It's 1:45 Sunday morning, and we just got back to the hotel from the wedding. I just wanted to take a moment and record a short note...
today was the most beautiful day, and the most beautiful wedding. The ceremony was so meaningful and touching, and the people and the customs here were warm, festive, and inspiring.
Malin and Jess were beautiful. It was perfect.
I'll tell you more later. We're pooped!
Love,
Lisa and John
Saturday, July 30, 2005
Friday, July 29, 2005
Still in Sweden
Hej! (that's hello in Swedish, it's pronounced "hey")
We have met up with Julie and Miles, and we spent the day sightseeing yesterday with Nancy, and Braden. Bonnie was unable to make the trip...
The hotel serves a huge breakfast (included with the hotel stay). They even have smoked reindeer.
I had my first "real" Swedish meatballs for dinner last night. Yummy!
I think I am communicating very well. Most of the people here speak "Engelska" very well.
We went to the Vasa museum yesterday, and it was fascinating. The Vasa was a galleon that was built over 300 years ago. It was a huge warship, and it sank in the harbor here in Stockholm on its maiden voyage. Someone didn't do their math! Once the wind hit the sails, it just tipped over and started taking in water through the gun windows. And it sank, sails and flags flying. It sat in the water for 333 years. In the late 1950s, this man made a homemade device that he would throw into the water and it would bore into material at the bottom of the bay. He searched and searched, until his little bore-er turned up some old oak. They were able to hydrojet tunnels beneath the ship, and push cables beneath the ship and then they were able to pull the Vasa up into more and more shallow water until it finally broke the surface. They have completely restored it and it is inside its own museum. It was a very throrough exhibit.
We walked around Gamla Stan yesterday. That is old town Stockholm. Stockholm is built on and around water, so some of the very old building are actually built on wood pilings that are driven into the water. I feel kind of bad that places like Disneyland and Universal Studios have ruined my ability to truly appreciate the architecture here. Being in Gamla Stan is like being on a movie set. Kind of like the pinocchio area of Disneyland.
Well, the group is gathering here in the lobby, so I'd better sign off for now. Love, Lisa.
We have met up with Julie and Miles, and we spent the day sightseeing yesterday with Nancy, and Braden. Bonnie was unable to make the trip...
The hotel serves a huge breakfast (included with the hotel stay). They even have smoked reindeer.
I had my first "real" Swedish meatballs for dinner last night. Yummy!
I think I am communicating very well. Most of the people here speak "Engelska" very well.
We went to the Vasa museum yesterday, and it was fascinating. The Vasa was a galleon that was built over 300 years ago. It was a huge warship, and it sank in the harbor here in Stockholm on its maiden voyage. Someone didn't do their math! Once the wind hit the sails, it just tipped over and started taking in water through the gun windows. And it sank, sails and flags flying. It sat in the water for 333 years. In the late 1950s, this man made a homemade device that he would throw into the water and it would bore into material at the bottom of the bay. He searched and searched, until his little bore-er turned up some old oak. They were able to hydrojet tunnels beneath the ship, and push cables beneath the ship and then they were able to pull the Vasa up into more and more shallow water until it finally broke the surface. They have completely restored it and it is inside its own museum. It was a very throrough exhibit.
We walked around Gamla Stan yesterday. That is old town Stockholm. Stockholm is built on and around water, so some of the very old building are actually built on wood pilings that are driven into the water. I feel kind of bad that places like Disneyland and Universal Studios have ruined my ability to truly appreciate the architecture here. Being in Gamla Stan is like being on a movie set. Kind of like the pinocchio area of Disneyland.
Well, the group is gathering here in the lobby, so I'd better sign off for now. Love, Lisa.
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
We made it to Sweden
We had a big travel day today. We flew into London, and we thought the 3½ hr layover was going to be long, but since our plane was late, and we had to collect our baggage and check back in for the next leg of our trip to Sweden, we barely had to wait an hour! That was cutting it kind of close.
Sweden is beautiful! We drove through some gorgeous countryside from the airport into the city. Lots of trees, and rocks, it was really nice.
We took our first subway trip today. It was easy once we figured it out. This part of our trip is going to be a bit more difficult because of the language difference. Although most of the people speak English, and they speak it very well, I am trying very hard not to assume that they all speak English, and I am trying to understand the signs around me.
The hotel is very nice. It felt good to take a long hot bath. Even though we had a shower in the hostel, it was very small and water got everywhere, and there were no shelves to hold anything, so if you had soap and a washcloth, your hands were full.
It's 10pm, and it is as light as if it were 7:30pm. We are going to take a walk around the hotel.
How is everyone? If you can't comment here, please e-mail me at my usual address.
Love you guys!
Lisa and John
Sweden is beautiful! We drove through some gorgeous countryside from the airport into the city. Lots of trees, and rocks, it was really nice.
We took our first subway trip today. It was easy once we figured it out. This part of our trip is going to be a bit more difficult because of the language difference. Although most of the people speak English, and they speak it very well, I am trying very hard not to assume that they all speak English, and I am trying to understand the signs around me.
