"It's Closing Time"

            Well, the Summer 2011 European Adventure for Tyler Bednar is quickly coming to an end.  I must say how sad it is to see it go.  The epitome of bitter-sweetness is soaking the air right now.  As we’ve had plenty of time to wind down and catch up on rest here in Sestriere, we are getting ready to head home to the good ole US of A to see family and friends.  Magen has been ready for a while I think, but it took me just a little longer, just wanted to make sure I saw absolutely everything I could before picking up the sweat towel.  I can’t begin to explain what an amazing experience this has been for me, I think the pictures kind of speak for themselves in most cases, and what’s funny is, they don’t anywhere near do it justice.  The kick start to my adventure, studying abroad for four weeks where I made many friends “CIMBAnzees” from all over the world, was an amazing experience in itself, but being given the opportunity to stay for six weeks and see great parts of Europe with my sister-in-law was the pinnacle of a dream.  I can truly say I’ve fulfilled a childhood wish, marked things off of my Bucket List that I didn’t even know were on it, and have checked off a major feat in my journey towards becoming a man.  The opportunity has been just out of reach for so long, but not allowing myself to give up, it finally happened!  This journey tested my patience, independence, openness, risk averse attitude, communication skills (it’s amazing how far charades will get you), personal efficiency, my definitions of what life should be, and the list goes on and on!  I’ve made new friends, met so many interesting people, and observed just how large and diverse our Planet Earth really is.  I’m with Magen on the idea that a backpacking trip, four weeks minimum, should be required for all college students, especially graduate students.  Somehow it just helps mold you even further on not only growing up, but becoming a respectable American as well. 

            Traveling around another continent, especially one as beautiful as the European one, is what most adventurous people only dream of.  I realize what an opportunity of a lifetime I’ve just completed.  I find myself smiling all the time just thinking about it, and I’m sure the trend will continue for many months even back in the States.  Magen and I shared an amazing experience together and I couldn’t have asked for a better travel buddy.  The sharing of this amazing experience with someone that appreciated it, as much as I, is so fulfilling.  We’ve made some amazing memories together and become closer friends because of it.

            All in all, I’ve come to some general observations now on the other side of our journey.  Life seems to be a series of experiences, and for most, focuses mainly around the human connections that are made and the works that they produce.  I can only state how appreciative I am to the artists of ancient Europe and the modern minds that had the decency to preserve the masterpieces.  I’ve been pretty impressed by what mankind is capable of this summer, and if you’re still in doubt, just go stand inside Notre Dame and then reassess your opinion.  I’ve learned that humans are pretty much the same wherever you go (limited to America and Europe for the time being), you have your ladies and your gentlemen, your beggars and your homeless, your Samaritans and your thugs, your money hungry and your plainly happy, your young and your old, your rich and poor, your beautiful and your not so blessed, your tall and short, your fat and skinny, your light and dark, your friendly and your smug, your open minded and your closed, your complainers and your improvisers, your stressed and your easy goers, your families and the lost, your faithful and your searchers, your healthy and your addicts, your lovers and your haters, your friends and your enemies, and I’ll stop now since I’m sure you get the point!  We’re all just people trying our best to survive and give credit where it’s due.  We cling to our environments which can be a great thing or a threatening one.  I’m literally in awe at the availability and massive dedications that honor The Higher Power around Europe.  It literally oozes with a holy presence that just makes you tingle inside.

In general, life is beautiful, no matter where you are; sometimes we just have to search a little bit harder to find that special segment.  And in Europe you don’t have to search very far.  It confuses me a bit.  Absolutely no where in Europe did we come across a dry environment where plant life was struggling to survive, but yet back home it’s so dry, and lives are being lost in the horn of Africa due to drought.  I’m not sure why people ever wanted to leave such flourishing environments.

The backpacking lifestyle has taught me some important lessons.  How everything you really need can fit inside a 60 L backpack, the joys of just seeing life as an adventure and going with the flow or taking it as it comes, how to give even the grungiest of looking people a chance to talk, how to notice and appreciate the things that just seem to work out perfectly, the brutality and friendliness of people in general, how home can become mobile if needed, that every day is a gift, to take advantages of opportunities, and to realize that all the beauty the world holds was made, or allowed to be made, by a pretty awesome God.  I’m sure he’s getting a little tired of all my thank-you’s by now but I can’t say it enough.  I’m truly truly blessed, and not ever sure why. 

