Friends, France, Castles, and lots of Cheese!

Whew! What a week so far. I was so glad to hear that folks back home in DC/VA are safe! Although I’ll admit that I’m sorry I missed out on the adventure of it! I read from a friend that Sunday morning’s church service was very moving. Since the electricity was out, people brought portable lights and had a worship service anyway. =)

So, onward throughout Switzerland I go! Bianca and Simona and I met up with Ben and Chris in downtown Basel and walked over to one of the huge cathedral there—I believe it was called the Muenster. It overlooks the Rhine River, and I was in for a special treat… We took the ferry across! There are three ferries that take people back and forth across the river, and each one represents one of the three mascots of Basel. I think we were on the one with the dragon-looking character. Anyway, it was quite fun! The ferries are small and love to the water, and they have no motors. They are powered only by the force of the river water and steered only by a small rudder!

On the other side, we went over to the place where Nikki was working that night and got something to eat, then sat by the river to eat and talk for a while. But then the real treat came… After a while, we went over to the city center where there was some festival or fair or something going on. The boys treated me to a Basel-wurst! Yes indeed, Basel, Switzerland, has its own wurst (sausage) made with special spices from the area. Dad, are you sure you wouldn’t want to visit if I end up moving here? ;)

And onward we go! Church Sunday morning was great. I got to meet the mom of the American family at church (the Youngs), and I was able to say my hellos and goodbyes to folks before I left. Because there is an American family, and the church has had several English-speaking visitors recently, they’ve started using Google translator to print out the sermons in English. Ben translated class for us, which was very good, but it was nice to have the sermon printed out to make following along easier. Looking up scripture was easier, too, because they have different names for nearly all the books of the Bible. Most are easy to figure out, but for instance: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy are called “1 Mose”, “2 Mose”, “3 Mose”, “4 Mose” and “5 Mose”. The book of James in the New Testament is “Jacob”, and the book of John is “Johannes”, which of course is “John” in German. It’s so interesting! I’m finished being nerdy now. =)

After the service and a few more goodbyes, it was off to the Steinhauers’ for lunch with the young folks! I have to say that I really like the Swiss/German meal style: breakfast is bread (brott) with cheese, meat, jelly (usually from Vreni and Juerg’s farm!) or creamed honey, yogurt (joghurt) and coffee; lunch is the largest meal (Sunday we had miniature sausages in brown sauce with rice, tomatoes, and TWO kinds of dessert—a tart with fresh whipped cream AND three kinds of ice cream with blueberry sauce!); and supper is a lighter meal, usually bread with cold cuts and cheese, maybe some liverwurst (which I REALLY like, by the way!), and maybe some leftover salad or something from lunch. Culinary adventures are the best kind to have, and I think that’s really the primary reason I love to travel! =)

But enough with food! The time with my Swiss family is always the best part. The young adults (that would be Ben, Joel and Tobias Minder, Simona, Nikki, Bianca, and me) have been doing a special study about relationships on some Sunday afternoons at the Steinhauers’ place. Dan led the study, and Ben translated for me. Dan gave lots of handouts, so I have something to do on the trip home in a couple of weeks—translate the handouts! =) I’m actually really looking forward to it—again, it’s the nerd in me!

When the others left after the lesson, I got to sit and visit with Dan and Margrit Steinhauer for a few hours. It was so nice! We sat outside on their deck and talked about job possibilities in Switzerland or Germany for me, and we just got all caught up on our lives. They told me the latest on the church family and Kaleb, their youngest son who is the whole reason I know about the church in Basel, and we prayed together before I left. We ate a light supper, and I said my last goodbyes to Grossmuetter Alice (Grandmother Alice), then Ben took me to my next stop—the Minders’!