The hotel is very nice. It felt good to take a long hot bath. Even though we had a shower in the hostel, it was very small and water got everywhere, and there were no shelves to hold anything, so if you had soap and a washcloth, your hands were full.
It's 10pm, and it is as light as if it were 7:30pm. We are going to take a walk around the hotel.
How is everyone? If you can't comment here, please e-mail me at my usual address.
Love you guys!
Lisa and John
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Last day in Dublin
We've had a great last two days. We pretty much saw everything we wanted to see, and more. We went to the Guinness brewery twice (!) so John had 4 pints of free Guinness! Whoo hoo! I was lucky enough to see that the Museum of Decorative Arts & History had a temporary exhibit called "Endurance". It was all about Ernest Shackleton and had all the Frank Hurley photos, and a life sized replica of the James Caird, the boat he used to get help, etc. It was a wonderful addition to my visit to Dublin! There were so many great books about it, too, but I just couldn't justify carrying them around on the remainder of our trip, so I will look for them on Amazon.
We visited St Patrick's Cathedral today; it was magnificent. Also, we went on a "Literary Pub Crawl" last night; it was a lot of fun and we drank a few beers, all in the name of learning of course. John won a prize in the quiz at the end of the evening.
We had dinner tonight at the most wonderful pub, O'Neills. John had the Irish Stew, and I had the Shepherd's Pie. It was delicious and a good value compared to the other stuff. We met some nice people from Holland. Actually, we've met a lot of nice people from all over the place.
We are still awed by the amount of history all around us. The city really is beautiful. We have walked so much and been all around the city.
We are packing up our stuff tonight and are really excited about getting to Stockholm for Jess & Malin's wedding. We will be on a plane at 9:05 am.
John keeps telling me what time it is at home, and it really seems like you guys are slackers. Our day is half done and you guys are just finishing your pancakes! Oh, it stays light out here until 10pm, which is strange to us. But in a good way. You know what I mean...
Okay, time to wrap up the internet time. This is going to cost me 1 Euro. Which is about $1.30 USD. But you are worth it.
Love,
Lisa and John
We visited St Patrick's Cathedral today; it was magnificent. Also, we went on a "Literary Pub Crawl" last night; it was a lot of fun and we drank a few beers, all in the name of learning of course. John won a prize in the quiz at the end of the evening.
We had dinner tonight at the most wonderful pub, O'Neills. John had the Irish Stew, and I had the Shepherd's Pie. It was delicious and a good value compared to the other stuff. We met some nice people from Holland. Actually, we've met a lot of nice people from all over the place.
We are still awed by the amount of history all around us. The city really is beautiful. We have walked so much and been all around the city.
We are packing up our stuff tonight and are really excited about getting to Stockholm for Jess & Malin's wedding. We will be on a plane at 9:05 am.
John keeps telling me what time it is at home, and it really seems like you guys are slackers. Our day is half done and you guys are just finishing your pancakes! Oh, it stays light out here until 10pm, which is strange to us. But in a good way. You know what I mean...
Okay, time to wrap up the internet time. This is going to cost me 1 Euro. Which is about $1.30 USD. But you are worth it.
Love,
Lisa and John
Monday, July 25, 2005
On pins and needles
We're wondering how Ivy's appointment at the orthodpedist went today...
and we had a great third day. It is starting to sink in that we'll be leaving soon and we may not be back for a very very long time. We visited Kilmainham Gaol today and it was one of the most fascinating places Ive ever been.
jgot to go! internet time is over!
and we had a great third day. It is starting to sink in that we'll be leaving soon and we may not be back for a very very long time. We visited Kilmainham Gaol today and it was one of the most fascinating places Ive ever been.
jgot to go! internet time is over!
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Day 2
We had quite a full day today! We walked all over the place, it seems! We had a wonderful morning at Christ Church Cathedral, which is something like 1,000 years old. Very beautiful. It has been rebuilt several times, of course. The choir was angelic. We stayed for mass, and it was very special.
I can't seem to figure out the bus system, and it's very frustrating. It doesn't appear that the busses have any sort of hub, where they all meet and you can transfer to your next bus. Instead, you have to get off the bus and walk several blocks, or more, to get to the next stretch of route. And, even if you are standing at the stop, if you do not wave for them to stop, they will just pass you by.
John and I are learning to eat on the cheap. Free breakfast at the hostel is make-your-own toast with your choice of butter, strawberry jam, or marmalade (for some reason, the marmalade tastes much better here than it does at home, but that might be my imagination). We also had a choice between apples and tangerines. And Nescafe coffee. Oh, and an orange juice box. The orange juice is much more tangy than it is at home. So we saved our juice boxes for lunch. Tomorrow, we will take an extra piece of fruit, too. For lunch we ate crackers and processed cheese (because it doesn't require refrigeration).
I got a little homesick today, I am really missing the kids and trying to keep track of all the things I want to tell them about.
John keeps checking his watch and telling me what time it is at home, and it seems like time is slower at home because we sure do a lot of stuff over here and it's still very early over there.
Did the girls go to Carlos' party?
