Tour d'Europa

Mimi, Kevin, and cousins Michael
and Juni

We were blessed with the opportunity to take an extended trip through Europe.  Our holiday began in Paris where we met up with Mimi's cousins who were traveling around Europe.  We had a wonderful time with them as we logged some serious miles walking.  Somehow we managed to see the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Arc d'Triomphe, and Notre Dame in one day.  It was a whirlwind tour, but thoroughly enjoyable.  The subsequent few days were a bit more leisurely as we saw some additional sites recommended by a friend who had lived in Paris for a time. (Thanks, Peter!!)

Notre Dame

Boat ride one evening

The Louvre

Arc de Triomphe

Napoleon's tomb 

Astronomical Clock

Next it was on to Prague, where again, we were thankful for the recommendations of friends who had previously lived in the city and knew where to go and what to do.  (Thanks April and Emily!!) Prague truly seemed like the intersection of the "East" (with more eastern European architecture) and "West" (with more western European architecture).  Some of our favorite sites included the "Astronomical Clock" which chimes every hour on the hour and introduces the onlookers to the 12 apostles (who peek out of doors at the top of the clock), walk/hike up and around Petrin Hill, views from the Prague Castle, vendors on the Charles Bridge who were natives and sold handmade crafts and art, and the Jan Hus (aka "John Huss") memorial, another life martyred because of his views of scripture and his desire for reformation in the church.  He was burnt at the stake in 1415 and is said to have influenced Martin Luther.

Petrin Tower (aka "Little
Eiffel Tower", deja vu??!!)

Pilsner Urquell

Monument to Jan Hus in Old Town Square

These videos are of the chiming Astronomical Clock.  The above video does not give a good view of the Apostles, but gives a good sense of the whole clock.  The below video gives a better view of the Apostles looking out the small windows.  The small figurines on either side of the clock are supposed to be "Vanity" (looking at himself in the mirror), "Greed" (shaking his money bag), "Death", and "Pagan".

"Arbeit Macht Frei" above the entrance
translated "Work Brings Freedom"

From Prague we made our way to Krakow, Poland.  It was a long drive for European standards, the distance of nearly the entire Czech Republic and lasting nearly 6 hours.  We interrupted our journey to Krakow with a stop at Auschwitz.  We took a guided tour and I must admit that after more than 2 1/2 hours of seeing and hearing of the horror that occurred there, I was exhausted.  My mind simply could not fathom the complete disregard for and destruction of human life.  I was humbled and sickened by the truth spoken by Larry Crabb that "within ourselves we are more like Adolph Hitler than Jesus Christ".  The reality of my own heart is utterly horrific yet that is what makes grace so amazing.  My Savior, the Son of God, died for such a sinner as I.

Krakow Medieval Square and Market 

Friends from London

Polish President
Bronislaw Maria Komorowski

Church of the 12 Apostles

It's hard to move on from this point, but our journey continued and so I will as well.  During our brief stay in Krakow, we wandered through the Old Square and medieval market, the Jewish ghetto, and Jagiellonian University (established 1364 and second oldest (to Charles University (est 1348) in Prague) in Central Europe).  We enjoyed tea and cakes with some friends from London who are natives of Krakow.  They introduced us to some local cafes, restaurants, and cinemas.  We really enjoyed friendly faces and an insiders perspective on the city.  We also crossed paths with the Polish president, Bronislaw Maria Komorowski.  How amazing is that?! We were pretty excited and followed the crowd a bit as they passed in front of the Wawel castle.  The street leading to our car wasn't far from the castle, so we waved goodbye to the president and made our way to our hotel.

Happy 1st Anniversary!!!

 Our last, and final stop, was Vienna.  The time in Vienna was very short, but full.  We began it with a lovely dinner to celebrate one year of marriage.  It's hard to believe how quickly time has gone.  We are looking forward to many, many more years together!  God truly blessed us when he gave us each other!

Kunsthistorisches museum

Crucifixion of Christ (Bruegel)

Tower of Babel (Bruegel) 

Peasant Wedding Feast (Breugel)

Massacre of the Innocents (Breugel)

We only had one full day in Vienna, so we packed it with a visit to the Kunsthistorisches Museum where we saw incredible paintings by many Dutch and Flemish masters (such as Rembrandt and Pieter Bruegel).  (Thanks for the recommendation, Dad!!)  Then we made our way to the Schonbrunn Palace (a world cultural site) where we toured the state rooms, enjoyed a relaxing and beautiful carriage ride, ate a fantastic meal, and were awed by the Schonbrunn Orchestra.  We could not ask for a more wonderful time!

The only element of the trip that I would've changed was the 7 hour delay of our Easy Jet flight back to London.  The delay put us in to London around 2am and after attempting bus and train, we ended up waiting for a taxi ride.  Admittedly, it was the very best taxi ride of our lives as the driver had grown up in the "West End" of London and knew the city like the back of his hand.  He gave us a running commentary on the neighborhoods interrupted only by exciting stories from his Olympic fencing days.  Life never ceases to amaze me with its interesting twists and turns.