And we ate again. Whew! I’m glad to know I’ll be hiking around Turkey the next two weeks! =) They had already eaten by the time I got there (the Steinhauers kept me longer than anticipated—I love being loved!), but they saved some for me. I got to choose sweet or savory, so of course I picked sweet! What did I get to fill it with? Cooked apples from their own back yard! =) The Minders have three kids—Joel (pronounced Sho-well) and Tobias (pronounced to-BEE-as), who came to DC with Ben and Chris last August, and Judith (pronounced Yu-deet—I know I’m being a geek again but I love the way they pronounce things differently!). Judith is the youngest, and I think she likes when I spend the night there. Which is good, because I like it, too! I got to talk with the family for a while—Barbara and Markus (the parents) know pretty good English, and so do the boys. Judith knows some English, but I think she’s shy about it. We stayed up till about 10, and then I just really needed to go to bed! Apparently I needed it more than I thought because I slept till 10 the next morning! They have the amazing blinds at pretty much every house in Switzerland that block out all the light—it’s a dream come true for me! =)

So when I FINALLY woke up, I ate breakfast with them and got my stuff together, then Judith and I Skyped with her friend Sina, who I met on Friday night at our girls’ Bible study. Francie came to pick me up around 11 or so (yes, I felt REALLY bad for sleeping the morning away!), and we went back to her house to fix lunch and eat with her and Holger’s kids when they came home from school. I love that the Swiss schools give kids time to go home for lunch during the day. I think it’s really important after seeing families do it like that!

After lunch, the kids went back to school (by the way, Hendrick made chocolate ice cream in cooking class that morning, so guess what was for dessert!!!) Francie and I got to talk for a while and went on a walk with Pina (Simona’s mom and one of my Swiss Mamas). I love that people go for walks here! It’s for fellowship and fun—the exercise part is acknowledged as important, but that’s not the purpose of the walk, nor does it come up in conversation except in a positive light. Take note, America! We walked around the countryside in Aesch (“ash”) where Pina and her husband live, and I got to see lots of Swiss flowers and fruits and vegetables! I like to see quitten (it’s “quince” in English), which looks like a pear or a lumpy greenish-yellow apple, but they use it to make AMAZING jelly! (Vreni usually gives me several jars, but I was so bummed I couldn’t take any with me this time because of luggage restrains on the plane!) At any rate, we walked around the pretty hillsides and took in the landscape a bit, then went back to Pina’s. It’s so nice to be able to visit with so many of my Swiss family casually like that. =)

So then we went back to Holger and Francie’s. I got to tell Francie one of my ghost stories from the tours I’ve started giving in DC, and she liked it! She thought it was fun that I get to tell stories like that and take people on tours where I live. And she laughed when I told her I get to dress up, too! Yes, I like my life. I hope you like yours because that just makes living that much more fun! Francie is good to talk with because she wants to know about whomever she’s speaking with. She pays attention when you’re talking, and she can bring everything back to the Bible. She grew up Catholic, and she has a very good understanding of her faith. The more I learn, the more questions I have. I think it’s good, and it’s VERY good to talk with someone who understands the fundamentals as well as the brethren do in Basel.

Kerstin came home and we had a snack with her until Holger got home from work. He’d called about possibilities of an American working in Germany (in case it’s not possible to get a work visa for Switzerland just yet), and he ran into the same kinds of problems I did—no no no no! We’ll see where God puts me. It isn’t impossible, just more difficult than we’d like! Hendrick came home soon after that, and Holger took him for a sailing lesson on the Rhine River. Holger was in the German Navy for a while, and he definitely loves his sailing!

The men left to go sailing, Vreni came to pick me up, and we went off to the hills! I truly, truly love going to stay at Vreni and Juerg’s. The farm is beautiful and there are flowers everywhere! We ate supper and got to catch up a bit—we definitely have overcome the language barrier!—then took a drive to one of their other pastures to check on some of the cows that had been sick. Yes, they really do have bells around each cow’s neck! It’s so funny to see and hear them because it’s exactly how Switzerland is portrayed in movies like Heidi—mountainous, green, lots of animals, and bells to keep track of where they are! Going over to the pasture was an adventure in itself. We drove for a while, then when the road got too rough, we got out and walked the rest of the way—I got my hike in! The road was actually really spooky, which made it lots of fun since we were there from just before dusk until after dark!