We went to a real pub tonight, The Stag's Head, built in 1770. John had his first real Guinness. I had a Smithwick. It was tasty. Like a Michelob dark ha! John is looking at me funny for saying that.
Well, I'm going to check my e-mail. You can comment here I think...give it a try!
Love,
Lisa and John
I can't seem to figure out the bus system, and it's very frustrating. It doesn't appear that the busses have any sort of hub, where they all meet and you can transfer to your next bus. Instead, you have to get off the bus and walk several blocks, or more, to get to the next stretch of route. And, even if you are standing at the stop, if you do not wave for them to stop, they will just pass you by.
John and I are learning to eat on the cheap. Free breakfast at the hostel is make-your-own toast with your choice of butter, strawberry jam, or marmalade (for some reason, the marmalade tastes much better here than it does at home, but that might be my imagination). We also had a choice between apples and tangerines. And Nescafe coffee. Oh, and an orange juice box. The orange juice is much more tangy than it is at home. So we saved our juice boxes for lunch. Tomorrow, we will take an extra piece of fruit, too. For lunch we ate crackers and processed cheese (because it doesn't require refrigeration).
I got a little homesick today, I am really missing the kids and trying to keep track of all the things I want to tell them about.
John keeps checking his watch and telling me what time it is at home, and it seems like time is slower at home because we sure do a lot of stuff over here and it's still very early over there.
Did the girls go to Carlos' party?
We went to a real pub tonight, The Stag's Head, built in 1770. John had his first real Guinness. I had a Smithwick. It was tasty. Like a Michelob dark ha! John is looking at me funny for saying that.
Well, I'm going to check my e-mail. You can comment here I think...give it a try!
Love,
Lisa and John
Saturday, July 23, 2005
Day 1
Hi! We made it over without any problems, despite cutting it extremely close at LAX. I hope dad made it home okay.
It sure was a long plane ride! They fed us very well, dinner and breakfast. We each caught a few hours of sleep. Every seat had its own video monitor in the headrest of the seat in front of us, and we had free earphones so we could listen to music, or watch tv, or play games, andthey had this neat gps kind of thing that showed you where the plane was on a map and how high/fast we were flying and counting down the time to arrival. I watched that a lot.
We walked alot around Dublin today, still trying to get our bearings. fEverything is expensive. \i don't feel like \i am on another continent, I keep looking at the plants and trees for something completely different.
I keep noticing people admiring John's beard. And, I realized, no one else here has beards.
We met a few very nice people on the streets,they offered assistance when they noticed we were looking at our maps.
My dad will be disappointed to know that the people no longer dress like they did in the movie The Quiet Man. Except, I saw one old guy who talked to us on the street, and he reminded me of the old man who played Paul McCartney's uncle on Hard Days Night (he was a dirty old man).
Anyway, this keyboard is very awkward, that is why there are so many mistakes in this post. I just wanted to let you know we made it, and are doing fine. Please let us know how the kids are doing...not just the injured ones, all of them.
Love,
Lisa & John
PS: The hostel is not bad at all. Our room is quite spartan, but all we need is a clean bed and a bathroom, and we have that. We even have hot water! And, everyone seems very friendly.
And it drizzled in the morning when we arrived. \i miss you guys!
It sure was a long plane ride! They fed us very well, dinner and breakfast. We each caught a few hours of sleep. Every seat had its own video monitor in the headrest of the seat in front of us, and we had free earphones so we could listen to music, or watch tv, or play games, andthey had this neat gps kind of thing that showed you where the plane was on a map and how high/fast we were flying and counting down the time to arrival. I watched that a lot.
We walked alot around Dublin today, still trying to get our bearings. fEverything is expensive. \i don't feel like \i am on another continent, I keep looking at the plants and trees for something completely different.
I keep noticing people admiring John's beard. And, I realized, no one else here has beards.
We met a few very nice people on the streets,they offered assistance when they noticed we were looking at our maps.
My dad will be disappointed to know that the people no longer dress like they did in the movie The Quiet Man. Except, I saw one old guy who talked to us on the street, and he reminded me of the old man who played Paul McCartney's uncle on Hard Days Night (he was a dirty old man).
Anyway, this keyboard is very awkward, that is why there are so many mistakes in this post. I just wanted to let you know we made it, and are doing fine. Please let us know how the kids are doing...not just the injured ones, all of them.
Love,
Lisa & John
PS: The hostel is not bad at all. Our room is quite spartan, but all we need is a clean bed and a bathroom, and we have that. We even have hot water! And, everyone seems very friendly.
And it drizzled in the morning when we arrived. \i miss you guys!
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Welcome!
John and I are about to embark on a new adventure and we intend to use this 'blog as a place for our family (and friends) to check in on us. I am hoping to figure out how to upload photos on the fly (from a public computer). But, even if I can't do that, I can tell you what we're seeing and doing.
Well, I have a lot to do between now and Friday, so I'd better get packing (literally!)...
~Lisa
Well, I have a lot to do between now and Friday, so I'd better get packing (literally!)...
~Lisa
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