The Browns Traveler, vol 1

Our GREAT ADVENTURE...the final chapter!

2012-01-03T15:16:00.003-07:00

The last installment...it's only a year late. ha-ha (pics are below the write-up)

We arrived in Santiago, Chile. Darren’s old mission companion was supposed to pick us up at the airport but when we got there he was nowhere to be found. Since we did not have his phone number written down (huge oversight) we had to find a computer and then log on to Skype to get it. Long story short…after 45 minutes of trying to find the number and getting the computer to work, we finally got in touch with him and he said he couldn't come because his car broke down. Welcome to Chile!! :)

A couple of hours later than anticipated we arrived to the Vega home. It was so fun for Darren to see his companion after 12 years. They hadn’t even kept in touch for most of that time so they had a lot to catch up on. Elder Vega’s wife Isabel and her mother made us an amazing dinner. We were a little hesitant about eating meat after our Peruvian experiences but they assured us it was fine. (I often wondered if food would ever again be appealing or whether I would be ruined forever).

After a yummy dinner, out came dessert. My first experience with mote con huesillo. It is a cup of syrupy water (like the juice from a can of peaches) served with a dried, shriveled peach and cooked but cold barley. As you can tell from the tone of my description it was not a favorite. I am usually a fan of barley but in dishes like beef & barley soup. Cold barley has a rubbery, squeaky consistency that once mixed with sugar water kind of makes you gag. (I am sorry to any of our Chilean friends who may be reading this post. I am probably committing the unpardonable sin. I still love you) :)

On Sunday we went to church and then came home to a lovely meal of empanadas. Oh how I love empanadas. I would fly to Argentina or Chile right now just for some of that homemade goodness. :)

Gerardo and Isabel’s girls are so cute. Valentina was about 2 years old at the time and Gabriela (Gaby) was about 5. They kept coming in the room where we were staying and crawling between the two of us and pretending they were snoring and taking a nap. They were a lot of fun.

The next day we said goodbye and headed to Valparaiso, Chile. We stayed in a little bed and breakfast on Cerro Artilleria right next to the funicular that was on the Amazing Race a couple of seasons ago. It was fun to ride up and down the funicular, see the multicolored buildings and walk up and down the crazy, winding streets but overall Valparaiso is a dirty, grungy and smelly little place (it's also where I felt my first earthquake). We did however like its sister city a few minutes away called Vina del Mar. It is a bit more modern and definitely cleaner and prettier. This is where we spent Thanksgiving Day 2010. We ate some veggie wraps and a quesadilla at a little sandwich shop and then got some amazing coconut and fruit medley ice cream at the parlor next door. Not your typical turkey and pumpkin pie but we felt grateful.

After Thanksgiving dinner we took a walk down by the ocean. We visited an old castle with a glass floor where you could look down at the ocean. It was pretty cool. Thank you to the security guard who let us in even though it had already closed.

After a fun day in Vina, we headed back to Valparaiso to get on an overnight bus to Valdivia (oh how I couldn't wait to be on the last bus of that trip). Valdivia was very pretty and green. (Green. A color I have come to idolize since Northern Chile and Peru. Remember San Pedro de Atacama? Enough said).

We stayed at a little hospedaje called Borde Rio. Comfy beds, hot water and hot ecco in the morning. What more could you ask for?

Here are a few highlights of Valdivia:
1. Entre Lagos restaurant: Breakfast burritos with cheesy sauce. Yum!
2. Trip to Niebla and Corral to see “Fuertes” (Old Spanish forts). We took ferry boats across the lake to see them
3. Picnic by the lighthouse at the Niebla Fort. The creepy man in the museo. I swear he would disappear into the walls and then pop up right beside you “No pictures or else!” Where did he come from anyway?
4. Dance group on the stage and all the teenagers going crazy
5. Seeing sea lions REALLY close!! They would come and lie on a dock right by the sidewalk where people walk by. We could have touched them if we had wanted to.
6. Remember that dog that shared our lunch at one of the forts? Hmmm
7. Yummy chocolate shops everywhere influenced by the German settlers
8. ecco, ham, cheese, bread and orange marmalade. The famous Chilean breakfast.

Next stop: Futrono, Chile.

It wasn’t too far from Valdivia so we took a little minibus/van. Futrono is extremely small. We didn’t know it would be so hard to find a place to stay so Darren walked around town making inquiries while I sat on a bench outside of the CLOSED tourist information office. Isn’t that convenient? We ended up staying at a little cabana just on the outskirts of town. We didn’t want to spend the money for a taxi, since it was “just a little ways up the road”, so we started trekking. This was just one of the many “short, little” treks we made with our heavy backpacks. Oh the memories :) The cabana was a little outdated and musty but it worked for one night.

After resting, we started our trek back into town for dinner. What a tender mercy it was when someone stopped and offered us a ride into town. We ended up eating at a restaurant called Don Floro. It was really good and our table offered some amazing views of the yellow, flowering hills in the distance. We also had fun lying by the lake at the base of a resort.

After dinner, we tried to find Elder Vega’s mom so we could say hi but no such luck. We ended up running into one of his cousins and he told us that she is out of town during the week for work. But while meandering we ran into the missionaries and enjoyed talking with them.

Next stop: Llifen, Chile

Even smaller than Futrono if that is possible. We met Jose in a small café and he told us he rented a cabana just up the road if we were interested. So he drove us down by the lake, kicked his mom out of the cabin and gave us the keys. We felt bad about his mom having to leave but they both seemed excited to have paying renters so it all worked out. It was nice to have the entire place to ourselves. It was very quiet and had beautiful landscaping. A perfect escape.

The next day was cold and rainy so we stayed indoors. After realizing that we had no food in the house, mi heroe walked down to the store for a few groceries. Gracias mi amor :)

The next day we hopped on a bus to Osorno and then on another bus to Frutillar. We went to about 5 different places looking for a place to stay but since most of them were too expensive, we opted for a little hotel by the lake. It was a little run down but at least it had hot water (I will never stop appreciating that). We stayed in Frutillar for two days and really liked it. It was completely different from the rest of Chile that I had experienced. Due to the German immigrants and their influence it felt more like Austria than South America. The houses were cute and quaint, the town was clean, and the food was amazing. There was a beautiful lake and majestic, snow-capped volcanoes in the distance. Truly a beautiful place.

Highlights/Memories of Frutillar:
1. The little, black, newborn kitten in the back of the hostel. He couldn’t even move and was meowing incessantly. It was so cold outside and I could tell that he was sick. I felt so bad for the little thing that I begged Darren to pick him up and put him inside a piece of carpet that we had found. Maybe if he wasn’t so cold he would get better. It was so sad and pathetic that I actually shed a few tears for the poor thing. We looked for him the next morning on our way to breakfast and found his mom by his side. Yay!! Maybe he would have been okay without our help but I like to think that we saved him :)
2. “Sammy”: the black dog that followed us all over town. He sat and waited outside of the restaurant, the hostel and the market. Darren even got a picture with him. We weren’t feeding him so I don’t know why he stuck around. It was funny.
3. Day trip to Puerto Octay. It was beautiful! A very cute town with old colonial homes. We ate in one that had been transformed into a restaurant. It was fun! Puerto Octay also gave gave us the view of all 3 volcanoes. Very pretty.
4. Volcan Osorno across the lake from Frutillar. Truly magnificent!

Next stop: Puerto Varas, Chile

Highlights/Memories:
1. Dropped off laundry…finally. We seriously had nothing left to wear
2. Casa Hellwig: Smokey old hostel
3. The walk down to Puerto Chico and dinner at Da Allessandro’s Italian restaurant: great pasta and pizza. Beautiful lakefront view
4. Church on Sunday. Met missionaries from Utah; Gilbert, Arizona; and Cuzco, Peru.
5. Pim’s Mexican Restaurant. One word: YUM!!
6. Met the owner of a chocolate shop and her husband. Originally from California but loved Puerto Varas so much they relocated
7. Walking tour to see old mansions. The arrows on the sidewalk that point you in the right direction

Next stop: Ensenada, Chile and Casa Ko

Memories/Highlights:
1. Nice French couple, Raphael and Pauline. They met in Argentina while they were both backpacking, got married and decided to open a B&B in Southern Chile
2. Dinners at the B&B. Since it was pretty remote, most of the guests just stayed at the house for dinner. We had some really fun conversations with a couple from Argentina, Michael and Andrew from England and the owners Raphael and Pauline
3. Rainy days and nights
4. Amazing food cooked by Pauline
5. Listening to Christmas music and watching Christmas movies online. Trying to get in the holiday spirit although we were far from home
6. Petrohue: Beautiful landscape and beautiful blue-green water (Todos los Santos)
7. Catamaran ride across the lake to Puella
8. Canopying in the jungle. So fun!!

Next stop: Chiloe

Highlights/Memories:
1. Ferry boat out to the island. Sea lions jumping out of the water
2. Seaside villages: Dalcahue, Anchao, Isla Quinchao
3. Elfish beanies in Dalcahue. Took pictures for our Christmas E-card
4. Met a missionary from Show Low. Small world.
5. Chips and salsa for dinner. I think we ate two bags of chips. It just tasted so good :)
6. The old, wooden churches. Different color and different design in each town.
7. Different shapes and designs of the wooden siding. We would take pictures of each new one we found.

Last stops: Puerto Varas (again) and Santiago (again)

Highlights/Memories for Puerto Varas:
1. Casa Azul in Puerto Varas. It even had blue toilet paper
2. Made reservations for The Nutcracker. Surprise!!…hee hee
3. Pims and Da Allesandro’s again

Highlights/Memories for Santiago:
1. Our apartment close to the temple. Cute and comfy
2. Walking tour of downtown Santiago. Finished buying Christmas gifts at the artesania
3. Met Elder Contreras, another of Darren’s old mission companions, at the metro station. He drove us to his house for dinner (burritos) :) Met his wife Cristina, his son Martin and his daughter Emilia. Martin had us all laughing with his jokes.
4. Met the Silvas, a family that Darren lived with on his mission in Arica. They took us on a drive up the canyon. We stopped at a small town and walked around a farmers market ("they stole our jam!"). We were offered mote con huesillo once again. "Te gusta?" Hmm...how do I answer that?
5. Attended church at the building right next to the temple. Many senior missionaries from the states
6. Elder Contreras and his family picked us up and took us up Cerro San Cristobal. Amazing views of Santiago below. At the food stand opted for a popsicle instead of…you guessed it…mote con huesillo. Ate dinner with them at a local pizza parlor. Sang hymns later at our apartment. Emilia kept hitting Martin when he would interrupt her. It was hilarious!
7. Dinner at the Vegas before we left to go back home to the states
8. Mailed Christmas presents to Elder Contreras and his family. Gave gifts to Valentina and Gaby (princess notebooks and pencils). They loved it!
9. Christmas concert at the university. We had to stand behind iron gates through the first half but were finally allowed to enter after the intermission.

December 23, 2010: Today we left South America to fly home to Arizona. I don’t know where to begin in expressing my feelings. It has been such an amazing adventure. One that has changed my life forever. One that has taught me more than I ever imagined. While I am so excited to go home and see my family, I am incredibly sad to leave the family that we have here. We have met so many wonderful people who have taught us so much. We have learned so much about ourselves and each other. We have learned what it’s like to have a dream and the sacrifices that must be made to achieve them. We know the liberating power of overcoming fear. We now know what we are capable of. We now know we can achieve anything. That uncertainties and fear don’t matter. We have learned to not let them stand in the way of achieving our goals and dreams. We are now different people than we were 9 months ago and we will forever be grateful for this GRAND ADVENTURE!!

Pics: Santiago, Chile

2012-01-03T15:15:00.000-07:00

la familia Vega

Gaby

Valentina

long lost companions

la familia Vega

Santiago, Chile temple

la familia Silva

la familia Contreras

Pics: Valparaiso and Vina del Mar, Chile

2012-01-03T15:14:00.000-07:00

view from our room in Valpo. Cargo dock and funicular

rice with...not quite sure. Putty?

colorful houses in Valpo

Vina del Mar. Someday it will be Easter Island :)

Thanksgiving dinner

Thanksgiving dessert

coastline of Vina del Mar

Pics: Valdivia, Chile

2012-01-03T15:13:00.000-07:00

now that's some cheese

sea lions downtown

where will we go next?

spanish fuertes (forts)

Pics: Futrono and Llifen, Chile

2012-01-03T15:12:00.001-07:00

the hills of Futrono

our walk to the cabana

our cabana in Llifen

Pics: Frutillar, Chile

2012-01-03T15:11:00.000-07:00

snow-capped volcano

old colonial buildings

this dilapidated old house has definitely seen better days. Crazy things is someone still lives here

Darren and his friend "Sammy"

Pics: Puerto Varas, Chile

2012-01-03T15:10:00.000-07:00

so many places to visit

Pics: Casa Ko, Petrohue and Puella, Chile

2012-01-03T15:09:00.000-07:00

the road leading to our B&B, Casa Ko

Todos los Santos lake...beautiful

not sure if he's scared of canopying or the guy who is "dressing" him...haha

is this a fashion statement or what?

SO FUN!!!

beautiful trees

oh where haven't these shoes been? I think there's still dirt in there from Peru

he's always up to no good :)

Pics: Chiloe, Chile

2012-01-03T15:08:00.000-07:00

intricately designed siding

so many different shapes

i liked the zig-zag windows

these are the colors of my living room...inspiration? hmm

all wood. Isn't it beautiful?

houses on stilts. Just in case :)

THE REST OF OUR TRIP: CUZCO AND BEYOND

2011-10-11T19:04:00.025-07:00

I have to finish the BLOG! I have to finish the BLOG! This has been my mantra for the past 6 months. It is just so hard to find the motivation to sit down and do it. So here it is: THE REST OF OUR TRIP!

We finally arrived in Cuzco. YAY!! Our first feat was to make our way through the swarm of not-so-honest taxi drivers outside the airport. Luckily I had asked our landlady how much it should be from the airport to the apartment (8 soles) because some of these guys were quoting us 20 or 30. Crazy!!

The apartment was on the 3rd floor which allowed for an amazing view of the city below but also presented a challenge due to our two large suitcases. Darren did an amazing job maneuvering his way up the narrow, winding staircase.

The city of Cuzco was a lot of fun. There was an overabundance of tourists and vendors but it was a fun city nonetheless. The plaza consisted of old buildings and cathedrals and was a fun place to sit and people-watch.

We relaxed for the first couple of days in order to acclimate to the elevation change and to get some much needed sleep. Later that weekend we did an official City Tour which allowed us to go into the cathedral and learn more about it. One painting we found VERY interesting was the Last Supper; only Judas was brown-faced, the rest were white. It is rumored that the spaniards made the artist paint it that way after they conquered the city. We also toured some Inca temples that had been partially ruined by the Spanish. We learned that the Spanish would destroy the Inca Temples and build cathedrals over the ruins. I guess that's one way of "sharing" religion.

We also visited Sacsayhuaman which is a walled complex on the north side of Cuzco. It is located on a steep hill that overlooks the city so it had some amazing views. Some believe it was built to represent the head of the Puma, the shape that is made together with Cuzco when seen from above. It was also made in order to honor the lightning God. You can see this in the zigzag shape of the outer walls. Looks as much like lightning as any stone wall ever could.

Three other historic sites that we were able to see were Pucu Pucara, Qenko and Tambomachay. Pucu Pakara was thought to be used as a fortress and a resting place for travelers. Qenko was an ancient Incan tomb with a sacrificial table inside and Tambomachay was a resting spa with an Eternal Fountain of Water. The conclusion of this tour took us to an Alpaca factory outlet where Darren bought a new beanie (the first of probably 10 between the two of us).

On Monday we went on the Sacred Valley Tour. Although it was promised that the tour would be done only in English, it was not. The tour guide would say something in Spanish, then repeat it in English. Since Spanish was his native language, he had a whole lot more to say in Spanish than English. Kind of a bummer because I felt like I didn’t get as much information.

Our first stop was Pisac, the ancient citadel that used to control key routes of the Inca Empire. It is set high above a valley floor patch-worked by patterned fields and rimmed by vast terracing. There is a Sun Temple among other ruins and ancient burial sites. As Cuzco is built in the shape of a Puma, Pisac is built in the shape of a partridge.

After Pisac we visited Ollantaytambo. Ollantaytambo was a town, a ceremonial center and a place of battle between the Incas and the Spanish. The terraces at this place were crazy! So incredibly large and steep. Cool story: when the Spanish came to battle against the Incas, the Incas flooded the wells/reservoirs at the bottom of the terraces so when the Spanish came riding up to the temple/fortress, their horses got stuck in the mud. There was also a huge ramp on one side of the fortress. This is how they rolled the stones up to the top of the fortress while building it. I still don’t understand how they got these huge stones from 50 miles away, on the other side of a huge mountain range. Super human powers these Incas!

Our last stop was Chincheros. We watched a demonstration by some local women on how to dye cloth and wool using roots, plants and other natural resources. I think it’s awesome how they still use so much of the land for the things they make. “This plant when ground makes the color purple. This root when chopped up and mixed with water washes and bleaches the wool before we dye it.” Awesome!! At the end of the demonstration they gave us a sample of chicha morada, a Peruvian drink derived from purple maize (corn), boiled pineapple rind, cinnamon and cloves. At the time I didn’t know if it was fermented or not (as most chicha is) so I put a little on my tongue and then dumped out the rest. And where was Darren’s? All gone…sinner. LOL! We did hear that often times chicha is made by grinding and moistening the corn in the mouth and then rolling it into balls which are eventually flattened and dried. The enzymes in the saliva help break down the starches in the corn making the process a little easier. That takes "swapping spit" to an all new level.

