Known as one of the best places in Greece to watch the sunset, Cape Sounion doesn't disappoint! These pictures are actually from this last spring, as you can tell by the sweater. I'm looking forward to our time there with this summer's group!
On the mountain stands a temple to Poseidon, which makes sense, because it's surrounded by water on three sides. On the way there, my dad told us one of the Greek Mythology stories about how the Aegean Sea got its name. When we got to the temple, we had a worship service overlooking the calm waters and then took silly pictures in front of the temple!
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This last trip back to the US, we had a layover in Amsterdam, so my parents decided to make it a few nights. My mom's favorite flower is a tulip, and Amsterdam is famous for their pretty tulips, so we had to go to the Keukenhof Gardens one day. Tulips EVERYWHERE. There are so many different varieties and colors of tulips on display! I loved wandering aimlessly through the different groups of flowers. They had a rose exhibition, and oh, me oh, my! They had red, white, and blue roses; they had pink and green roses; they had every kind of rose imaginable! They had carnival-type booths selling popcorn, strawberries, hotdogs, and all sorts of fun food, so of course I had to get some strawberries and popcorn to make the day complete. ^^^ Currently my background on my phone. SO pretty! The Keukenhof Garden is more than a site. It's a smell, its a feeling. Flowers always bring me such joy, and it was such fun to spend a day at this beautiful place. If Amsterdam is on your list for places to visit, add a day for the gardens!
A little while ago we went snow skiing near Delphi, Greece. I've only been skiing a couple times before, and this time I learned how and felt comfortable by the end of the two days. At the very beginning, when I was putting my skis on, my mom said she was gonna video because she thought something funny was going to happen. After finally getting my skis on, I fell down trying to start moving. It was the funniest situation! I'm so glad she started videoing when she did! One of my favorite parts of the video is when I'm going across the slopes and everybody is passing me going super fast! At first it looks like I'm in slow motion, but then people zoom by me left and right! Needless to say, I was laughing at myself A LOT that day.
Greeks have a holiday called Clean Monday. It is the start of lent, and for the duration of lent, Greeks do not eat meat. On Clean Monday, kids are out of school, stores are closed, everybody is eating at their favorite seafood restaurant and flying kites on the beach. Last Monday was Clean Monday, so my family and a few others got in the van to go to the beach to fly kites with the locals! After searching, we found a place with some wind and tried to get the kite up in the air. It didn't work out, but it wasn't for lack of trying. The effort was definitely there! Greek kites are different than the ones I'm used to...even though we couldn't figure out how to get the kite in the air and keep it there, it was still fun to laugh at ourselves!
Guest author - my mom LorenBecause Facebook makes the world small and accessible, perhaps a year ago a distant Kopf cousin, Hannes, in Germany finds my name and "friends" me. We fill in some of the family tree, I send photos of gravestones from the family church and cemetery, and he sends a family tree dating back to 1656. We exchange emails, family documents (ship lists, copies of wills, etc.), and other information. This past Thanksgiving, my family sits around the kitchen table at my parents' house and discuss a recently received email from Germany, inviting us to visit the family village. Life is short. We are actually talking about possible dates. We reply to the invitation, grinning at each other and happily anticipating we-don't-know-what. March finds us visiting the Alsace region of France and marveling at the beautiful villages of Colmar, Eguisheim, and Ribeauville - the style of the buildings themselves nestled in the villages whose church steeples we see peeking out of the vineyards on the hillsides through which we journey. On the weekend, by way of Strasbourg, we drive north to the village of Morzheim, Germany (1,100 residents) outside of Landau (45,000 residents), a bit south of Frankfurt. This is why we're on this particular adventure. "Plans have been made," is an understatement of the time which generous families took to schedule our time and show us this special land of theirs. Distant Kopf cousins Hannes and Oliver and their families meet us at the address which they have supplied to me. They greet us with friendly faces and welcoming handshakes. We climb the staircase to the office of the Morzheim Rathaus and are introduced to the mayor of the village. Also present is a debonair gentleman who helps Hannes translate old German writing on documents that aid to complete the family tree into the modern language. We are invited to sign the Golden Book of Morzheim and take pictures together commemorating the visit. We feel honored. Hannes' sister and her family join us all in Landau for supper at Melanie's (Oliver's wife) favorite restaurant. It has modern decor, delicious food, a fun vibe. Hannes' sister's husband jokes that since he's married to a Kopf, of course they live in Morzheim. And my thoughts immediately go to Crockett, Mississippi. The Kopfs are connected to that land, so I understand his words. There's a comfort in sitting on the front porch at Crockett, sipping coffee, and gazing at the pecan trees that hoisted swings for us when we were kids. Somehow those trees seemed gigantic back then. Grandmother's daffodils and irises and roses still bloom, even though she passed when I was a girl. I can picture her making "snow" for the Christmas tree, bringing out the caramel popcorn, and telling stories with life-advice thrown in for good measure. My daddy remembers his grandfather telling stories on the porch and his great-grandfather donating the land for the church and cemetery in Crockett. Morzheim means to this set of German Kopfs what Crockett means to my Mississippi Kopfs. There's comfort in having a history with the land, knowing its hills and ponds and history. Hannes tells us