Family and Travel

Day 1

Flew to Munich (the airport where my stopover was planned) and found my way to the massive train station. There were about twenty different tracks with so many lines and numbers that I had to ask for help twice. This was the first of many times that I thought about how methodical and efficient the Germans were, but their systems can be difficult to understand for those who were not born in this mechanized land of robots. I boarded an inter-city speed train and waited for an attendant to help me decipher my ticket. I eventually maneuvered through the aisles with my luggage and found my seat.

The train zoomed through the countryside to Frankfurt. I was not well prepared with no alarm, no way of checking time, no records of my hostel booking, and no information about the flight that my parents were coming in on. I walked around the airport trying to figure out how to get to my hostel that was supposed to be near the airport. I began to fret when the information attendant I was talking to mentioned that I could call one hotel that offered joint rooms, and after some difficulty, the impatient receptionist confirmed that I had a reservation. I found a shuttle to take me to the hostel where I discovered a reception desk embattled with a couple frustrated guests, so I tried to be very kind but they were still a bit impatient with me. I hung around for a while and avoided buying any of the expensive food before going to bed early.

Day 2

During the early morning, I woke up several times to check what the time was by turning on the TV. As the time approached, I took the shuttle back to the airport and checked the arrivals board. There were a few flights that fit the criteria from my memory so I ran around the terminals waiting for my parents. Eventually, I was confident that they were on a flight that had been delayed, so I sat down to wait. When they arrived we caught up for a bit before picking up our Opel rental car and driving east to Rothenburg. After some struggles getting used to the manual transmission and the organization of European roads, we found our way to our destination by depending on our conveniently included on-board GPS.

We checked into our bed and breakfast home on the outskirts of the old walled town. Many of the sights had closed already, so we wandered through the town, into the gardens, and around the walls for different perspectives of this wonderfully preserved medieval city originating in the 11th century. It is located in the Franconia region of Bavaria and it felt more like home when I realized that I had been there before on my touring choir trip 7 years ago by locating the sword shop. I had hardly eaten much the past couple days, so I was happy when we shopped for a lunch of fruits, vegetables, cheese, and bread. In the evening, we returned to the main square to join the famous Night Watchman's Tour where we learned about life in the middle ages. The day was wrapped up by eating dinner on the moonlight cobblestone square.

Day 3

We ate a European breakfast with bread, jam, cheese, lunch meet, cereals, and tea or coffee. Our first stop was the Town Hall tower to get a bird’s-eye view of the city and its surroundings. We went on to visit the Medieval Crime and Punishment Museum with all sorts of instruments and documents related to torture and executions during the middle ages. Finally, we entered the large Cathedral with a beautiful wood-carved altar piece that was incredibly tall and intricate.

Finished in Rothenberg, we drove back west to head along the Romantic Road through the Rhine Valley. We stopped for a surprisingly brief river cruise spotting the Laureleye on our way to St. Goar. After landing, we hiked up and along the ridge to Rienfels Castle with commanding views of the river valley below. This castle had tunnels that had been rigged with explosives to kill those approaching the walls. It was captured by the French during their expansion following the French Revolution.

We took the train back to our car and drove to our hotel in Bacharach. Our cozy room was in an old lookout tower. We decided to eat dinner at hotel restaurant along the railroad tracks. I joined some other patrons to watch the start of the Euro Cup game as they discussed how useful Rick Steve's guides where but questions were raised about his recommendations being purchased. This was amusing because we, and it seemed that everyone else had his guidebooks. Afterward, we wandered the old city explored the skeleton of an incomplete cathedral on top of a wooded hill. That night we heard sighs of disappointment in the streets as Italy scored two goals to defeat the German team.

Day 4

We had a basic breakfast before driving along the Rhine and Mosel valleys. All along the Rhine, there are little towns at each break in the cliffs and hills that flank the river. The buildings are squeezed into this valley and each has an impressive church because this was the center of town life and an important status symbol among the wealthy trading towns of the region. Our first stop was at a trailhead leading to a castle through a beautiful forest with a winding stream and a variety of flora that reminded me of Oregon. Burg Eltz is the only Rhine castle to never be captured because of its isolated position at the top of a steep hill away from the river. All the rooms and facilities needed for daily life were richly decorated and connected by a network of stairways and passages.

After returning to the car, we drove south into Mains to meet Jo and the Christopher Dock Touring Choir for their final concert on their European tour. We found the church and used their bathrooms to change, but when Dad came back to the car he was followed by a maintenance woman speaking frantically with a well-dressed gentleman and pointing at Dad. Turns out, a piece of the toilet seat had popped off as he was changing and the maintenance woman wanted just compensation. After inspecting, the gentlemen who managed the church remarked that it was just a trifle and that we should not worry about it. Another random tidbit, before the concert, I heard some German kids repetitively saying “spaghetti”, which is ridiculous because there was a women who I remember spazing about spaghetti when I was in Austria 7 years before.

When the choir arrived, Jo ran into the sanctuary barefoot and jumped on me to give me a hug, which may have been a bit much for the elderly German audience, but I walked us back out and it was a nice Moment. The concert was very moving because it felt like I was coming back home to a safe place, to a community with a sense of depth and tradition that I had grown accustomed to. For much of the concert I had tears in my eyes as I felt some of the disappointment, anxiety, and emptiness from my stretching experience in Albania give way to feelings of safety, beauty, and wonderful memories grounded in my home community as the music resonated in my soul. After the concert, we ate at a local pub where I enjoyed a tall Weissbier that set the standard for future beer tasting. We returned to the hotel where the choir was staying for the night so that Jo could spend the last night with her friends. 

Day 5

In the morning we headed south into Strasbourg and then through the Alsace region of France. There were several picturesque towns sprinkled in amongst the rolling fields of vineyards. We stopped at a vineyard to try some wine and at a market in one town. After having only a pastry for breakfast, we pulled to the side of the road and sat under a row of grapes in someone's vineyard to enjoy the local fair of cheese, bread, and sausage along with a tasty Pinot Grigio.

The largest city in the region was Colmar, which was chosen by Voltaire for his getaway residence allowing him to escape quickly across the German border when the French government became upset with him. The city is compared to Venice because of several canals that run through the city along with many Renaissance era buildings. We walked through the old town for a while and visited the Cathedral which contained an evocative Madonna who is showing discomfort at the thought of the terrible destiny she knows awaits her child.

We then drove south and under a tunnel into Switzerland. The landscape soon changed to the green rolling hills iconic to Switzerland. In the late afternoon we reached Lake Luzern and stopped for a dip in the water that looked temptingly soft. We watched a storm rumble overhead before the light of the sun broke like a glittering spotlight onto a church steeple below. With limited options, we at a small cafe above the lake where it was obvious few people ordered food. We parked the car and took a cable car up to the top of the mountain to our hotel, which was our first experience of the yodeling altitude. Mom, Dad, and I decided to use the last light to hike across the ridge where we were struck by all the cow bells echoing across the valley.

Day 6

We descended back to the lake to board a boat cruise along the lake. It was cloudy and raining dimming the views and comfort, but this was typical Swiss weather, which is why all the hills are so green. We floated past towns and resorts before disembarking at Luzern. The main site in the city is the wooden bridge built across the bay as a defense preventing water access within city. After crossing the bridge, I led us into the Cathedral where we paused for prayer and discussed church traditions. 

Next, we headed to the stone-carved dying lion that commemorates the commonality of war among the divided Swiss Cantons. There are 26 cantons that formed an alliance in 1291 to form the Swiss Federation. Each was politically distinct with its own government. The country does not share a common ethnic identity so its commonality is found through history and their commitment to federal democracy. This may be why the Swiss seem to have less national fervor than the surrounding nations.

While walking through the streets, I peeked my head into a McDonald's to see the prices and I found that it was about $15 for a big Mac sandwich, probably one of the most expensive in the world. Our last stop was the old city walls guarding the land-side of the city. After climbing one tower for a disappointing view, I decided to meet the others back at the docks while I ran back the long way to explore some more of the city along the water.

Boarding our boat, we rushed to get back to our car and drive to the fascinating Furgen bunker museum before it closed. This WWII era bunker has been preserved as a museum revealing that the Swiss gave Hitler good reason to allow them to remain neutral in the war. The mountains of Switzerland form a nearly impenetrable citadel protected by a network of underground defensive positions arranged with deadly calculation. Switzerland has a long history of Neutrality and they have profited from this by becoming a secure location to store vast wealth, including some of the Nazi treasure confiscated from Holocaust victims. The bunker had all the facilities of an army base allowing the defenders to survive in isolation for an extended period of time.

That evening we drove back into town to eat and agreed on an Americana diner for some comparatively cheap food and some delicious Eickhoff brew. Since it was raining, we did not have much to do so we relaxed in our room and turned on the TV (the only time on our trip) to watch the Euro Cup final as the Spanish trounced Italy.

Day 7

In the morning we made our final descent down toward the lake and began our drive to the Interlaken area. We stopped at the huge open-air Swiss cultural museum that contained complete traditional villages from all the different cantons of Switzerland. The rain was a minor bother, but did not stop us from having fun waltzing and pushing Jo on a wheel chair through these dwellings that preserved a more simple time. There was workers making cheese, woodworking, smithing, weaving, and taking care of animals just as they would have done centuries ago. During our time in Switzerland I was keeping my eye open for any connections to my family history. The Mininger family (Mom's side) is mostly Swiss with some German strewn in while the Benner side is mostly German with some Dutch influence. While I did not see anything connected to these names, in the open-air museum we did see a farm dedicated mostly to making wine labeled with the Ziegler name.

After several hours at the museum, we drove into town and purchased some instant soup to accompany our bread, cheese, and wine before ascending a steep cable car into the quaint village of Gimmelwald. Not sure if we had arrived at the right place, we eventually let ourselves into the house where we were staying and put together a meal in and enjoyed each other’s company and crazy antics.