Tuesday we headed to Aguas Calientes via PeruRail in order to visit Machu Picchu early Wednesday morning. The scenery was very pretty and green. We sat across from an older Argentine couple and had fun talking with them most of the way. The older man would not stop talking. He kept us laughing for quite a while. The train became extremely hot around 10am due to the windows on the top of the train. The sun beat down on us for the entire trip.

Once we arrived in Aguas Calientes, we purchased our Machu Picchu passes and bus tickets for the following morning, then went looking for a place to stay. We ended up staying at a little hostel called Wiracocha. Not great, not terrible. Here’s the thing about Aguas Calientes, based on our own experience as well as other fellow travelers and reviews. It is the gateway city to Machu Picchu. There are no other options. If you want to ascend to Machu Piccu early in the morning (which is highly recommended), then you have to stay the night in Aguas Calientes. So needless to say, there is little motivation among the hotel owners to make their accommodations…great. The worse part is the bug splatters on the room walls. Since the river runs right through Aguas Calientes, there are A LOT of insects. Since it’s a never-ending battle, I guess it seems pointless to clean the bugs off the walls while cleaning the room. Who knows? Oh it makes me laugh just thinking about it now. haha. Gotta love it :) There were some perks though. Being right next to the river we were able to hear the trickling of water outside our “closed” window.

For lunch we ate a veggie pizza at Chez Maggy and for dinner we ate a veggie burrito and lentils at a restaurant off the plaza (yes...at this point we were still vegetarians). It started to rain during dinner so we had to wait until it subsided a little before we made our way back to the hotel.

The next morning we woke up at 4:15am and at 4:45am the nice old man at the hotel got up to make us breakfast. So sweet. After breakfast we walked downtown to get in line for the bus to Machu Picchu. I couldn’t believe how long of a line there was already. It was only 5:15am. We got a stamp on our ticket to be able to climb Wayna Picchu at 7am, which we were really excited about. After riding the bus to the top of the mountain, we entered the park and got our first glance of Machu Picchu. OH MY GOSH!! AMAZING!! I don’t care how many magazines you have seen it in or how many episodes of National Geographic you have watched, you have not seen it until you have seen it in person.

After taking a few pictures, we made our way through the ruins to the far side of Machu Picchu to get in line for our hike up Wayna Picchu (if looking at the famous silhouetted face, Wayna Picchu is the nose). It was a beautiful yet treacherous hike. The path leading up to the top of the mountain was extremely steep. Then once it started raining, the stones became incredibly slick. It was quite a workout to make it to the top. Once we reached the top, we were disappointed that we could not see the valley or ruins below due to the thick cloud cover. After climbing some final steps and crawling through a short tunnel hewn through the rock, we were officially on the peak. Wow! What an accomplishment!

On top of the peak are the remains of an old fortress/temple. A few of the buildings still have their rock frames but most of it is just piles of old stone. One building looked like an old stone house. We were able to walk through it and look through the windows to the cloud-covered valley below. It made me imagine what it would have been like to live up here. Crazy, cool view!

After taking some pictures, we sat down and ate lunch while hanging our feet off the edge of the cliff. After taking some fun pictures and resting a bit, we decided to make our way down. As we started to descend, a slight wind started up and behold…the clouds were swept away allowing for an AMAZING view of Machu Picchu below. Again…AMAZING!! I just don’t know how else to describe it.

The hike down was fun (and treacherous). It was neat to see the ruins and valley below as we descended. After we reached the bottom, we went back to the entrance to join with our tour group. Our guide, Pedro, was very thorough and provided us with a lot of great information.

After a fun day of touring, we took a bus back down the mountain to Aguas Calientes, ate some lunch and boarded our train back to Cuzco. We arrived in Cuzco at around 9:30pm. What a spectacular day! One that I will never forget :)

The next day we shopped around San Blas a bit for some Christmas gifts and souvenirs (felt paintings of Incan Kings, pajama pants, scarves, and beanies). We then went to a museum and to a theatre to watch a performance demonstrating some of the native Peruvian dances.

The following day we boarded a plane to Santiago, Chile!! We were excited about our upcoming Chilean adventures but we were extremely sad to leave Peru :( We had some amazing times there (even despite the life-threatening food poisoning). Hopefully we will be back someday.

Pics: Machu Picchu and Waynapicchu

2011-10-11T19:03:00.003-07:00

the adventure begins :)

the line of people at 5am

Machu Picchu!! Oh how I've waited for this moment :)

ruins of Machu Picchu

Here we go :)

trail up to Waynapicchu

Just wait until these get wet and slick

ruins of Waynapicchu

YAY!! We made it!

the valley below

Machu Picchu below

Waynapicchu is the the tall peak in the background; the nose of the silhouetted face

visitors trying to capture the energy of the sacred rocks

our guide Pedro

Pics: Cuzco

2011-10-11T19:02:00.002-07:00

yummy vegetarian burrito!

view from our kitchen window

If you think this is priceless you should have seen the old man who was wearing it before. I wish I could have snapped a pic.

Plaza and cathedral at night

Lentil burger. Yep...still a vegetarian.

Not sure. We saw it in a shopping mall. Pretty creepy.

The Inca prince

and his maid servant

Pics: Saqsaywaman and Tambomachay

2011-10-11T19:01:00.004-07:00

view of Cuzco from Saqsaywaman

zigzag wall of the temple. Dedicated to the lightning god

us and the Inca King

Peruvian woman and her alpaca

                            Tambomachay with it's sacred eternal fountain.
                    It has never stopped running and they have never been able
                                           to identify the source. Crazy!

That is 12,352 feet. It was cold!!

Pics: Ollantaytambo and Chincheros

2011-10-11T19:00:00.000-07:00

quinoa risotto. Yum! For a quinoa lover, Peru was heaven.

The Sacred Valley with it's steep terraces

The ancient citadel Pisac

Ollantaytambo: crazy steep terrace

Chincheros: textiles demonstration

I love all the bright colors

the yarn and the plant/root that gave it it's color

The Rest of Our Trip, Part I

2011-04-18T21:43:00.000-07:00

So after an EXTREME case of procrastination, here are the details for the rest of our trip:

Darren: We arrived in Trujillo, Peru late at night after a long bus ride from Lima. Thank goodness the lady who owns the volunteer house (Carmen) was still up waiting for us. She was sweet and showed us to our room. The next day we met everyone and got to see the place. On the first level there were two small rooms used as classrooms with about 8-10 desks in each and whiteboards on the walls. The bedrooms were upstairs. There was a shared kitchen and an area out a side door from the kitchen where Carmen’s animals were. Here’s where things got Peruvian on us in a hurry. Not only were there some cats and kittens but a huge box full of guinea pigs. Thank goodness the cats were only pets but the guinea pigs weren’t so lucky. Here in Peru, guinea pig or “cuy” is a delicacy and very often people raise their own little furry dinners right in their own homes. They make little chirpy, squeaky noises especially around feeding times which sounded like little bats at times. You may be wondering if we had the opportunity to try this said delicacy?? Yep. Three weeks later Carmen invited everyone in the house to share a lovely cuy dinner together. I thought I’d heard a little less chirping noise that morning ;) Tasted like chicken. It was actually really sweet of her and we enjoyed eating with the other volunteers and feeling like a big family.

Kim: Tia Carmen! What a sweet heart. We really came to love her. Bueno Chicos!! The volunteers were a lot of fun as well. Our crazy cool housemate Jocelyn from Scotland, our British friends from Liverpool and the American, Elizabeth. And who can forget David and his Peruvian antics. Claro!! The house was a little…well…different than what I was used to. Since arriving in South America I have come to understand the differences between 1st and 3rd world countries and have adapted quite well I would say. But even so, the first week in our “new home” posed some challenges: cold showers, cement flooring, guinea pigs, open roof on the second floor, and no hot water in the kitchen. To cook on the kitchen stove we had to flip a switch on a gas tank under the kitchen sink, then light the stove with a match. Not too bad once you got used to it but a little annoying. We stayed in one apartment on our trip that leaked gas so every time you cooked, the house became fumigated. There were two bathrooms, one upstairs and one downstairs. The water in the upstairs one only worked until about 9 or 10pm, so after that you had to go downstairs to use the bathroom, brush your teeth, etc. Turned out to be a disaster when Darren got food poisoning and had to run downstairs to throw up. Poor guy! But amidst all these “differences” we had a great time there and truly loved our experience in the Trujillo volunteer house. Sure makes you appreciate things a little more :)

And I forgot…cuy. Not that great. Tasted just like chicken but it was such a chore to get any meat off since they are such small animals. I was lucky enough to get the back side (they cut them in half, front and back). I pointed to an odd shaped item on my plate and said to Darren, “I think that’s a kidney.” Darren: Nah. It’s just a bean. Me: Carmen didn’t make beans. Darren: Oh. Me: Yep. It’s a kidney! But hey…apparently it’s a delicacy. Darren and I saw these items listed on a local menu: salted kidneys and crunchy brains. Yum!!

Darren: Our family for a month consisted of Carmen (lady who owned the place), David (Carmen’s nephew and founder of the volunteer organization Espaanglisch), Elizabeth (volunteer coordinator from the USA), Jocelyn (17-yr old volunteer from Scotland) and David and Jessica (volunteer couple from England). We were only together for a month but it really was amazing how we all got along and really felt like a family.

During our month in Trujillo we were asked to take on two separate night classes. My class was called Gringlish and was basically a conversation class offering young adults an opportunity to practice their English. I loved the students in my class and had a fun time with them. Most of them were taking my class to be able to get better jobs or to be able to travel. Their English conversation skills were all very good and I had a lot of fun coming up with ideas for class on how to help them practice. We played games like taboo and did role play’s. We had debates and they presented certain topics that I would assign out as homework projects. At the end of the month, since it was close to Halloween, I turned off the lights in the classroom and then turned on a flashlight. I held it under my chin and started a scary story and then passed the flashlight around the circle and let the next person continue the story however they wanted. It was really fun and a great way to let the students practice their English.

Kim: My class was the FairMail class which consisted of 6-7 teenagers between the ages of 15 and 21. These kids are partnered with the FairMail organization which provides cameras to underprivileged Peruvian kids. The photos they take are turned into postcards and then sold. These kids receive 50% of the profits to help with their housing and education. So Espaanglisch is partnered with FairMail in providing free English classes to these kids so they have a better chance of selling their postcards. These kids were great! I loved getting to know them and their different personalities. It really made me realize how many things I take for granted. These kids had to work so hard for everything, yet they are so happy and full of life. Amazing experience!! Click here to check out their postcards: http://www.fairmail.info/

Kim: When were weren‘t volunteering we were out seeing the local sites and ruins. One day Darren, Elizabeth and I went and visited the city of Chan Chan, capital of the Kingdom of Chimor, also known as the Chimu Empire. It represents America's largest prehispanic mud-brick settlement. It is 7.7 square miles and is dominated by the palaces of the Chimu Kings. When the Incas conquered the Chimu in 1470 AD, this empire stretched 621 miles along the Pacific coast. The total population of the city may well have been as large as 50,000 or more. It was really impressive and hard to imagine what it must have looked like in it’s day. Funny story: We had to take a combi (taxi van) to the site. They let us off by the highway and we had to walk down a long dirt road to get to the site. While walking we came to a fork in the road and we decided to go left. We kept walking and soon came upon workers making mud bricks. We thought “Oh no! We’ve gone the wrong way.” So we turned around and starting going back the way we had come. As we turned around all the workers starting waving in their direction and telling us we were going the right way. So we turned around and started back the same direction. Well…after passing the workers we started seeing tarps and ropes and such and started thinking “I really think we came the wrong way.” Just then a worker comes up and says (in Spanish): You are not supposed to be here. This is the wrong way. This is where we are renovating. Follow me and I will show you where to go. So we followed him and ended up where were supposed to be. It was funny to see 50+ workers beckoning us forward and ensuring us we were indeed on the right path. At least I was able to take a picture of them making bricks. I had never seen that before. Cool!

Another site we visited was Huacas de la Luna y del Sol (The Temple of the Moon and Temple of the Sun). Both huacas, more than 1500 years old, constituted the center of power of the Mochica. The Huaca or Temple of the Sun functioned as an administrative and political centre. It is a staggered pyramid of approximately 141 feet high that was built by 250,000 men in only three days according to tradition. Around 70 million adobe bricks were used for its construction. The Huaca de la Luna or Temple of the Moon is located 1,640 feet away from the Huaca del Sol. This construction was built for ceremonial purposes and it is formed by six superimposed temples built during different periods of the Mochica culture. It was so cool to see all the different paintings and symbols and to imagine what it must have looked like in it’s day.

Darren: One of the best parts of Trujillo is that it’s only about 20 minutes away from a little beach town called Huanchaco. Huanchaco has one pier, 20 or more restaurants and about 100 places you can stay including hotels, apartments, hostels, etc. We loved it out there. We rented an apartment out there one weekend for really cheap and spent a few days right up the street from the beach. One other thing that Huanchaco is famous for is that it’s a great place to learn to surf. How could I pass that up, right? It was great Kim and I sat through a very informative and fun class (in Spanish) with Omar who taught us all about how to surf. He had me practice throughout the classroom part of the lesson, then I went out to the beach to practice a bit more. And finally, I got in the water and gave it a try. There was another instructor who went out in the water with me and made sure I was in position and then would tell me when to get ready. When the wave came he’d give me a push and yell out the command to stand up and go for it! The first time I fell pretty fast but the second time I rode the wave until I decided to jump off. Now, these “waves” were small, but even so, I had a really great time and for the next 45 minutes to an hour I rode the waves to my heart’s content. Can’t wait to practice more sometime. :)

Kim: Huanchaco was fun! It wasn’t necessarily the kind of beach town I am used to (Oceanside, Ca, etc) but it was fun to get out of busy Trujillo and go to sleep Huanchaco. Darren did a great job surfing. I was able to get some fun pics and videos of him. Next time I’ll have to give it a try J Other than the surf schools and tourists shops, Huanchaco had the best vegetarian restaurant, Otra Cosa. We went there as often as we could. Yum!! We went to church here one Sunday and had the chance of meeting those wonderful members. It was here that one of many miscommunications got me in trouble. Ha-ha. The relief society president looked at me and asked if I wanted to “share scriptures” (in Spanish). The lady next to me held up her scriptures as if she wanted “to share.” So I said, “si.” So after the opening hymn and opening prayer, the president gets up and says “Hermana Brown, te toca” (your turn). “My turn?” Oh…you want me to share a scripture, not share scriptures. GREAT!! So I quickly find a scripture (borrowing my neighbors Spanish scriptures) and read it aloud in front of the relief society. I then go on to explain in the best Spanish that I can muster why this is one of my favorite scriptures. Talk about being put on the spot. I don’t even speak the language, at least not well. I hope they got the general idea :) No better way to learn I guess.

Darren: The other assignment we helped with while in Trujillo was volunteering at an elementary school in one of the poorest parts of the city. The school is called “Una Sonrisa de Amor” which means a “loving smile” and they referred to it as USDA (sounding like ooss-duh) most of the time. Kim, Elizabeth, Jocelyn and I would catch a little shuttle van they call “combis” on Wednesday and Friday mornings to go out to the school and teach the children English. The school has five classes (4yr-olds, 5yr-olds, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades). We would teach each group once a week. The lessons varied a bit depending on the age group. We taught the youngest kids mostly greetings and magic words like “please, thank you, sorry“, etc. I was impressed with the older classes and how they could retain words and phrases week after week. I had an idea early in the month to introduce the kids to the “head-shoulders-knees and toes” song to help them learn parts of the body and the face. It was a hit!! The kids loved it and we had so much fun team-teaching them the words and then challenging them to sing it faster and faster with us as they got better. The older kids copied our stick figure drawings into their notebooks so they’d have the words. Many of the kids would approach us during recess even to ask us to sing the song with them again or to ask if they had the words right. Talk about a tune getting stuck in your head. :) It was well worth it and the kids were really cute and had a lot of fun singing it with us.

Kim: We loved the kids at USDA! Such beautiful, smart kids. If only we could have adopted them all.

Darren: One of the best blessings of the month was when we decided to talk with the director of USDA and see what type of materials or supplies they were in need of. We decided to send out emails and facebook requests to see if family and friends might be able to send some money to help us buy educational games, books and learning supplies for the kids. We were overwhelmed with the response and blown away by the generosity of those who did help. With the money that was donated we were able to fill up two shopping carts worth of learning supplies and games for the children. We stacked it all on our bed at the house to take pictures and it covered the bed completely. The day we took it out to the school they were having their first annual science fair. It was a perfect opportunity to present our gifts to the school all at once. All the kids lined up on the basketball court for the assembly. Kim and Jocelyn had stacked the gifts on a few tables in front. There were a lot of the kids’ parents there as well that day helping with the science fair. They asked me to come up front and take the microphone to explain where the gifts had come from. I told them how our friends and family in the USA loved them and wanted to help them learn and progress. One of the teachers had one of her students get up in front next and handed him the microphone. He read a thank you message that we got a video of that basically thanked us for the items and for supporting them and their school. It was very special to be there and be a part of it.