that he will take us sight-seeing in Landau in the morning. And so we sleep a good rest. Hannes tells us that Landau means "our land" and has been a town since the Middle Ages. Daffodils and forsythia are the brightest decorations, and they are beautifully aplenty. We receive a German history lesson on the French and German borders and the World Wars, see the German doors/French doors, appreciate the old and modern architecture mix public library (Landau won a prize for this design), see the old city walls made of sandstone from the Palantine forrest, explore the Augustinian monastery church dated from 1404, talk with their organist who is a school friend of Hannes, see the garden walkway in the shape of a cross, walk through the marketplace "parades place" called by the French because of past troop parades, see Anne Frank's grandfather's house, and see a monument to French army. Hannes discusses the treatment of Jews regretfully as he points out golden bricks in the streets throughout the town honoring them. Yes, it was wrong, but it is important to remember and never forget. In my head, I compare the treatment of the Jews to the treatment of slaves in the southern United States. My daddy is thinking the same thing. He quietly says to me, "The Germans live with their scars, just as we Southerners live with ours." Lunch is at Oliver and Melanie's home. It's new construction, set at the edge of town, with the vines in every window's view. The boxwoods in the back border a tulip bed almost ready to burst. Bread in a huge pretzel shape contains sandwiches and is cut to share. Weisswurst, white sausage, with a sweet mustard sauce follows the sandwiches. The children are beautiful and happy. If I imagine looking at us from the outside, we are all a pretty picture in a lovely setting. Hannes picks us up for a walking tour of village Morzheim. He shows us the plot of land where Jacob Kopf lived, the church where he was baptized, and other Kopf homes (past and present) in the village. Cake and coffee are served to us by Hannes' parents in their home. Walnuts from their tree out back are given to us. Books with documents tracing "your Jacob Kopf" are pulled out and viewed. We marvel at the time and effort of Hannes and his family. Cousin Andreas' home and vineyard are where we learn about the grapes. So much knowledge and training is needed to produce grapes. We learn about their color, their temperature, the use of snails instead of pesticides for pests for organic wine in his vineyard, the pruning and training of the vines, the relatively short time harvesting takes depending on the method, and the long time the fermentation takes. Andreas and his wife Suzanna and children are kind and outgoing hosts, making us extremely comfortable. Eating German food is an experience - sausage at every turn! Supper takes place at a traditional restaurant in Morzheim. Ann-Clayton and I share bratwurst, sauerkraut, and flambé. Clay and my daddy go with the sampler platter. Celebration abounds around the table. As time passes, things slow down, except for our table, so the owner takes us to a museum room displaying farm tools, a grape backpack, and photographs from years gone by. He plops down with us, and we leave a few conversations later, droopy-eyed. What joy we've shared with these long-lost cousins who stopped their lives to be generous to us. At breakfast on the morning of our departure from Landau, we dissect every conversation and revel in the days spent here. People make life special. Places are interesting and beautiful, but it's the people with whom we share our lives that make us full. And the more connections and experiences we share, the more meaningful life becomes to us. We will discuss the love and hospitality shown to us by our distant Kopf cousins of Morzheim for years to come. Our lives are better because we are now connected to them. May we show love to others, as we've received love from them.
Last weekend, we went to the famous Greek island of Santorini. It was so relaxing, with our group having no set schedule. The first day, my family and some students hiked from Oia to Fira, taking in picturesque views. At one point, I was wondering if I would ever arrive in Fira. The uphill trek was exhausting, so we took what my mom called, "nature appreciation stops." Crazy winds made me discombobulated! Finally, we saw the golden arches in Fira. Not kidding - we ALL ate and sat for a long time at McDonald's.
I loved exploring the hilly, stair-stepped streets of Oia, our home base for the weekend. Several places that I recognized from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants stood out to me. The house that Lena stayed in, the port where she met Costas, and the blue domed churches all made me excited to be right where Lena was in the movies! Also in Oia, listed as number two on the "Europe's 10 Most Beautiful Bookstores" list, Atlantis Books is packed with first-editions of classics and books normal people can buy haha! It's easy to spend a lot of time in the cute little shop. Since we were on Santorini in February, work crews were busy getting the town ready for the summer tourists. Painting houses and repairing tiled pathways, the men worked into the night. These guys use donkeys to haul tools and supplies to and from their projects, and the donkeys leave their evidence, to say the least. It was cool to see this behind-the-scenes action that tourists don't typically see. Santorini is amazing, and I would recommend this island to anyone who travels to Greece for sure. Put Santorini on your travel list! My mom's class goes sailing for an assignment (how cool is that?!), and my dad and I got to tag along! Greece has around 6,000 islands, 200+ of which are inhabited, so being on the water is an important part of the Greek culture. The sailor man looked exactly like what you would imagine a Greek sailor would look like - brown leathery skin, squinty eyes, cigarette in hand. He let me steer the boat around the bay while he was adjusting the sails! Also on the voyage, Daddy and I jumped in the Aegean Sea! We brought our snorkels and flippers, so we set out to look at fish in the clear waters. We saw so many fish - I wish I had a picture! One of those underwater cameras would have come in handy! Hint hint, Mom and Dad!