And when we got back—we ate dessert! Vreni’s mother, Frieda was there, too. I’d met her before, but she is very different now; I can tell such a difference in her demeanor and her outlook. She’s so happy and not distressed now because she was baptized and became a Christian just a couple of weeks ago! Vreni and Marianne (another of Frieda’s daughters), Juerg, and the rest of the church at Basel have been praying for her for 20 years! We all enjoyed dessert—and even had seconds with no qualms about it!—and you will never guess what I had: It was a cross between a Moon Pie, Boston Cream Pie, and a chocolate-glazed-cream-filled doughnut! Beat that. =)

Accordion time! Vreni and I had to almost force Juerg to bring it out, and when he finally did, he taught me how to play a song! He said he wouldn’t pull it out again until I get married, then he would play at my wedding—ha! Vreni called Simona when I wasn’t looking so she could hear me play it—she got an earful! =) So much fun to be had. Love it!

I checked e-mail to make sure everything was ok at home after the hurricane—thankfully all that happened at our place was water in the basement! Then we prayed and it was time for bed! I needed my beauty rest because after breakfast the next morning, we had plans to go to a castle in France! =) Yep, hiked from Switzerland to France, visited the castle—where, interestingly enough, and a man from the New World was held prisoner for 20 years in the 1600s!—and that was just the morning! Pictures to follow soon, I promise!

So, castle adventure, check; French excursion, check. Off to Marianne and Markus Naegali’s place! One of their daughters was away at camp for school, but the younger one, Cheyanne (um, spelling?), came home for lunch. She could have stayed at school with her friends for a singing thing they do at lunch, but she wanted to come home so she could see me! =) Markus works close by, so he gets to come home at lunch, too! After lunch and good conversation, I’ll just be honest with you—I needed a shower! The days had been fantastic, but there are simply not enough hours to do all the things one needs to do!

And what is the best thing to do after lunch and a shower? A nap! I am so thankful for Marianne’s understanding. I was so not bored or uninterested in spending time with her, I was just pooped! So, after the one-hour power nap, we went out for a WALK! We went down by the Rhine and crossed over a pedestrian bridge over a lock. We stopped to watch the lock do its things and let a boat out the other side, then kept walking. It was such a beautiful day to be outside! One the way back, we stopped and got gelato—YUM! She got something blue, and I got something that tasted like strawberry shortcake to me. Yes, this was a fantastic day! And then you’ll never guess who we met on the path on our walk back home—one of Marianne and Vreni’s sisters! Small world. =)

And on home we went! Cheyanne came home again from school, and not long after, Urs (Simona’s Dad) came to pick me up for supper at his and Pina’s place! =) The American family (the Youngs, from Kentucky) came, and so did Nicolas and Anita and baby Jessica! Nicolas needed to give me a book for our English lessons (which we will start on Skype in a couple of weeks!), and I hadn’t yet had a chance to talk much with the April and John Young. Pina is very Italian, so it’s safe to say we ate WELL! I could actually smell it before I even got to their flat! The conversation was great, food was wonderful, and after everyone left, April and John let me go to their place (about a block away) to use their phone and call my family! They have Magic Jack (which I now have as well!), so they can call anywhere in the US as if they were there because it’s through the Internet and not a landline. Of course no one answered because of the time difference, but I left messages and was just glad I got to call!

Pina and I sat out on the balcony for a couple of hours after that and just talked. Simona called to tell me goodbye since she couldn’t come to supper that night, and that was that! Urs and I had to leave the house at 3:40 this morning (yep, sure did!) to get to the Basel-Mulhouse airport by 4. My 6:00 flight was NOT my choice, and I felt SO bad that anyone had to get up that early and take me to the airport, but Urs actually does get up really early, and he said he didn’t mind! I think he has to be one of the absolute nicest, happiest, funniest, genuine people I have ever met!

After a bit of drama about the size of my carry-on bag (I could only have one bag, and I was not about to pay nearly $70 to check one, so I had to fit three weeks’ worth of stuff into ONE bag!), I flew off to Turkey, where I sit now, being called to prayer for the second time today! There was a bit of confusion about how I needed to get to my hotel, but it ended up only being about $15 to get from the airport to the hotel using Havas bus and taxi, and I thought that was a pretty good deal. So that’s that! The hotel manager is very nice and answered all my questions, and I even got to choose which room I wanted. I thought the two they showed me looked the same, so I just picked the last one he showed me and here I sit! Dan ought to be on his way to the hotel now, and Andrea will be here around 10 tonight (her flight gets in at 8:30 pm).