Kim: I am so grateful to our families and friends who made this opportunity possible. They were so kind and generous. The teachers couldn’t believe how much stuff we had and Guillermo, the director, was so appreciative. The kids kept coming up to the table to look at the items and you could see how excited they were. What a blessing it has been to volunteer at this school. :)

Darren: After the assembly they asked me to stay and be one of the science fair judges. It was so cute to see the kids in each age group present their projects. Many of the projects involved foods and natural medicines or some presented crafts. They all did a great job. The students and teachers decorated their stations with posters and pictures and the students handed out pamphlets before they began their presentations. For the ones that involved food, we even got a food sample. Only problem with being a judge was that by the end of the fair I’d been given about 20 different samples of everything from juices and yogurts to soy patties and banana bread and it all started to add up in my stomach. :) So many of the projects were edible I felt like a taste tester. It was hard to choose a winner but the grand prize and bragging rights went to one of the 3rd grade groups who presented a project on natural pesticides that you can make from household items like garlic and kerosene. They did such a great job on their presentation and each took turns explaining the benefits of their project. They even gave a demonstration with live bugs and showed how effective their spray was. The bugs were dead in seconds. :) Overall, the time we spent helping the kids at the USDA school was the highlight of my month in Trujillo.

Kim: The science fair was fun. The kids were so excited to give their presentations. It was one of the most practical science fairs I have ever been to. No exploding volcanoes or solar systems, just everyday practical resources. Everything from bug spray to perfume to shoe polish. We even brought some of the pamphlets home in case we want to make any of the recipes. :)

Darren: When our time came to leave Trujillo, we knew we wanted to go see Cuzco and Machu Picchu like every other tourist but before we did that we wanted to see some less know ruins that we had heard of located north of Trujillo. So we got on a bus headed for Chachapoyas, Peru. Our trip got off to a rough start when I got a bad case of food poisoning the night before we left. In the words of the comedian Bryan Regan, it felt like everything on my insides wanted to be on the outside. So by the next afternoon I was less than enthusiastic to get on a long distance bus that was supposed to take 14 hours but I felt good enough to give it a try. So that morning as we were heading out of the city, our bus suddenly lurched to a halt. The passengers around us were up in a flash and looking out the windows. I overheard two of them say something about how we’d hit something. Then I realized they were saying that we’d hit not something but someone!! You’ve got to be kidding me. The bus had in fact hit a pedestrian. It was terrible. We were worried for the victim and from where we were we couldn’t see anything. We heard he’d hit the front of the bus and possibly had leg and upper body injuries. We sat in the bus as the police directed traffic around the accident scene. After the ambulance had come and gone, the bus moved on to the police impound station. We sat in the bus for the next hour without any announcement or news from the crew. Finally, a second bus showed up and we switched from one to the other. As we got off the bus we noticed the buses windshield. There was a large shattered circle where the pedestrian had made contact. Yikes! Now I know I should have been concerned with the pedestrian and his well being more than mine, however, all I could think about once on board the new bus was how all the delay was going to extend the trip. So, after fighting through food poisoning the night before, we set out on what turned out to be a 16.5 hour trip. Thank goodness that Chachapoyas and the next week would be well worth the struggle to get there.

Kim: What a nightmare!! I remember Darren getting up and down a couple of times in the middle of the night but I didn’t know how sick he was until the next morning. Poor guy. I still can’t believe he decided to take a bus trip after a night like that. After my experience in Lima I could definitely sympathize.

Our trip to Chachapoyas definitely had some rough spots. As if a 14 hour bus ride wasn’t going to be hard enough, we hit a pedestrian and make it an extra 2.5 hour trip. Lucky us!! And on top of all that, our seats ended up being in the back of the bus by the bathroom and once we started on the bumpy, dirt roads, the whole bus starting smelling like urine. I thought I was going to throw up. “Just get me off this thing!!” That’s what I wanted to yell more than once. I was already hating buses by this point in the trip, especially after getting sick from their food, so this was a little piece of Hades. But Chachapoyas and the surrounding areas were amazing so it was worth it. (I’m glad I can say that). :)

Darren: The first day trip we went on was to see two separate sites with ancient ruins. The first was called “Pueblo de los Muertos” and the other was called “Karajia.” Both involved a short hike and we enjoyed the fact that we were there with only our guide, Hernando, and one other tourist named Felipe (71 year-old Frenchman who kept up with us all day hiking). We didn’t see any other tourists or hikers all day. Such a difference than other popular sites in Peru that have become so saturated with tourism. Our hikes took us through amazing canyons and hills of fields and crops. Hernando pointed out sarcophagi and mausoleums built into the cliff sides. He explained that only those people who had been high in royalty, society, military or rank would have had their remains placed in these sarcophagi as it was believed they would be able to look out across the valleys below for eternity.

Kim: This was a fun trip. Seeing the sarcophagi high up on the sides of the cliffs was crazy. I still can’t imagine how they got them up there. On the trek down to Pueblo de los Muertos, we were able to see the famous Gocta waterfall in the distance. It is supposedly the 3rd highest in the world. Apparently the local people have known about it for thousands of years but when a German man came into the area and started asking questions about it, no one would take him out to it. They believed that there was a mermaid that protected the waterfall and if they went out there, she would enchant them and they would never come back. Interesting legend. So once the man found someone to take him out there, he measured the waterfall and it ended up being the 3rd highest. Pretty cool!

The sarcophagi were really cool looking. They have stone faces that sit on a cone-shaped body. The cone is what houses the mummies. They were built under cliffs for protection from wind and rain. Some of them were perfectly preserved. I couldn’t believe they were in such good shape after thousands of years. The Karajia sarcophagi were different in that they were lighter in color than the ones at Pueblos de los Muertos. Different designs were painted in purple across their chests and their faces. There were originally 7 of them but one fell off the cliff. There was one sarcophagus that was all by itself on the opposing mountainside. Our guide Hernando told us a story of a battle between the Chachapoyas and the Incas. The Chachapoyan military poisoned the Incas water and killed an Incan military leader and his army. The brother of the Incan captain came to avenge his brother and wanted to kill the man who killed his brother. The towns people told him that the Chachapoyan leader had died and was placed in a sarcophagus up in the hill. So this brother climbed up the cliff face, took the bones from the sarcophagus and buried them in order to dishonor him. He would not allow this murderer to have a place on the cliff, overlooking the valley for all eternity.

Another site that we had the chance to see in this area was the Kuelap Fortress and the Leymebamba Museum. We joined a tour group out of Chachapoyas which consisted of other tourists from Switzerland, France, Germany, Peru and Columbia. Our guide was very knowledgeable and spoke three languages (English, Spanish and French). The fortress was very impressive. It is situated on ridge overlooking the Utcubamba Valley and has been dated back to the 6th century AD. Archeologist have found many mummies and artifacts and are still continuing to excavate the area. In fact there were archeologist involved in a dig the day we got there.

The way Kuelap was built was ingenious. The opening to the fortress is narrow and has multiple levels which are very steep. They had to use ladders to climb from one level to the next. This was very beneficial when an opposing army came to attack. Just pull up the ladders and they would have a hard time getting to the top. And since the top was open, the residents of the fortress could throw rocks, sticks, etc down on top of the invaders to slow their progress. The Chachapoyan people worshiped animals such as the serpent, condor, etc so around the bottom of their round huts there are carvings that indicate which tribe they belong to. There was no birthright order for a leader, the people voted for the most qualified person. There were two holes in each hut, one for the storage of grain and one for mummies. They believed that their deceased ancestors would be able to protect and bless them, so they buried them inside their homes. Now I love my family, but I’m not sure how I would feel about that.

The Leymebamba Museum was pretty lame, except for the room that was filled with mummies. I don’t know how many were in there but it was a little spooky. They were all found in cone-shaped sarcophagi so they were all hunched over in the fetal position. The expressions on some of their faces could give someone nightmares for a month.

We stayed the night at La Casona in Leymebamba. The next morning we were able to see from our bedroom window clouds sitting on top of the mountains. So pretty. Fitting since they called the Chachapoyans the “people of the clouds.” After breakfast we rode another Movil Tours bus from Leymebamba to Cajamarca. 6-8 hours on a miniature bus on a dirt road. What a long trip! Some of the areas along the way were pretty (Encanada with it‘s green valley and streams) but most of it was just dry and dirty. So needless to say, we were excited when we finally arrived in Cajamarca and were able to take a shower (I had dirt all over me from the dirt coming through the windows). We ate some yummy food at a restaurant called Salas. It was here that we came across the menu with crunchy brains and salted kidneys. We walked around the plaza after dinner and took some pictures of the local churches. We’d like to come back someday and spend more time.

The next morning we took a bus to Trujillo, picked up our suitcases at the volunteer house and then went to Huanchaco to stay the night at Bracamonte Hotel. The next day was Sunday so we went to the same ward as before. It was testimony meeting and Darren and I decided to get up and bear our testimonies. I said as much as I could in Spanish and the rest Darren translated for me. That night we ate at Otra Cosa one more time. I said we loved this place. :)

The next morning we took a Cruz del Sur bus to Lima, Peru and stayed the night at the same B&B, 3B Barranco. Since I wasn’t sick this time we were able to get out and see some sites. We went to the local craft and artesenia and had a look. We ate dinner at a yummy Mexican food restaurant Si Senor. Yum!! Man how we missed Mexican food. The next morning we went to Lima Central and took pictures of the plaza and surrounding buildings. Later that night I emailed my family about “our surprise gift idea” (more to come on that later).

Next morning we flew to…..CUZCO!!!! Machu Picchu here we come!!!!! :)

Pics: Trujillo, Peru

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our hostess Tia Carmen

our favorite vegetarian restaurant

plaza in Trujillo, Peru

YES!! There really does need to be sign

Our furry dinner guests

Inka Kola: bubblegum in a bottle

ruins of Chan Chan, Trujillo, Peru

Chan Chan

Rainbow Temple

Darren's surfing debut

Huanchaco sunset

Temple of the Moon

Huanchaco, Peru

reed fishing boats, Huanchaco

FairMail Class

Espaanglisch volunteers

Gringlish Class

Caballos de Paso, Trujillo, Peru

un hombre guapo

the professionals

Pics: Chachapoyas, Peru

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hike to Pueblo de los Muertos

Gocta Waterfall

sarcophagi in distant cliff side

sarcophagi

Pueblo de los Muertos

Karajia

Kuelap fortress

one for grain, one for mummies

mummies taken from sarcophagi, Leymebamba Museum

Pics: Volunteering at USDA

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items purchased for the USDA school

Jocelyn and Elizabeth teaching "head, shoulders, knees and toes"

science fair

Pics: Cajamarca, Peru

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plaza in Cajamarca, Peru

Peruvian women and their cool hats

Pics: Lima, Peru

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park near our B&B

plaza in Lima, Peru

September Travels

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We left Buenos Aires on September 1st on our journey towards Trujillo, Peru. Here are some of the adventures we had along the way:

1. Iguazu Falls, Argentina
Kim: After a 16 hour bus ride, we arrived in Puerto Iguazu, a little town in northern Argentina close to Paraguay and Brazil. The falls in Parque Nacional Iguazu were absolutely astounding! When Eleanor Roosevelt saw them for the first time, she was quoted as saying “Poor Niagra.” I’ve never seen Niagra but I can’t imagine anything looking like this. According to the Guarani tradition the falls originated when an Indian warrior named Caroba incurred the wrath of a forest god by escaping downriver in a canoe with a young girl, Naipur, with whom the god was infatuated. Enraged, the god caused the riverbed to collapse in front of the lovers, producing a line of precipitous falls over which Naipur fell and, at their base, turned into a rock. Caroba survived as a tree overlooking it. .

My favorite part of the falls was the Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat). The lookout platform is perched right over the powerful torrent of water. We were literally looking straight down into the canyon. The sounds of the cascades were deafening. The water vapors were thick at the base of the falls and rose almost smokelike to the top of the lookout. No words can adequately describe the experience.

I think what made it extra spectacular was the fact that we were hiking through an Amazonian-like rainforest. Although they are present, we didn’t see any pumas or jaguars. But we did in fact stumble across many coatis. Although they seem tame, we were counseled to not feed them due to their aggression around food. But not to worry. There are medical points along the way in case of a coati attack :)

Darren: Just like the feeling when we left the big city of Rome and headed out into the countryside, the trip from Buenos Aires out to Iguazu falls was literally a breath of fresh air. The area reminded me of Hawaii with green tropical plants and a cool damp feeling to everything. There were unique looking flowers and birds as well. One little yellow feathered bird had a fascination with our bedroom window which extended down to floor level. We would hear the thing running into the window multiple times during the day. It was really funny cause he’d attack the window and then a plume of red feathers would emerge on the scalp of his little head like a Mohawk.

The falls were spectacular and you really can’t describe them adequately. You gotta see the pictures! :) The coati’s were like a cross between raccoons and those “rodents of unusual size” on The Princess Bride. We were headed down one trail when we had to back out to let one or two come along the path…one or two turned into a pack of about 7 or 8. Awesome!

2. Salta, Argentina
Kim: While in Salta we visited the Museo de Arqueologia de Alta Montana. It was here that we saw the almost perfectly preserved body of a young Incan girl. She was one of 3 children found at the top of a volcano near the Argentinean/Chilean border. The story goes that the Inca culture from time to time offered the lives of high-born children to please or appease their gods. The high peaks of the Andes were always considered sacred, and were chosen as sites for the sacrifices. The children were taken to the ceremonial capital of Cuzco and participated in ceremonial marriages to cement diplomatic links between tribes. At the end of the fiesta, they were paraded around the plaza, and then had to return home in a straight line. Once home (usually months later), they were taken into the mountains. They were fed and given quantities of chicha (an alcoholic drink made from fermented maize) to drink. When they passed out, they were taken up to the peak of the mountain and left in their drunken sleep, presumably never to awaken. In was very interesting to see such a well preserved body. One can still see her expression. Her skin looks normal and her clothes are still brightly colored. It’s so real it’s creepy.

Darren: Important to note that the trip between Iguazu Falls and Salta was the longest we’ve done yet on our trip. It was a lovely 22 hours!! It’s hard to describe what it’s like to get on a bus in the morning one day, ride all day, afternoon, and into the night, then sleep as well as possible only to wake up STILL IN THE BUS and ride a few more hours the next day to finally stop at your destination. It was pretty crazy. Once we got to Salta, though, we made our way just outside of town to a suburb called San Lorenzo. We stayed in a great B&B out there called Casa Hernandez. It was nice to be outside of the city. The owners of the B&B were named Alex and Rijkje (sounds like Rykee). Originally from Holland, they traveled for years doing humanitarian work and seeing the world and somehow ended up in Salta, Argentina. They were really nice and it felt like staying with family. Alex sat outside with us in the backyard one night and told us stories of their travels and an inspiring story of a Dutch woman who traveled to Cuzco many years ago. She was planning on staying for week or so and ended up staying for life. She started helping kids in the street. A reporter did a story on her and some people with funds got behind her ideas and ended up starting a hotel called Hotel Ninos where she employed many of the kids who would otherwise be in the streets. In addition, a lot of the proceeds go directly to improving the lives of the Peruvian children.

One day there in Salta, we went on a hike in the Quebrada de San Lorenzo. It’s a canyon not far from where we stayed. It was fun and we took some pictures along the trail. Not really a pretty green hike but we got some good shots of mossy trees, a shot of the city down below in the valley and we got to sit and have a picnic along the way.

3: San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
Kim: Our main excursion in San Pedro was El Tatio Geysers. At 14,000 feet, it is the world’s highest geyser field. We left our hostal at 4am to be able to see the geysers at sunrise. We will forever be grateful to our wonderful host and hostess for lending us their thick jackets and gloves because it was FREEZING!! My face, legs and feet were frozen within 3 minutes after leaving the tour bus. But it was definitely worth it. The geysers were sensational. Swirling columns of steam in every direction. A valley surrounded by volcanoes, 64 gurgling geysers and hundreds of gassy fumaroles. I liked the bubbling, spurting and hissing sounds coming from deep within the earth. You would think with all that steam it would be a little warmer but it felt like taking a bath in the artic. I was grateful when the sun finally came up. On the way back to San Pedro we stopped at a little village where we tried llama meat. A little tough but good flavor. We also took a short hike through the desert to a small stream and waterfall. It was funny to see everyone taking pictures of cactus. For us we just felt like we were back in Arizona.

Darren: Making our way across the Andes was a long windy trek. There was a sign outside of the bus at one point showing 4750 meters above sea level. That’s about 15,500 feet above sea level!!! Crazy! Kim had no ill effects but once we got to town that evening I had a pretty bad headache and figured the altitude was to blame. Luckily by 4 am the next morning I felt fine. :) The trip out to the geysers was amazing. We stopped at a thermal bath as well and Kim and I dipped our feet in.

We met a really cool guy from South Africa on the tour who was on his way to start a hostel and touring business in Cuzco. It’s been really fun to meet so many people from all over the world and to hear about their adventures. It’s only making our list of “places to see before we die” grow even longer. :)

4. Calama, Chile
Darren: I was extremely excited for the next part of our trip. As we headed for Calama I had tons of memories about the first time I’d arrived there. The first time I went to Calama I was a greenie missionary and arrived with my newly assigned trainer Elder Contreras as my companion. That was somewhere around April 1998. Now, more than 12 years later, here I was on a bus only a few minutes from returning to where I’d started my mission and this time with my eternal companion. :)

There was one family in particular that I wanted to see in Calama and I was able to contact them weeks before over the phone. The Herrera family is a family we’d taught while I was there and the mother, Patricia, and her son Patricio were the first people I’d ever baptized. Their story is a special one in my heart and they will always be eternal friends and like family to me. That is why I was really excited to see them again and introduce Kim to them. The first afternoon we went by we stayed all afternoon and into the night. We were there as each family member made it home and it was so great to see them all. They fed us and we shared stories of the past and caught up on all that they’d been up to. The evening was full of laughs, hugs, and a lot of love.

