Cruise to Greece, Turkey, and Croatia

Last spring we planned for a cruise and found MSC cruise line that offered free kids. When you have three kids it isn't that great of a deal since you still have to have two paying "adults" per room. We came up with the idea of inviting some friends along and have Bryce bunk up with them. So we invited Hank and Pat Pillard from Illinois who are friends of both of us and Jeanne's parents. Actually, Hank worked with Jeanne's dad for many years in wrestling events and organizing. And then when Scott's job moved to Joliet for a few years we got to know them again as adults! They are a really fun couple who actually are VERY much like Jeanne's parents. It is incredibly uncanny!



We didn't begin the trip very well. I forgot to put Madison's suitcase in the car, I forgot to LOCK the door (at least I set the alarm) and then when we did arrive at the airport some light was left on in the car. (Yes, we came home to a dead car). Then the Pillard's left their prescription medicine bag in the taxi to the hotel and it took the next taxi almost two hours to come and pick up the rest of us stranded at the airport. The joys of travel! BUT we did all arrive at the hotel eventually and the medicine bag was returned much to the relief of Pat!

Venice, Italy


The next day we took a train into Venice and checked in at the boat. We had a few hours and walked around Venice again. We were starting to feel like experts as we walked the streets without a map! The departure from Venice was spectacular. No streamers and Love-boat fanfare, but it was spectacular because the boat was SO TALL! We sailed out with an airplane view of the city of Venice at sunset. WOW!



Bari, Italy

First stop was Bari, Italy. It was not that special of a city we had heard so the family stayed aboard enjoying the pool and amenities while Jeanne went out clothes shopping for Madison. It wasn't easy since it was a Sunday, but Jeanne found a department store that was open and even found a grocery store with bottled water. We previously had located a bikini on the ship which was acceptable when worn with a t-shirt. So we finally got settled in after the initial problems got worked out. WHEW!

We had two interior rooms that slept four each. The boys slept with the Pillard's and the girls with us. It didn't take the girls too long to discover that their travelling toys (littlest petshop figures) actually stuck to the ceiling above their bunks.
So there was a nightly party on the ceiling. Above is a video of Christina celebrating their petshop party on the ceiling. Kids can be so creative!


Olympia, Greece

Olympia, Greece was next. We rented a Fiat Doblo and drove to Olympia which was about 40 minutes away. It fit 6 people which was perfect, but more importantly was a point of humor in the Turkish history DVD that we had watched before we left. (FYI: the series is called "Drive thru History with Dave Stott". It is in association with Focus on the Family and was FANTASTIC to watch before we went).



Once we arrived at Olympia we were able to walk through the archeological site and the kids even ran around the first Olympic Track! Madison was proud that she completed the FULL circle!





This was the home of the infamous Nero.








We also got to see the temple of Zeus (one of the ancient seven wonders). I thought it was really interesting to see the domino effect of the pillars that once held up the roof over the statue of Zeus.





Ephesus, Turkey

Day three brought us to Izmir where we had pre-arranged on-line a personal tour and of Ephesus. The personal tour was only slightly more than the mass bus system that the cruise offered and was well worth the extra money.

We drove straight from our port in Izmir to the ancient city of Ephesus. The bus dropped us off up the hill and we got to walk through the town downhill...nice!


We saw the school...


















and the goddess "Nike". Did you know that this is where company NIKE got it's name?








I love libraries and books. So visiting the library in Ephesus is a treat- even if there weren't any books in it any more. It was truly amazing to walk down the marble pathways that date back to biblical times...




We even saw but didn't use :-) the Roman latrines! There were 24 "stalls" with no walls...but they did have water that helped flush. Such modern convenience!









The coloseum in the background had great accoustics. The pillared road led straight to the ocean a short distance away. (the ocean has since retreated 4 miles away).



Wouldn't you like to be the proud owner of a GEN-U-INE fake watch?



Istanbul, Turkey

Then came the highlight of the trip... Instanbul, TURKEY! We had been warned that many shops would be closed and we would see a lot of Turkish flags because they were celebrating their 85th year of independence.

Madison was telling Christina of our visit to Istanbul when Christina interrupted and said "we're not going there...we're going to Chicken! It's the Chicken's birthday!" Below is a video re-enactment. Just press the triangle play button on the lower left of the picture below. She was much more determined the first time...it was hysterical.



For those of you who don't get it read the last two paragraphs again.