And now the great Turkish Skirmish can begin, my friends! 

Switzerland: Where Cutting the Cheese is a Way of Life!

As usual, three days in Switzerland went by in a flash! Holger, the preacher at the church here, picked me up from the airport Wednesday afternoon and dropped me off with Rosanna, one of the ladies from church. It was so nice to catch up! We made lunch and went for a walk to a park close to her house. Then I spent some time at the church visiting with Holger and "Grandma Moses"--a.k.a. Alice. =) She recognized me and promptly gave me a love swat on the behind. I love my family. ;)

Simona came over after work and took me to supper. We picked up Dudem (which is Turkish food) and walked over to the Rhine where we sat and ate and talked. And then I was in for a special treat... gelatto! Simona got chocolate and I got vanilla (made with sheep's milk!). We got together so very well. =) Again, it is SO nice to talk in person! She and I Skype pretty often and we keep up on e-mail and Facebook, but it's definitely better to talk face to face in real life!

And then... church! The crazy touchy-feely American (me) got to hug everyone, which was SO great! People were happy to see me and I got to meet new baby Jessica. I also got to see Bianca for the first time in over a year, and Nicki for the first time since November--Simona, Bianca, and Nicki are my "Swissters." =) Of course it was great to see Ben and Chris again, and Margrit and Dan Steinhauer as well. I wish you all could meet them, too! There's an American family who attends there now, too. The mom works for a Swiss company, and they just moved here a few months ago from Kentucky. I haven't met the mom yet (she was away for business), but it was great to meet the dad and the daughter! It was nice not to be the only one there who needed a translator (Ben and Chris do the translating for me when I'm there). I usually feel like such a bother, but if it's more than just me, I'm ok with that!

After church I got to spend the night with Nicolas and Anita and baby Jessica. She's so cute! Pictures soon to follow... I was honored to share my room with Nicolas's guitars! It's so funny to see people outside of America who love country music--he likes Johnny Cash and thinks it's so cool that I'm from Nashville! =) I love it.

Here in Switzerland it's been extremely hot and humid. While it's quite comfortable to me after the summers I'm used to in TN and VA/DC, they don't have air conditioners here because they usually don't need them. It's been quite a shock to the Swiss! Be thankful for your A/C, everyone! Anyway, I say that because they have really neat windows here. They can open from the side AND from the top, which helps with air flow. It's really nice to be able to sleep with the windows open! =)

Thursday morning, we had breakfast (cold cuts, bread, jam, butter, and cheese) and played with the baby, then started out for Solothurn ("solo-toon"), which is a very old city--it reminded me of Old Town Alexandria! There were buildings from the 1000s, which was pretty amazing to see! We walked all around on the stone streets, stopped for coffee at a little cafe, and walked over by the river. The we stopped at another cafe for some ice cream (I got the "Alexandria", which is a scoop of vanilla, two scoops of caramel ice cream, whipped cream, and caramel sauce--wow!), and sat for a little while. It's amazing how much we found to talk about even though we don't all speak the same language! I'm going to start giving Nicolas English lessons on Skype, and they taught me quite a bit of Swiss-German while I was there! We got home and made a pizza--yes indeed, more cheese!

Thursday night we had a Bible study with some of the others from church. About 8 people came to Nicolas and Anita's to study about the New Testament and how the prophecies in the Old are fulfilled in the New. Again, someone had to translate for me, but I think I actually pay more attention when I'm in a place where I have to try and interpret what's being communicated. I like it! Afterward we ate dessert and talked a little more--again, amazing when you don't even speak the same language. =) And then I was pooped and went to bed when everyone left. =) Good day.

The next day, we loaded up and went to church to fix lunch. I got to help! Anita and I set the table and cut up vegetables for salad while Nicolas fixed up some other things, and then I cut the cheese--for the Greek salad, thank you. ;)

Several people came, and we even had a couple of visitors. Grandma Alice and I exchanged punches (I was at a bit of a disadvantage since I didn't have crutches like she does!), and I got to catch up with Margrit over lunch. Afterward I went over to Holger and Francie's, It was so nice to see her for a little bit before she had to leave for work. We had a couple of interesting and lengthy discussions about some Bible topics, which was great! Hendrich and Kerstin (the kids) fixed supper (salad, bread, and cheese) before Kerstin and I went to Simona's for a girls' Bible study. =) It was Bianca, Simona, 5 girls, and me, and we talked about priorities. Simona did a great job with the lesson!