With the limited amount of time we’re given here on Earth I would have to say my Summer 2011 couldn’t have been spent in many better ways on the personal fulfillment scale anyways.  From making my own pizza, tasting wine from the local hillsides, swimming in the Mediterranean, earning six hours of MBA elective credits in four weeks, making new friends from all over the world, discovering a new love of Italian gelato, to seeing speech stealing houses of worship throughout Italy, probably would have been enough for a ‘successful’ summer.  Then a completely different adventure brought its own greatness:

·        Walking the streets of Caesar and experiencing the holy presence of the Vatican in Rome.

·        Witnessing ‘Sound of Music’ scenes and walking through the oldest fortress in Europe in Salzburg.

·        Feeling like a day in the life of royalty in Vienna.

·        Soaking in the Sczentchsky Thermal Baths, taking cold showers, and crossing over the famous Danube in Budapest.

·        Watching a ballet in the National Theatre, eating amazing raspberry kolaches, seeing where the Bednar name originated, and being treated to an Armed Forces Day Parade in Prague.

·        Taking a run along the Rhine river, eating a true bratwurst dog, falling in love with the German train system, meditating in the busy social park scene in Frankfurt.

·        Drooling over waffles and chocolate in Belgium.

·        The cheery people, the great accents, amazing archives, and the first Street Photography Festival of London.

·        Basking in the beauty, rushing to see it all, and being sung to in Notre Dame in Paris.

·        Shopping the great Ramblas marketplace and seeing the eclectic style of the Spanish in Barcelona.

·        Finding a gem in disguise and walking around the charming Old Town of Southern France’s days gone by, bargain shopping, and a homey restaurant scene in Lyon.

·        Experiencing the high fashion world and transportation hiccups in Milan.

·        And hiking the Italian Alps in Sestriere.

Let’s not forget the train systems that are wonderful at times and spiteful at others.  Sleeping in a train station, overnight sleeper car trains, sacrificing hostel stays to make a connection, moody metro systems, and common improvisation at all times. 

Establishing a great friendship with my sister-in-law, enjoying every surreal second, meeting a huge variety of people, and just growing up and changing (hopefully for the better)!  I would say I’ve had some experiences that are once in a lifetime!  And in my limited blogging I’m sure I’m missing some, it’s been a busy summer, but such a rewarding one as well.

I can only hope that I’ve in some way shape or form inspired each of you readers to see what beauty lies in the world around you, to test your limits, to open your mind, and to push your habits, emotions, and comforts to their limits.  And if not, then I hope it was at least a fun read for you.  Sometimes my humor was more available at the end of the day than others.  Thanks for sticking with me through my journey and please forgive the many proofreading errors that I’m sure were spotted.  I often just had enough time to spit out an update and post it on the challenging internet systems of the Eastern world before passing out in hopes of re-energizing for the next day. 

If you take out on a journey of your own someday, please let me know so I can follow your adventures.  If planning on Europe I would definitely suggest starting early May and being finished by early July, it gets so crowded.  Make use of raileurope.com, ricksteves.com (get his guide on every place you plan to go, seriously a travel guru), hostelworld.com, wellsfargo.com, statravel.com, and any forums you can find for helpful tips.  Budget at a 1.5 exchange rate and you will over budget probably, like us.  If planning on indulging in cuisine maybe budget a bit more.  Hopefully my future will bring other parts of the world, South America, Asia, Africa, maybe even the Middle East.  I most definitely plan on returning to the finer parts of Europe also.  For now, I’m more than satisfied though and have literally no complaints, because in the end, it’s all part of the adventure!

All in all, “It’s Closing Time,” tomorrow Magen and I head back to Turin to spend a night before catching our early flights to the land of the FREE and the home of the BRAVE!  Europe has a lot of appealing principles in its operations, but I’m still proud to be an American for so many reasons.  I’m currently sipping probably my close to last morning cappuccino, where the saucer, the cup, the sugar, and the coffee are all made by the same company.  I’m still interested to see how I will handle not being able to satisfy my new addiction.  I’m so ready to see family and friends and edit pictures on my big screen laptop.  I can only hope my memory holds up throughout my life to never forget the truly amazing and goose-bump giving summer that I just had.  I’m looking forward to familiar smiles and hugs, home cooking, the Texas heat and sky, the quiet of the country, the growing cotton (drip anyways), the fast internet, driving Old Blue, coke floats, a big bed, Taco Villa burritos, my money being worth what it displays (if they figure out the debt crisis anyways), the ease of communication, and really just the comforts of what I’ve always known.  I have one more MBA semester left and I will be doing lots of interviews to hopefully find that perfect petroleum engineering job (any prayers would be appreciated), and preparing for the ‘real world’; should be a busy semester as usual. 