Due mainly to a lot of serious medical issues, Patricia had stopped going to church a while back. We of course invited the family to attend with us that Sunday and hoped they’d be able to go. The family also invited us to stay upstairs in an unoccupied guestroom and assured us it would be no inconvenience to have us stay as many nights as we’d like to with them. We decided to go by Sunday morning and drop off our bags on our way to church. When we got there Patricia was all dressed up and ready for church! From the moment we stepped foot into the chapel until we left the meetings the members took turns coming up to Patricia and letting her know how good it was to see her there and how much they’d missed her. She introduced us to everyone and I recognized a few other faces there in the ward. It was one of the best experiences of the entire trip.

We ate with the family that night and shared more stories and had a family prayer with them all together that night. As we were getting ready for bed upstairs, Patricia knocked on the door and gave Kim a silver bracelet and me a fancy copper pen from Nelson’s work. She hugged us tightly once more and we felt like staying with them forever. It was hard to leave the first time and it was pretty tough to do it again. Such a great blessing to see them all again. Loved it. Grateful that Kim was there to share in the experience and that now we both have memories we can share about Calama and the Herreras.

Kim: It was so fun meeting the Herrera family, especially after hearing so much about them. Patricia was so warm-hearted and kind, I couldn't help but love her right from the start. It was hard being the only person who didn't speak Spanish but despite this barrier I felt like we were all able to become acquainted. "Family dinner" was a blast. And such great food! :)

They are amazing people and they made us feel so welcome. I actually became a little emotional when we had to leave. And only after spending 2 days with them! I can't imagine how I would feel after months. Hopefully we'll be able to visit them again soon :)

5. Iquique, Chile
Darren: Our next stop was Iquique. This was another of my favorite areas on the mission. We stayed in a hostel by the ocean and it was fun to go running one morning together along the beach. As for the hostel, check out the shower head in the stall with the toilet. Space saver? Definitely. Sanitary? Absolutely not!!

Thanks to Facebook, I was able to track down another woman and her daughter who we’d taught and baptized while I was there (Luisa and Alejandra). We spent two evenings up at their home. Luisa had been very busy getting things ready for their Chilean independence day celebration. She was in charge of making hundreds of empanadas for the festivities. We offered to go and help her make them. She tricked us and when we got there to help the second night, she’d prepared some hot chocolate and had some cake for us all to share. So nice of her!! The evenings were full of memories, more hugs and lots of laughs. They loved getting to know Kim and just like the Herreras thought she was just beautiful! I agree. :)

Kim: Gotta love my sweet husband :) Luisa and Alejandra were a lot of fun. And the cake and hot chocolate were very yummy! She was so cute with her surprise. It made us genuinely smile :)

It has been so fun meeting all of Darren's convert families. What a great memory to be able to share with him. I feel truly blessed to be in South America with him. I will never forget these moments.

6. Arica, Chile
Darren: We made it to Arica next and got to celebrate the Chilean independence day with the masses. We got to watch the fireworks that they lit atop a huge landmark hill near the main city plaza called “El Morro.” We walked around all the ramadas and booths that they had set up that reminded me a lot of a fair. They have carnival games and prizes along with shish kabobs and empanadas for sale.

The next day we waited to see a parade near the plaza and enjoyed looking at all the kids and adults dressed in traditional attire for performing their national dance later that day.

We also stopped by another home of a man who I’d taught and baptized on my mission named Juan. We talked with him and his sister and her son and again shared stories of 12 years ago. It was neat to sit in the same place on the couch and remember being there with my companion teaching the gospel.

Kim: The Independence Day celebration was a lot of fun. I am so glad we were able to there at that time. It was fun to walk around the various booths looking at all the crafts and trinkets. I bought a colorful, cute beanie from a Bolivian woman. Can't wait to sport it this winter :)

The Iglesia San Marcos looked so neat at night. They had it all lit up as part of the celebration. The interesting fact about this church is that it was designed by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, before his success with the Eiffel Tower. Pretty cool! Who knew Arica has such a claim to fame? :)

7: Arequipa, Peru
Kim: We really liked Arequipa. The Plaza de Armas was one of the best plazas we’ve seen since Europe. The people were very friendly and the food was AMAZING!! We ate twice at the Tradicion Arequipena. We tried a rocoto relleno (a spicy hot pepper stuffed with rice and meat), lomo saltado (strips of beef stir-fried with onions, potatoes, tomatoes and chili) and a mashed potato soup with beef. Yum!!

We toured the Monasterio de Santa Catalina, a 20,000-sq-meter complex, which is almost a citadel within the city. It was founded in 1540 but was only opened to the public in 1970. It was fun to wander around the maze-like streets and admire the colonial architecture and religious art. It made me feel like I was back in Italy.

We stayed at the best B&B called La Fuente Arequipena. I don’t know that I have ever stayed somewhere this hospitable. The hostess was great. If we ever go back to Arequipa we will definitely stay here.

Darren: All I can do is echo what Kim’s said about Arequipa. GREAT food, wonderful place we stayed (right across the street from a beautiful park) and I loved the plaza. It had a huge fountain in the center and one whole side of the block was taken up by the cathedral. The square was FULL of pigeons and it was hilarious to watch the children chasing them around. Reminded me of the pigeons in St. Mark’s Square in Venice.

8. Lima, Peru
Kim: Lima was a sore-spot for me. This is where I got food poisoning and spent the next 3 days in bed. No fun! The ocean was really close to our B&B which was nice. We also went to a great ward in Lima. The members were so friendly. But then again we’ve found that in most places in South America. I love the South American people.

The greatest experience was going to the Lima Temple. What a blessing. We met some wonderful couple missionaries from the States and I met a very faithful young woman named Fiorella. She spoke very little English and I spoke very little Spanish so how we communicated and became fast friends is a mystery. I love the gospel and how it brings us all together :)

Darren: I loved going to the Lima temple with Kim. Just stepping onto the grounds you could feel the spirit. We were able to help with sealings and then I went through a session in Spanish. I really liked it cause being in a different language I found myself concentrating more on the words and learning a lot throughout the session.

Poor Kim was really sick. I got out a few times to get us water, food and we just took it easy. We were right by the ocean and I went running one day and saw a lot of the coast. There were some really beautiful parks and trails along the path.

9: Trujillo, Peru: Finally made it!! More to come on Trujillo :)

Pics: Iguazu Falls, Argentina

2010-10-26T19:58:00.002-07:00

Pics: Salta, Argentina

2010-10-26T19:56:00.001-07:00

Pics: San Pedro, Chile

2010-10-26T19:54:00.002-07:00

Pics: Calama, Chile

2010-10-26T19:52:00.002-07:00

Pics: Iquique, Chile

2010-10-26T19:50:00.002-07:00

Pics: Arica, Chile

2010-10-26T19:48:00.001-07:00

Pics: Arequipa, Peru

2010-10-26T19:46:00.001-07:00

Pics: Lima, Peru

2010-10-26T19:44:00.001-07:00

Buenos Aires, Argentina

2010-09-01T15:25:00.001-07:00

Kim: Buenos Aires was big. Really big!! It reminded me of when I visited NYC. Millions of people, honking taxis, little greenery and lots of noise. Being surrounded by multiple 27-story buildings made the sky seem very distant, like a light at the end of a tunnel, not big and open like back home. Although we decided we wouldn’t want to live in a place this big, we had a great month stay in this bustling metropolis!! We toured the Casa Rosada (comparable to The White House in DC), walked along the waters edge in Puerto Madero, took pictures of historical ships and bridges (including the Puente de la Mujer) and ate some amazing Argentine beef at a famous parilla. We also walked through the tangled pathways of the Recoleta Cemetery where Eva Peron is buried (the woman that the musical “Evita“ is about). Other than the fact that the cemetery is filled with thousands of crypts (which is naturally kind of creepy), it was cool to walk through and see the different elements of artistry demonstrated on the outsides. Some of them were incredibly expensive and ornate, especially those built for the famous and wealthy citizens of Buenos Aires.

We spent one warm afternoon (beginning of Spring…yay!!) chilling on a blanket in the Palermo park practicing Spanish and eating empanadas. Yum!! Darren had prepared me for the experience and I have to say I wasn’t disappointed. My favorites were the choclo (creamed corn), cebolla and queso (onion and cheese) and the caprese (tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil). Probably not the most healthy entrées in the world but man were they good :) We spent another afternoon walking around various bookstores looking for interesting books to read on our long journey. One of the coolest bookstores I have ever seen was El Ateneo around the corner from our apartment. Its considered one of the top 10 bookstores in the world. Its in an old theatre complete with a frescoed ceiling, an open curtain lining the stage and reading chairs in the old box-seats. Awesome! Barnes and Noble should do something like this.

Another part of our Argentine experience was attending a Tango and dinner show at Esquina Homero Manzi near San Telmo. The dancing was fun to watch and the food was appetizing. Darren had some chicken and potato rounds and I had the vegetarian ravioli. After watching the show, we decided it would be a fun dance to learn someday.

One of our last excursions before leaving was going to Mataderos for the day. We were able to see some cultural dances as well as music performed from a local band. We ate some amazing tamales and took pictures of new and interesting things: such as various meets being grilled over an open fire, something being grilled that we surmised to be an armadillo still in its exoskeleton and a crazy man trying to get money by letting kids beat his “fake” pet-cat. He would hand a stick to a kid and let them beat at a fake cats tail sticking out the end of a bag. When the kids would hit the bag, he would meow like a cat in pain. Pretty disturbing to be perfect honest.

Of all that we have done, our favorite part of Buenos Aires was volunteering with Life Argentina. We had so many amazing experiences and made some great friends. Two of our favorite kids (although we probably shouldn’t have favorites) were Sylvia (black sweater and purple shirt) and Jose (the one I‘m sticking my tongue at). I am so grateful for all the wonderful memories we have made with these kids. I have learned many lessons that I hope to keep with me forever.

Darren: So Buenos Aires is famous for a few things. First of all the Tango. We saw people dancing the tango in the street on a few of the more touristy avenues and as Kim mentioned, we went to a dinner/dance show as well. It’s an amazing dance that looks like a tangle of legs going every direction when you watch their steps. Really amazing to see it up close and done so well. We didn’t get to take a class but we did try a few steps in our apartment one morning. It was an online step-by-step sort of thing. I think it might take some extra help and professional guidance to make my feet move like they were. Maybe someday. :)

The second thing that everyone talks about is the Argentine beef. Yum! We went to a restaurant one night out by the seaport area and had a great steak. The place is named Las Lilas and was highly recommended. It was worth every peso.

Other than those top two highlights we got to know just about every area of the city over the 5 weeks we spent there. “City life” is fun but definitely not where Kim and I would choose to end up. I just couldn’t get used to going for a jog and having bus exhaust clouding my path on every corner. That stuff will kill ya! I really liked the days we went to the park and just walked around, picnicked, and watched people kicking the soccer ball around or just drinking their mate (green herb tea).

Other than these sights, most of our time was spent volunteering and teaching and/or learning Spanish. :) Going with our little groups into the poorer neighborhoods was an eye-opener each time . We got used to seeing the same kids after a few visits and had a great time helping the children with worksheets that covered a variety of topics like Math, English, Geography, etc. Then we would play a bit too; soccer, jump rope, coloring, board games, etc. We hope we were able to make a difference somehow by sharing our knowledge, love and smiles with the kids we met.

Pics: Buenos Aires, Argentina

2010-09-01T15:08:00.001-07:00

"Life Argentina"

2010-08-19T09:09:00.002-07:00

We are currently in Buenos Aires, Argentina volunteering with an organization called "Life Argentina." All of our work is done in the "villas" or slums of Buenos Aires. To describe them as poor living conditions is an understatement. I almost cried the first time I went. Trash in the streets. Little kids running around everywhere. Living in old, abandoned buildings that should be condemned. Sheets for doors. Dirt floors. No warm jackets (it's winter here). They get so excited about the simplest things: half broken legos, coverless books. Even a simple coloring sheet with crayons is a novelty. I just want to adopt them all and bring them home with me. It really makes one think about needs vs wants. Lets just say I've been doing some self evaluating. It has definitely made Darren and I look at our lives in a completely different way. It has been such an amazing experience so far. Hopefullly we can always remember the lessons we are currently learning.

Darren and I had the opportunity to participate in "Dia de los Ninos" on Saturday August 7th. We had a lot of fun playing with the kids. We are so grateful for the amazing experiences we are having.

Europe 2010: The Final Chapter

2010-08-17T08:17:00.000-07:00

Our posts for our Europe trip are FINALLY completed. It has been fun to look back over our trip and remember all the amazing experiences we have had. We are SO grateful for the opportunity to go on this trip. So many memories made and lessons learned. What an amazing experience!!

**Just a word of caution: this is our way of journaling our trip, so the write-ups are long. VERY LONG. So if you'd like to read through, GREAT! If not, just skip through and look at the pics. We won't be offended :)

Happy reading!

Terezin continued...

2010-08-17T08:10:00.001-07:00

After the war, many poems and children's drawings were found hidden at Terezin inside mattresses and stuffed in cracks between the walls of houses. Many of these poems and drawings are collected in a book which was published by the Holocaust Museum entitled "I Never Saw Another Butterfly" (which Darren and I would like to get someday). This was one poem that we both read in the museum and wanted to share, along with some pics of the childrens' drawing.

AT TEREZIN

When a new child comes
Everything seems strange to him.
What, on the ground I have to lie?
Eat black potatoes? No! Not I!
I've got to stay? It's dirty here!
The floor- why, look, it's dirt, I fear!
And I'm supposed to sleep on it?
I'll get all dirty!
Here the sound of shouting, cries,
And oh, so many flies.
Everyone knows flies carry disease.
Oooh, something bit me! Wasn't that a bedbug?
Here in Terezin, life is hell
and when I'll go home again, I can't yet tell.

--"Teddy" 1943

Prague, Czech Republic & Terezin Concentration Camp

2010-08-17T07:56:00.000-07:00

Darren: Our entire trip we’d been looking forward to seeing Prague, but we were really sad that it marked our last stop in Europe. We didn’t know how we’d ever want to leave. The day we arrived it was really hot. In fact, we would learn later that there was a heat wave that week and that specific day was probably the hottest of the entire month! (about 95 degrees and lots of humidity) To make matters a bit more uncomfortable, we were staying in a cute attic apartment. Yeah that’s right, I said attic. Hot air really likes it up there. We had one oscillating fan and both took about 3 cold showers each to stay alive. Thank goodness that it cooled off from that day on throughout the next week we were there.
Our first day out we went up to the “Castle Quarter.” True to the name, this neighborhood is where the castle is. It sits high above the rest of the city and made for some great views of all the red roofs and spires below. Out front of the castle gate we caught the changing of the guard. Within the walls we stopped in to the Cathedral of St. Vitus. What was really impressive about this cathedral was the amount and quality of stained glass windows it contains. There is a famous one by Alfons Mucha, a Czech artist. There are a few scenes depicted in the window including Methodius, the bishop, baptizing a mythic long-haired Czech man to remind us of how Christianity was brought to the Czech people. All eyes are drawn to the center of the window, though, where the colors are more vibrant and another scene is shown. There is a young boy kneeling beside an elderly woman. The figures are symbolic. The prophesying elder with her eyes closed stands for the past and memory, while the young boy, with a penetrating stare, represents the hope and future of the nation. The boy’s eyes are what really impressed me.

After passing through the castle courtyards we ended up walking down towards our apartment by way of the castle gardens. They zigzagged down and through fountains, shrubs and pathways.

Prague’s Old Town Square was really fun to pass though almost every day on our way to everywhere else. The square is wide open and is surrounded by massive landmark buildings. Turning around in a circle you could see the Church of St. Nicholas, the Tyn Church, the National Gallery, and Old Town Hall. On one side of the tower of town hall you could crowd in with all the other spectators to see the Astronomical Clock. Not only does the clock tell time but it’s also got rings and circles that show information on sunrise and sunsets, signs of the zodiac and a place showing today’s special saint. At the top of the hour, the figure representing Death’s hourglass dips, rings a bell, the 12 apostles pass by little windows, a rooster crows and then the hour is rung. Pretty fun to watch.
Last but definitely not least was Charles Bridge. It stretches across the Vltava River and connects the “Little Quarter” (where our apartment was) with the “Old Town.” We got to walk over the bridge almost every night or at least at some time during the day and loved the walk every time. The bridge is named after Charles IV, the Holy Roman Emperor who ruled in the 14th century. At the ends of the bridge there are towers which are considered some of the finest gothic gates anywhere. Massive archways with black spires covering the tops.

Kim: Prague was amazing! I loved this red-roofed city with its towering spires. We had a lot of fun wandering through its cobblestone streets and learning about its history. Our apartment (click HERE to see pics) was definitely ideally located. From there we had easy access to Mala Strana, or Little Quarter, as well as the Old Town across the bridge.My favorite views of the city were at night. Street lamps shining on ancient statues and architecture, boats floating by on the river, the castle in the distance lighting up the sky. The Tyn Church burning pink under the setting of the afternoon sun. Amazing!! Our dreams of traveling and volunteering started with Prague and branched out from there so it was a dream come true to finally make it.

Terezin Concentration Camp, near Prague

Kim: As a day trip from Prague, we decided to visit the Terezin Concentration Camp. It was originally a fortified town named after Habsburg Empress Maria Theresa. In 1941, the Nazis removed its 7000 inhabitants and brought in 60,000 Jews, creating a Concentration Camp. This was the Nazis’ model “Jewish town,” a concentration camp dolled up for propaganda purposes. Jewish culture seemed to thrive, as “citizens” put on plays and concerts, published a magazine, and raised their families. But is was a carefully planned deception intended to convince Red Cross inspectors that the Jews were being treated well. Virtually all of Terezin’s Jews (155,000 over the course of the war) ended up dying either here or in extermination camps farther east.