Sleeping arrangements were interesting last night. Simona was in her room, I got to be in the guest room, and Bianca slept on the balcony! She likes it out there, she said! I was afraid she'd get too cold (the weather cooled off quite a bit yesterday evening!), but she said it was fine! This morning Simona and I made muffins, and the three of us have been taking it easy today! Nicki came over for lunch and stayed for a while until she had to go to work, so it was so nice to be with all three of my "Swissters!" =) Now we're about to go for a walk and just waiting for 7:00 when Simona, Bianca, and I will meet up with Ben and Chris. Fun times!

More to come. Hopefully you'll get to know the Swiss brothers and sisters here vicariously through me. =)

Gute Morge! ("Goo-ta Mor-ga" for all us non-Swiss German speakers!)

Wednesday morning I got up and heard about the earthquake in Richmond/DC, and I'm kind of bummed I missed it! Now comes Irene--not sorry I'm missing that! Thankfully I have a friend checking on my house. Here's hoping for no basement flooding!

Breakfast on Wednesday was interesting. The Turkish really do have olives at every meal! (I don't like olives--this could be a problem!) But there were also all sorts of interesting cheeses and fruits and such. I like eating my way around the world. =)

Getting to the airport was an adventure in itself. Took the hotel shuttle back to Ataturk airport, where I caught the Havas Bus to Taksim (an area in the middle of Istanbul, where people switch from one bus to the other to get from the European side of Istanbul across the straight to the Asian side). Switched buses in Taksim, then rode on to Sabiha-Gokcen Airport. The whole trip took about an hour and 15 minutes, and it was only 22 Turkish Lira, which is around $12.50. Not bad, I thought! Plus I got to see a lot of Istanbul! It amazes me how compact everyone else int he world is, and they just go with it. Their roads and cars are a lot smaller, and things are just close together. I like having wide open spaces, but it's not impossible to live a lot smaller (i.e. efficiently). The thing I really noticed about riding in Turkey was that the lines don't really matter until someone is already coming into your lane! Glad we don't plan on driving while we're there!

Next nervous experience... checking in at the airport! I had to check in at the desk, and the real trial was going to be making sure my luggage fit into the compartment. Yes, I had to fit everything for three and a half weeks into ONE bag! I checked and rechecked the dimensions and weight limitations online before I left home, and I was certain I'd be fine... till I got to the check-in counter! Seeing the box I'd have to fit the bag in, I started to wonder where I'd gone wrong in my measurements! (Yes, I made sure I was measuring in centimeters!) Please keep in mind checking a bag is expensive when traveling in Europe--moreso than in the US. I could have checked one bag online for around $30 (25 Swiss Francs), and if I had to check it at the airport, it was going to be $50 (40 Swiss Francs)! And the limit is truly one bag--not a carry-on and a purse, everything has to fit in the carry-on!

When I got up to the front of the line, I had to face the music and try to fit my bag into the box provided. It just fit! Whew! I approached the counter and the lady asked me if I was checking my bag. I confidently said no, and she looked skeptically at the bag. "Can I see?" She asked me. She was not snarky, just doing her job, so I happily said, "Sure!" It fit again (whew!), and she gave me a cabin label to put on the bag so I could be on my way! Ironically enough, the label ripped when I went to put it on the bag, but I had it just the same, so I was good to go. Just saved myself $50! =)

The flight was about 3 hours, I had a window seat, and while I ended up sitting next to a couple of kids, one of the French flight attendants was cute, so I have no complaints. =)

And then I was in Switzerland! The adventure continues...

Gobble Gobble!

Merhaba, arkadaşlar! (Hello friends!) Here I am in Turkey, having just heard about the earthquake in DC. Sorry I missed it, but praying everyone and everything is safe! 