Day 8

We ate our left-overs for breakfast then walked to the cable and ascended to the next level of the mountain into the touristy town of Murren. From there we took a cog rail car up the mountain for a 360 degree panorama view of clouds and fog. We prayed for Joanna's foot and for the weather to clear so that we could see God's wonderful creation because we had so far missed out on the majestic mountains hiding behind the fog.

Together we hiked a winding trail through the hills and meadows covered with wildflowers. There were cows grazing and heavy-beamed cabins with bells hanging on the front revealing that this was Swiss chocolate country. The fog along with the vegetation and rock formations at one point reminded me of a Japanese painting. Further along the mist began to blow, so we sat in patient expectation for a glimpse of the snow-capped peaks. As the clouds parted slightly, the mountains came in so far above what we were looking for that it was perhaps more memorable to have experienced them in this manner.

It was a long descent back down to Gimmelwald and we were glad Jo was able to make it the whole way. In town we enjoyed one of our favorite dinners at the youth hostel where I enjoyed meat and potatoes smothered with a creamy mushroom sauce along with a tall and remarkably sweet and smooth Schneider Weiss beer. I took a stroll with Mom and Dad around the town greeting the local farm animals before retiring to sleep.

Day 9

The next morning we woke up and were delighted to see perfectly clear skies. We took a couple cable cars before boarding a cog-train that took us up the Jung-Frau range.  We left Jo to ride to the top on the train as we picked up another cable car to our desired trailhead. The following hike was one of my favorites as we walked along a high ridge with more rugged rocks and sprucy vegetation to distract the eye from the magnificent view that spread across the valley below. After some winding and careful treading along a detour, we turned around a corner to take in the full three-peak majestic view of the Jung-Frau. I ran up the mountainside to get a more panoramic view but I very quickly was gasping for air because I was not used to the high altitude. I took some pictures by a lake with a surface that reflected the snowy mountains like a mirror.

We then descended all the way to our car and tried to find a road that was not closed due to the rising flood waters. Our GPS was able to calculate an alternate route and we began to climb the hairpin turns into the Alps. Driving through the rain, we arrived and had to take a train into the quaint resort town of Zermatt that sat deep in the valley below the shadow of the surrounding peaks. It was a long walk in the cold rain so we decided to simply eat in the hotel restaurant, which was good because the waiter gave us a lot of helpful information to plan our hiking for the next day.

Day 10

In the morning we took an underground train up to our chosen trail and we left Jo at the lower lookout to climb up the mountain. There was wonderfully different vegetation again and we were amazed by the bright blue, red, orange, purple, and yellow flowers of all types. I ran on farther to the top discovering a pack of mountain goats who were a bit perturbed by my presence, but I skirted by to find a more clear view of the glaciers and peaks on the other side of the ridge. We descended back down the same path, but now faced the majestic panorama of peaks rising yet still far above us. The peak of Zermatt remained veiled but we were able to catch its unique facade through the clouds.

We know headed south through the mountain passes into Italy. "Its hard to dance, with the devil on your back, so shake him off." The tight hairpin curves that navigated the slopes did not leave much room for error as the earth gave way below on the other side of the guardrail. As we reached the top the weather got ugly with heavy wind and rain to accompany bitter cold. Stopping along a glacier lake, I tried to imagine Hannibal and his army of elephants crossing into Italy over the Alps. The crossing was incredibly daring as the Carthaginians lost almost a third of their army and most of the war elephants but put them in prime position to raid Roman Italy for several years.

When we came to the Italian border station we encountered a customs officer yelling at a truck driver for passing the line marking the place for vehicles to stop. Even at the border there was a different feeling. We were headed from the cold and calculated slopes of Switzerland into the hot and noisy Italian peninsula. I instantly noticed a difference in the condition of the road as we hit a few potholes and the shoulders began to tighten until we got into winding streets of town with several places too narrow for two cars to pass. There was also a marked difference in the organization, cleanliness, and upkeep between the countries. Yet the rustic beauty and historic richness of Italy was something that we were all excited for.

After driving around much of Lake Como, we eventually arrived in Bellagio and were checked into our large suite with a window overlooking the coast. The room liked like something that could be posted on Pinterest with a wooden floor, white couch, and window shades caressed by the wind. I took Mom and Dad on a walking tour recommended by Rick Steve’s through a couple villages around the coast and we met Jo by the main church at the top of the hill. It took a while to decide on the venue, but we eventually ate dinner along the lake and basked in our inaugural Italian meal. I had wonderful tranziotti pasta with a creamy ricotta and spinach sauce.

Day 11

We ate a nice breakfast at reception before crossing to the other side of the lack on the ferry. The most amusing run-in with our GPS named "Darla" happened during our lake crossing. It informed us that we were "off-road" in bright red letters as if we were in danger. Our GPS was critical to us getting around effectively, especially since many of the signs were in different languages and the road organization is very different than at home. There were a couple times where it led us the wrong way, once trying to take us down a closed service road, but overall we were grateful the car came with this feature that we did not think about beforehand.

We drove up the coast then took a boat taxi to Villa Balbianello since private property kept all other traffic cut-off. The villa was previously owned by “the most interesting man in the world” who was an explorer and collector of historic artifacts. The villa was featured in both Star Wars episode 2 and Casino Royal. The exquisite rooms featured collections from all over the world including beautiful porcelain pieces from the Tang and Ming dynasties of China. After our guided tour, we spent a lot of time in the incredible gardens and terraces with hanging ivy, arching branches, and shaped hedgerow perfectly groomed.

From Lake Como we drove south to the northwestern coast of Italy along the Lygurian Sea to the Cinque Terre (“five lands”). Several months before our arrival, there had been a series of severe rains that caused flooding and massive mudslides that damaged the roads and towns of the region. We needed to descend down several miles of twisting and precipitous dirt road that made us quite nervous because they were not wide enough for two cars, you could often not see around the turn, and washouts were common. Eventually, we made it to the parking lot, got a shuttle to Vernazza, and ascended hundreds of steps through beautiful winding alleyways to get to our rented room above the city. From the porch you could see across most of the city and the harbor that was built into break in the rugged slopes of the coast. This was perhaps the best view I ever had from a place I was staying.

We relaxed for a couple hours in the afternoon, explored the town, and swam in the harbor. Hard shells and calcium covered the rocks cutting up my feet and hands, but I found some interesting fish and anemones. The sea would rise and fall significantly in the harbor making it an adventure to climb onto the rocks where there was a place to jump about 25 feet into the sea. That night we went to a restaurant balancing on the tip of a promontory jutting out into the ocean. The region was known for its fresh seafood, so we got a delicious assortment of fish, crustaceans, and pasta as we gazed at the shimmering lights dotting the coastline.

Day 12

The next day was dedicated to exploring the other 4 cities: Monterosso al Mare, Manarola, Riomaggiore, and Corniglia. Much of the allure of the region is the lack of modern or corporate development. The towns are unreachable by car and are connected by boats, footpaths, and a railroad. All the buildings are traditionally built and painted with bright colors creating a wonderful collage. We started by taking the boat down the coast to Riomaggiore where we walked up the main street full of life, peaked in a church, then descended back to the harbor to climb around on the rocks.

We boarded and rode the boat from this end to the other giving us wonderful views of each town along the way. Corniglia was the only town that was not centered around a harbor because it was built high into an indentation in the rising slopes. At the end, we disembarked at Monterosso al Mare, by far the biggest and most touristy of the towns. There was a long beach area for people to sunbath and the streets were full of shops and ice cream. Because Jo was still limited in her movement, we took the boat back and left her to enjoy the views of Vernazza, while we took the train to Manarola.

We walked around the harbor and basked in the sun before marching on to locate the trailhead for our coastal hike back to Vernazza. Walking among the flora and fauna gave a whole new perspective on the region as we snaked through olive groves, paused for coastal views, and climbed above the towns. We stopped at our house to grab Jo before eating an early dinner in the square by the harbor under a bouquet of vibrant umbrellas. By lingering in the square, we soaked in the night energy of this charming town as locals and tourists gathered to people watch and play games. They seemed to truly enjoy each other’s company and the relaxed pace of doing little. After we returned to our room, I ventured out through the streets and climbed up the hill to see if there was any nightlife. I ended up climbing into someone’s property to sit on a rock with a view above the city to be still before the Lord and to pray.

Day 13

In the morning we shuttled back to our car, ascended back up the twisting roads, and drove down the coast past Genoa to Pisa. Pisa was an important Renaissance city, but it famous almost completely due to its leaning tower. The leaning tower is actually the bell tower for the mighty city Cathedral and it sits in the stunning Piazza del Duomo including a huge columned baptistery and a monastery. Each of these beautiful white rock structures are wonderfully contrasted by a bright green lawn protected from visitors by ropes. The interior of the Cathedral feels like east meets west with a huge Christ as Pantocrator mosaic over the altar, striped columns, and several different colors of marble blending together with the typical Western elements of statues, painting, shape, and vaulting. Of course, we took the typical photos of us holding up or pushing over the leaning tower. The tower began leaning because its foundations were not deep enough for the weight, so the ground began to shift. Several efforts were made to stabilize the tower which is now safe because of huge steel supports running through the tower and deep into the ground.

Our next stop was Florence, the capital of Tuscany and the epicenter of the Renaissance. Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Giotto, Brunelleschi, Donatello, and Angelico were all from Florence and were at the forefront of artistic development. The city grew wealthy during the Middle Ages on the wool trade and the Medici’s soon rose to prominence as bankers. Lorenzo Medici was a great patron of the arts which helped launch the cities artistic achievements as well as Machiavelli’s writing of the Prince advocating an ends justify the means approach to politics.