Of the 15,000 children who passed through Terezin, fewer than 100 survived. The children’s’ artwork, on display in the museum, brought tears to my eyes. Drawings of butterflies and flowers, those things that reminded them of home, the home that they would never return to. Pictures that depict the cruelty of the camp. I can’t imagine the kind of world they witnessed. One of the things that bothered me the most about these drawings was the dates. Above the various drawings they would have the child's name along with their birth and death dates and the location of both. While the birth dates (and locations) varied tremendously, many, too MANY, would have the same death date at the exact same location. These 6 all had this date, these 12 all had this date, these 10 all had this date, and so on. The location of all deaths seemed to be at Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland. It made me sick to think that these kids had purposely been put to death, in groups. So strategically planned. It was definitely an emotional moment for me.

After the museum, we toured through the Magdeburg Barracks that gave us an idea of what a camp dormitory would have looked like. I can’t imagine sharing that small of a space with hundreds of other people. No wonder so many of them died from sickness and disease. We also took a self-guided tour of the Small Fortress. From 1940 to 1945, this fortress functioned as a Gestapo prison, through which 32,000 inmates passed (of whom nearly 10 percent died here). We saw model prison cells, including the washroom and shower room. The washroom was built solely for the purpose of fooling Red Cross inspectors. No pipes were ever installed to bring in water. The shower room was used to fool the Jews. Here they got used to the idea of communal bathing, so they wouldn’t be suspicious when they were later taken to similar-looking installations at Auschwitz (gas chambers). Sick!!

It was truly a unique experience to walk through a town that once housed a concentration camp and feel the feeling that resides there. I don’t think I will ever forget that feeling. Even now as I write the words, the emotions come flooding back to my heart and mind. I truly cannot understand how people can be so cruel. As I looked around that town and imagined what it would have looked like then, I got a sad, lonesome feeling in the pit of my stomach. Darren and I wandered around the whole afternoon with heavy hearts. It was like there was a thick cloud looming overhead. A heavy weight seemed to be heaped upon our shoulders. You could actually feel the sadness and the cruelty of the place. Everywhere you turned there was a dilapidated building reminding you of the past, a headstone reminding you of a life lost. In one word, it was depressing. I honestly don’t know how people live there. Darren and I commented that if we lived there we would feel like we could never laugh or joke. I know it may sound weird, but it is honestly true. But in my heart it makes sense. In a place with such a cruel history, where so many lives and dreams were taken, it only makes sense that the memories of what happened would continue to live on long after that part of history is over. And in a way, I’m glad that it does. It reminds people, like me, of the fragility of life. To seize every moment we are given. To appreciate families and freedoms. To do our part to fight against the injustices of life. To love and to serve and ultimately do all that we can to make the world a better place.

Darren: It was extremely hard to learn about this place and all that had happened here. The hardest part for me was when we were walking through the museum and along an entire wall there were written the names of the children who’d died. I was just looking at the names and trying to imagine these little innocent kids having to pass through such a horrible experience and then my eyes caught hold of one name that matched one of my niece’s. For some reason it made it even more real to me and even more disturbing. Had to hold back a few tears and leave the room. Still gets me now even writing about it. I just add it to the list of experiences that I’ve been blessed to have while on this trip. Each one has affected me and shaped me a bit differently than if I’d never come. I’m so grateful that Kim and I were able to come and experience it all together.

Pics: Prague & Terezin, Czech Republic

2010-08-16T21:35:00.005-07:00

Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic

2010-08-16T19:56:00.003-07:00

Kim: We had a lot of fun in Cesky Krumlov. It’s a fun little fairy-tale town with a lot of character. Our main event here was canoeing down the Vltava River. We opted for the 3 hour trip that took us from Cesky Krumlov through Bohemian forests and villages to Zlata Koruna Abbey. The trip started out perfect: a nice overcast-day providing a welcome break from the never-ending heat, a canoe and a cool, flowing river. About 30 minutes down the river, the story changes. Rain! And not just any rain, an absolute down pouring of rain. So overwhelming in fact that Darren and I could no longer hold a conversation due to the deafening sound of the rain hitting the surface of the water. We were completely soaked within 5 minutes. And due to the lack of sunshine that we were previously so happy about, it became bitterly cold. Amidst all this chaos, we found plenty of time to laugh at our plight. I can only imagine what we must have looked like to the onlookers on shore, huddled under bits of shelter. Funny! But alas, we weathered the storm and survived. And don’t forget the fun memories made. Just ask Darren how he managed to get us stuck on some rocks in the middle of the river. haha. Just kidding babe. :)

Darren: Now wait just a second, it takes two to tango, two to canoe, and two to get stuck on the rocks. But it was nice to have two to get us unstuck too. Love you. The canoe trip was absolutely the highlight for me. We went down two of these thin canals that felt like a roller coaster. The rain was hilarious, then a bit cold, and then it was a funny again to us after we’d warmed back up a bit. I have to add this next part cause it was hilarious. There were these bugs, like horse flies, that would not go away. They would buzz you like other bugs but they weren’t at all affected by a swatting hand or any amount of threatening. Well, they kept landing on Kim’s back, and since I had an oar, and she was within range, I’d tell her not to move and then I’d try and smash them or swipe them off her back at least. I must have killed 20 of those things and they were all floating in the canoe in the rain water that was filling our poor little water craft. I tell you what, I can still hear Kim as she’d look back and say, “ew, disgusting!!”

Kim: After our canoeing trip, the rental company provided us with bikes to ride back to Cesky Krumlov. The experience was fun while the path itself was a bit treacherous. Apparently they haven’t taken the time to create bike paths yet so our trip back was on the side of major highways dodging semis and trucks, or yet them dodging us. Sure glad we made it back in one piece. What an incredibly adventurous day. I love those memories with my hubby.

Funny Czech words: Dekuji (dyack kuyi): Thank you
                                 Prosim (prozeem): Please
                                 Ahoj (a-hoy): hi or bye

**(I loved this one! I kept hearing in my head that line from Bill  Murray in What About Bob, "I'm a sailor, I'm sailing! Ahoy!!) LOL

Yummy Czech food: *Pike perch with white asparagus. Yum!
                                 *Buckwheat and millet casserole,
                                *potato pancakes,
                                 *potato, cabbage and daisy soup (I even ate the daisy)
                                *sauerkraut
                                 *couscous with plums and raisins (sounds weird but actually
                                   pretty good)
                                 *curried lentils

Darren: One other funny story from Cesky Krumlov. The second day we were there it got really hot. We’d heard there was a public swimming pool. So, we got suited up and walked over to the indoor pool. When we got there I was trying to converse with the lady and ask if the water was heated or if it was cold. We were terribly hot and the last thing we wanted was to pay money to jump into an indoor, heated swimming pool. It was hilarious trying to ask the lady if I could just go through the glass door and test the water. It was like trying to say, “may I just go stick my foot in?” with charades. Somehow she got the message and I did go stick my toe in. It was cool water and swimming was great. Oh, the memories though. Wonder what some of these people’s stories must be like on the other side of these experiences. “This crazy American came into the pool today…wanted to stick his foot in, etc. etc.” Love it. :)

Pics: Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic

2010-08-16T19:44:00.002-07:00

Schloss Ernegg: Niederösterreich, Austria

2010-08-16T18:23:00.000-07:00

Darren: So far on our trip we’d stayed in hotels, apartments, cottages, a room at a seminary, guest room of a place with hide-a-bed, and others I’m sure I’m forgetting. We figured it was about time we added a castle to the list. We’d found this place online that advertised staying in an actual castle so we thought we’d give it a whirl. It’s called Schloss Ernegg and it was stuck out in the middle of the Austrian countryside. It was surrounded by woods and overlooked fields and a golf course below. The story of the place is that it’s over 1000 years old. It changed hands from certain noble men to others through the years and many changes and additions were done to the castle. The Auerspergs family came to live in the castle in 1656. It’s been in their family ever since. Another cool side note is that the original castle had four towers and a moat. Wish we could have seen the moat but even without it now, it was a pretty cool experience. After checking into our room we decided to go exploring. We were told by the woman who was overseeing the place that we should feel free to look around but I’m sure when went in at least 3 or 4 places we shouldn’t have been allowed.

We did some exploring outside too and went for a walk through the woods and down a path leading to a nearby town. We met some sheep along the way and found out that Kim speaks fluent “sheepese.” Never ceases to amaze.

The lady running the place that night was really kind and offered to take us into town to a restaurant she recommended. When we got there she walked us in and they sat us at a table out in the back patio. Really nice place and the food was amazing!! We got some of the famous Austrian soup that has pancake strips in it. We also tried the Kaiserschmarrn for dessert (it looked so good that we didn‘t remember to take a picture until it was already gone). We’d been wanting to try some since Hallstatt so we were excited. It’s a pancake broken into pieces, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and served hot with plum sauce. It was delicious!! The waiter and owner were really kind to us and brought out some “sweet wine” for us to go along with our dessert, “on the house.” So hard to tell them that we were sorry but we don’t drink. Felt bad,…but good for us. :)

Kim: The castle was fun. A little bit of a pain to get to without a car but our very own personal taxi driver didn’t seem to mind transporting us from place to place (due to it being a small town, every time we called for a cab, the same guy showed up. It was funny). We had a lot of fun exploring the old place. Old wooden doors opening to steep, spiral staircases. An attic with old furniture and other furnishings (I’m pretty sure this was one room we probably weren’t allowed to tour. Oops. Our bad. Would we do it again? Absolutely) :)

The Kaiserschmarrn was amazing! Who knew that something so simple could taste so good. I'm definitely going to make this when we get home. Yum!

Pics: Schloss Ernegg, Austria

2010-08-16T18:16:00.002-07:00

Melk, Austria

2010-08-16T17:18:00.000-07:00

Darren: Our hotel room in Melk had a balcony and looked out over the street below. Turned out to be good and bad. Nice view and fun to see the town from above but bad when it got late or wee hours early and people were still in those streets, laughing and yelling. We made the best of it, of course, but it got a bit noisy. When we checked in we noticed a man outside barbequing some ribs. Turns out they were serving them at our hotel’s restaurant that night. We ate there that night. Yum!! We walked down by the Danube river that night and got some fresh air. We had to share that air with a few hundred mosquitoes though… yikes.

We went on a river boat ride on the Danube river. It’s a 24-mile stretch between the towns of Melk and Krems. It cuts through the beautiful Wachau Valley and we rode it up and back. We took some pictures of old castles and ruins along the way. One small town along the tour was Durnstein. Richard the Lion-Hearted was said to have been imprisoned here in 1193. You can still see the ruins of the castle where he was held high up on the hill above town.

I remember that we had some pizza that night (we miss Italy) and watched the Germany vs. Netherlands football match that night. It’s been fun getting into the whole World Cup Soccer thing.

Kim: The Danube River cruise was fun. It gave us a chance to see some beautiful parts of the country in the Wachau Valley. Due to the extreme heat outside, Darren and I decided to buy some drinks onboard the boat. We saw an item listed as "bitter lemon" so thinking it would be lemonade we decided to try one. Bad choice! Lemonade it was not. Bitter lemon-water it was. Not exactly a thirst quencher. Ughh!

Pics: Melk, Austria

2010-08-16T17:11:00.002-07:00

Vienna, Austria

2010-08-16T16:59:00.001-07:00

Kim: One of my favorite things about Vienna, other than the abundance of concert halls and theatres, is the amazing architecture. The buildings were all so ornate. Even simple apartments buildings had statues on top and intricately carved walls and window frames. The Vienna Opera House, or Staatsoper, was beautiful with its glimmering chandeliers and other tasteful décor. We learned that only one wing survived after the bombing of WWII. So sad. We toured the Hofburg Palace, the first residence of the Hapsburg family (used from the 13th century to 1913). The Imperial Apartments were definitely impressive. We spent part of an afternoon walking through luxurious royal bedrooms, drawing rooms, conference rooms, dining rooms, etc. We also walked through the collection of silver, dinnerware, etc. Crazy how many place settings are needed for dinner in a palace.
One night we attended a concert at the Imperial Winter Palace, Festsaal, (part of the Hofburg Palace). Music from Mozart and Strauss was performed by the Wiener Hofburg Orchestra. We sat by an older friendly Australian couple who talked to us about family history and Australian politics. We got to know them pretty well throughout the concert and by the end of the night we mentioned, “well if you’re ever in Arizona feel free to stop by and say hi.” He responded, “Be careful what you say. The last time a couple said that we ended up flying to Washington for their son’s wedding.” We laughed and said, “Ah. No problem. We’ll let you know when we have a kid and you can come for the blessing.” Ha-ha. J So if at our baby’s blessing someday you see a random Australian couple sitting in the back, go up and say hi. :o)

We saw a few statues in one square that are part of “The Monument Against War and Fascism.” This split white monument, The Gates of Violence, remembers victims of all wars and violence, including the Nazi rule of Austria. On the monument we saw a montage of wartime images: clubs and WWI gas masks, a dying woman birthing a future soldier, and chained slave laborers sitting on a slab of granite cut from the infamous quarry of Mauthausen Concentration Camp. The hunched over figure on the ground symbolizes a Jew forced to scrub anti-Nazi graffiti off the street with a tooth brush. The last one is a monument with the Austrian human rights etched into it. This monument marks the spot where several hundred people were buried alive when the cellar they were hiding in was demolished during a WWII bombing attack. Quite a message.

We walked down the street called Karntner Strasse where we bought some English paperbacks from a bookstore called Frick. We found that a somewhat comical name for a bookstore. This shop-lined street was once the street Crusaders marched down as they headed off for the Holy Land in the 12th century. In the Middle Ages, people figured plagues were punishments from God, so it was common for survivors to bribe or thank God with a monument, thus the plague monument or the Trinity Column. This statue shows Emperor Leopold with Faith below him tossing an old naked woman-symbolizing the plague-into the abyss.

St. Stephen’s Cathedral (Stephansdom) is a massive Gothic needle in the middle of the city. It was under construction while we were there (but what cathedral wasn’t on our trip) but we could still see the crazy cool gothic architecture exhibited on its inside and outside.

The Belvedere Palace was the residence of Prince Eugene of Savoy, the much appreciated conqueror of the Ottomans, but is now one of Vienna’s art galleries . While we didn’t tour the inside, we enjoyed the sweeping views of the city and the Baroque gardens around the palace.

We didn’t see as much as we wanted to in Vienna due to lack of time and a rainy day, but that just gives us an excuse to go back. :)

Darren: Vienna was great, but way too much to see and do for one trip, it’s true. I really think at this point of our journey we needed a bit of a breather. We stayed in one rainy day and watched some movies on our computer and made burritos.

But once back outside, I was impressed as well with the buildings in Vienna. So majestic! I think my favorite spot in Vienna was The Heroes’ Square. It’s just outside the Hofburg Palace and right where we went to the concert and met our Australian friends. From the square you can see the Palace (obviously) up close, and horse-drawn carriages passing by on cobblestone streets. In the distance you can see the massive gothic City Hall. And in another direction you can see two large museums across the street, both were great examples of the architecture we’ve already raved about. Just a great spot, ya know?

Other things I remember about Vienna was the amazing tour inside of the Opera House and getting to see backstage. We also got some awesome cake one day and ate a piece or two in the square on a bench. More shameful than that was when we decided to buy a Vienna sized hotdog to share. Can’t remember which we got but it was really good. There are little street vendors that sell them and have at least 5 different kinds. We’d read a little about them in advance to avoid anything really nasty.

Kim: Admittedly, the hot dog was pretty good, although I was a little scared to eat it from a street vendor. To try and counteract the effects, I talked Darren into trying some banana milk. He sure did like it :) ha-ha

P.S. Click HERE for a look at our cute apartment (#3). I loved the red walls and sink in the bathroom. The faucet was a round disk that once turned on created a waterfall into the sink. So cool!

Pics: Vienna, Austria

2010-08-16T16:56:00.002-07:00

Hallstatt, Austria

2010-08-16T15:40:00.002-07:00

Kim: Hallstatt is a small town in the Salzkammergut Lake District area between Salzburg and Vienna. Three thousand years ago it was the salt-mining capital of Europe. Today its a great place to relax and enjoy the scenery, which is exactly what we did. We spent one day hiking and touring giant ice caves in the Dachstein mountains and one day swimming in the freezing, glacier-water lake. The ice caves were really “cool.” The tour was a one hour trek through an icy, eerie, underground world with temperatures just above freezing. It was really cool to see the crazy ice formations underground. Apparently they are continuing to get larger and deeper every year. One formation we saw was more than 29.5 feet tall. Its like Kartchner Caverns but frozen. Crazy! The ice crystals all over the ceiling were really pretty. Especially when the tour guide would shine his flashlight on them. The ice just seemed to glow. I’m really glad we decided to wear pants and bring sweaters along because although it was a hot summer day outside, it was freezing inside.

The next day we had a picnic at a park and went swimming in the lake (again, freezing). But it was really hot outside so it felt pretty good.

Hallstatt was amazing. So incredibly beautiful. A little town right on the edge of a pretty lake. Doesn’t get much better than that.

Darren: I know I probably say this too much, but Hallstatt really was one of my favorite places on the trip. The place we stayed was a short walk up a path that followed a crystal clear creek. Our place sat in a little valley between two huge mountains. We had a great view from our room’s balcony and I spent quite a while out there reading and just listening to the sounds of the rolling creek water, the breeze and a couple of really funny birds that sounded like they were whistling at each other. In addition to that, we ate lakeside every night and enjoyed walking around a small picturesque town every evening.