Usually, I see the boats on the water when I'm on land, but this time I got to look at the town from the water. The view from our town from the water was different than I'm used to, reminding me the importance of purposefully looking at things through a different lens every now and then. Another great day in Rome started with a great croissant. The waiter at Suggestum Cafe said it was filled with white chocolate cream, and it was wonderful. After breakfast, we started our day by going to the Crypt that is UNDERNEATH our hotel. Bones of the monks make decorations. Some of us thought it was disgusting. Others thought it was quite beautiful in its own creepy way. Then we took the metro to Santa Maria Della Vittoria. There, we saw St. Theresa on Fire. After that, we ventured to Piazza del Popolo, where we went into the church of Santa Maria del Popolo and saw two Carrivaggio paintings, "The Conversion of Saul" and "The Crucifixion of Peter." It's interesting how he uses light to show the subject of the painting. After twirling like crazies in the piazza, we taxied to Castel Sant' Angelo. The outside on the bridge is the best part! After some fun jumping pictures and selfies, we ate lunch and entered the amazing Vatican Museum. We went through the Raphael rooms and saw the School of Athens! The fresco shows all the greatest thinkers of all time until that point in history. It's crazy that Raphael would even think to put himself in it! Soon, we entered the Sistine Chapel. Woah. The entire room is covered with pretty paintings of bible stories. In the center of the ceiling is the iconic scene where God creates man, and behind the alter, it shows the Last Judgement. There seems to be such chaos shown in that fresco. We exited the chapel into St. Peter's basilica. St. Peter's has so many intricate details everywhere you look. At the entrance, we saw a Pieta by Michelangelo. It's hard to believe he sculpted it when he was 25. In the center aisle there were names of other big churches to show where they fit in the biggest church in the world, St. Peter's. Super cool. Rome was PACKED. There were some tired feet after walking so much, but it was definitely worth it!
I love Rome. I love the beautiful Italian language, the wonderful Italian people, the amazing Italian gelato, and everything in-between! We had only two days this go-round. NOT enough, but we sure did a lot. After landing in Rome, we bused to St. Paul's Outside the Walls basilica. It is one of the four major churches of Rome. The basilica has lots of columns outside surrounding the entrance and a statue of Paul. Next, we went inside the old Etruscan walls and ate lunch at the Colosseum. It's so cool to walk by what I've seen in so many movies! We got to go inside to check out where the Gladiators fought, so of course that was neat! After the Colosseum we went inside the forum. We saw the Arch of Titus, Temple to the Vestal Virgins, Arch of Septimius Severus, Basilica of Maxentius, and more! Then we stopped at the Mamertine Prison. It was very meaningful to be at the place where Paul wrote 2 Timothy, and to read some verses from that letter at that location. We're not even close to done yet! We taxied (thanks, Daddy!) to St. Peter's in Chains, where we saw the supposed chains that held Peter when he was in prison in Rome. Also there, we saw a statue of Moses by Michelangelo! We learned that due to an incorrect translation, there are horns coming out of Moses head instead of rays of light, which I found odd. Next, we took the metro to San Giovanni in Laterano, which is the most important basilica in the world (even more important than St. Peter's) and is known as "The Mother of all Churches in Rome and of the World." Across the street we saw the Holy Steps and got gelato! Then we taxied to the Pantheon where we peaked inside and then had free time for supper. I had pizza! The group met back at Piazza Navona, where the Fountain of the Four Rivers stands. After taking selfies with the new selfie stick, we walked to the Trevi Fountain. There, we had MORE gelato! Rome is known as the City of Fountains, and rightfully so! The ones we've seen are so elaborate and beautiful. What a great way to end the day!
This spring, while we visited the Strasbourg area in northeast France, we decided we wanted to make a day trip to Luxembourg! We got there at lunch time and ate Mexican Food. That's right, in Luxembourg. But we had a craving that had to be met, so there you go! After lunch, we walked around to see the Grand Ducal Palace and stepped inside the Notre Dame Cathedral. At the palace, royalty waved at us when they were exiting the grounds! We saw them on a china plate at a souvenir shop, so we know they were legit!
I loved wandering the pretty streets and peering through the windows of shops. I even found a snow globe to add to my collection! |
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I'm a girl traveling the world with my parents and have had many wonderful experiences. I'm very thankful. Archives
June 2017
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