We found our way into the city center marked by il Duomo and our rented room was overlooking the main square. After checking in, we wandered through the streets full of people down to the Palazzo Vecchio, the Romanesque fortress that served as the town hall for many centuries, situated on a square featuring tons of classical statues including a copy of Michelangelo’s David and busts of famous Florentines. At this point we visited the Uffizi Gallery displaying the combined Medici collection featuring all the great Renaissance artists. My favorite part about the museum was that it was arranged chronologically, which allowed me to seamlessly observe the artistic development from the Middle Ages, through the Early Renaissance, to the High Renaissance. My interest in the collection certainly surpassed the others who were waiting for half an hour for me to get through the exhibits.

We continued down to the Ponte Vecchio, the famous bridge across the Arno River with structures built into the side and a secret passageway above street level for the Medici’s to walk between the palace and their family residence. After further sauntering through the streets, we could not agree on a place to eat (a difference in approach to food and travel) but stopped at a place with tables outside under umbrellas for pizza, pasta, and salad. After returning to our room, Mom decided to come along with me to experience the city at night. We walked around the Duomo, the Palacco Vecchio, and listened to a concert in the square before bed.

Day 14

The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiori is one of the most impressive architectural achievements in the world. Completed in the 15th century after nearly 150 years, the dome was the largest dome in the world for nearly 5 centuries and remains the largest brick dome in the world. The huge bronze doors on the baptistery are known as the “Gates of Paradise” and they tell the stories of the Old Testament. The outside of the Cathedral decorated with stripes and squares of green marble contrasting masterfully with the white rock. While the interior is very plain and not impressive in comparison to other later Cathedrals, the dome is decorated with one of the largest paintings in the world.  We were able to climb up to the dome for the best view of the city below and an up-close look at the painting.

It was time to leave Florence and drive south to San Gimignano, the epitome of a Tuscan hill-town. Upon approach, you can take in the sun-baked, tiered city spiked with several watchtowers. Jo stayed out in the car while I led Mom and Dad up to the lookout that I had discovered during my spring break trip there with the students. The visited the church with an interior completely covered with painted scenes from the Bible and the lives of saints. On the way out, we stopped in a few of the countless artisan shops for Tuscan souvenirs.

After our brief visit we continued on to Siena, one of my favorite places in Italy. Once again, I led the way through the streets to the look-out treasures I had located. We quickly browsed the Basilica of San Domenico where Catharine of Siena is buried. The church had all the flags representing each neighborhood of Siena that most famously compete in the horse races held in the main square. From the basilica, we descended to the shell-shaped Piazza del Campo that slopes down toward the façade and soaring bell tower of the Palazzo Publico built in the 14th century. Mom and I visited the town hall that had rooms for government functions and was covered in frescoes that depicted secular themes which is incredibly rare for Italian art at this time. One memorable example was the Allegory of Good and Bad Government showing the consequences of both including the justice and prosperity brought on by virtuous republican government.

Although Siena boasts many beautiful sights, the highlight is certainly the Duomo. I described how the curvaceous striped columns, gothic arches, gilded chapels, and streaming light made it one of my favorite churches. Although still magnificent, the lighting was not as spectacular as it had been during my visit over spring break so it felt less magical. I did have more time to take in the details including the chapel of St. John the Baptist by Donatello.

We still had one more journey to make on our ambitious day before we could rest our heads. We drove to Orvieto, within striking distance from Rome, and checked into our sweet rooms that would have been great for a relaxing honeymoon. We ventured up the footpath into town and explored the streets until I used the tour book to locate a secluded eatery down an alleyway and we enjoyed some of the most tasty food on the trip.

Day 15

In the morning we were served a relaxing breakfast at tables in front of our rooms. The couple who owned the place grew and bottled their own olive oil, so Mom and Dad bought some as gifts. We packed up into the car then walked back into town. I had gone ahead to check out some Roman necropolis ruins along the cliffs of town and to visit the archaeology museum with thousands of artifacts and frescoes. We met back at the square to take in the wonderful façade of the Duomo that closely resembled the Cathedral in Siena, but seemed a little out of place in the small town of Orvieto.

We returned to the car and made a stop at the dramatic Civita di Bagnoregio mounted on top of an island of rock protruding from the land. Leaving Jo in the car, we climbed the long, arched bridge that leads up to the quaint town with small church and square and full of arched gateways and flowered terraces. We wandered around visiting the childhood home of St. Bonaventure that has since collapsed off the cliffs, a mill with fresh baked bruschetta, and steps through gardens leading to a tunnel passage under the town. Civita is just one of many Tuscan hill towns that were fortified on top of hills to protect their inhabitants and safeguarded many wonderful pieces of culture including artwork and churches.

It was finally time to go back to Rome, back to where we belong, the Coliseum. After navigating the busy streets, where every local owns a moped or mini-car, we checked into our hotel tucked into a side-street in the heart of the city. That afternoon we visited the nearby Pantheon, the largest dome of the ancient world, before scoping the streets to find a relaxing place to eat and enjoy the evening.

Day 16

That morning we had signed up for a guided tour through the Coliseum and Palatine Hill. It was awesome to go inside to hear how this behemoth was built and what had happened there. The building was partially funded by the conquest of Jerusalem after the Jewish revolt in 70 AD and it was greatly damaged by a fire at the beginning of the 3rd century. Much of the seating area and structure have been removed and damaged through the years by stone robbers. Seating around 80,000 the Coliseum was used for gladiator contests, mock naval battles, animal hunts, and executions. Below the ground was a network of tunnels, rooms, and elevators used to hold and transport the animals, slaves, and supplies used in the shows.

Our tour continued over to Palatine Hill where many emperors had built their own palace or other great structure to leave their mark.  At the end, we were able to look down into the Roman Forum. With the main markets just across the street, this was the political, religious, economic, and social center of Ancient Rome. This is where triumphal processions, elections, and speeches took place with statues and other structures commemorating the great men of Rome. I split off from the others to take a closer look at the extensive ruins and history contained here. The ruins today include the complex of the vestal virgins, the Temple of Jupiter, the Senate house, several churches, and government offices. I exited and climbed past the national museum to the Piazza del Campidoglio at the top of Capitoline Hill. This square was designed by Michelangelo who reversed the Roman orientation of the plaza to face the Vatican and the developing center of Rome rather than the ruins of the past as a symbol of Renaissance progress.

After taking in the ancient heart of the city, we met up and took a bus to the Catacombs of San Sebastian. We soon joined a tour that descended deep to into the cool labyrinth of passageways lined with tombs cut into the rocks. This was a natural meeting place for early Christians when they wanted to remain unseen, so there are plenty of Christian symbols and burials to be found. When we finished, we emerged into a church dedicated to San Sebastian who was one of the most commonly known saints in Italy. He is always depicted with arrows in his body because he was martyred by a group of bowmen.

After a while in the church, Mom approached and tried to describe a guy in the gift shop who she recognized as Phil Mickelson. I did not believe her, but when I entered the shop and creeped on him, it turned out she was right. Amused at the situation, I walked over and stuck out my hand. Phil slowly turned, shook my hand, and asked how I was doing. This means that he talked to me before I talked to him, which is likely quite unusual. I commented that it was nice he was able to go on vacation with his family and we talked about the catacombs for a bit like he was a normal guy until my Dad came over saying, “Hi Phil. It’s not every day that you get to meet someone you watch on TV.” Indeed. Before leaving he kindly wished us the best on our travels. That was a great place to run into Phil Mickelson.

We walked down the road searching for the bus station, but it turned out to be a long walk down the road and a long wait. Back in the city we walked through several churches including the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore and the Cathedral of St. John the Lateran which is the typical seat of the Pope. Next, we headed to the Spanish steps and began our stroll down the long promenade packed with people out for a stroll or to shop. We stopped at a restaurant for dinner before ending our night relaxing by the shimmering Trevi Fountain with the rest of Rome.

Day 17

This morning was designated for our visit to the Vatican. To avoid much the massive lines, we joined a basic tour with headsets to listen to the guide. The Vatican museum is huge so it was nice to have most of the highlights pointed out to us by our tour guide. One of the most memorable components of the museum was the prevalence of purple marble called porphyry, which was one of the most valuable types of stone in the Ancient World because of its rarity coming from a single mine in Egypt. This stone was discovered by the Romans and was highly desired by the emperors of Rome because its purple color represented royalty. There were also impressive collections of statues, maps, tapestries, and paintings including the famous image of Plato and Aristotle in “The School of Athens” painted by Raphael.

Of course, the crown jewel of any visit to the Vatican is the Sistine Chapel. We had all learned growing up how Michelangelo had painted the vast ceiling of the chapel by himself in four years laying on his back. The massive scale along with the emotion portrayed in his biblical scenes would change the face of Western art. The magnitude of this achievement was summed up by Johann Goethe, “Without having seen the Sistine Chapel one can form no appreciable idea of what one man is capable of achieving.” It is a special experience to step into that space and view the painted expanse laid out before your eyes. Unfortunately, the chapel was packed and buzzing with tourists and guards shouting not to take pictures, so it was hard to concentrate and take in the Moment. Mom and I decided to go to run back through some of the other exhibits while Jo and Dad remained in the chapel.

We had been told there was a door only for tour groups that would save hours of walking around the walls and waiting in line to enter St. Peter’s Basilica. Since we had elected to stay in the chapel, we clumped together with another tour group that was exiting without being stopped by the guards. This was a game-changer and something to celebrate. We ate some food that we had packed in our bags for lunch before entering the Basilica. My second time inside St. Peter’s was not as awe-inspiring, but it is still one of the greatest and largest man-made spaces in the world. I used this time to pay attention to some different details and discovered the passage down to the crypts behind the statue of St. Andrew. This is believed to be the place where St. Peter was martyred (out in the square) and buried, so many other pope’s have been interred here in the crypt as well.