We went to the Palace first, but were somewhat unimpressed. We bought the tickets to see the Harem area. Scary to think that girls were introduced to the harem to begin their education between the ages of 5 and 10.





We were also able to see the cisterns that had been designed to save water for the city. It doesn't sound very exciting does it? But when we went down there we were amazed. The vaulted room was enormous. They had wooden walkways that took us back to the far end where you see scavanged stone faces of Medusa (who was turned to stone). If you can't tell by the picture...Bryce has his hand on Medusa's chin.










Then we went to the Hagia Sophia. That was incredible!!! To fully appreciate the site, you have to know the history. It was one of the first and grandest of the Eastern Orthodox churches. Rebuilt in 532 AD it stood as the largest Cathedral for over 900 years. But when Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks instead of destroying it, because they thought it so beautiful, they decided to convert it to a mosque.

All of the mosaics they plastered over (thus preserving them from future moslem conquerers) were discovered when the mosque was turned into a museum in 1932. Under the crumbling plaster they found the incredible golden mosaics depicting Jesus and various saints.

Another interesting thing is that the mosaics of Jesus were probably emulated by so many other
later churches and artists when they depicted Jesus...thus they are very similar.We decided that it was our favorite stop on the cruise. As we sailed out of port I got some fantastic photos as the sun set. It was beautiful!

Dubrovnik, Croatia

After a day at sea we landed at our last port, Dubrovnik, Croatia. It was a fantastic walled city located right next to the ocean. The waves broke and sprayed on the rocks next to the wall. It was truly beautiful!.








Again the weather was wonderful. Blue skies with a few clouds. Couldn't ask for better. We walked around the city and then walked the circle wall around the city. It was truly beautiful.








This is the view into the center of the city from the city wall











We could see a few bombed rubble areas within the city that perhaps were destroyed during the 1991 war. We could also tell the difference in the tile roofs. The newer roofs were bright orange where the older roofs were lighter and more dappled. It was a quick visit but appropriate for what we got to see.





Madison and Christina had made some friends named Isabelle and Sophie on the ship and we had some goodbye pictures.











Pisa and Florence, Italy

But our vacation wasn't over yet! We still had Pisa and Florence to see! Upon landing we traveled back to the Treviso airport to rent a van for all 8 of us! Jeanne had rented a three bedroom apartment in the Tuscany area. It was really a really beautiful setting!. Located on a farm used for a vineyard and olives, the views were spectacular.





We had one day to see both cities, so we got up early and went to Pisa. The Baptistry, Cathedral and Tower were all located together. The Baptistry had fantastic accoustics as you can tell by the video below (click the triangle play button).



We got to the Cathedral right when their Sunday service started so we got to see the bishop? processional. Funny thing was some of church helpers had digital cameras in their hands as they marched in...well I thought it was funny anyway.

The leaning tower was all that you had seen in snapshots. But I didn't know we could purchase tickets to go to the top!

We waited around for our time slot having lunch (pizza of course!) and then went up. So much fun!










We arrived late in Florence and were only able to walk around the Cathedral. I remembered climbing up the dome last time we were here and the spectacular view of the city below. But we didn't have time for that this trip. The amazing thing about the Cathedral that I had forgotten was the extremely ornate bi-color marble exterior. They used white and green marble along with carvings. The doors were amazing too. It was a short visit. Here is one more video of the church (press the play button).


Our last meal together was ....SPAGHETTI! Jordan cooked dinner for us all since he is the expert spaghetti cooker...and eater!

Arrivaderci!

Horse Riding Lessons for the girls

October 19, 2008

For Madison's birthday in July we promised her horse riding lessons...but had trouble actually following through with the gift as we were traveling so much. But when the fall rolled around we finally found a horse riding instructor for her. It actually was the instructor for our neighbor (and good friend of Madison's who is now a nationally ranked teenager rider!)

Anyway, Madison now has the chance to learn about horses and horse riding. In England you really can't believe the amount of horses and trails that are all over. It is so common that our driving test had several questions about what you do when you come across a horse and rider on the road. The British are serious about their horses!

When Madison finally started the lessons she instantly loved them! It didn't take long for Christina to start asking for herself too.

Due to the flexibility of the riding facility we soon had two girls happily taking lessons. It has been a fantastic opportunity for them!

The girls are now pulling for a horse back home... (now what do we do?)

All for the sake of updating a picture

What a week! Nearly 2000 miles in 6 days!

And it all started with a picture we took nearly 12 years ago.

