Switzerland
Switzerland was amazing! We spend three days exploring the area and the weather couldn’t have been more beautiful. I ended up taking off my jacket during the hikes. Will post more photos later.
NEWS RILL
Enriching Life & Relationships
Dachau, Germany
After seeing Neuschwanstein, an unbelievably beautiful structure built by man, Dachau is the exact opposite where we see the place of unbelievable acts of evil. The words on the fence of the first photo states that “work will make you free.” That’s the impression people were given as well as that they were going to be able to shower in the room that ultimately led to their death in the gas chambers. You can see where the “shower heads” were placed. Their wooden bunks had no slats separating them so literally hundreds of prisoners tried to rest. The photo of people over the barbed wire fence depicts how some made the choice when their life would end rather than wait for the unknown fate they faced. It was a sobering experience. I learned that every German student is required to visit the camps as they believe that only through education can they ensure that this will never happen again. Although we didn’t formerly take a guided tour, we attached ourselves to a fantastic Australian guide whose knowledge of the history gave insights we appreciated hearing.
We are currently staying with Col. Martha McSally. Today we are heading to Switzerland.
Fussen, Germany
Fussen is one of those unbelievable places you see photos of in magazines and wonder if such a place really exist. We started this segment of our trip roughing it in first class accommodations on the train as Sue illustrates. The highlight was seeing the majestic mountains and of course the two castles of King Ludwig II. The first was referred to as his “cabin” while the second, larger one, our tour guide called his “apartment” as she led us through the part of the castle he actually lived in. Ludwig unfortunately only lived in the castle for approximately 4 months prior to his death. A large part of the castle was never finished but the interior work of what was completed is breath-taking. The wood work alone in one section of this living quarters took 4 years to complete.
Instead of taking the bus back into town, Sue and I decided to take the 3 mile hike through the woods - or over the mountain, I should say. A couple of the photos above of the castle was taken on that hike, as well as, the swan that was in the lake we passed. Needless to say, a good dinner, followed by dessert, was well earned before we collapsed in our 4 star hotel! (Just a side note - the 4 star hotel in Fussen was less expensive than our 2 star hotel in Paris!) There’s no doubt about it, however, we are not roughing it on this trip!
Salzburg, Austria Photos
Being in the quaint city of Salzburg was wonderful. After getting lost with the twists and turns of the streets, we finally found our way back to our hotel around 9 pm. The next day we took the Sound of Music Tour. Photos may be somewhat recognizable as Sue spreads her arms singing Do Re Mei and of course the 16 going on 17…Right! It was a great experience!
Paris Photos
Quaint restaurant in the Latin Quarter in Paris.
Sue at the Louvre
Blue lights highlight the Tower at night.
Notre Dame
Sue on our boat trip down the Seine River
Füssen, Germany
Yesterday was a fantastic day! We visited Neuschwanstein, which is the castle Ludwig II built on top of a mountain. It looks like something out of a fairytale. As incredible as the inside of this castle was, it barely compared to the setting of majestic mountains surrounding it. Unfortunately, King Ludwig was only able to live in the castle about 4 months prior to his death. In fact, not all of the castle’s interior was completed.
Sue and I decided not to take the bus back into town. Instead, we walked the 3 miles over a mountain and along a creek. We even took photos of a beautiful swan along the way. We couldn’t help looking back over our shoulder and sometimes even walking backwards just to get one more glimpse of the snow toped mountains. Wow! What a beautiful place our God has created for us to enjoy. This is truly a once in a lifetime experience.
Today we head to Munich. Trust things are going well with all of you.
Blessings!
Bobbie
Salzburg, Austria
Sorry there are no photos with this post. It’s not that I haven’t been taking any. Matter of fact, I’ve been taking tons. Everything is so beautiful it is hard to decide what pictures not to take so I’m just taking as many as I can. And, YES! The photo below of the Eiffel Tower is one I took - not one I took off the web!
Right now I’m on the hotel’s computer in Fussen, Germany and am just thrilled they have one I can use to send an update to you but photos will come later.
Also, guess I should let you know the keys are different on this keyboard so if you see a ‘z’ in a word that doesn’t make any sense, just change it to a ‘y’. That’s the most difficult change to get use to.
We were in Salzburg yesterday. What a facinating place. We took the Sound of Music tour and yes, even had to join in on some of the songs. The next day we walked throughout the city and enjoyed seeing all of the incredibly narrow streets, tall buildings and obscure passage ways lined with awesome shores although I haven’t spent too much - yet!