It’s not a goodbye Europe, it’s an I’ll see you later!  Till next time . . . Grazie, Ciao, Arrivederci, Buon Voyage friends, may our paths cross soon, and we’ll see you soon, very soon!

Sestriere, The Italian Alps!

So a brief recap of my amazing summer in Google Map form:

CIMBA Weekend Trips:  (http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=202426590072187211041.0004a8f4d536fa587cea0&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=44.465151,11.140137&spn=5.582484,14.128418&z=6)

European Adventure w/ Magen:  (http://www.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=202426590072187211041.0004a72c07c874d1dd89c&ie=UTF8&ll=46.195042,7.426758&spn=10.83054,28.256836&z=5)

            We’re currently taking it easy with some of the mountain people of the Italian Alps.  We’re in full R&R mode sleeping in, light venturing into nearby cities, and trying our best to stay warm.  We’re staying in Sestriere, Italy at the Palace Residence II, where the majority of the 2006 Winter Olympics were held even though it was hosted by Turin.  The highs during the day usually stay in the low 60’s with a nippy wind, some misty showers, and necessary pants weather. 

            This definitely is a winter hotspot for Italian skiers and is operating at a much slower and quieter pace during the summer, which I’m completely loving.  After all of our blowing and going it’s nice to just take a few breaths.  It’s a nice opportunity to slow down and reminisce on the amazing summer that God blessed us with, to think about our favorites, and to appreciate life for what it’s brought us this summer and what awaits in the future. 

I ventured into Oulx today by bus hoping to find some last minute souvenir shopping but no such luck. I’m hoping to find a nice hiking trail tomorrow if the weather allows.  The food experience is also nice here, we’re able to spend a little more due to the lack of necessary hostel stays.  I’m going to miss the pizzas here for sure.  I’ve also had an amazing chicken dish in white wine sauce with potatoes, and yes, green beans mother.  Last night brought an amazing gnocchi dish with a thick cheese sauce that has me almost drooling right now haha.  The mountain people are extremely friendly, seems to be the norm for their type, but difficult to communicate with as English is definitely not common in the area, thank goodness our front desk help speaks it.  Really we’re just enjoying the cool weather, the slower pace, and anxiously awaiting our return home to see family and friends!  I must say what a blessing it is to know that you are loved and missed, makes a guy feel a little special. 

Till next time, I posted a few pics on Facebook of the area:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100318115610728.2646957.16737784&l=8d00f8e3f9&type=1

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"Mind the Gap" - LONDON

            First introduction to London was a bit overwhelming, with several different large cities making up the well known “London” area, we were overwhelmed by the 13 “Tube” (metro) lines, 7.5 million people, and the transportation categorization into 4+ zones.  We were definitely anticipating the return to English speaking nationals and have enjoyed it so!  It’s so nice not having to think about ‘the how’ before every form of communication.  It took us a bit to realize we could actually carry on a conversation with those around us but once we attempted we met two interesting individuals at our hostel, ‘Daisy from Sri Lanka’ the operator, and a fellow traveler ‘Parker from Australia’ who was looking for some retirement real estate. 

Day 1 brought everything one would hope to encounter during a stop in London: flickering lights on “The Tube”, a day full of a what I call “rainy sunshine” where one second it’s pouring and the next holds a sunglasses worthy glare, eating fish ‘n chips (fries) in a local pub, almost getting hit due to a failure to look right before crossing, and accents gleaming with a formality and cheer.  An unexpected surprise was the insane amount of wedgies that I noticed being picked all over the place, guess you have to get comfortable.  Along with a new currency of pounds, pints, and quids, that's kicking the American dollar even worse than the Euro.