When we were finished, the others went back to the hotel to rest while I headed off to explore more of the city. I first spent an hour breezing through the city archaeological museum contained a plethora of ancient statues, frescoes, and pottery, coins, and other instruments. Next, I wandered through some plazas, churches, and gardens on my way to the Galleria Borghese. This wonderful Baroque gallery was housed in a sumptuous pleasure villa built on the outskirts of Rome. Entrance included an audio guide that brought the vivid sense of life, emotion, and detail out in the sculptures making it a wonderful experience. I paused to appreciate the dynamic feelings portrayed by Bernini in his Truth Unveiled by Time, Apollo and Daphne, and the Rape of Proserpina. When the gallery closed, I returned to the hotel to meet the others for another tasty and relaxing dinner on our last night in Rome.

Day 18

In the morning we trudged our luggage through the streets back to our rental that had sat during our days in Rome. We headed to Assisi, the beautiful hometown of St. Francis. We visited several sites associated with Francis including the church where he received the vision of the Crucifix asking him to rebuild his Church, the chapel where his father imprisoned him for being reckless with money, and a huge church out of town built over his small chapel that serves as the headquarters of the Franciscan order. Off the main square was a Roman temple that had been converted into a church. It was fascinating to see the drains on the floor on either side of the altar where the blood from sacrificed animals would have flowed in Roman times.

Certainly the highlight of the city was the Basilica of San Francesco d’Assisi built to house the remains and commemorate the life of St. Francis. This church was one of my favorites because of its peaceful vibe created by candlelight, a requirement of silence, and several levels and nooks that provided solace. There was a crypt and a monastery in addition to a lower and upper sanctuary. The church was built during the early Renaissance as 3-D and emotion was working its way into art demonstrated in the paintings by Giotto and others that covered the walls. The church was also awesome because of its striking position on the terraced hilltop with multiple courtyards and a colonnade. Assisi was a wonderful example of the quaint beauty and historical richness to be found in central Italy.

That evening, we drove north and then across the long causeway to Venice. You have to park on the outskirts before taking a water taxi into the center. We wandered the streets and bridges for a while carrying our luggage until we located our hotel with the canal waters slashing against it. On the way in we floated under the Rialto Bridge and sauntered through the Plaza de San Marco glimmering at night with thousands of lights and a band serenading couples in one of the most romantic destinations in the world.

Day 19

In the morning, we ate breakfast in the courtyard of our hotel. We walked back to the main square while observing the daily life of Venice including trash pickup by small barges rather than trucks. My second time in the Basilica of San Marco was less enthralling, but the dynamic church that mixes east and west and offers a variety of spaces to worship is always packed with tourists for good reason. The next historical sight was the Palace of the doge, who was the elected leader of the “crowned republic” for many centuries who had to wear a funny hat. The palace was exquisitely decorated to show off the wealth and prestige of Venice. The ceilings were either completely painted or brightly gilded, with the most famous work being a huge painting of the saints in Paradise above the doge’s chair in the assembly hall.

Since I had more interest in the history than the others, we decided to split for a few hours. I took my time in the palace armory which was one of the most varied and extensive that I had seen before. There was a Fra Mauro map from 1450 that revealed more accurate map-making techniques but vast deformities of the still unexplored regions of Asia and Africa. Finally, I crossed the enclosed “Bridge of Sighs” over the canal into the extensive attached prison complex. On my own, I explored paths less treaded on the interior and was once again fascinated by how easy it is to lose your way among the twisting streets and canals with no right angles.

We met back up and decided to ferry across the sea to one of the islands with a large church. It was a holiday that day so there were thousands of people on boats partying and soaking in the sun on the bay. We returned to the main island and took the elevator up the lookout tower as the sun began to fall. It was a wonderful view over the bay, canals, and the clay roofs of the city. There is certainly no other city like Venice. We descended and were greeted by a huge puddle in front of the basilica, which apparently happens regularly as the tide rises. This is just one small concern in the greater issue that the city is slowly sinking into the sea. This has been happening for centuries shown by the water level that now rises above the bottom of the sea-front door of many buildings along the canal. At night, we found a beautiful restaurant along a canal glowing with colorful lights strung over the outdoor seating where I ordered pasta covered with black cuttlefish sauce. To end our day, we found a small spot among the crowds to sit and watch the holiday fireworks over the bay.

Day 20

After a relaxed rising and breakfast, we headed to the great canal for a gondola ride that we had previously turned down because of the price. Figuring this would be our only chance to take part in this iconic activity, we enjoyed soaking in this distinctive perspective of the city and the information provided by our guide. Having wrapped up our experience, we grabbed our luggage, headed back out of the city, and drove into Austria. We made a couple stops along the way, but it was our longest taking up the day. Once again, crossing the border had signaled a lot of changes in the architecture and culture surrounding us. That night we were staying in a couple of spare rooms on a dairy farm outside of town, so it was interesting communicating with the German speaking couple that greeted us. We found a cozy place to eat with a large menu of home-style cooking where we ordered big plates of meat, eggs, potatoes, and soup.

Day 21

We ate a typical European breakfast laid out for us in the kitchen before heading out. We drove to the top of Alpi di Siusi, which is the world’s highest meadow. It was a huge grassland dotted with trees and farm houses surrounded almost completely by mountains, a very curious landform. Since we would be doing a lot of walking, Jo found a spot to relax while Dad, Mom, and I took the chair lift to the top and hiked a couple paths. At one point, we came to the edge of the meadow with a delightful view over the surrounding countryside interrupted by sharp peaks jutting out of the earth.

We descended down the path back to the car and used our GPS to eventually find the secret touring choir retreat of Werfenweng. This was one of Jo’s favorite spots and it was cool to see the hotel and square where we played the local boys in a world cup extravaganza with all of us wearing the jerseys we had bought during my stopover here 7 years ago. The village is a tucked into a lush valley surrounded by mountains providing great outdoor possibilities, which is why it is being built up as a tourist destination. After gathering nostalgia and wandering a path along a mountain stream, we hopped back in the car and made for Salzburg.

It was a beautiful approach into the old city tucked in the center of confusing metropolis. We moseyed through the cobblestone streets and squares taking notice of certain spots related to the “Sound of Music” that was filmed in the area. As night fell, we found a lovely biergarten tucked into the hillside above the city for some frothy brew and generously portioned meals. Not much beats the casual dining experience of a good biergarten.

Day 22

In the morning, we quickly ate breakfast at our hotel and entered the city again in search of our “Sound of Music” tour that my Mom had tried to arrange. We had gotten no directions or confirmation, so we discovered the headquarters which was frustratingly closed. Finished with Bob, we called the number to inform them of our troubles and cancel before arranging to go on one of large tours on a painted bus. Almost all of the tour members were Americans because locals don’t actually know about the musical. The guide was a cheerful fellow who attempted to get everybody to sing the famous songs from the soundtrack.

Our first stop was the mansion along the lake that was used for shooting the scenes on the back porch of the Von Trapp home. We drove through the beautiful rolling countryside on the cloudy day to see the glass gazebo in the park, the dirt road where Maria walks and heel-clicks before arriving, the actual Von Trapp house, and the actual church where Maria and the Captain got married. Upon our return to Salzburg, we wandered through the spectacular gardens with tons of color, statues, and hedgerows.

It was time to head to our final destination of the trip, Munich. We parked and walked into the old city checking out the town hall featuring the Glockenspiel. Continuing down the streets we walked through the Hofbrauhaus where a German folk band was playing gaily and the bathroom featured a vomitorium for those who drank too much. This was the only time where we did not have a place to stay reserved, so we headed to Mike’s Bike Shop where the touring choir rents bikes for a biking tour of the city. We spent almost two hours figuring out what to do and trying to find a place to stay because everything was full.

I finally found a place with some openings and we rented bikes. We checked out a couple main squares and a church before heading through the tunnel into the city park. This is one of the best things to do in Europe with a group; the park is huge and diverse featuring people surfing on the rushing river and several biergartens. We stopped at the Japanese pagoda biergarten where I followed through on recommendations to get a liter of strong beer along with our spread of ribs, chicken, and rotisserie roasted beef…one of my favorite meals because it was such a manly meal after a year of lighter cuisine, so I felt like a king feasting in his mead hall. It was beautiful coming back through the city at night because all the spaces feel altered and more peaceful. We stopped inside the packed Hofbrauhaus for a couple more beers in the perpetual Oktoberfest atmosphere. Finally, we rode back to the car and drove to our hostel to check in and sleep for the night.

Day 23

We parked closer to the city and retrieved our bikes to head into the city to the Residenz, the royal palace. This is where I said goodbye to the others as they would do some other things in the city before visiting the Dachau concentration camp and fly out the following morning. I was given an audio tour for the extensive palace that seemed to be partly modeled after Versailles. There were treasuries of eastern painted ceramics and treasures as well as a reliquary of gilded artifacts and remains including, a skull attributed to St. John the Baptist. There were also dance halls, tapestries, music rooms, gilded hallways, and dining rooms full of golden tableware.

After finishing in the palace, I returned my bike and explored the streets a bit more checking out a farmer’s market and the Cathedral before heading underground to decipher the multi-layer train system. Eventually, I rode directly out to the airport, found my way through security, boarded my flight, and flew home to Philly.

The First Last Day of School

After the rush of the first few weeks of the second year at LAC, I will try to take time to jot down some of the happenings from the end of the last year at school and my week of local travels before meeting my family in Germany.

It has been a full last month with transitioning to the new building, wrapping up the work and grades for the school year, and preparing myself to leave and travel. I have been working a lot with Dini again on fixing certain things in the building and setting up the internet and computer lab. We had a service day where the students helped to clean up the property and edge the flower beds before picking up trash along the street. There has been a lot of rearranging and decorating needed in the classrooms, apartments, downstairs, and outside. After all this work, things are starting to come together and it seems like it will be a great facility for us next year with the help of a couple of projects that yet need to be completed.