I know it seems ridiculous. It was this photo that we used for our Christmas cards back in 1997. My family was perfectly sized for it now, but with Christina growing so quickly and I was afraid that by next spring she might not fit! I WANTED this picture updated with Bryce (big), Madison (medium) and Christina (little)!

I started trying to fit the vacation into our schedule but I found it difficult to get all the way to the Rhine Valley and then not keep going to see Neuschwanstein castle...then Dachau concentration camp is right there...then only an hour and a half away was Salzburg (which Ryanair flies to). This was a perfect one-way drive. The problem is that renting a van for 6 is difficult...even more so for a one way. Neither could we afford to waste Scott's vacation days nor the kids school days. SO....I came up with this plan.

The idea was to drive to Salzburg, Austria and pick up my family who would catch a ryanair flight (for only $10 per person) and drive home touring Salzburg, Dachau, Neuschwanstein castle, a quick visit to one of Scott's relatives and then up through the Rhine valley. Good idea... but it was a long drive for a short amount of time. BUT I thought of an American friend to come with me on the way there...Gloria! She got to go to some cool places on the way and I got a fun travelling buddy. Good deal!

So October 1 we set off on our 2000 mile journey. I got to preview all of the sights I would take with my family on the way home. We really had a fun trip.

Salzburg, Austria

Salzburg is a beautiful city that we didn't do justice with our fast schedule. We only got to see enough to know that we want to go back again and explore that region. Scott and the kids had to leave the house at 3 am to make it to the airport. Scott picked Christina up and put her in her carseat...forgetting her shoes. So the first stop was the shoe store! Then we had only a few hours to see Salzburg...not enough. So we narrowed it down to the house where Mozart lived and the castle on top. The Sound of music tour would have been nice, but we'll see it next time. The funny thing was how bits and pieces of the sound of music kept creeping into our heads. Between Mozart and Julie Andrews- I think there might be something to the hills being alive with the sound of music...

Dachau Concentration camp

The Concentration camp just outside of Munich was quite sobering. They didn't allow Madison and Christina into some of the exhibits, but it was definitely great for Bryce and Jordan to see the camp. We saw this between two wonderfully beautiful sights (Salzburg and Neuschwanstein) which made the contrast all the more shocking.

Neuschwanstein Castle
Fussen, Germany

Yes, I actually took this photo! Neuschwanstein Castle has now become our families all-time favorite "magical" castle. It was actually designed by a painter and then had to be built from the painting! WOW! I don't want to ruin the surprise of the visit for some of you. So skip the next few paragraphs if you want the inside to be a surprise to you.

Okay- on with the description, the Rick Steeves guide says to ride the bus up see the bridge and view of the castle first, then walk down to the castle. I am SO glad I bought his guidebook! It is definitely a hike up! You buy your tickets in the valley and they give you an hour to make it up to the castle. I don't know if I could have made it in an hour and then with no energy left to see the rest of the castle! The castle is undergoing some exterior renovation so the view isn't quite as impressive as it could be otherwise. The kids decided to hike up the hill on the other side of the bridge. It was a great view! The weather was gorgeous and the trees had begun to change colors. You just can't get much better than this!















You may notice a few more Shaffer family photographs...that's because Jordan has become our family photographer!



We walked down for the castle tour which began on the third floor. First you see his magnificent throne room. From there you proceed through the dining room (with intercom) and into his bedroom where 14 wood carvers worked 4 years...WOW! Next is his library sitting area and then around into the most fascinating part of the castle... a cave with a secret door leading up to the concert hall! King Ludwig wanted to have his castle reflect the musical works of Wagner. I was absolutely fascinated by the cave room. It was very realistic. He also had the first phone in Bavaria (to which I asked who he called...the post office down the mountain). Unfortunately, they don't allow photographs of the inside of the castle.

Up another two flights of stairs to the music hall. Note to self: I want to go back at the end of September so that I can listen to music by Wagner at the people's concert performed there in the concert hall of Neuschwanstein.

What an amazing castle!!!!!!!!!

A Visit to Scott's relative

We drove to the Tubingen area to Art and Brigetta Thomas. He is a relative of Scott's and we had met them 12 years ago. They have an interesting history also. Apparently others think so too because they were chosen to be one of 3 couples featured in a documentary. I look forward to watching it. Anyway, Art met Brigetta at a church dinner when he was in Germany post-war. They have been back and forth from the states, but have lived primarily in Germany. Twelve years ago they were serving as what the US would call foster parents. They were getting ready to retire to their renovated 14th century home (built in 1590). The interesting thing is that Scott actually helped plaster the house when he was in Germany in 1978! We really had a great time visiting them!