The sightseeing: Trafalgar Square, Changing of the Horse Guards where they honor all fallen horses in past wars (so cool), Parliament Buildings beside Westminster Bridge, Westminster Abbey (which housed the Coronation Chair that has always and continues to be used in the crowning of new royalty, impressive monument tombs of several saints royalties and even Darwin (not sure why exactly) and Isaac Newton, not to mention the place that the newly-wed Royal couple was married.  To say the least an extremely impressive preservation of England’s past monarchy with a great audio guide.  After standing in line for close to an hour, approaching the front and realizing we were in the CARD ONLY line and deciding to take on the extra bank fee to prevent another long cash line, it was definitely worth it.  Along with England’s main goal to “maintain a past rich in history and royalty while still welcoming change”.  We also stopped by Buckingham Palace Courtyard hoping to see the famous guards with stern faces, but no such luck.  The palace was actually quite modest from the outside surprisingly.  We also stopped by to take pictures of the Tower of London.  I consider the street strolling to be a sight in itself, pretty sure I was smiling all day.  The Brits like to do things a little differently and in their own way (sound familiar) but it works for them.

Next day brought the British Museum which was huge and free!  Favorite exhibits included the Egyptian wing which housed everything from sphinx statues and pyramid treasures, to real mummies and the Rosetta Stone.  Other impressive wings included the Greek, Syrian, and European cultures of old.  There was also a history of clocks room that I really liked.  The Enlightenment room was a pretty impressive tribute to the great minds of the past.  A history of Money room had me seeing dollar signs.  The Living & Dying exhibit seeking to encompass the human response to all things living and the thereafter was interesting as well.

             While Magen went to the musical Wicked (I didn’t want to spend for the ticket in British Pounds this time) I went to see some of the exhibits set up around town for the first, but future annual, London Street Photography Festival!  Stopping by the Orange Dot Gallery and the Exmouth Market Gallery I was treated to a casual presentation of some of the best student photographers capturing real life as it happens everyday, free from editing.  I really enjoyed viewing their work and would love to see more from each artist, my hobbyist liking for photography was pretty impressed!  There was one taken on October 10, 2001 that really struck close to home, titled "Five More Found," showing a night scene of Ground Zero with a huddle of firemen and a light beaming up from the rubble, pretty powerful and sad stuff.  Between the exhibits I decided to walk the streets as opposed to the Tube and really saw what local London is like.  I was in more of a college generation neighborhood which made for great photo opps with a realism I definitely appreciated.  I also decided to stop by the backside of Westminster Bridge to get some pictures of the impressive Parliament buildings.

            Day 3 brought the British Library housing ancient manuscripts from the likes of William Shakespeare and Leonardo da Vinci.  It was Britians way of showing off the prized possessions they’ve come across over the years, and I was impressed.  Pretty sure Magen shed a tear or two, words seem to impress her on a level that I just don’t reach, and I’m quite confident she will find a place to work someday that inspires her on that level again.  There were also more of the street photography photo exhibits though not as impressive as the other two galleries, they showed life from 1940s London.  It’s pretty amazing the preservation techniques of the Brits and it definitely deserves some kudos, and the majority of the cities museum and gallery sights are free to the public (encouraged donations of course).  We also stopped by St. Paul’s Cathedral which definitely had our jaws hitting the floor, but was too expensive to go inside, so we walked across Millennium Bridge to see the reconstructed Shakespeare’s Globe.  And in good Tyler and Magen fashion decided to venture over to Hyde Park for a relaxing break in some green grass with the locals and tourists alike.  I must say, today was the first day I can truly say I was tired, not really sure why, but it was just one of those days.  My patience was short and the infinite number of people were starting to annoy me, but I’m sure I’ve gotten it out of my system and will be ready for the next venture.

            Speaking of . . . we are currently spending the night in the Train Station awaiting our 6:20 am departure to Lille, France where we will get a connection to Paris.  With our Global Passes Britain isn’t covered so all we get is a discounted fare into nearby Europe.  We came two days early (which we’ve never needed to do before) and all other train times were sold out for the discounted fares so we got stuck with the earliest train out.  All part of the adventure though!!  Staying in Zone 3 quite far from the train station, we decided that we couldn’t make it here in time to check in through customs and all if we chanced the first train out of our Upton Park stop.  So here we are : ) , two well traveled friends, a couple of backpacks + , basking in the greatness of our London adventure . . . life is good!  With a smiling nod we bid fellow backpackers great travels as they pass our bench-post, (which hopefully will turn into a sleeping space before too long)!  So far we've fought off one beggar with a pound, some random girls yelling something about hamburgers, and the night is young. 