We had an outdoor end of the year picnic for everyone who had taken our ESL courses to present their certificates. There were snacks and we played some games outside, mostly with the soccer and volleyball. The large yard is a wonderful blessing that draws us closer to the beauties of creation and provides opportunities for recreation within school activities. Although Reni was unable to come to the picnic, before I left I was able to accomplish my goal of inviting him to coffee and pay for it. I got up to go to the bathroom and paid the waiter on the way out. Of course, when no bill came he protested briefly, but I told him I had to return the favor before I left.

The end of the year went mostly well academically. The students were getting more used to the routine of review, testing, and final projects so we only had a couple who were giving trouble with meeting the requirements. We created a schedule for supervision and mixed up some of the students to prevent the normal cheating attempts during tests. My finals were a compilation of questions from previous tests so not only did they review them before, but we focused on reviewing a limited amount of material in class. Because of this, there was not much of any reason for students to do poorly, but naturally some of them didn’t study or pay attention as they should have.

The weekend after the end of school, the touring choir from Eastern Mennonite High School arrived to visit and perform for closing ceremony as part of their choir tour in Europe. The students were hosted mostly by families of our Albanian students, but I hosted Eli and Tyler in my room for a night. There was a speech by Klementina and a group of students who demonstrated a traditional line dance in costume before the choir performed several songs. They were planning to perform multiple sets, but this was just another example of something that got lost in translation. As they had in the past, the audience had a short attention span and some felt free to carry on conversation during the performance. After the ceremony ended there was of course dancing as the students from American and Albania sparsely intermingled in the international language of movement.

It was great to have some other guys around my age so I could relax and act as guys do. I spread out my normal cuisine for them and we stayed up fairly late talking and joking around. On Saturday, we walked up to the castle to give them a taste of the history and a great view. Another student came along who told us a few interesting hosting stories from the night before as two cultures interacted. We met the girls for lunch before returning to see the group off as they headed north on their tour bus.

Since I was leaving Monday morning, there were farewell’s to be said for the summer. I hung out Saturday evening with Elvis in the park, in town, and then went on a motorbike ride. We went to church for the last time then the teachers had coffee with Ermelinda and Irena before running into Arilda and her family for more coffee. I had been trying to figure out how I would get the stuff I needed back in the states while not taking more than one big bag to haul along with us in Europe. Fortunately, Jessica was able to take home some of the gifts that I had bought for others, which allowed me to pack everything else into one suitcase. It was time for some more traveling alone.

Day 1

The next morning, after saying goodbye to Dini and Klementina, I left the school with Kaityln and Jessica in the van driven Augustine. They dropped me off at the bus stop where I bid farewell to the two of them and boarded the bus for Tirana while they went to the airport to fly home. Upon arriving, I walked the streets for an hour searching for a bus that would take me to Macedonia at a decent time. I was worried because the first several places I checked did not have a bus until the next day, however, the fourth company had a bus that left in the afternoon.

I had several hours to kill so I went to the city center and ate some sufflaqe as I gazed at the statue of Skannerbeu in the square. Then I entered the National Culture Museum that covered the whole history of Albania. I quickly noticed the focus of Albanian identity was maintaining the idea that they were uniquely different from those around them. They are descendants of the Illyrians, a people contemporary with the ancient Greeks, who would later fiercely struggle against Roman domination of the region. The first exhibits were a slightly simpler version of other exhibits I had seen displaying items from Greek antiquity including pottery, weapons, statues, and little everyday items. 

The next exhibit showcased the medieval alliances of regional leaders in resistance against invading groups culminating with the Beselidhja signed in Lezha in 1444 under the leadership of Skannerbeu. Against the odds, this alliance would beat back the incursions of Ottoman Turks by holding onto key castles in the region until after Skannerbeu's death. This time of resistance is viewed as the pinnacle of Albanian history as the perfect representation of maintaining their identity through resistance against foreign powers.

Albania remained under Ottoman control despite continued resistance until 1912. The Ottomans persecuted non-Muslim inhabitants, so many converted making the region majority Muslim. The next group of exhibits portrayed Albanian art and culture developing during the movement toward independence starting with the cultural revolution of 1878centered in Prizren. The weak government initially established after independence would depend on the Italians for development until they were invaded by fascist forces in WWII. This marked another time when Albanians proudly resisted the powerful foreign invaders, but they were quickly subdued by the German blitzkrieg.

After beating the fascists out, Enver Hoxha took control of the country in 1941 as leader of the communist party beginning half a century of relative stability at the price of isolation and oppression. Hoxha grew increasingly paranoid of the outside world cutting off relations with Yugoslavia, the USSR, and China and then built tens of thousands of igloo-shaped bunkers to defend against foreign incursion.

In 1992, the Democratic Party, under current Prime minister Sali Berisha, took control of politics bringing freedom to the country. However, the country was not prepared and the collapse of a nation-wide pyramid scheme lead to rebellion and anarchy as citizens seized weapons and took what they could. Although many people still have their AK-47's, the country gradually stabilized until 2002 when order was returned and the country was opened to foreign development. Since then, Albania has been rapidly changing from an isolated traditional economy and culture to a nation focused on Western government and capitalism seeking membership in the EU.

After walking through the remainder of exhibits dedicated to continued resistance, oppression under communism, and to the contribution of Mother Theresa (born in Albania) I returned to the streets of the capital. I walked through the growing shopping district, rode to the top of a sky bar that offered a panorama of the city, and visited "the Pyramid" that was the seat of Hoxha's government. An image that made an impression on me was an emblem for the "Kony 2012" campaign that was spray painted on the haunting building. This image representing an international movement toward justice was graffitied onto the symbol of communist oppression at the heart of the country. Not only was this a stark contrast, but it also revealed the shifting attitudes of Albania moving to embrace the world that it had been isolated from for so many years.

It was now time for me to catch my bus to Macedonia, but there were no markings for a bus stop at the place I had been told to wait. I was beginning to stress that I had missed my ride when I heard some English being spoken by two approaching men. I asked where they were going and they told me they were waiting for the same bus as I. Andrew and Damien were two Englishman who were returning to Damien's current residence outside of Ohrid where he was teaching math at a university. We spent most of the 6 hour bus ride in conversation about Albania, other cultures, and the issues plaguing our world today.

We reached our destination at 10pm and had to take a taxi into the city center that we split along with Jon (pronounced "Yan") who was a classic example of a traveling Nordic youth. He explained that he had a hostel reserved for the next two nights, so I decided to check it out with him. Damien lead us through the streets, pointing out a few landmarks, to the hostel where we dropped off our things before heading out to a local pub to watch soccer and converse.

Day 2

The next morning I rented a bicycle and rode through the old town briefly before beginning my aggressive ride up the mountain. After standing to pedal fighting to climb the constant slope, I was exhausted and opted to rest at a chapel in the forest. Soon my legs were burning and when I had come to the end of my energy, I arrived at end of the road in a village with a great view. I locked my bike and hiked up to the large iron cross at the summit and at some lunch. With no legs left, I decided to make my way back to town by taking a different route. It was very steep at some points, but I made it down to the lake and rode along the highway back to the city.

I returned the bike and walked the twisting cobblestones to the top where I lingered among some old religious art in a church. Next was an ancient Roman theater followed by the Ottoman fortress with great views of the lake and beyond from the battlements. Heading down through the pine forest, I visited several more beautiful stone churches with red tile roofing before finally dipping my feet in the water and laying on the beach. That night I wandered around with some others from the hostel and ate byrek.

Day 3

In the morning, I boarded a boat tour along the lake with an energetic guide. We stopped at an area with ruins dating back to the Neolithic period with a reconstructed village on supports along the shore. There was also a Roman fortress built with a prominent position over the lake. The tour continued on to the monastery complex at Sveti Naum, featuring many peacocks and a beautiful setting along the lake. Since I was on my way out of Macedonia, I decided to forgo the return trip, grabbed some lunch, and walked to the road where I could get a taxi to the border.

After crossing to the Albanian side, I took another taxi unimpressive Pogradec where I quickly grabbing sweaty furgon to Elbasan. I had been hoping to find a bus to take me to Saranda or Vlore that night, but there were hardly any buses going south at that time forcing me to stay the night. I sauntered through the dusty city looking for a hostel but was unable to find anything. I found a station that had a 5am bus leaving for Saranda where I witnessed some street fighting/brick throwing. Seemingly without hostels, I eventually reached a high-rise international hotel that offered fairly cheap rooms, but there was no AC meaning a sweaty night. I grabbed some fast food and relaxed by myself before going to sleep early.

Day 4

It was still dark as we boarded the extended van for the long trip down to the south of Albania. I prepped for my slumber with a couple qofte sandwiches. I slept for the first half of the trip before we climbed into the mountains and took a rest stop in a pine forest before descending steeply down the grassy, treeless slopes to the coast eventually stopping in Himare. I sat along the beach and read about Albanian history for an hour before hopping on the bus to Saranda.

After spending most of the day on a bus, I went searching in the streets for a place to rest my head. I crossed paths with some typical American college students looking for hardcore parties before having a hostel owner yell down from the porch asking if I needed any help. I checked out his place and it was very reasonable with the walls covered in messages left by past guests saying how much they loved the city and the owner. I spent a couple hours laying on the beach, reading, and swimming before climbing up the nearby mountain to the castle. People could drive there and it seemed to be a popular night scene with extensive restaurant and bar seating, so I grabbed a beer and enjoyed the view back down to the city. I found a rock to perch on to watch the sun set before descending back through the village along with the cows and winding all the way down to the coast and the promenade. I walked the length of the promenade before finding a restaurant to enjoy a full spread of Albanian food while watching soccer. That night back at the hostel, I met Aussies Kim and Fillip and we agreed to travel to the sights in the area the next day.