Next, we drove late up to the Rhine valley. We really should have allowed more time to do this trip justice. But we stayed in Bacharach at a bed and breakfast. The next day dawned to rain...not again! We braved the weather and got what I came for at.....

Rhinestein castle.
YEA! I got the photo...and Christina still fit! What a wonderful family!

Then were able to explore the rest of the castle.





































We always called this the castle with the basket...I'm so glad that we live in this century!








I thought this was a really cool spiral staircase.

Rheinfels Castle

St. Goar

Now comes the absolute highlight of the trip from my kids perspective. Rhinefels castle. WARNING: If you plan to visit allow a minimum of 4 hours to see this castle, bring dirty clothes, padded hat if possible for head bonks and active shoes, but most of all bring flashlights! One per person if possible. This is the all-time best "exploring" castle (ruins) according to my family. It is all the more exciting because they don't block off most passages and tunnels. Christina showed she really liked it when she asked "can we come to this castle again?"

Incredible fall foliage!

I guess Bryce isn't claustrophobic... YIKES!

This was in the lower portion of the castle. It was originally enormous. Only 1/3 of the castle remains and it is huge right now!


Jordan dusting himself...do you see the dust cloud?





We were having so much fun crawling through the tunnels and passageways that the kids forgot that they had missed lunch! That NEVER happens! We grabbed a quick bite and after a 3 hour drive barely made the overnight ferry back to the UK. WHEW!

Driving Licence Saga

Today was my driving test. Now for those of you who haven't experienced the driving license nightmare of the UK...here's a recap. You mail away your passport when you apply for your provisional license. And of course, Scott's father had his stroke during the 5 days our passports were not in our possession...which means we were held hostage during the family emergency. But it all worked out okay. Then you study for your theory test. When you feel ready and can spout out braking distances and overall stopping distance at various speeds, and rules that you wouldn't believe you can then schedule your test. Time slots for the theory test are around 3-4 weeks out. It is 50 questions on a computer PLUS 14 videos testing your hazard perception. If you pass both of those then you can schedule for your practical driving test. You most likely will need to have personal driving lessons with a private instructor to help you understand the maneuvers that are required. When you are ready you can reserve via the computer a time about 3-5 weeks out. The overall pass rate for the practical test is around 40%.

Today was my big day. I scheduled it right before I left to drive to Salzburg, Austria with my friend Gloria. She is driving one way and flying back while the rest of my family is flying into Salzburg on Saturday and going to do the return journey (more on that once I return). I really wanted my test passed before I left because October 12 is our one year mark for being over here. We can legally drive on our US licenses for one year but after that we may be at risk with our automobile insurance. Since things are so expensive over here, I was very nervous about the insurance risk of driving over my one year mark.

Anyway, my test this morning was in Melton Mowbray which is an hour away. I needed to drop the kids off at school and make it over there in a little over an hour. Nervous about being late I tried to leave early....HA! Something always goes wrong.

Although they weren't successful, the kids really did try to be ready early today, but what really made it bad was today's traffic. It was the worst I've seen since I've been here. Lines of cars everywhere and IF they were moving it was slow. I finally made it out of the school's drop off point and started on my way. God must have been looking out for me because all of a sudden I had a chilling thought...where was my wallet (with my UK driving license in it)...at home of course!

Panic!

So I quickly turned around, zoomed home, grabbed my wallet and was off again. I kept thinking...mirrors, distance, speed...mirrors, distance, speed. They want you to check your mirrors every 10 seconds and when you change speed or direction. An hour later I was at the driving license center about 10 minutes early.

Whew!

No parking spaces though. I finally parked where a nearby lady told me to and then got my papers together. Meanwhile, an applicant finished her test and drove in. The driving examiner kept looking over and giving me very nasty looks. He obviously thought I shouldn't be parked where I was. Nervously, I got out and he jumped out of the car to confront me (what a way to start!).

He somewhat angrily said "you're not going to park there are you?"
I said "yes, that's where that lady told me to".
He answered in a shocked voice "you're here for a driving practical test?"
"Yes..."
"And you're going to drive that bus?"
"yes, it's what I drive"
"Blimey!"