The ice caves were amazing and much grander than the “ice-cave” we used to take friends to up on Mt. Graham. It was pretty shocking how cold it got the deeper we went down. Once we got back outside we had a picnic along the trail and then walked out to a lookout point. Kim was curious enough to look into a metal container that had a chain hanging out from it part way. Turned out to be a box for a set of binoculars, good find babe! We took a look out across the valley and the lake far below. Nice view!

Jumping into the lake was great. We also considered it our 4th of July celebration. It was hot outside but still took some courage to get into that water. I was proud of Kim for getting in with me. There was a make-shift wooden diving board that someone had constructed off one edge of the lake. It looked like a plank. We jumped off of it together…I think we counted to “three“…I may have pulled her in on “two.” Either way it was fun, right sweetie? J

Pics: Hallstatt, Austria

2010-08-16T15:39:00.002-07:00

Salzburg, Austria

2010-08-09T17:12:00.002-07:00

Kim: Just for a bit of history, Salzburg was the birthplace of Joseph Mohr, who wrote the words to Silent Night. This popular Christmas carol was composed and first sung in the village of Oberndorf, just outside of Salzburg, in 1818. This is where the oldest nunnery in the German speaking world (established in 712) is located. The real Maria from The Sound of Music taught in this nunnery school.

Darren: Our arrival in Salzburg included many of the things we've come to expect on a "travel day." We rode a train, did some laundry, checked in to a new place, walked to the nearest grocery store and then showered and collapsed. The lady who rented us the place was very helpful although we spoke alot by hand gestures as her English wasn't the greatest and Kim and my German is extremely lacking. She was very kind though and even helped us find the Church's address on a local map to show us where we'd be going the next day.

The old town is beautiful. The Salzach River runs through town and it's lined with grassy riverbanks, trees and bike paths. The Cathedral was amazing and decorated inside with extremely detailed white wood. We rode the funicular up the hill one day to tour the fortress that sits overlooking the city. Great views from the top.

We attended a Mozart dinner theatre one night and met some really neat people at our table. Three of the four couples were from the states but one couple was Romanian and spoke great English. Fun conversations. The music was great and accompanied by a 3-course meal. Another night we attended a Baroque Hall concert. It was a piano/violin duo who were incredible. The music touched us both.

One day we rented bikes and rode down to Hellbrunn Castle. The ride took us along the river at first, then through some meadows and dirt rode paths. Really pretty. The palace is known for its trick fountains and we took the tour to check it out. It was really fun. The tour guide showed how the designer made the fountains thoughout the garden shoot water and catch people off guard. He got people wet and made people scream and laugh all the way through the tour. He was a fun guy and you can tell he enjoyed his job. We had a picnic in a huge park by the palace and then headed back to town. We got cleaned up and went to Mirabell Gardens and listened to a free brass band playing there. The gardens are spectacular and fun to wander through.

Kim: Salzburg was so much fun. I absolutely loved it. It had a little bit of everything I love. Music and culture, green surroundings, historic downtown, outdoor recreation, beautiful architecture and bell towers. If I haven't mentioned it already, I love bells. I have always loved them. Some of my favorite memories of this trip have been waking up to the sound of bells. So mystical.

At church on Sunday we met a couple from Utah who were traveling around Europe, ending in Belgium where the guy's parents were serving a mission. We met a woman originally from Tucson who married a German man and has been living in Germany for 13 years. It's been fun meeting so many different people on this trip and sharing stories with fellow travelers. None of us have the same story. Not all of us believe the same way. We're all from different places, yet we all have that same travelers spirit. So fun!

Later on Sunday we went for a walk around town. On a high trail that circles around the city (offering amazing views of the buildings and town below) we met a man and a woman from Salzburg. They have lived in Salzburg their entire lives and described to us what it looks like in the winter. It sounded like a fairytale. Someday around Christmas I'll definitely have to drag Darren back. They also told us about a bakery at the foot of the mountain right by a waterwheel. Apparently its the oldest bakery in town, dating back to 1150. We found it the next day and bought one of each kind (there were only 3). One was called Roggenbrot. Very heavy and dense but yummy!

The Salzburg Cathedral was really cool. The intricately carved white wood was different than the others we have seen. It was really pretty against some of the other darker furniture. Mozart was baptized here, "Amadeus" means "beloved by God". We also walked through St. Peter's Cemetery. There were many tombs and graves amidst many small gardens.We learned that in Austria, gravesites are rented, not owned. Rent bills are sent out every 10 years. If relatives don't care enough to make the payment, the remains are chucked. Another good reason to remain on good terms with family members. I told Darren if he "chucked" my remains, I'd come back to haunt him. :) On a Hollywood note, while the cemetery scene for The Sound of Music was just a set, it was inspired by this one. We also walked by the 1925 Festival Hall. This is where the nervous Captain von Trapp waited before walking onstage just before he escaped with his family.

The dinner theatre was a lot of fun. The couples we met provided very entertaining conversation. Especially the Romanian couple. He was a spinal surgeon and his wife was a doctor as well. He told us he gets 29 days of holiday (vacation) every 6 months. WHAT!? Forget 3 weeks a year, let's move to Europe!

Mirabell Gardens were so beautiful! I would love to imitate some of the designs and layouts in a garden of my own someday (but on a much smaller scale of course). The statues, arbor and stairs by the palace were used in The Sound of Music as well.

Hohensalzburg Fortress is built on a rock 400 feet above the Salzach River. It was never really used as a Fortress, since it was so foreboding that nobody actually attacked the town for a thousand years. It was surrendered to Napolean for a while though. It was fun to walk around and look at the mini-city within it's walls. It was here at their Marionette Exhibit that Darren and I posed as chickens and Sound of Music puppets.

Our bike ride along the Salzach "Salt" River was fun. So peaceful and green. It would be so fun to live in a place that offers so many bike trails. Yes Gilbert has some. But riding along a stinky canal has never been my "cup of tea." One of the first things we saw upon our arrival at Hellbrunn Castle was the famous gazebo from The Sound of Music and of course I couldn't pass on a photo op.

Salzburg was awesome! Can't wait to go back. How long is my "can't wait to return" list?? Pretty long ;o)

Pics: Salzburg, Austria

2010-08-09T17:11:00.002-07:00

The Dolomites: Castelrotto Italy

2010-08-09T08:32:00.000-07:00

Kim: Castelrotto was beautiful. We stayed in a cute little bed and breakfast with our own private patio overlooking the beautiful green valley below. We ate at a little diner called Bar Toni's where we ran into a young couple we had met in the Cinque Terre. Small world. We had spinaci dumplings, turkey and potatoes and salmon. Yum! It was great to have some meat and potatoes after so much bread and pasta. Our first full day in Castelrotto we took a ski lift up to the Alpe de Suisi, Europe's largest high-alpine meadow. Talk about absolutely breathtaking!! I felt like I was Heidi frolicking in the hills of Austria. Green rolling hills everywhere. Wild flowers, cows, streams, little mountain huts, farms, snow capped mountains, waterfalls. It was awesome! On our hike to Panorama Point, we were surrounded by cows and horses. We heard the cows and their bells coming down the mountain and before we knew it, they had us surrounded. I wish we could have gotten a picture of that :) After a few minutes we were able to maneuver between them and continue on our hike. Later horses came up to us digging in our pockets for food.

Darren: Oh yes, the "cattle incident." These cows were more than friendly, they were out to get us I swear! No lie, they wouldn't let us pass. They seriously "surrounded" us and then kept blocking any escape. I felt like we'd walked into a bad neighborhood and felt like we were about to get roughed up. :)
The town there was very interesting. It's history is a bit complicated but what resulted was a town where they speak both German and Italian and really recognize both languages everywhere you look. Every sign, brochure, menu and bus stop schedule had information printed in both German and Itialian. Seeing as how we were headed north to Austria next on our journey we started to learn and practice some German. Funny stuff just laughing at each other at how we sounded. Just ask Kim how to say "I want to buy two postcards, please" in German. It's hilarious. She learned it by memory and it sounded like she'd memorized it to the tune of "red rover, red rover, send whoever right over." Oh the laughs!
The hiking was great. Huge open meadows, sunny and breathtaking. The second day hike we did we followed alongside a creek and saw multiple waterfalls along the way.

Kim: The next day we went hiking again in the Alpe de Suisi. This time we went in the direction of Schlern mountain. We had a picnic in the meadow listening to a nearby stream. Our hike down took us by some beautiful waterfalls and some cool water fountains. It was a pretty long hike. By the time we got done our muscles were pretty tired and sore. It was way fun though. That night we ate at a restaurant where we tasted some bread that tasted like black licorice. Interesting but good.
We dedicated our last day in Castelrotto to a day of relaxation. We went swimming in the B&B pool, sat in the solarium, and took a nap. Perfect!

Pics: The Dolomites, Castelrotto, Italy

2010-08-09T08:31:00.002-07:00

Venice, Italy

2010-08-09T08:30:00.001-07:00

Kim: Our first night was spent at an agriturismo outside of Venice. Agriturismo's are basically working farms that accomodate guests in order to help themselves survive financially. That night the owners mother Lugina made us dinner consisting of raw prosciutto and salami, and meatballs and spinach. The meatballs and spinach were pretty good but the raw ham was disgusting. I swear I could taste the hay that they had the fed the dead animal. Gross!! After a bite or two we rolled the ham into the smallest ball we could so it would look like we had eaten more than we actually did. I wonder if she noticed? haha

We were supposed to stay there the entire 4 days but it ended up being further out of the city than we wanted so we found an apartment in the city and moved in. So glad we did. We had to take a valporetto to our apartment. Water taxis...so cool. We were able to find an apartment right around the corner from St. Mark's Square. We could see gondolas and hear the gondoliers singing from our window. Awesome! That night we walked around St. Marks square and listened to the dueling orchestras. We also walked across the Rialto Bridge and watched gondolas float by. Truly a sight to see.

The next day we toured St. Marks Basilica. I still can't believe the entire decor is done in mosaic. Imagine an area the size of a football field decorated with pieces the size of a contact lense. Insane! It was so pretty though. It was all done in gold leafing so the ceilings and walls looked like they were glowing. St. Mark's remains have allegedly been here since A.D. 830. We also saw the Frari Church. This church houses the tomb of Titian and also contains some amazing statues and art pieces (and of course more reliquaries, see pic below)

Darren: Kim's notes are almost identical to mine when it comes to Venice. All I can add are a few little memories. I remember getting two of the best pizza slices EVER in Venice. Also, I remember sitting out by the main canal on two the of nights we were there on some benches. There was a man playing an achordian and it made Kim and I think of mom and dad playing. I remember people feeding the pigeons in St. mark's Square and letting their kids hold handfuls of seeds for the birds. It was a mixture of kids giggling, laughing, screeming and crying that filled the square. I remember Kim ordering some produce, in Italian, at a market in the street. She did great. And I remember going to an internet cafe to check our emails and we found out that Lecia had had her baby, Hendrix, and that all was well.

Kim: One night we attended an opera, La Traviatta, in an old palace. We circulated from room to room as the opera was performed. Other than the singers/actors being oddly matched, it was a fun experience. The craziest experience was trying to get to the palace on time. It had been raining like crazy for a couple of days and when we left the apt to go the performance, St. Marks Square was flooded. Like way past my ankles flooded. The flooding would have been enough of an obstacle by itself, but add to that the twisted, maze-like streets of Venice and it was quite the ordeal. Darren did a great job at navigating and got us there with time to spare.

The night before we left, Darren took me on a gondola ride. Very romantic. We even kissed under the Bridge of Sighs in order to assure us eternal love (although we already have that :) It was just like a dream. How many movies have I seen? How many stories have I heard? And then...here I am. Riding in a gondola with the man I love down the watery streets of Venice. Absolutely perfect!! After the gondola ride we went back to St. Mark's Square to listen to the dueling orchestras one more time. We danced and made fools of ourselves. What a perfectly fun evening. :)

Pics: Venice, Italy

2010-08-09T08:29:00.002-07:00

Florence, Italy

2010-08-09T08:28:00.002-07:00

Kim: We stayed in a cute little apartment on the outside of Florence near Fiesole. It was in a newly renovated villa that used to be the home of some noble family back in the day. I absolutely loved the garden. Trees, flowers and vines everywhere. The apartment had wood floors, rustic furniture and cool metal work, including the headboard and light fixtures. Click HERE to see pics.

We made it to church right on time on Sunday just to find out that it was regional conference and that all members should meet across town at a completely different location. And not to mention that the meeting had started 1 hour before our arrival at the building. A little frustrating but hopefully we'll be blessed for our efforts :) We met a woman and her daughter from Utah and a girl from Washington D.C. She is a concert pianist for professional singers and was there learning Italian so she can converse with the singers better.

Darren: The place Kim picked was perfect. Far enough away f rom the city to feel like country but within a walk to the bus stop. We saw some fire flies (lightning bugs)on our walk a few of those nights and I think it was one of the first times Kim had ever seen them. Crazy little things. Missing church was a bummer, especially since we'd gotten all the way into town and found the place with time to spare only to find the note about the change of schedule. We went home and read a few conference talks in the garden though, and had some really good conversations about them.

Kim: The next day we went and saw the Duomo, the Duomo Museum, the Santa Croce Church. The one thing about the Duomo Museum that stood out to us were the reliquaries. They are basically transportable shrines that contain the remains of saints (bones, clothing, etc). It was a little disturbing. First, I would see an object that looks like a mantle clock adorned with gold and jewels and then I would move in a little closer and see a finger, jaw bone, or lock of hair from some acclaimed saint. One question...WHY? After seeing a few of these, I began avoiding those areas of the museum. The Santa Croce Church was awesome. One of our favorites of the trip. Inside are the tombs of Galileo and Michelangelo. Having defied the Church by saying that the Earth revolved around the sun, Galileo's heretical remains were only allowed in the church long after his death. The Church also houses a leather school. We stopped and watched a couple of people in the process of making leather purses, wallets, etc. Pretty cool! We then walked around Piazza della Signoria and took pictures of the statues at the nearby loggia. We saw Cellini's bronze statue of Perseus holding the head of Medusa, the fake David, Hercules killing the centaur among others.

Darren: It was funny to see Kim freakin' out about the bones and fingers and stuff in the reliquaries. Don't get me wrong, I didn't enjoy them either, just saying it was kindof fun watching her reactions. :) In Santa Croce Church there was an amazing painting of "The Descent of Christ to Limbo." We just sat in some chairs and looked for a long time. The expressions on the faces in these paintings always impress me. Some were humble and hopeful, others ashamed.

That night we'd heard that they were going to be showing the Italian world cup football (never say soccer here) game vs. Paraguay live at the stadium near our apartment. It was free for anyone who wanted to go and watch on a huge screen. We made it over for the second half and watched the game with a rowdy bunch of Italian die-hard fans. They tied that night 1-1.

Kim: Over the next few days we toured the Accademia, the Galileo Science Museum and the Uffizi Gallery. The Accademia houses Michelangelo's David among some of his other work. The statue of David was awesome (and no babe...not because he's nude). The amount of detail that went into the work is absolutely astounding. The muscles, the facial features, it's just so...real. His face shows such determination to do God's will, yet there is concern there as well. So true to form. Some of our other favorites are what they call The Prisoners. These are some of Michelangelo's unfinished sculptures. Because they are unfinished, a lot of them will have their bodies completed but not their arms or head so it looks like they have a block of stone sitting on their shoulders. They look like they are trying to lift the stone off their heads, trying to dig themselves out, to free themselves from the imposing granite. It's really cool looking.

Darren: I have to say that out of all the museums and exhibits we'd seen to this point, none struck me with the spirit as strongly as did the statue of David. It actually caused me to take out a pen and paper and begin to write down a few of my thoughts and tranfer them to my journal later. Looking into the eyes of the statue you can see the combination of emotions that Kim mentioned; confidence and concern. It shows his faith and humility all at once. It made me think back to how I felt and how I'm sure most missionaries have felt when leaving for a mission. You know you are on the Lord's errand and you know it's the Lord's work, but you worry about your own ability. You could see that David had confidence in the Lord's strength and trusted in God. There were a few other really neat statues that made me ponder that day. There was one that represented "Day." It was an amazing statue of a man and very detailed...all except for his face. The face and beard were a bit unfinished and looked out of place on this amazing statue. It made me think that each day that Heavenly Father gives to us is a gift. Each day is amazing and full of beauty. Each day, however, is unfinished and we must give our own expression to it and decide how we will live it.

Kim: The Galileo Science Museum was cool. Some of the exhibits included compasses, globes, thermometers, telescopes, clocks, pumps, medicine and chemistry. The Uffizi Gallery was awesome! It has the greatest collection of Italian paintings anywhere and features works by Giotto, Leonardo, Raphael, Caravaggio, Titian, Michelangelo and Botticelli. Room after room after room of famous paintings. It truly was an experience. One of my favorites was the Birth of Venus. It shows a woman standing on a shell with the god and goddess of wind blowing her toward shore, where a woman awaits to clothe Venus with a robe. The colors and details are spectacular!

Darren: The Galileo Museum made me think of Dad. The microscopes, pulleys, etc. all made me think back to 8th grade science. We were at the Uffizi for 2 hours and they had to shew us out at the end. Amazing artwork. My favorites were Botticelli's Primavera and Birth of Venus. I also liked Lippi's Madonna and Child with Angels, Da Vinci's Annunciation and Cranach's Adam and Eve. There was also a newer one that we both liked by Notti called Adoration of the Child.