I was thinking today about the idea of normalcy.  It has quickly become the stop and go adventure I currently find myself in.  It’s funny how quickly we can forget the likes of our daily Lubbock Grad Student Routine.  Hopefully the re-transition won’t be as difficult as I’m thinking it might be, this carefree lifestyle is sure tempting though, not to mention a bit addicting.   

            I must say I will probably miss this culturally rich city, the repeated “Mind The Gap” announcements from the Tube operators, the interesting eclectic-vintage style of many of the locals, their cheery attitudes, and the unique spirit of the streets.  Farewell London, good day for now, and tomorrow . . . bonjour Paris!


Thanks for reading friends, hope I’m not boring you too bad, and follow the link below for the Public Facebook Album:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100305373002018.2642319.16737784&l=d5e35727b2

Frankfurt Shenanigans & The Belgian Way

FRANKFURT:

Leaving Prague was a bittersweet experience and yet another thriving part of the adventure.  We originally were planned to have a three train day, after two different connections, totaling a little over 7 hours.  After some unexpected delays on our first leg, being told to move up 5 cars because the back of the train was stopping soon while the rest continued, then being notified shortly that the entire train was having problems we were finally informed of a mandatory bus trip connecting us to our next leg.  Thank goodness our two stops were in places where trains ran multiple times an hour, because the bus trip was definitely a curvy, bumpy, scenic, and time consuming route.  Though delayed, and despite Magen getting stuck in the train doors at one point (confusion hilarity!) we still found our way to the interesting place of Frankfurt, Germany.  Magen cleverly termed our day of travels “Trains, Translations, & Tight Spaces” which is completely appropriate.  Arriving on a Saturday evening really only left time for a quick bite of Thai food down the road and a nice introduction to our hostel.  We quickly became the favorites with our hostel land-lady who let us take extra showers and gave us extra creamer for our morning coffee, nice to make a friend!

            Ready to venture out on Sunday we were treated to a city slow in process and nothing but a few tourists.  The locals had obviously had a long week and were resting up for the one ahead.  Our hostel room delivered breakfast every morning with everything from hard boiled eggs to some of the best coffee we’ve had yet.  We ventured down on the empty Metro system to the Old Town cultural part of the city.  Frankfurt has managed to maintain a heritage rich in German culture but also established itself as the financial capital of the EU.  There wasn’t a whole lot to see in Frankfurt, most of it focused around the old center, and there were multitudes of museums but we decided to save our money for the good ones in London and Paris.  I also treated myself to a good run down along the Rhine river, along with many of the fitness enthused locals.  With the good internet connection we were able to catch up on our Skyping with the family which was such a nice and refreshing treat. 

Monday brought a new mob of movement, with men in tailored business suits and women fidgeting with their metro blown hair-dos.  Frankfurt had come alive.  So far, the Germans have reminded me the most of Americans, with their great appreciation for space and their slightly over-indulgent diets.  We also ventured through a botanical garden with lots of floral, all of Europe seems to be much more blessed with moisture and plant environments than home is, not fair.  Later in the day we checked on train tickets and made our way to a park.  For our journey to the park we bought an authentic bratwurst hot dog setup and I added fries.  The woman asked me if I wanted ketchup on them, I said please, and she ended up squirting mayonnaise on them instead.  Magen’s face was priceless.  She had recently read that is the norm for the Belgiums, but she was not expecting it in the Frankfurt train station.  To say the least it was actually not too bad, just different.  I try to be open to new experiences and sometimes it pays off.  After finally finding the entrance into the park, after walking its borders for quite a while and eating our food intended for a picnic it was worth it.  The park was huge and thriving with locals participating in everything from running, biking, and badminton, to soccer, reading, and hackysack.  Seeing the locals interact in such an open setting was nice.  I snapped a few pictures while Magen wrote in her journal.  The park was close to a university so the park was a popular past-time it seemed like.  We almost felt a part of the group for a minute, which was somewhat comforting.  We missed the Fourth of July celebrations back home but sounds like there weren’t a lot of fireworks anyways.  We were there in spirit though.  I find myself missing bits and pieces of the West Texas summer, probably just harnessing the comforts of norm, but the European summer is beautiful in itself. 