Day 5

After breakfast, our first step was to board a bus toward Gjirokaster and get off by the entrance to the "Blue Eye" pool. We walked a couple miles before reaching a tropical area with wonderful blue water making it seem we had been transported to another ecosystem. The depth of the pool is unknown since divers cannot reach the bottom, but cold water is constantly flowing up from this natural spring. After wading in the numbing water, we returned down the path and hopped in the back of a furgon taking us back to Saranda where we found a bus to Butrint.

This historical site is located on the SW tip of the country and is perhaps my favorite site in Albania. The land forms an island narrowly connected to the mainland by a land bridge offering natural protection and a prominent position for trade. It had been the site of a wealthy settlement since the time of Alexander the Great up through the Venetian domination of the Adriatic. The result is several layers of ruins scattered along shaded pathways in the midst of a lush forest along the bay. There were Roman theaters, baths, and basilicas along with strong walls, fortresses, and other domestic or religious sites.

After roaming around the ruins for a couple hours and spending some time in the museum, we the hitch-hiked on a tour bus to the beach at Ksamil because Fillip remembered it as one of his favorite spots. We relaxed on the small curved beach with three islands within swimming distance. I saw a couple people from Lezha who believed this was the best beach in Albania. As the sun set, we returned to Saranda and prepared for a joint-supper of seafood risotto cooked by the hostel owner before heading off to bed.

Day 6

I took the same morning bus, this time all the way through to Gjirokaster where I planned to visit the hilltop castle. I climbed up the twisting cobblestone streets until eventually locating the entrance to this foreboding fortress that has served as a prison and center of resistance in the centuries since its heyday in Medieval times. The entry barracks were full of artillery taken from enemies in the modern era, including an “American spy plane” (probably not). A military museum with hundreds of guns exhibited Albanian resistance to the Nazis and other invaders during the world wars. There was a large open yard at the top being prepared for a concert series and I took a while to explore the ramparts and decrepit nooks.

While there was a great view over the valley from near the clock tower, there was no way for visitors to reach the top for a sweeping view over the city itself. I was not ready to give up, so I ventured back into the caverns until I saw a stream of light. I twisted and climbed my way through a spider infested hole up to a magnificent view of the classic Ottoman architecture in the "city of a thousand stairs". From here I noticed I could reach other restricted areas, but I had reached my prize and did not want to cause trouble so I exited the castle, visited a traditional wood-carving shop, and walked down through the old streets. At the bottom, I negotiated for a cheap furgon to Berat after a taxi driver offered me a ride for 100 euros. This was a terrible drive in a rickety van with backbreaking jolts, cliff-side roads, high-speed passing, and sweaty passengers resulting in several people throwing up along the way.

After one of the most needed rest-stops, we continued into the hills until eventually reaching Berat, a national historic site and best preserved example of Ottoman architecture and organization. I ventured into an Orthodox church before visiting the Helveti (Dervish) monastery with a worship hall used for transcendent practices (smoking weed) completely separated from the public mosque. Some local men offered to show me inside and joked about the “inspired” dervishes who danced in the hall with a beautifully carved and gilded ceiling that focused ones attention heavenward.

Since I didn’t have long before dark, I elected to climb the steep hill up to the citadel with its own centuries-old walled in town. The small chapels and museums were no longer open, but I moseyed around and was able to provide myself a satisfactory tour with the help of my guidebook. The pace of life up here was frozen in a more easygoing time as people lived and played in houses and streets that were centuries old. There were cats in windows, vines growing on trellises on walls and above the streets, a man walking his horse, and boys playing with toy trucks. There were some remains of the old castle including a dark cistern and broken stone passageways built to allow the people access to river water if the citadel was under siege. I sat on the wall above the city as the sun began to set watching the light reflect off the beautiful white-washed houses of the tiered neighborhood across the river below.

As evening came, I walked the winding streets until I found the guesthouse of the opinionated but hospitable Lorence who had ran into me outside the church earlier. I paid for him to cook a small dinner of salad, pasta, wine, and raki that had been made from the grapes growing in his walled-off backyard. As we ate, we conversed about the city, his house that he was trying to maintain as a historical sight, and the difference between northern and southern Albanians. Before bed, I went out to experience the streets at night and found another wall to sit on offering a view Berat with the stars shimmering above.

Day 7

In the morning, it was time to end my journey and head back to school. I took the morning bus to Tirana where I was dropped off in a part of the city I had never seen, so an old lady offered to walk me through the city to an alley where I could find a furgon to take me back to Lezha. Often in Albania, you just have to know where certain things are because there are no signs or facilities that show the way. In fact, unless people traveled north often, they did not know where to find furgons to Lezha either.

After reaching Lezha and returning to LAC, I spent much of the day hanging up flags on my classroom ceiling getting ready for the first day of school next year so that the room could be showcased to prospective students and others before I arrived. I was awake for much of the night returning emails, posting pictures of my trip, doing some wash, packing my bags, and preparing myself for another travel adventure.

In the morning I said goodbye to Alba, handed in my keys, and paid my rent for the summer before Augustine drove me to the airport. I had bought two sufflaqes on the way out of Lezha, so I pulled them out in the airport coffee shop to fill up for the road ahead. After passing security and arriving at the gate, I sleepily reflected on the fact that I was leaving Albania after a the hardest, craziest, and most meaningful year of my life. Then I anxiously boarded my plane for Munich.

Our New House

Si ia kalove ne pranvere?  – “How have you spent the spring?"

The biggest news that I have to announce in this blog is that I am writing from a new location. We have been working toward moving into a new building for months because the old building had some maintenance problems and complications that would not allow us to have enough room to expand our student body to include 9^th and 12^th grade. I did not discuss it before because the details were always changing and there were contractual details that were not sorted out. However, after a lot of prayer and effort, I am pleased to announce that we have just successfully completed a week of classes in our new home!

Our new building has much more space allowing us to create enough classrooms for the expanding student body while still housing most of the staff in apartments on the top floors. The downstairs used to be a restaurant that hosted wedding receptions, so we have a big kitchen and large seating area for a cafeteria and for any school events or celebrations. We have a computer lab, space for science lab, several offices, and are working on a library. The apartments are very nice and I have moved into a two-bedroom apartment where I will hopefully receive a roommate next year. One aspect of the building that is both positive and negative is that we have moved from our center-city location to the outer limits. It is now a 10-minute walk from the city center making it a difficult commute for some of the students and a less convenient location. However, we now have much more space available with a yard big enough potentially for soccer, volleyball, and maybe basketball. There is grass and flowers, which are not normal sights within Lezha, and the view of the mountains and the greener landscape beyond the city is wonderful. It feels more like we have our own community atmosphere and being outside of the city makes it easier to breathe and relax. I am looking forward to a new school year and the possibilities in this building.

There was a lot of work and thinking involved in switching buildings during the school year. We eventually decided that we would move Memorial day weekend, so the weeks leading up to the end of May included a lot of preparation. Dini and Klementina filled out paperwork, attended meetings, and supervised the cleaning and prep work at the other building. In the week leading up to the move, there were 3 members of the Shahini’s home church in Virginia that volunteered their time to help prepare the new building. They dug up trees, painted, and helped deliver some of the countless truckloads of stuff that had to be transferred from one building to the other. 

By Friday, almost everything in the old school had been moved apart from the things necessary for classes. After school, some of the students stayed to help us transfer all the desks, counters, chairs, and classroom supplies in a moving truck. The girls also completed moving their things from their apartment to their rooms in the new school on Friday. We spent most of the three-day weekend cleaning, organizing, eliminating, decorating, and preparing the classrooms. Some students and other school staff gave a lot of their time over the weekend to help us prepare for starting school on Tuesday in the new building.

This week was the culmination of many details coming together, so it felt good to be holding classes in our new home even if we didn’t have everything completed. When the students arrived for the first day and as they were socializing outside in the yard, it felt like a new beginning. With new problems and factors always presenting themselves throughout our year of figuring this school out at the other building, it never really sank in as a comfortable home. We were surrounded on all sides by concrete with eyes bearing down on us, now it feels like we have a space of our own and can breathe. The new building should be ours for several years to come and I am optimistic that I can accept it as my home.

There are new aspects and responsibilities that come with the changing location, but I think we will embrace these changes in light of a year full of exploration and difficult challenges. There is a lot that we have experienced and learned this year, so we have now have the opportunity to make improvements for next year. Please pray for us as a staff and community as we finish out this year and look to the horizon.  May God’s Spirit be present among us always encouraging us to be still and listen to His quiet voice beckoning us to a life of peace, grace, and hope. This year has been a great accomplishment and working with these students has been a blessing to us all, but it has also taken its toll on us in different ways. May we find rest, rejuvenation, and a renewed focus so that we can return following God’s voice and ready to take on the challenges and joys that He has laid before us.

For the over a month, I have felt worn out. I have actually been working less than I have all year because after school activities have been reduced and most of my lessons for the second half of the quarter are being recycled from last semester. Having some time to myself has been nice, but it has provided an opportunity for the weight of this year to bear down on me. It has given me opportunity to over-think, stumble, or feel that I am not using all my time well. I began to realize how long we have been here without the usual comforts, supports, or gauge of normalcy. I thrive living in the moment, adapting to challenges, not being surprised by anything, and staying consistent throughout my experience, but when I no longer had to fire on all cylinders I had time to see the negatives. The business of the year was starting to wear on me and I did not feel any specific area of focus for where to give myself. These realities affected me physically as I got sick a couple times and have felt less efficient and more tired. I have not felt as vivacious or determined as I did when I committed to this experience nor the same peace of being within God’s will. 

After finally settling into this new building I feel this lull beginning to fade. I am feeling a new determination to confront challenges and finish this year well. Knowing that there is only about two more weeks of this experience before I will be able to travel, see my friends and family, return to my church community, and live life at a different pace is starting to give me energy. I am so excited to for this summer, but I am also excited for the possibilities that God has in store for this place and my role in working toward that. Please pray that my outlook will continue to rise and that I will be open to all that God has to show me and work through me over the next couple weeks and into the summer.