We’ve met some fascinating people on the rail until we realized we have first class tickets - from then on we’ve been alone in our first class coach. Ü
Today we took the train to Füssen, Germany and are looking forward to seeing the Neuschwanstein Castle nestled at the base of the Bavarian Alps. The mountains are absolutely majestic and we can’t wait to see them tomorrow since it was fairly late when we arrived.
Wish you were here but am very glad we are!
Until next time…this is Bobbie and Sue signing off from Füssen, Germany. Auf wiedersein!
Paris
Wonders of all wonders…I flew with only one small suitcase and a backpack! For those who know we well, that is probably a real shocker. But trust me, walking up and down the stairs of the subways, made this one of the best decisions I could have made regarding this trip.
The flight overseas was absolutely wonderful! Thanks to Stan Moser, Sue and I were able to fly first class so most of the nine and a half hour flight from Dallas to Frankfurt was spent either eating or playing with the gadgets and exploring all the options on our private DVD screens. After arriving in Frankfurt we took the train (again, first class accommodations) to Paris. (Are we spoiled yet or what?) With only a couple hours of sleep on the way over, we both slept a good 10 hours and then were anxious to explore everying we could possibly see in Paris. We spent the next two glorious days walking throughout this ancient city, rich in history. I think we figured we walked 9-10 hours on Friday. Needless to say we were a little sore the next day so decided to take the boat down the Seine River stopping at various landmarks along the way. The weather has been absolutely perfect - high 60s or low 70s with not a cloud in the sky. (A lot like Tucson, but that’s where the similarities stop!)
Today, Sunday, we took the train from Paris to Stuttgart, where Colonel Martha McSally took us out to a wonderful dinner at a quaint little German restaurant where we enjoyed sitting outdoors and catching up on what all she’s been doing during her 15 months stationed over here.
Right now we plan to head to Austria tomorrow but plans are subject to change as we consider other options.
Trip to Europe - Itinerary
Wednesday, Sept. 17th AM
A warm, heartfelt, overwhelming THANK YOU! to Sue’s husband, Stan. Thanks to Stan flying over a million miles with American, Sue and I get to reap the benefits – first class upgrades, which we cashed in for this trip. Yes, we’ll be ‘roughing it!’ Also, a huge thanks to Sue who worked hard at exploring all the great possibilities and developed an outstanding itinerary for us. I’ll be leaving Tucson at 9:45 a.m. Sue leaves Nashville a little after 10 and we meet in Dallas to catch the 9 hour 35 minute flight to Frankfurt. I have a close connection so pray I don’t run into any problems. I’ve already asked Sue to do whatever it takes to delay the departure if I’m not there.
Thursday, Sept. 18th 7:20 AM Frankfurt time
While all of you will still be sleeping, we’ll catch the rail at the airport to the main rail station in downtown Frankfurt. Our first class ticket on the Eurail awaits at 1 PM, but if we get through customs in good time we may be able to catch the earlier train.
Four hours later we arrive in Paris where we then head to the RER (subway). We’ll use our best French possible and order ‘un billet si vou plei.’ (Please pardon – our spelling is probably as bad as our French!) But ‘un billet’ will buy us 10 tickets on either the RER or the bus in and around Paris. After our RER ride we catch a bus, and then we’ll have about a 2-block walk to our hotel while we gaze at the Eiffel Tower! Yes, our hotel is real close to the tower.
Friday-Saturday
Paris, Paris, Paris! Yes, we will see and do all we can while trying NOT to look like tourists! Hopefully we’ll be able to post some pictures when we stop at an Internet café for a break.
Sunday, Sept. 21st
We depart Paris and catch the Eurail to Stuttgart. Our friend Colonel Martha McSally will pick us up at the main train station. Since we don’t have a cell phone that works internationally, our plan is to meet at the Starbucks in case we don’t see her.
We’ll spend the rest of the day and I’m sure into the night catching up with our friend.
Monday, Sept. 22nd
Today we head to Fussen, Germany, which is in the Bavarian Alps. This quaint little town is the home to the most famous of King Ludwig’s castles. It’s the castle that the Disney castle was modeled after. Check out great pictures here or go on googleearth.com and see the incredible pictures that others have posted in and around this town.
http://www.mediaspec.com/castles/schwan/index.html
Tuesday, Sept. 23rd
Today we’ll probably tour the castle and hike around the area exploring and finding great cafés. I know how to order café (coffee) and apfel strudel, so I’m sure we’ll be eating real healthy while we’re gone! We also know- Ich habe ein bier! See if you can figure that out. Too bad we don’t drink!
