeff came to help me move, they treated me to a delightful dinner at a Bavarian restaurant. Look at the portions we were served-- wow!

Ahhh-- are those MY boxes being lowered to the trucks below from my 4th floor apartment??!! Yes, the movers carried all boxes & furniture to a lift which rested on my balcony.

This gorgeous Lutheran church, the St. Pauli, is in my new neighborhood. I walked in there & the folks were really friendly, hosting a Marc Chagall art show.

This sweet family, the Niehoffs, were a big help in my move, and attend my new church. Andreas is a leader in the Inter-Varsity (SMD) group on the TU campus. Millie was my amazing host where I could overnight during my apt. search, and she's a fun, new friend!

Queen, for a day

Not me-- I mean, not that I was "queen for a day" but that I got to SEE Queen Elizabeth II for a day (well, for one hour, between 3 and 4 p.m.) on the 1st Saturday in September. However, you might also say that Kim treated me pretty special, I must say, & it was a royal treat to see some awesome places in Scotland with my dear friend!

The royalty has been represented at the Braemar Games ("highland games" are many in the Scottish summer; this one is famous for the Queen's presence) since before Victoria's time. Here she is, having had her 80th birthday in April, & she came! Kim & I were elated, & scouted out different places separately, where we hoped to get a good sight of her, & some paparazzi photos. Thank the Lord for a great zoom on my digital camera (thanks, Bruce, for Christmas 2004!).

This year she was accompanied by her husband, the dashing Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who was born in Greece of Danish heritage. Also present were 1) her only daughter, Princess Anne, seated to OUR left of the Duke, her father; and 2) her eldest son, Charles, the Prince of Wales and his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall. (at top above photo, he is standing to OUR right of the Queen; see this interesting official website link to the Royal Family.)

What did she see? Well, men from the RAF (Royal Air Force) and other mostly military guys pulling with all their might in a tug- of-war! It's interesting that this game, which I played VERY unprofessionally as a small kid, has a coach alongside the team! I didn't realize how seriously one can do a rope pull. The trick seems to be to pull together at once, at the same time (isn't that a great example of TEAM WORK and has a good spiritual principle in it!).

The Queen also saw runners. I felt like I was in the movie, "Chariots of Fire," the inspiring story of Eric Liddle from Scotland who won gold, though refusing to race at the Olympics when his heat was scheduled for a Sunday. Later he became a missionary.

And the bagpipes played all day. So moving! I just HAVE to overload my blog with a few shots of these stately gentlemen in all sorts of tartan kilts. I found out that "plaid" is what you wear, like the outfit, I guess, or piece of clothing. But "tartan" is that certain pattern of colors, showing your clan. Yes, I did buy something of that nature while in the country-- you just GOTTA!

The pipes or the "Bagpipe" is a fascinating instrument, consisting of several parts, which apparently is quite complicated to play or for which to write music. Frankly, I would enjoy a little lecture on it. On the other hand, I'm satisfied to hear an all SO moving bagpipe band drone on (they can be really LOUD if you're near just one piper when he practices) & roll out a to-the-skies- calling, thrilling, pompous highland song! Don't you love the full, white beard on this piper? I really admire the idea, in any culture, that one knows WHO one is, and where one comes from. That's cool! I wish I could trace my heritage way back. The idea of a huge clan, a large family. Hmm. Isn't that one thing that is so attractive to me in what God offers us in the Church? Fellowship & belonging. When you see everyone wearing his/her tartan, then I just imagine that most of those folks up in the Highlands know all the tartans & can tell you what your last name is!

Me? I just wore a classy plaid skirt I'd gotten from the Brooks Brothers outlet store in Florida, which had no connection whatsoever with my family tree.

Men in skirts & music in bags

Somewhere north of big cities such as the commercial capital Glasgow & the majestic political capital, Edinburgh, lie the highland hills of Scotland, where I was privileged to explore a bit in September. The topography changes and in the valleys at this higher altitudes one finds fields of heather--light purple or lilac-colored, on close inspection.

From a distance these hills seem a reddish brown-- it's heather, growing like clover or small flowers all over!

Each year thousands of visitors & regular "sports" fans join Queen Elizabeth II in her yearly stay in the highlands. They throng to watch the games in the arena at the "Braemar Gathering" (in Braemar!), near Her Majesty's Scottish home which was built during the reign of Queen Victoria, Balmoral Castle.

I never before realized how normal it can be for men to wear skirts (unless you're in a re-enactment of Brave Heart battles!). And they can be, well... very attractive. Similar in my mind to a track and field event, there are several things happening on the field at the same time. And in the background are always the tunes of pipe bands or lone pipers.