With most of our after-school activities slowing down, the teacher’s have used some of our after school time to increase our efforts in tutoring or checking in with students to improve their performance. On a few occasions, I have also took some of the students out for coffee. As the summer approaches, I am trying to find time to spend with some of the boys in more informal interaction. These times have been great because I actually get to hang out with a group of guys and talk about things or joke in a way that is very natural. There have been a lot of laughs, questions, and comments about how I act differently from anyone they know. I feel very comfortable spending time outside of school while also being a teacher to these kids. In fact, I have noticed that there is a respect there because they respond more positively to my criticism or suggestions in class and it has given me a window to be able to offer advice or motivate them when possible.

I have also begun interacting regularly with two of my adult ESL students. Reni is a relaxed Italian-educated businessman who knows way too much about history. We have gone out for coffee several times and we often find something interesting to discuss allowing him to practice his English while I have another window into Albania. A cultural reality here is that men must always offer or argue over who will pay and it is usual for students to pay for their teacher. You have to be careful because there is can be an assumption that students pay in exchange for grades from their teacher, that the person who invited the other will pay, and that each member will pay sometimes, but there are also those who seem to proud to allow others to pay. I have had to assert myself from time to time to pay for something or just pay before the other person notices. However, I have yet to be able to pay for coffee when Reni is part of the group so it is my goal to invite him to coffee and somehow pay before the end of the year. Ermir is an engineer who likes to play soccer with a diverse group of individuals so I have joined with his group several times in the past month, which has been fun.

Early in May, was Kristi’s birthday and we decided to go to the beach in the evening to watch the sun set. It was nice to get out of the school and go somewhere together, but the mosquitos did all they could to limit our relaxation. We built a fire out of scrap wood and trash on the beach while the girls took jumping or special sunset pose pictures. We then sat down to eat our chicken dinner on plastic bag plates while taking in the sights and sounds of the coast. Much of Albania is very beautiful and the beach is a wonderful example, but the Albanians need to learn to clean up the trash before its potential can be realized.

This past Saturday was full of plans starting early in the morning. We had arranged to travel by bus with our students to visit the European University of Tirana. I appreciated this trip more because the bus was larger and the students did not yell or dance in the aisles the whole time. I was surprised by how small the university was, but no one lived on campus and there was little sense of a campus despite serving a total of about 3,000 students. After a short presentation and 10-minute walkthrough of the campus we ate in the cafeteria before traveling to the shopping center in another part of the city. We returned to Lezha later in the afternoon and then had to prepare for a get together to celebrate the end of the ESL classes and to hand out some certificates that we had made. We provided refreshments and some sports opportunities, so when most of the younger students attended we had a good time playing soccer, hitting volleyball, and putting golf balls with them.

With my return to the States growing closer every day, I am beginning to think about all the people I want to see, all the things I will eat, and how the whole pace of life will change dramatically for a couple months. I have no doubt that this will be the most eager I have ever been to return home. I am looking forward to doing some local travel and then traveling with my family, but with all the business at the end of the year I have not been able to do hardly any planning. With some individual and self-planned trips under my belt I feel that things will work out, but I do need to find a way for everything to fit together so that I can see a lot while being able to return home with all my stuff when I am supposed to. Prayer for safety, that details will come together, and that my travel time will be full of wonderful blessings and experiences would be appreciated.

This will be the last time that I write before the end of the school year, so I ask that you shower this community with prayers. Ask that God’s presence be with the students as they finish their work and take their tests, that they may finish the year strong, and that they recognize something special about LAC while they on summer break that will make them want to return and be a part of this community. There are health and various other concerns with the students or their families, so pray that God would bring healing and reconciliation to these situations. The EMHS touring choir will be visiting here at the end of the year and will be giving a concert during our end of the year celebration with the students and their families, so pray for safety in their travels and that all the arrangements could be made to accommodate them. May God shine on this place so that we will be able to bless the students and to maintain strong support and a growing reputation in Lezha.

Another Year and the Race Through Italy

Happy Cinco de Mayo to all in this time of transition for many. College graduations are taking progress and it is interesting to think that it has been a year since our own walk across the stage. Around this time last year is when the girls heard the idea about starting this school in Albania and began to embrace this crazy idea as their own. I was trying to enjoy the end of my senior year while sifting through different possibilities for the future. I will be entering this summer as a changed person with a different perspective and situation than last year. This experience has been the most challenging and richest year of my life and, after feeling nudged, I have decided to come back for another year of this adventure.

Coming into this experience as a last minute addition and after going through a whirlwind of new possibilities, discernment, and efforts to gain support for this mission, I could not get my head around potential of staying another year. Part of my discernment suggested that Albania would be a time of growth and formation but it would not be a long-term call to service. I was also encouraged to let go of all pre-conceptions of how God would be using me and to fill the need where I would be placed. Gathering my perspectives, my approach to service here is that I would return home to pursue other possibilities unless I felt God leading me to stay. A couple months ago, the time to make a decision about whether we would be staying or not was approaching and I had yet to feel such leading, so I was getting excited about coming home.

One weekend, Jessica called me and asked if she could come over to share something with me. She talked about the feelings and words that had been stirring in their apartment and how she believed she had received a sort of vision for the ministry she would be called to in the future. At first, she viewed this as an invitation to return to the US next year to pursue this mission, but Kristi had been receiving feelings for weeks about Jessica as well. Kristi was able to confirm the things Jess had seen as affirmation, but Kristi also felt that she was supposed to tell Jess that it was not time for her to return yet because she was needed here for another year. Following this experience, Jess told me that she felt comfortable and thought that she would be staying in Albania.

I was very happy that God had been moving but I could tell that she had more to say. Like Kristi, she told me that she had been receiving thoughts about my situation for some time and felt led to tell me that I was supposed to stay as well. The weight of this conversation fell on me as I realized my perspective on the coming year was changed by these few words. I was excited to return home and enjoy the freedom of post-college/pre-marriage life in the US, but I recognized that this was the leading I was waiting for. She described how she had been observing me in the way I work and interact with the students and felt that I could not be replaced next year. Continuing to take in the vastness of these words, I thought to myself “Owned!” The meaning here was twofold: whatever ideas I had been entertaining about the near future had been swiped from me and, as a follower of Christ, I had sacrificed my life to the Creator meaning that I was in a sense owned and compelled to follow what I sensed to be His guidance.

It so happened that my situation was closely parallel with Jessica’s. During my time of reflection in the morning, I had received a sort of revelation from the Lord about a message that I could bring back to the church community in the US. Without yet receiving any guidance to overturn my default stance of returning, I felt that this experience suggested that I return to the States to begin discovering my life and ministry where I believe I am called in the long-term. However, shortly after receiving this eye-opener, I got a call from Jessica and the conversation that I described earlier seemed to overwrite my leanings in the short-term. I may be called to ministry in the States, but it was not time to return because I was still needed in Albania.

I knew that I would need some time to process and pray about what had happened, but over the weeks I grew more comfortable with the decision to stay. Now, with no new leadings to counter this direct experience, I have embraced this decision and have become excited for the possibilities of further growth, learning, and opportunity here at this school. Our last day of school is on June 15 and we will be staying a few days to wrap things up, but I will have about 10 days (yet to be planned) before I will meet my parents and younger sister in Frankfurt as she completes the same choir tour that I went on with the amazing Christopher Dock Touring Choir six years ago. The plan is to travel in Switzerland, Italy, and Germany for about three weeks before returning to the States in the second half of July. I will be remaining in the States for about 1½ months before returning to Lezha around September 10th.

I have not made many plans for this time but I hope to visit friends and family, re-charge from a stretching year, prepare for my classes and responsibilities at LAC next year, sell my car, and find some work to make money. I would appreciate any help that could be provided for achieving the last two. If you know someone who could be interested in a 97’ Honda Civic EX with less than 100,000 miles, all the typical long-term maintenance parts taken care of, a manual transmission, and in beautiful condition then let me know because I will be looking to sell it in August or September. I am also open to hearing about any kind of temporary work opportunities that would allow me to do something different and make some money while I am home. Please continue to pray for me during this time of transition as I attempt to take advantage of my short time at home before returning for another year service in Lezha.

After Easter Sunday, we had one day to rest, write a blog post, and pack before leaving early in the morning for the Tirana airport to catch a plane to Italy. This 5-day race through Italy was planned as the school’s Spring Break trip and we had a group of seven students come along with the Shahini’s and us teachers. It was exciting to be visiting the beautiful and historically rich Italy, getting a break from school, and to interact with a group of our students in a different context. Unfortunately, it was forecasted to rain at every one of our destinations and I got quite sick for the span of the trip. However, since we were traveling in a pre-planned tour with a bus and we did not have a large group of students to be responsible for, I was able to take advantage of and enjoy all of our visits while resting on the bus and in the hotels. Our fears of heavy showers ruining our vacation were never realized as the rain held off until the last day in Rome and we were able to follow through on all of our plans with some surprisingly beautiful days.

The trip began by flying into Venice, which was exciting for most of the students because it was their first time on a plane. We connected with our tour group, bus, and guide and made our way into the historic city. The only public transportation within Venice is by boat so we hopped on a water taxi to head to the Rialto Bride before walking through the heart of the city to the beautiful Piazza de San Marco. The basilica was gorgeous and represented Venice well as a collision point of east and west. During the late middle ages, Venice emerged as a naval power and served as the entry point for eastern goods into Europe. In fact, the face of the basilica is covered by rich mosaics depicting the acquisition and transportation of the body of Saint Mark from Ottoman lands to be buried in the basilica because Mark is the patron Saint and protector of the sea. Inside the basilica, the architecture reminded me of the Aya Sofia in Istanbul with the same structure seen in the dome with the walls and ceiling covered by golden mosaics. The artwork, floor, and aura had an eastern flavor while maintaining its identity in the Renaissance and western Catholicism. As with every gorgeous basilica that I entered during this trip, I felt rushed by our rapid schedule in an atmosphere where I would have loved to reflect and relax.