Wednesday, Sept. 24th
Sometime today we will catch the rail to Munich. While in this area we definitely plan on doing a tour of Dachau Concentration camp. How sobering to think of the atrocities done in places like this. I’m sure it will be an experience we’ll never forget. Here is one site, but if you google it you will find many. http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005214
Thursday, Sept. 25th
More of Munich- possibly a bike tour around the city or more apfel strudel. We’ll hop the rail to Martha’s in Stuttgart sometime today, depending upon when she’ll be home from work.
Friday, Sept. 26-Saturday, Sept. 27th
On Friday, Martha and her golden retriever, Penelope, will be going with us to Interlaken Switzerland. Europe is very pet friendly so she’ll do everything we do- well almost. We plan to take the train to the top of the mountain, which is the highest altitude in Europe. Be sure to look around this site- this area is beautiful! We also will do some hiking. One of the most scenic trails requires a cable car ride to the trailhead!
http://www.interlaken.ch/index.php?id=53&L=3
Sunday, Sept. 28th
Not sure which route we’ll take back to Stuttgart from Interlaken, but all of Switzerland looks amazingly beautiful. We’ll try to post some great pictures as we can. We will stay with Martha in Stuttgart tonight.
Monday, Sept. 29th
Today will be an easy day. We may visit some sights in Stuttgart, and then the rail up to either Frankfurt or Mainz. We will probably stay in Mainz because that is the spot we leave on our Rhine River cruise tomorrow.
Tuesday, Sept. 30th
Our Eurail pass entitles us to a free riverboat ride along the Rhine River. We can ride the boat or the rail all day on one ticket. So our thought is if we see a castle or town we’d like to visit, we’ll just hop off at that city and then board the rail to catch up with the riverboat at the next town. Check out our ride here: http://k-d.com/ Click the British flag at the top right corner to view in English.
Wednesday, Oct. 1
We’ll spend our final morning in Frankfurt – maybe one last café and apfel strudel before heading home. We fly into Chicago and then back to Tucson and Nashville… hopefully with lots of great memories and tons of pictures!
Freedom Fest with Rush of Fools, Big Daddy Weave and Barlow Girl
Sept. 6, 2008 was a huge day in Warner Robins, GA. Southside Baptist Church hosted the Freedom Fest with an attendance of over 10,000. One of the highlights for me was the opportunity to interview the artists who performed that night. You’ll no doubt recognize the names - Rush of Fools, Barlow Girl and ending the evening was Big Daddy Weave. I wish I could sit down and tell you everything but since that’s impossible here’s the over view of my interviews and some photos I hope you’ll enjoy.
Barlow Girl - These adorable gals are not only sisters, they’re friends. When I asked about boyfriends the comment was “Who has time? We’re on the road?” So, any moms and dads out there who happen to be reading this post, this may be one way of avoiding having to use the baseball bat to keep the guys away. This family stays on the road!
Rush of Fools - Only together a couple of years, this group has already received several Dove nominations. Their 2007 hit, Undo, was the most played song on Adult Contemporary Christian radio stations. And, it’s no wonder. These guys are awesome on and off the platform. I had the privilege to sit down with them and three of the four wives of the band. Drummer, Jamie Sharpe, is still single but I’m not sure how long that can last. I was so impressed with hearing Kevin talk about the passage in the Bible from 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 how God has chosen the foolish things of the world, from which they got the name of the band. When I asked Wes, who’s only been married to Michelle for two months, how tough it was to be on the road, he shared how they talk or text a lot - anytime day or throughout the night. From the smiles on the faces of the gals, it’s apparent they look forward to those calls, even at 3 a.m. The hardest thing as JD shared about being on the road so much (over 250 days this last year) is “not being there when she needs me” but he went on to explain how he knows she needs to rely on God through those tough times. Perhaps it was because I got a rare glimpse being able to not only interview the guys but three of their wives, that this group has a special place in my heart. I encourage you to join me in consistently praying for them, their marriage and for the door of opportunity God has opened for them to spread the Good News. And, pray especially for their wives. These are precious young women and although they’ve known the guys before their recent popularity these last couple of years, have only been married a short time.
Big Daddy Weave - I was able to interview lead singer Mike Weaver. This is one of the most personable guys you’ll ever want to meet and it doesn’t take long to tap into his spiritual maturity. Mike talked about his desire to share the Truth (John 14:6) with today’s generation. He emphasized how people are looking for something real - that’s why reality shows are so popular these days. It was a total delight to meet and spend time with him.
Be blessed and don’t forget to pray for the Christian artists who are blessing you with their songs and using their talents to bring God glory.
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