The "heavies" (sponsored by the Glenfiddich Scottish malt company) is the section where muscular men do weight-lifting events such as the caber toss & hammer throw. Kim was really observant and introduced herself to this young man, guessing his name (he & his MacLeod brother had taken so many prizes!!).

The caber toss is when a large pole of about 20 feet must be flipped end-over -end once. Not easy!

At the same time, dainty maids and lads dance the irish jig or a scottish sword dance on a medium-sized stage, judged by others, also wearing a tartan plaid.

High Times in Norway

The German word for "wedding" actually translates: "High Time" (Hochzeit). And that we had! What do you do the morning of a wedding, when you're in Norway? Of course you enjoy the wonderful fjords and go canoeing, out your back door! The end of August some of us from Deutschland attended Sven & Severina's wedding, and since we were staying in cabins (Hütten) where the evening reception was, at a christian retreat center right on the waterways .... well?! Einfach splendid!

Sven came around noon to pick up his best- dressed, best men (Trauzeugen), Jan and Stefan! Wait, I've seen you guys look like this before... hmmm...

Look who was in a suit about 14 months before this date -- Stefan marrying Dawn!

Here I am with 2 precious girlfriends and seasoned travel mates, Steffi and Christiane. It was my 1st trip with Steffi but Christiane and I had been to the US before.
As you know, it makes SUCH a difference when you travel, with whom you share a trip. Is each person flexible & easy- going? You can really have so many different or even opposing ideas about how each one wants to spend his days-- shopping, sight-seeing, in nature, alone or with others, reading or watching TV in the hotel, etc., etc. Thankfully, we-- along with Lukas-- all got along great! And also thoroughly enjoyed the other guests staying at the Strand retreat place.

One cool tradition I noted: the bridal pair first sits opposite one another in the ceremony, beside the maid of honor or beside the best man. Then sometime during the wedding, they change seats and the bride and groom are unified, sitting side by side.

Julie B., the maid of honor, with the bridal pair! At our evening dinner of reindeer meat!!! we shared various customs-- several Norwegian songs which all of us sang; a few speeches; and the Germans led the couple in some typical wedding games. Several games symbolized the couple's ability to work together as a team-- such as cutting out a large pink heart (from a bed sheet) and then he carried her through the hole.

Mom and Dad visit!

My parents were just here for a visit, and my father was speaking in Zurich. The story gets a bit more complicated... when the photo was taken on Sunday a week ago, Dad had just gotten in on the train from Zurich and wanted to go out! We enjoyed the great, Italian ice cream. We had no idea at the time, that his cold or bad case of bronchitis was turning into pneumonia. Thankfully, he's getting better... and they're back home in Florida as of yesterday.

Bonnie Scotland- a journey

I just returned from a long weekend trip to Scotland, land of my forefathers. My dad is Scotch-Irish, meaning our Protestant ancestors left Scotland to help settle Ireland (or maybe it was present-day northern Ireland?). Anyway, my friend Kim and I had a fantastic trip to see the famous Highland Games in Braemar, and just soak in the atmosphere. If a travelogue is a bit boring for you, no worries (as they say on the island). But i knew at least my parents would be interested in the details! :-) It was a bit difficult with the language-- pronunciation is a challenge because of the spelling of the words-- and you're dealing with 3 languages as sources of names and terminology: English. Scottish and Gaelic.

A "Scottish breakfast" -- includes eggs, maybe potatoes, "bacon" (what Americans would call country ham), sausage, mushrooms, baked beans (for BREAKFAST?!) and maybe a broiled tomato.

Ok... before I go any further, for the Royalty fans out there-- I saw the Queen-- and THEN SOME. Here is a photo taken by my little Casio camera zoom, of Prince Charles (in a kilt) and Camilla, at the Braemar Gathering! More on that in another blog, but just wanted to whet your appetite!

On our first morning we saw Culzean Castle (pronounced "Culleen") on the coast south of Glasgow, near where we'd flown in. Outstanding views of the Firth (estuary) of Clyde!

Then it was winding our way northwards to the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond where we had lunch. This lake --37 kilometers long and up to 8 km. across-- just accompanied our drive for a LONG time. It's southern shores lie 14 miles north of Glasgow, and it's surface area is the largest freshwater body of water in Great Britain. I dipped my feet in it!

On part of our travels along the Loch we drove shortly into Luss, a quaint village of darling cottages with flower gardens. A wedding had just taken place, with a bagpiper celebrating outside.

A couple of times during our journey we saw a sad sight-- church buildings that had been transformed into civic centers, or restaurants. This one was a Tandoori restaurant featuring Indian food.