Overall, Frankfurt really wasn’t anything special, a nice peek into yet another culture; a place where the little conveniences of a close supermarket and efficient metro system welcomed our traveling spirits, and an impressive business mecca has managed to preserve a rich ancestral part of the city.

BELGIUM:

On to Brussles, Belgium on Tuesday was a much more sophisticated train trip.  The trains seem to be getting nicer with every trip we take and the further away from Italy we get, pretty impressive.  The US definitely needs to invest in a rail network much larger than the Amtrak.  With a more confusing metro system than we’ve met yet we gradually made our way to our hostel, actually a Hotel Sabina advertised through the hostel-world website.  It’s nice and we have our own bathroom, and it’s also convenient to many of the sights nearby.  We quickly dropped our things off and ventured out into the unkown world of the Belgiums.  Quite an ethnic integration seems to be going on here.  Brussels is actually the capital of the entire EU so I would guess that just comes with the territory across the globe.  An extremely big city with lots to see, though we didn’t have Rick Steves backing us on this stop so it’s been a bit difficult discovering where things are, so we ventured out on a walk of discovery.  Not paying attention to geographical positions or directions we made our way around several of the sites.  Ranging from the Grand Market (where they have the annual flower festival and build an original pattern every year) to the Mannekin Pis (literally a little statue peeing into a fountain).  At the statue we indulged in the well acclaimed Belgian waffles, being sold on the nearby corner, I had a square dipped in white chocolate, and Magen had a waffle on a stick with dark chocolate.  I must say they live up to their reputations, a close second only to Poppie and Dad’s recipe! 

Magen and I find ourselves getting lost in the extremely eclectic, welcoming, and tempting streets of the city.  Similar to Budapest, each building is different from the next but they all seem to fit into a grand masterpiece.  Each door and brick seems to tell a different story.  With several places to turn we ended up getting a bit lost and once we arrived back to the hotel saw one of the major sites we had stopped by.  We were within 400m from out hotel at one point and didn’t even know it haha, oh the adventure!  Today we did a little more venturing out and made it to the Atomium on the way north end of the city, with more park territory, and a scenic tram ride.  Afterwards, we stopped by the Central Train Station to purchase our tickets to London (which is not covered by our global pass, ended up getting a “discount” for 89 euros, yikes, but should be worth it).  We’re interested to see if we travel on top of the sea or through a tunnel under it, aaahhh!  Then we found our way back to the Grand Market area where I had to indulge in yet another Belgian waffle, this time on a stick, and we also purchased a small assortment of treats from a small shop choclatier (melts in your mouth is putting it lightly)!  Fighting a few rain storms, but wallowing in its greatness, we came to the city library which I’m quite sure had Magen screaming for joy.  The viewing room of the Librarium was free and documented the history of books a bit (though not in English), and we also had some foggy views of the city from the top floor cafeteria through rain soaked windows.  Pretty sure Magen would have stayed there forever had it been possible.  I hope she finds a place to work someday in the states that excites her on that level. 

The Belgian way is definitely attractive.  We find locals gathering at nearby cafes early in the evening to share a beer with one another and seem to go well into the night.  They truly share a city as gorgeous as it is big, with a few very helpful and friendly locals, and manage to maintain an inviting environment to foreigners.  It’s nice to hear the French language for the first time spoken on a regular basis.  At the moment, we find ourselves sitting at the corner café close to our hostel sipping cappuccinos (that came with whip cream and chocolate sprinkles), next to a birthday celebration, lovers holding hands, a clearing sky, locals enjoying the company of friends with cigarettes and beer in hand, Magen reading, I typing away, and not a worry in the world but to enjoy the presence of life!  Life is good, today and everyday, that’s about as simple as it gets.  We are trying to enjoy the last few moments in the Belgium atmosphere before heading off to meet the Brits in the morning.  We are both super excited about what London has waiting for us.  We can’t believe we’re approaching the halfway point in our journeys, which have already brought loads of fun, exciting experiences, one full memory card of pictures, and insight into a far away but yet so similar world! 

Until next time friends, thanks for reading, hope I’m inspiring your future possible journeys, and may the day find you enjoying the presence of life and appreciating the many blessing the Lord has brought our way!  Ciao for now . . .

 

For pictures of Frankfurt and Brussels, see the following public Facebook album link:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100301104920288.2640600.16737784&l=010930a8c7