So begins my "Turkey and Swiss" adventure. =) 

Interesting Turkish Hotel tidbit: Saving Electricity

So I was having trouble turning on the lights when I walked into my hotel room after arriving in Istanbul (this was after nearly 24 hours of constant awakeness, going to the wrong hotel first, and definitely only getting 4 ounces of coffee or less on the plane that morning!). I was a bit discouraged.

I saw no switches, just these silver plastic square things that you push on the walls. I assumed this was the light “switch”. So I pushed them. Nothing happened! There was another square silver thing above one of the assumed switches, only this one looked like it had a slot for my key card. So being the intelligent American I pretend to be, I put my card in… nothing! And then… about 10 seconds later… light! Lo and behold—problem solved. Sort of.

So, Turkish outlets are different from American outlets. I thought this would be the case, but I was actually pretty surprised to find it’s even different from the ones they have in Switzerland—which I thought was European standard, but maybe I just made that up in my head.

At any rate, I needed to be able to charge my computer, but neither the plug-in nor the converter I’d brought with me worked! Only minimally deterred, I decided to make the most of the battery I still had and get online to let people know I’d arrived safely. None of the connections worked! There were three different wireless networks, but none of them gave me any connectivity. Oh goodness. After finagling and reading instructions on a card I found on the table, I decided I needed to ask for assistance. I’m a girl. I can do that. But I still don’t like to do it!

I knew I’d seen on the website that this hotel provides free wi-fi, so I went downstairs (taking my key card out of the slot and bringing it with me) to see if maybe it was only available in the lobby. And there was the connection! And then it asked for my username and password. Defeat was upon me as I realized I would indeed have to ask for help. When I walked to the front desk, the nice Turkish bellhop handed me a card—they were waiting for me to go ask! Ha! I thanked him and at long last was able to get word out that I was still alive!

And then I took a nap! I know they tell you not to do that when you travel because it’ll take longer to get over the jetlag, but between the screaming kid behind me in addition to the normal hustle and bustle of a plane, I might have gotten an hour of sleep—but not a deep nor restful hour to say the least! Quick Whit was swiftly becoming Poopy-Disgruntled-Fussy-Whit, so I decided it was in everyone’s best interest for me to take a nap. Right decision=made!

Six hours later (woohoo!), I went back downstairs to get online again and ask about getting a Turkish outlet converter. The guy at the front desk pulled one out to let me borrow, but it still didn’t fit with my computer plug. He said in my room there’s a black box on the table with an outlet like the one I needed—it was in my room the whole time! So that’s where I’m plugged in right now. =)

Lights on, air conditioner figured out (on a panel on the wall with the bed-side light buttons), Clif Bar consumed, it was time to shower! That one was pretty easy, thank goodness! Moment of genius: the sliding doors on the shower are magnetic so when you close them, they don’t bounce apart. Genius.

So, ready for bed (don’t think I’ll have any trouble going to sleep, even after a 6-hour nap!) and thinking I’d like to write a blog post and read before bed, I decided to go ahead and take out the key card from the wall (I didn’t need the light over there anymore, and I can’t figure out how to turn in off while the key card is in the slot) and only use the light next to my bed. Ten seconds after I took out the card, everything shut off! My computer wasn’t charging, the air conditioning shut off, and I couldn’t turn on the bedside light. It was then I realized it—when the card is in the slot, there is power; when the card is not in the slot, there is not! Call my a snobby American, but I’ll readily admit I find this to be a bit inconvenient. But if your objective is to save power, this is a great idea!

Moral of the story: if you stay at the Wow (pronounced “Whoa”) Airport Hotel in Istanbul, know that it is easily confused with the Airport Hotel that is actually connected to the airport, and know that when you get to your room, you will need to put your card in the slot on the wall if you want to have power. I love to travel!

Side note: going to the bathroom in the middle of the night was a challenge with the whole key card in the slot for any light at all thing. ;) 

And for my next trip… after breakfast (thankfully included in my stay!) I’ll head out to the other airport (flew into Ataturk, flying out of Sabiha-Gokcen) and go up to Switzerland to visit my Swiss family for a week! Thank you for joining me on this adventure. More to come!

Quick Whit