Kim: Later that night we ate at a restaurant where we had to share a large, long table with 5 other people. We were literally sitting shoulder to shoulder with strangers. I made the comment to the lady sitting next to me that it felt like Thanksgiving dinner. While it was a little uncomfortable in the beginning, we were able to meet two ladies from NY who were there for the first time. One of them was an artist who owned an art studio in NY. She taught us about some of the different techniques in drawing and the best way to learn them. It was fun.

Florence was amazing. So much art and culture. Another place to return to someday

Pics: Florence, Italy

2010-08-09T08:27:00.003-07:00

Cinque Terre, Italy

2010-08-09T08:24:00.000-07:00

Kim: The Cinque Terre is a remote area of the Italian Riviera, quite different from the bustling cities of the French Riviera. No traffic, no museums. Just sun, sea, and beach. Oh the life! Direct translation is "The Five Lands", consisting of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare. Our journey began in Riomaggiore. We stayed in a nice little studio apartment with an amazing view, our own roof-top terrace overlooking the Ligurian Sea. The only downside to this was the amount of stairs we had to climb to get to this top floor apartment, 85 steps. Doesn't sound too bad eh? Well...try that with two 50 lb suitcases, 2 backpacks and extremely narrow stairwells. F-U-N! Our first night there we ate at Ristorante la Lampara. Darren had the seafood penne and I had linguine with clams (see pics below). The food was great although a little too fresh looking. The next afternoon we went on the Via dell'Amore walk from Riomaggiore to Manarola. The story goes that due to the extremely isolated location of the towns until the last century, villagers rarely married anyone from outside their town. After the blasting of the train line in the 1920's, a trail was made between Riomaggiore and Manarola and became established as a lovers' meeting point for boys and girls from the two towns. Due to all the amorous graffiti along the path, a journalist coined the name Via dell'Amore: Pathway of Love. It is the current craze in Italy to close a padlock with your love along the path. We saw a ton of padlocks linked to railings, fencing, etc. We did not have a padlock so we weren't able to contribute (though we did find an extra suitcase lock later and decided to lock it around a fence in Hallstatt while hiking) Why not? ;o)

The next couple of days were spent in Vernazza hiking around the town and in Monterosso lying on the beach. We rented lounge chairs and an umbrella and spent two days chillin' at the beach. You can't get much better than a beach, a book and a cold drink. We even tried fresh coconut. Men walk up and down the beach selling pieces of fresh coconut. They dip them in cold water then hand you a piece to gnaw on. Good idea. Not a great taste.

The Cinque Terre was amazing. We can't wait to go back.

Darren: Yeah, my least favorite part of the Cinque Terre were the 85 steps and the less-than-impressive coconut...everything else was incedible. I liked the porthole windows in our room, shuttle boat ride between towns, pizzas by the beach, and just sitting on the rocks by the ocean at night talking. I loved sitting in our lounge chairs up on our roof-top patio, reading, writing in our journals, or just listening to the ocean while we looked at the stars. I even surprised Kim up there with a dance. No stereo, no problem. Just had her share one of my ipod earphones. Works great if you plan on standing really close. :) She likes when I try to be romantic. ;)

Pics: Cinque Terre, Italy

2010-08-09T08:23:00.002-07:00

Italy with a side of France

2010-06-13T15:18:00.001-07:00

Next stop...

Orvieto, Italy

Kim: Orvieto was a lot of fun. It’s a town about 1.5 hours outside of Rome. It sits majestically a thousand feet above the valley floor on a big chunk of tuff (volcanic rock). We stayed at a cute B&B called Casa Selita on the edge of town. It's a cute old country house right in the middle of an orchard. Selita keeps the gardens looking so beautiful. Roses, trees and shrubs everywhere. It's nestled at the bottom of the town’s cliff which overlooks the green, rolling hills across the valley. All the rooms have their own little terrace with table and chairs overlooking the garden. So quaint! The bedroom was so comfortable. Gotta love down comforters :) Orvieto was a nice break after crazy Rome. We spent the two days wandering through the quaint, cobblestone streets window shopping and eating good food. We spent a couple of hours one day hiking the Rupe. It is a paved path that completely circles the town at the base of the cliff upon which it sits. Hiking around offered amazing views of the Umbrian countryside. After a couple of detours (due to lack of signs) and steep upward climbs, we made it all around the 3 mile loop. We spent another afternoon walking through the Duomo and various museums. The Duomo has four marble pillars carved with biblical scenes that tell the story of the world: Genesis, Old Testament, New Testament and Revelation and each pillar is topped by a bronze symbol of one of the Evangelists. Angel (Matthew), lion (Mark), eagle (John) and ox (Luke). All the Duomo's we have seen have been amazing. It’s crazy how much detail goes into each and every part. Our favorite part was the chapel on the right side, the chapel of San Brizio. It has frescoes done by Luca Signorelli. The frescoes depict scenes of the Apocalypse. Scenes include the following: Antichrist, end of the world, Resurrection, hell, Judgment Day, and heaven. The scenes were awesome. They really tell a great story. In the Antichrist picture it shows a man posing as Jesus preaching from a pedestal. The Devil is standing behind him whispering in his ear what to say next. On an another wall it shows trumpeting angels calling out to the world, and the dead climbing out of the earth to be clothed in new bodies. So interesting! We really enjoyed the chapel. Darren even helped the worker set up chairs for evening mass. He's had lots of practice :) So...conclusion, we loved Orvieto. So beautiful and so relaxing. Only thing we didn't get to do is take the bus to Civita. Supposed to be a really pretty little town. Next time :)

Darren: We really did love it here. Selita was sooo accommodating. We asked if there was access to laundry and she said for 5 Euros they’d do it for us. For anyone who’s had to do a load of laundry in a sink and hang it out to dry, you know what a bargain that is. J We found our clothes neatly stacked in our room that night all fresh and clean. AWESOME!!

One night there we tried a new plate called Nidi. Kim didn’t like it too much but I thought it was pretty good. It was like cheesy lasagna with a touch of honey. Yum.

My favorite fresco in the chapel Kim mentioned was the one of the Resurrection. It showed skeletons climbing from their graves, lifting their legs out after them and returning into perfect bodies. In the background there were people greeting each other and hugging after being apart for so long. FYI the depictions of heaven and hell were pretty convincing that you definitely want to be in heaven and not hell. J The one of hell had blue demon people with horns tugging and kicking and pulling on people. Not where you want to end up.

We watched the season finale of Lost that night. Pretty cool. My favorite of the place was just sitting out in the garden with Kim that afternoon on some lounge chairs and loving life.

Assisi, Italy

Kim: Assisi was another relaxing stop for us. We stayed at the Hotel San Rufino which is in the old town on top of the hill. The main thing we did here was tour the Basilica of St. Francis. This is the man who made Assisi famous. His remains are above the altar in a stone box and the remains of his four closest friends are around the altar in the corner of the room. The Basilica has relics from St. Francis's life and the chapels are frescoed to depict scenes from his life. We had a guide book with us and were able to read what each picture portrayed as we walked from panel to panel. It was interesting. Our last night in Assisi we ate at Ristorante Metastasio. What an amazing view! We sat outside on the terrace which overlooked the beautiful Umbrian valley below. The day we left we met a couple at the bus stop from Australia. We talked to them for a while about their travels and Darren asked how much time they had gotten off from work. Their reply? “Um...we quit our jobs so we could travel.” Awesome! This is the second couple we have met that has done the exact same thing we did. The other couple was from Boston. We compared packing and moving stories J Fun to meet fellow travelers.

Darren: The only things I could add to our time at Assisi would be that we got Kim a really cool backpack which fit well into our plan to ditch a few suitcases at the next stop and slim our luggage down a bit. The dinner with a view was spectacular. It was also the first time I’d had chicken since the states. Tasted like chicken ;) We both kicked ourselves that night for not having the camera. A storm rolling in from far away with the green valley turning dark below, beautiful! Just started to sprinkle as we left. J

Siena, Italy

Kim: We stayed in a quiet villa outside of Siena. The view was absolutely breathtaking. We kept seeing postcards with pictures of stone villas in the middle of green rolling hills and one of us would comment, "Hey! That's where we're staying. Awesome!!" The house itself was a little ancient, not gonna lie, but it was quaint. There were too many creeping, crawling things for me to enjoy it completely inside, but outside it was heaven. We enjoyed more than one evening outside in the garden, watching the sunset over the green hills in the distance. I just can't describe how beautiful it was. Absolutely stunning!

Our first day there, Darren and I both did something incredible daring. He let me cut his hair. His clippers wouldn't adapt to Italy's power conversion (without blowing up) and his hair had been getting pretty long and unruly, so we cut it :) I actually think he was more nervous than I was even though I have never cut hair in my life. I just kept thinking, "what's the worst that could happen? It turns out terrible and we go get it buzzed at the barber". Turned out pretty good if I do say so myself. We had fun and made some memories. Always the best part :)

On Sunday we went to church at the local branch. There were a lot of BYU students there doing a study-abroad program. Without all of them there the branch consisted of about 10-15 members. Crazy how small it is. Something you forget when you live in Gilbert, Arizona. It's awesome though that despite the size and location, the church is still true and is still progressing. I love that thought. After church we walked into town and spent some time around Il Campo. This is the city square where everyone hangs out. It's funny to see people lying around on the ground (bricks, dirty bricks I might add) as if they were having a picnic in the park on a nice green lawn. They lie down, take naps, have picnics, sun bathe, etc. Fascinating.

Il Campo is also the place for the famous Palio horse races done every year on July 2 and Aug 16. We learned a little bit from our landlady Miriam. Apparently there are 17 contrade (or neighborhoods) in Siena. Each contrada has a parish church, well or fountain, and sometimes even a museum. Each is represented by a mascot (porcupine, unicorn, wolf, etc) and unique colors worn proudly by the residents. Miriam and her family belong to the eagles with the dragons and something else as their allies. We witnessed some young boys from one of the contradas parading through the city streets banging on drums and twirling flags, showing their pride for their contrada. For the Palio di Siena, 10 of the 17 neighborhoods compete in several days of trial races and traditional revelry. Jockeys are paid, bets are placed on which contrada will win and which will lose. On the big day the horses are taken into their contrada's church to be blessed. It's considered a sign of good luck if a horse leaves droppings in the church. The race lasts just over a minute. And after all of this work and preparation, what does the winner get? A banner (and bragging rights I suppose). Fun traditions.

Big plus for Siena...we found a restaurant serving burritos. YES!!! The one thing I have been craving like mad. I even bought some chili sauce at the grocery store to see if I could fulfill it. It definitely helped :)

Darren: For the record, I was NOT nervous for Kim to cut my hair. I did tell her the story of when mom took a chunk out of the back of dad’s hair long ago. We had fun and it turned out great. Thanks babe!

Finding the Mexican place was a tender mercy. J It had just opened that very day. Miracles I tell you. ;) We sat in a park that afternoon to get an internet signal and we started getting wild ideas of taking a side trip to France.

The views were the best part of Siena for me. So great to wake up and look outside and see green hills and an old castle in the distance. One night we made egg, bean, cheese, chili sauce, prosciutto burritos..sounds kindof busy but it was great. We played cards that night (Shawna I think you gave it to us for a Christmas gift, “Pictureka” Thanks!! J)

Volterra, Italy

Kim: Today we awoke to a crazy rainstorm to take a bus to Volterra (after visiting the Wed morning market and buying a cute scarf) :) Volterra was super fun and soon became one of our favorite hill towns (if not THE favorite). It was one of the most random, fun filled stays of our trip. First we got to see an artist form a clump of alabaster into a beautiful, translucent chalice. Alabaster souvenirs are sold everywhere in Volterra. Some of them are so beautiful. Second, we got to witness part of the event celebrating the contradas in Volterra. We watched an elf-like medieval character dance around and sing songs to medieval instruments, ladies throwing flowers to the crowds, men and women carrying crossbows over their shoulders and contrada members competing in a game of tug-o-war. It was so fun to watch. We are so glad we were able to be there during that time. So fun!! Third, we tried Ossi di Morta cookies ("bones of the dead"), and lastly, we stayed the night in a catholic seminario. Seminario Vescovile Sant'Andrea has been training priests for 500 years, and now the 8 remaining priests rent their 16 rooms to travelers. We decided to do it 1. because it was cheap and 2. because we thought it would be fun. All I can say is, it was interesting. And definitely a little creepy. Neither Darren or I slept very well that night. Mostly because of the bed (big lump right in the middle) but party because of the long, dimly lit, echoing hallways. Just look at the pictures. There were even frescoes of popes above every door. Gotta love it. Definitely an adventure! We loved Volterra. Hope to return someday :)

Darren: Funny story. So when trying to get on one of the buses to Volterra I was trying to load our luggage in one of the undercarriage doors. I tried two of them but they were full so I walked back further towards the back tires of the bus. I opened the last one and a huge chain fell out clanking to the street. Ooops. The bus driver pokes his head out from the front and all I could say was “perdone” and look sorry. He wasn’t happy but went back and took care of it. J Kim was laughing at me about that later. Oh well.

My favorite things from the festival were the sword fighting (pretty real with guys in armor) and the flag people. I know what you’re thinking, Darren likes the flag twirlers?? But these guys were professionals. They would juggle, throw and catch 5 flags at a time using their legs and feet to juggle them around. Awesome. Check out the video!!

On our way to Pisa, Italy and Nice, France

Kim: This morning we rolled our luggage from the Volterra seminario to the bus station at about 6 am to catch a bus and train to Pisa. We stored our luggage at the train station in Pisa and took a bus downtown to see the Leaning Tower, Duomo, etc. The Tower was really cool and we were able to take some fun pics. After walking around for a while, we went back to the train station to catch a train to Nice, France. While in Siena we decided we were spending a little too much time there (we originally had reservations for a week). So we started brainstorming on a good place to side trip for a few days, and the decision? Nice, France. Why not spend a few days in the French Riviera before going to the Italian Riviera. Sounds perfect to me. On the train we met some people from Alabama. They are the ones who introduced us to Ringos. They are like Oreo’s but smaller and come in a tube. Yum!! They have some amazing cookies here. I’ve told Darren we’re gonna have to send a box of them home or find a company that ships to the U.S. I really love how how fresh all of the food is. Even the stuff in boxes aren't bad. All the crackers and breads are made with olive oil. No hydrogenated oils! Yay!! Hard to find that in the States. Another reason to love Italy (at least for someone nutritionally minded) :)

Darren: Leaning tower was really cool to see in person. After we left there we had one of the longest and sweatiest train rides ever. It took about 7.5 hours total. There were 3 changes we had to make and each train stopped at about a million stops along the way. Crazy but sooo worth the destination.

Nice, France

Kim: We absolutely LOVED Nice (sounds like “niece”). I am so glad we decided to take a side trip here. We stayed at the NH Nice (a booking we got for pretty cheap from Priceline). The first night we got here we showered and then went out to find some dinner. Since it was about 10:30 we weren’t sure we’d find anything open. As we were walking around, we rounded the corner and BAM! A ton of people eating in a piazza at 11:00 at night! What in the world!? As we would soon find out, that’s about the prime time for dinner. Most restaurants are pretty bare around 9 and then sometime around 10:00, they get full. It was not uncommon to see families with kids out meandering through the streets at midnight. We loved it!! Really fun night life with lots of people and little shops. We spent some time walking along the beach on the Promenade de Anglais. We tried some tasty gelato from Finacchios Gelateria. They are famous for their 96 different flavors (some of them crazy). The first night Darren tried rhubarb and cactus (which tasted like soap to me) and I tried watermelon (safe bet) and avocado (which was actually really good). Some of their flavors included: rose, violet, lavender, tomato basil, and chewing gum. We also tried a fresh juice slush. It was reddish in color so when I tasted it I expected some mixed berry flavor but it tasted like fresh squeezed orange juice. So good!! For dinner one night Darren went out to get us burgers and fries. As much as we love pizza and pasta, it’s been nice to have a taste of home from time to time.

Darren: Thanks to Priceline and Kim’s bid we got a 4-star place for cheap and got to sleep for real and feel really clean for the entire time in France. Loved it. Hotel was right next to the tram as well so easy access to the beach, nightlife and everything.

Kim: Our second day in Nice we spent at the beach. We rented two lounge chairs and an umbrella and spent the day looking at the ocean and getting some sun. A large part of the day was spent NOT trying to stare at the naked bodies. I had to warn Darren not to look up at certain times. Interesting how the people are so comfortable around complete strangers. I mean, as a woman, how do you just take off your top and walk down to the beach for a leisurely swim. Just different cultures I guess.

Darren: Just a quick comment on all that. Topless is not always best (older ladies). Yikes. Then again, the Speedos that some of the overweight older men were wearing were quite stylish. Perhaps I’ll invest in one. J Just wait babe!!

Kim: That night for dinner we ate at L’Ovale Ristorante. We had steak and potatoes. Both of ours were a little too rare. As we had asked for medium well were a little confused. As we found out later, there is basically medium and well done. No in-between. So a little rarer than we like, but it was really good. Funny story about dinner: they had a sign for daiquiris so I decided to see if they could make one without alcohol. You would have thought I had asked them to eat on the moon . The look on their faces was priceless. The bartender said “Um...I suppose I could but it wouldn’t be good.” So I guess that means “no.” J

Darren: Kim asking for the non-alcoholic drink was hilarious. The bartender was pretty confused...like asking for a bowl of cereal without milk or something. Good times. I was proud of Kim for diving into her steak and eating it up even though they were a bit rare. I don’t really mind them that way but knew she wasn’t pleased. I offered to ask them to cook it longer but she said she’d suck it up and give it a whirl. Good for you babe, trying all sorts of new things!