Then he notified me that I needed L (learners) stickers on the front and back because when I am on my driving test I am driving on my provisional license not my international US license. I am required therefore to have the L stickers.

Panic.

Then the lady who told me where to park volunteered for me to use her spare set if I turned them in after my test.

WHEW!

I sat down in the waiting room. Another friendly applicant and instructor sat down. They struck up a nice conversation. They asked me if I was going to take the test in "that bus". In response to my affirmation he said "blimey". Okay, I'm getting a bit nervous driving my big van now. They then told me that I needed a mirror for the instructor.

Panic.

They told me to ask the examiner if he had a spare mirror. Several minutes later the examiner came out and called my name...yes, you guessed it...it was the same guy who had been giving me dirty looks.

Panic.

He did have a spare mirror.

Whew.

I get in the car and answered the "show me tell me" questions okay. We drive. I forget to use my emergency brake. I'm thinking I failed already. I hit a curb when turning left. That could/should be an automatic failure. He reassured me that it was okay while he is busy writing on his paper.

Panic.

I do a 3 point turn in the middle of the road (he actually told me that he wouldn't mind if I did a 7 point turn)...nice.

I backed around the corner in reverse...not so good. A car comes and looks at me and waits. I didn't know what to do. More pencil marks.

Panic.

More driving. Pull over and out again. Roundabouts. Oops, I should have signaled earlier. More pencil marks. If I only don't do an automatic failure I can have up to 15 faults. Speed, mirrors. There are people everywhere!

I make it back to the test center and pull in. I can hardly breathe.

"You've passed".

YIPPEE!!!!!!!!!

He said he almost failed me because I should have looked around better as I was backing up around a corner. He said I did it horribly. But I PASSED! I got 6 faults...but I PASSED!

I am so relieved.


Post-Script....

INCREDIBLE! Scott went for his driving test in Grantham on Friday (different city). Guess who he got as an examiner...? The same man!

And yes, he passed too. HIP-HIP-HOORAY!

LOOK OUT! Bryce has a scalpel!

Monday Sept 29 Bryce errantly cut his finger instead of cardboard for his art project. Jeanne had misplaced her cell phone so when she happened to walk into the school's office she had quite a surprise. We hurried to the emergency room in Stamford (about 20 minutes away). I have to say that as far as minor emergencies like this the U.K. hospital system is quite impressive. Unfortunately, we have visited them all too often in the US so it was a nice surprise to be in and out in 15 minutes...no papers to sign and no long lines.

Bryce cut off the top portion of his finger so if the graft doesn't take then he will have a flat tipped finger. It didn't cut his fingernail. And of course...it just HAD to be his MIDDLE FINGER! On the way to the hospital Bryce and I laughed about a story about him back when he was in 3rd grade. He didn't know what the middle finger meant. He had seen kids on the playground do it to each other so he thought it was a form of greeting. So when walking down the hall he decided to "greet" his teacher (who he really did like). She had a horrified look and Bryce then realized that it wasn't a good greeting...he also realized that he was in trouble.

Hopefully we will be able to raise our children to adulthood...in one piece.

Sigh.

Christina's Birthday

September 24, 2008

We held Christina's birthday party at the Activity World in Peterborough. It is a MASSIVE indoor play center. We rented out the whole facility and invited not only Christina's class from school but also the American families that live over here. Needless to say we had a full house. It was a lot of fun!


Christina's 5th birthday snuck up on us all. So we were lucky to get a reservation on her actual birthday
(even though it was during the work week). Activity World is fun for all ages. Even Bryce and Jordan found the free-fall through the elastic mesh fun (but abrasive). The vertical drop slide is also a bit extreme, but even Christina braved the slide a few times!

The British cake mixes just don't measure up to the American mixes and store-bought cakes are dry with cement hard icing. So Jeanne decided to do a birthday brownie "cake". It was a big hit with everyone. As is the custom over here, the presents are not opened until the child goes home. Also they sing happy birthday but are expected to eat their cake from a napkin after they leave the party. The brownies were a little bit easier to eat from a napkin too.


Happy 5th Birthday Christina!

First Day of School with Jordan

Jordan Demientieff, Jeanne's nephew arrived August 30. He will be with us until December 19 when he will go back home to Fairbanks, Alaska. He adjusted wonderfully to the new time zone and started school September 3.

The kids aren't exactly excited about school again...but they are excited about Jordan being here. Bryce has been looking forward to having a good friend around and the girls are excited about having another "brother".