Kim: Our last day in Nice we went to church (listened to testimony meeting in French), took a nap then ate dinner on the beach at a place called Castel. Darren tried Penne with Octopus. The taste was really good but the look was not great. You could still see the suction cups on the tentacles. Gross! But the ambience was great! Candle lit tables and music right on the beach. Absolutely perfect! Thanks babe for an early birthday dinner. The morning we were leaving France, a staff member brought up a piece of chocolate cake to our room. Darren had apparently called the night before and asked them to bring it up the next morning before we left. He even brought back flowers that he had picked from a bush, since the flower market was still closed when he went out for an early mornign walk. It was so sweet of him to make such an effort for my birthday. Thanks babe. You’re the best!!

Darren: Kim failed to mention the story of how we got to church. I had gotten the directions online the night before and it looked easy enough from the last stop on the tram. It had the street names and said things like “take a right. Go 500 ft. Go to such-and-such street and then .2 miles this way and that.” My point is, it didn’t sound too bad. Um,...death march. My bad. It turned out to be alot of walking,...up hill walking,...up switchback roads walking. We did get to church but I knew Kim wasn’t too happy. Can’t blame her. Sweaty and gross is not how you want to arrive at church. I probably wasn’t too sensitive either as I’m sure I just made some comment about the pioneers and how they had it really bad ;) But we were both happy that we made it to the meeting and got to take the sacrament and feel the spirit of the meeting. We listened and understood as much as we could of the sweet testimonies we heard in French.

Our trip has been amazing so far. Stayed tuned for the Cinque Terre updates. Wow!!

Pics: Nice, France

2010-06-13T15:16:00.003-07:00

dinner at Castel restaurant

row of tables in Cours Seleya

"Nice" beach...haha

my birthday surprise

Pics: Pisa, Italy

2010-06-13T14:49:00.002-07:00

Field of Miracles: Duomo and Baptistry

leaning tower of Pisa

Pics: Volterra, Italy

2010-06-13T14:32:00.002-07:00

hallway to our monk room. Scary!

outside the seminario

inner courtyard

the streets of Volterra, Italy

view over the valley

Etruscan arch

medieval festival

the singing elf man...i can still hear his tune in my head. la la la la

tug-o-war

sunset over a distant church

pope keeping watch over us at night...eek!

Pics: Siena, Italy

2010-06-13T14:06:00.001-07:00

view from our front yard

castle spires in the distance

cutting Darren's hair. Oh how he needed it!

our tuscan villa. It was haunted!

what a beautiful view

Il Campo

Pics: Assisi, Italy

2010-06-13T13:50:00.001-07:00

flower boxes on the street

St. Francis Basilica

La Lanterna Ristorante

cute cobblestone streets

bell tower

steps up to our hotel

Pics: Orvieto, Italy

2010-06-13T13:31:00.001-07:00

pieta

fortress wall

Duomo

green valley below our B&B

Ape truck

B&B gardens

walkway around the wall of the city

Rome, Italy

2010-05-28T14:22:00.000-07:00

5/15: Kim: We landed in Rome at about 10pm (instead of 5pm) due to a flight delay out of Phoenix. Our first task was to find a taxi (it felt like the Amazing Race). We went to the taxi curb and found Fabio who gave us a crazy, insanely fast ride to the flat. We have come to the conclusion that there is fast, and there is "Rome fast". I have never seen crazier traffic than in Rome. Everyone seems to drive 80 mph at any given moment (and that's non-freeway driving) and pedestrians dart in front of these cars without blinking an eye expecting the drivers to stop. So anyway, after a crazy drive from the airport into Rome, we met Stefano at the flat and were given the grand tour. Took about 15 seconds. The bedroom is the living room, the living room is the bedroom, the kitchen is in the hallway and the bathroom is in that room that looks like a closet. It was about 115 sq ft I think. Tiny studio apt but it worked out perfect. Stefano was super nice and gave us some good information, including the fact that the part of town we were in was very historical, so historical in fact that the city does not allow commercial building. Why you ask? Because if they started digging for the foundation, they would find old bones and roman helmets. So to preserve history, they don't allow building or digging. Interesting. To see some pictures of the flat and Stefano click here: http://www.myhouseinrome.com/My_House.html. Other than a leaky shower, dripping faucet and damp, musty smell, it was absolutely perfect. Grazie Stefano. Bella Roma!!

5/16: Kim: Today after waking up at 11:30, we walked to the local market to buy a few groceries for the week. This was the first taste of being in a foreign country. Try reading food labels in Italian. After getting to the register with our food, we found out from the non-English speaking cashier, through multiple hand gestures, that we were supposed to weigh our produce in the produce section, rather than at the register. Once it is placed on the scale, it will print out a price sticker that you place on the outside of the bag. Then once you get to the register, the cashiers just scan the sticker. Who knew? Not us. First "note to self" moment. Later that evening we did a night walk through Rome. It was our first time of many seeing the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, Capitol Hill and Piazza del Popolo. The Trevi Fountain was so amazing! We rounded a street corner and BAM! there it was towering up into the sky. So beautiful :)

Darren: Shopping was fun. :) Small little markets that remind me a lot of Chile. I keep trying to speak Spanish to people and only a few words are getting through to them. On the other hand, Kim seemed to understand what they were speaking back to us better than I was.

5/17: Kim: Today we toured the Vatican in Vatican City. We saw some amazing art, tapestries, frescoes and of course, the Sistine Chapel. What can I say other than it is even more beautiful in person. The point at which we looked up and saw the famous picture of God reaching out to touch Adams finger was surreal. It's one of those things I had only seen in text books and on google images, so to see it in person was absolutely inspiring. Michelangelo certainly created a masterpiece. Awesome! After the Vatican, we ate lunch at a nearby ristorante called Perilli in Prati. Our first pizza was the Cappricioso: prosciutto, green olives, artichokes and boiled egg. And the interesting part was (aside from the egg), the toppings weren't spread out evenly on the pizza, they were all grouped into sections. So once slice had cheese and olives, the next slice had cheese and artichokes and so on. Other than the egg, which might be an acquired taste on pizza, it was molto bene!

Darren: It was really neat to be in the Sistine Chapel and see the actual ceiling. I think other than that my favorite was seeing the long hallway lined with tall tapestries depicting scenes from Christ's life. So impressive and full of feeling and expression.

5/18: Kim: The Pantheon, one of my many favorites. The inside of the Pantheon is awesome! I was awed by the oculus in the top of the dome. It is completely open and subject to all kinds of weather. When it rains, the water runs into the drains in the floor of the Pantheon. When it is sunny, sunlight streams through the opening creating a pillar of light through the center of the building. There are statues of various saints around the perimeter and an altar on the wall opposite the door. My favorite part was the dome. The carvings and workmanship is so exquisite, you just can't help but look up and gaze in wonder. Again, awesome! Today we also stumbled upon the Piazza Navona which quickly became our favorite piazza. In the center is the Four Rivers Fountain and the huge St. Agnes church. The fountain was created by the famous Gian Lorenzo Bernini. He's quite the ambitious guy. We heard the name a lot while sightseeing various buildings and sculptures. After the piazza, we ate dinner at a place called Osteria del Anima. Darren got the Margherita pizza and I got the Penne Arrabiata. Yum! After dinner we got some gelato. Double yum!! Before going home we stopped by the Trevi Fountain to toss some coins in in order to assure our return to Rome. We even threw some in for our families so they would be promised a visit :) There was a couple sitting right next to us on the step and right before we got up to leave, I saw out of the corner of my eye, the guy get down on one knee and propose. They were American but he proposed to her in French. Not sure but it was totally cute.

Darren: Walking into the Pantheon through the massive doorway and seeing the dome just continue upward each step you take was one of my first breathtaking moments of the week. Best word to describe it: massive. We also tried out the audio guide on our iPod/MP3 players that was really cool. So much better when you know what you're looking at plus a little history lesson. The second breathtaker was walking down a little cobblestone passageway and then having it open into the Piazza Navona with a huge fountain in the middle. You just can't help stopping and staring with your mouth wide open. Wow!! :)

5/19: Kim: Today was the Colloseum and Roman Forum. The Colloseum was so huge! The arena floor is missing so we could see the various passageways and elevator shafts used during the various fights and events. This is how they could get animals and other fighters to pop up randomly around the arena. We downloaded an audio guide onto our iPods from ricksteves.com. Good 'ole Rick Steves. Our travel companion through audio and book. It helped to listen to the history while wandering around. Seeing the structure, the labyrinth flooring and hearing the stories really brought the history to life. I have such a hard time understanding how people can be so cruel. One part of the audio described how workers would bring in perfumes to spray around the arena in order to cover the smell of blood and death. Sick! After the Colloseum we went to walk around the Roman Forum. After spending a good 20-30 minutes under the Arch of Titus during a rainstorm, we went on to see where Julius Caesar was burned after his assassination, the main square of old Rome surrounded by temples, columns and arches, The Temple of Vesta and the House of the Vestal Virgins. If you haven't heard the story of the Vestal Virgins it's quite interesting. Vestal Virgins were chosen from noble families before the age of 10 and served a 30 year term (keeping the sacred flame burning inside the Temple of Vesta). Vestals took a vow of chastity. If she served her term faithfully-abstaining for 30 years-she was given a huge dowry and allowed to marry. But if they found a Virgin who wasn't faithful, she was strapped to a funeral car, paraded through the streets of the Forum, taken to a crypt, given a loaf of bread and a lamp, and buried alive. Doesn't that sound like fun? Um...Vestal Virgin? No thanks. I'll pass.

Darren: The next installment of my breathtaking moments...The Colloseum. We were getting off the Metro rail and Kim says, "Look there it is!" It was right there as you came out of the tunnel. I liked how it felt so similar to the layout of Chase Field. Walking in a corridor under the seating and then passageways out towards the arena. There idea of sport was a bit different than baseball though. ;) Pretty gruesome history. The other things I remember about that day was the loud cracking thunder and bright lightning that we experienced while under an ancient arch. We kept going the wrong way to find an entrance to the Forum and must have walked 10 miles by the end of that day. One cool thing was on one of the mistaken paths we chose we stumbled onto a little chapel and went on inside. Why not right? It was really cute to see Kim so reverent as we stood looking from the back and hearing the soft music playing over the speakers. Think it was one of the first like that she'd ever been in, and the first time she'd ever checked out what a confession box looks like. I would have waited outside if she'd have wanted to clear up that heavy conscience. Just kiddin', babe! ;) Lastly, we watched American Idol that night on the computer. Little taste of home, nice. :)

5/20: Kim: Today...The National Museum of Rome. The most interesting part for me was the collection of ancient coins. They ranged from modern times to ancient Rome. The oldest one we found was 210 B.C. We took a picture of one that says Julius Caesar. Awesome! It was fun to see the different sizes and pictures. Tonight we ate dinner in Tratesvere at a pizzeria called Dar Poeta. Our favorite was the Ruspante: potatoes, mushrooms and ham. Yummy!! Today was also extermination day at our apt. Apparently it only happens twice per year. How we were lucky enough to be here during this time I'll never know. Imagine walking outside to see the sidewalks covered in dead cockroaches. Disgusting!! Just one more fun memory I guess :)

Darren: Yeah the cockroaches thing was pretty bad. I was outside that morning and the neighbor lady told me with gestures that the guy was going to spray and that I'd probably want to close the front door cause it was gonna smell. Those little critters sure do try and run and scatter before they all drop dead all over the walkway. When we came outside later I had to make sure to tell Kim not to freak out about what she was about to see. Watch your step!! :)

5/21: Kim: Today was laundry day. So our plan was...wash some clothes in the sink and hang them out to dry. Well after washing a pretty large batch of clothes we decided it would take too long to dry (crazy humidity), so....we put all the wet clothes in a duffle bag and laundry bag and carried them to the fermata (bus stop) and on to the lavanderia. You should have seen the faces of the two workers. haha Duffle bags dripping down the sidewalk. Crazy Americans!! Who brings their clothes wet just to dry them? Love it! What can we say...we needed clean underwear :)

Darren: Don't know what Kim's talking about, all my clothes were smelling like roses. ;)

After laundry, we took a train to Ostia Antica. It's about a 30 minute train ride from Rome and was once the major port town for Rome. Wandering around, we saw warehouses, apartment flats, mansions, markets, and baths that once served a population of 60,000 people. It is now a ghost town but even the rumble left behind allows for ones imagination to go wild. It's fun to imagine what it would have looked like 2000 years ago. Our favorite part was the theater. As we sat on the benches overlooking the stage and ruins of the ancient temple, it was fun to imagine what it would have been like to sit here and watch a play so many years ago.

Darren: So, Kim made us burritos that night. Now that doesn't sound very interesting but with the limited burrito-making items found in their little market to make these burritos it was actually pretty amazing. Garbanzo beans, red beans, provolone cheese and prosciutto all rolled up in the tortillas. Excellent!

5/22: Kim: Today we went for a walk along the ancient Appian Way. This was Rome's first and greatest highway and once ran from Rome to the Adriatic port of Brindisi, the gateway to Greece. In its day it was the largest, widest, fastest road ever, called the "Queen of Roads." It was built in 312 B.C. and eventually stretched 430 miles. Today it's fun to walk over original paving stones and visit crumbled monuments along the way. Along the way we took a tour of the Catacombs of San Sebastiano. This is an underground tunnel where early Christians were buried. It's crazy to think of how many miles of tunnels exist underground. It was eerie but definitely cool to see.

After the catacombs (and almost dying while trying to find the bus stop along the crazy highway), we went to St. Peter's Basilica. This place is massive. Just the atrium itself is bigger than most churches. We saw the Holy Door (a door covered in gray concrete, only opened on the dawn of the Jubilee Year, every 25 years), Michelangelo's Pieta, the main altar which supposedly sits directly over St. Peters tomb, and the place where Peter was crucified, upside down. We even took the chance to attend mass. It was very thought provoking to sit in St. Peters Basilica listening to a Catholic Mass, looking up into the faces of the saintly statues above. It made me truly appreciate the gospel in my life and the feelings of peace that come from the Holy Ghost. I can't really explain it. It was just the feeling of appreciating the gifts of the spirit and the gospel and how grandeur and riches aren't needed to achieve this, in my own opinion. It was a neat experience.

Darren: Just one additional thought on St. Peter's, my favorite part of mass was when the choir would sing. The sound echoing in that massive place was really fun to hear.That night was fun, we went back to Piazza Navona and watched street artists sketching people. There were a few that did funny caricatures and others that did amazing true likenesses. Fun to watch.

5/23: Kim: Today we attended church in Rome. We met a couple of older couples from Utah on vacation. It was funny to have to wear headphones and listen to a translator during sacrament. First for me :) Going back to my prior experience, it was awesome to be in such humble surroundings yet feeling the presence of the spirit. After church we took the train to Orvieto. Beautiful little hill town with rolling, green hills in every direction. We stayed at a B&B called Casa Selita. Cutest little villa with flowers everywhere. More details on this place later :)

Darren: Just out of Rome on the train both Kim and I had a huge exhale moment. It was an amazing week in the city but I really think that the "small town" inside both of us wanted to get out to the country. So seeing the buildings turn into green hills, grass and vineyards was a figurative and literal breath of fresh air.

Funny stuff from the trip
*The words: Colli Albani (one of the stops along the subway line. It was just the way they said it. Sounds like Coleeeyyyy Albaaaaaahneeeee. Sounded funny)
*Different ways to flush a toilet or turn on a sink: Yes there's more than one. 1. foot pedal 2. dual push button on the wall, one for #1 and one for #2, at least that's our best guess 3. tank mounted on the wall above toilet. Has a push lever on the bottom. 4. round metal button on the wall, no tank. 5. some toilet paper dispensed in little squares, not long rolls. Very inconvenient.
*Bidet's in every bathroom. We're afraid to try.....
*Darrent's fav quote from Kim: "You know it's a real pizza when it's not a perfect circle...and that's okay" :)
*Kim's fav quote from Darren: "I'm sweatin' like a prosciutto"
*The number of times the phrase "that's disgusting!!" was used in everyday conversation.
*Things learned while eating out: 1. Not all ristorantes offer tap water thus you must order water for 2 euro per .5 litre. And if you don't specify "aqua de rubineto", they will be bring you aqua naturale, with or without gas, and charge you for it 2. they do not bring you your check at the end of the meal until you ask for it. You could possible sit there for hours waiting. You must ask "il conto per favore. Grazie" 3. If you order a pasta or meat dish along with a side salad, you will get the salad at the end of the meal. Just kinda odd, at least for an American :)

Things we like about Italy (so far)
*flower boxes
*brick buildings
*big window shutters
*green olives in salads
*cute, quaint alley ways
*perfect weather
*yummy food
*nice people
*old, historic churches
*Grancereale cookies and succo di Ananas (pineapple juice)
*gelato

Pics: St. Peters Basilica, Italy

2010-05-28T14:21:00.001-07:00

St. Peters Basilica

nave

bronze canopy above the altar and the supposed location of Peter's grave

Michelangelo's dome

dove window at end of nave

Michelangelo's Pieta

St. Peter statue holding "keys"

Pics: Ostia Antica: ancient Roman port town

2010-05-28T14:09:00.001-07:00

baths of Neptune

theatre and ruins of nearby temple

Roman God: Darrenisus :)

tomb of San Sebastiano (martyred when found to be a Christian)

Pics: random

2010-05-28T13:51:00.001-07:00

laundry day

yummy pizza at Dar Poeta. My favorite so far: Ruspante (potatoes, mushrooms & ham)

quaint streets and cafes