While walking the square, I began to have a virtual sort of déjà vu as I realized I had been here before in a way that has been made possible only recently in our 21st century world. One of my favorite video game series in college was Assassin’s Creed, which has games set in the Holy Land and Renaissance Italy. Having visited the Holy Land I had been struck by this indirect identity with a historic site before, but it was much stronger in Italy because the sites were well-preserved and were depicted in the game based on programmer’s observations of the modern cities. As I looked around the city my mind flashed back to the more epic and violent traversing of the city I had done in the game. I had climbed the basilica and that tower; I had jumped from this bridge to commandeer a gondola; I had struck down many who resisted my discovery of the mysteries driving the storyline in the very streets I was walking. This virtual déjà vu certainly has its limits but it was very interesting to actually visit places I had explored and seen through a personal perspective before.

Most of the group took a break to eat lunch in a nearby restaurant, while I satisfied my need to experience and explore when given the chance. I walked over the bridges of the promenade and looked across the channel to view another grand part of the city isolated on its own island. The magnificent winged lion, the symbol of Venice, was seen in prominent positions throughout the city reminding me of the historical imperialistic dominance and vast wealth procured by the city of Venice. Eventually, I ventured down an alley to look for something cheaper than $20 dollars to eat and I encountered a maze of obtuse angle turns, channels, and alleyways that was very difficult to navigate. Without any sort of familiar street organization it was hard to keep a point of reference and I found myself stumbling across the same locations I had already been. After re-aligning myself by asking a shopkeeper the correct direction of San Marco I was able to find my way back to the basilica where the group was going to gather.

Soon we boarded another water taxi back to the bus and we headed inland to Padua. We walked through the cobblestone streets of the city to the Basilica of Saint Antonio. With its brick façade, this church was not very impressive on the outside, but it uniquely redeemed itself inside. The central nave was quite simple, but the view of the central altar and apse was very striking with its delicately tall appearance intricately decorated with dark hues of blue and red and supported by intense groin vaulting. There were several richly decorated side chapels offering a more intimate feel and the side aisles continued around the back of the apse to the gold gilded mausoleum of Saint Antonio. After departing the basilica we walked a short distance to the Prato della Valle, which is one of the largest squares in Europe. We relaxed in the central lawn that is surrounded by a channel with rows of statues on either side before heading back to the bus late in the afternoon and heading to our hotel for the night which included eating at a McDonalds.

The next morning we left the hotel around 9:30 and headed into the heart of Verona, the city of Romeo and Juliet. Near the bus stop there was an open square with a Roman amphitheater and some dress-up Roman soldiers who enjoyed drawing attention to themselves by grabbing women. Then we strolled down a street of expensive fashion shops and came to the entry to the Capulet house which was covered in gum and graffiti put there by people hoping to receive blessings in their relationship. Inside was a small courtyard with a bronze statue of Juliet that the superstitious suggest gives good luck in love, but certain areas were noticeably more worn and shiny than others leading to the conclusion that many think this is the way to get extra good fortune. Next, we walked through the main square with a clock tower and continued through the streets and strolled along the river. There was an imposing brick fortress with a barricaded bridge that used to provide the only entrance into the city.

We then drove southwest and arrived at Pisa. The leaning tower of Pisa served as the bell tower for the religious complex that also consists of an impressive monastery, basilica, and baptistery. These buildings were huge masses of marble built separately among the grass of the open square standing as the only landmarks within the city. Since you had to pay to go inside all the buildings none of us did and much of our time was spent trying to figure out a way to take a good picture with the leaning tower. I decided to make a scene and try something different by holding up the tower with my feet, but due largely to my lack of physical ability along with the camera angle, it was a failed attempt so the girls and I settled for a more conventional pushing battle. One thing I discovered was that if you stood close to the tower and looked to the top, the clouds were moving in such a way that it made the tower look like it was constantly falling on top of you which can be fairly trippy. That night we drove to a large mall outside or Firenze where we found some dinner and spent the evening before returning to the hotel.

The third day we spent in the heart of Tuscany starting in Siena. It was a beautiful morning, which was crucial for enjoying the beauty of this hilltop city that offered our first views over the Tuscan countryside. We walked through the streets of the city and I noticed a much different feel. There were fewer tourists and local life was more evident with carpenters, road workers, and artisans going about their business and having discussions in Italian. The city was full of motorbikes navigating the narrow stone streets. The architecture also had a more down to earth feel as simply constructed earth-toned houses lined the streets with green shutters and flowers on the windowsill. The pace of life was noticeably more relaxed as the morning sun began to seep onto the streets.

After sauntering through the tight streets, the city opened up into a large square sloping down to the bell tower at the Piazza del Campo. We were given some free time so I quick glanced at a landmark map and headed across the city. After a good walk I found a church situated at the top of the hill with a spectacular view across the valley to the other side of the city crowned by the gorgeous Cathedral shining at the top. I spent some time taking in the sights and the moment and then walked through the church before rushing back to meet the group on time. We then visited the Cathedral that I had seen, and although I was the only one who paid to go inside, it was well worth it. The outside was gray marble with green marble stripes and the front was covered in intricate statues. Walking inside I had to pause near the entrance to take in the dynamic appearance of the place. The interior was constructed with an alternating white and blue marble while the walls and ceiling were decorated with beautiful paintings and sculptures. There were some beautiful side chapels and a library full of old books and vivid bright colors. The entire duomo was very ornate but the great variety of tones and textures made it feel more natural and my senses were not overly bombarded by too much of one thing. The balanced lighting, sense of space, and the judicious use of gold made this one of my favorite churches.

Dini was outside waiting for me and since the rest of the group had not gone inside they had already left. We wondered around the city slopes for a while and Dini pretended to steal a camera from a group of girl tourists before we located the rest of the group. We then traveled to the famous towered village of San Gimignano. The town was full of tourists and shops near the entrance, but during our free time I walked to the top and found this vineyard surrounded by old walls and a small tower. From here you could see both over part of the city with its towers rising to see who will be the tallest and into the surrounding Tuscan countryside. The earth-toned buildings with red tile roofs reflecting the sun stood in contrast to the patchwork of farms and trees and the mountains loomed off in the distance. I would have loved to relax on the hillside with some local cuisine and wine while the sun set to watch the landscape slowly fall under the cover of night in true romantic Tuscan style. However, at the request of some others in the tour group, we returned to the mall and spent a couple hours shopping which was very exhausting for me at the climax of my sickness.

The next morning we drove to the top of a hill that provided a wonderful view of the city of Florence below. This city was the birthplace of all the greatest Renaissance artists and it remains the cultural center of Italy today. The skyline of the city is dominated by the Basilica of Saint Mary di Firenze (of the flower) and that was our first walking stop in the city. The huge red tile domes and the patterns of green marble give the basilica a distinctive exterior, but the bland interior was very disappointing. Next stop was the Piazza della Signoria that was full of statues depicting various stories of mythology and history including the kidnapping of the Sabine women and the copy of the David. We then made our way through the streets that were lined with statues until we reached the river and the bridge with houses built on the sides.

Soon we were given a big chunk of free time so Kristi, Jessica, and I decided to locate the museum where the original David by Michelangelo was located. We were told that the group would not go to see it because it would take too long, but we were surprised when within a half hour we were gazing up at the statue. David is holding his sling with a rock inside and is supposed to be looking with anxiety at Goliath. Due to how famous the statue is, we took a long time to study and analyze the figure and it was nice to accomplish something that was on many other people’s bucket list. There was many other works of art in the museum but the most interesting find was a bowl designed as a replica of something described in a historical account from Ming China. When you rubbed the handles the whole bowl vibrated emitting a loud hum while the water rippled or even danced. For some reason my fingers were very adept in bringing out the full potential of this bowl which caused people to wander away from other exhibits and into the small room out of curiosity. We wandered around the city some more before returning to the bus.

That evening we made an unexpected stop during our drive to Rome at the hilltop town of Orvieto. We rode a cable car up the slope and arrived at another gorgeous cathedral that looked like a smaller version of the one in Siena. Although we only remained here for about 45 minutes, I ran through the streets exploring and discovered that I really liked the feel of this town. There were not many tourists and most sections of the town were for locals. The streets I explored were scarcely populated, picturesque, and contained many curious places to eat, hangout, or shop. This was the first time we had been out as night fell and I enjoyed the different atmosphere although again I was rushed to return to the group.

The final day of the trip it finally began to rain and it was time for Rome. Our first destination was Saint Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. We waited in a very long line outside in the light rain in order to enter the church, but it was certainly worth the wait. This basilica boasts the largest interior of any church in the world. Upon entering, it was difficult to gauge the massive scale. Eventually, the size began to sink in as I found that it took remarkably longer than expected to walk to a given location and that people seemed to disappear as they walked away from you. The nave of the church was huge in itself, but the apse and the wings of the church were large enough to be their own cathedrals. In fact, each part had its own seating like a separate church and there was a mass being celebrated in the left wing as if there were not thousands of tourists to distract the parishioners. Inside were several famous works of art including: Michelangelo’s Pieta, Rafael’s Transfiguration of Christ, the baldachin Papal Altar, and the Chair of Saint Peter both by Bernini. I believe this is the most richly decorated church I have experienced, but it was not overwhelming at all because of the vast size and variety of styles, which produced an otherworldly and transcendent feel. The church was so huge that I felt like I rushed through to see the whole thing and take pictures but I was still the last of the group to leave the church after a half hour.

After gathering the group, we walked to the Trevi Fountain, which is apparently one of the most famous fountains in the world. The allure of the water and art of the fountain was dampened by the steady rain, which made pondering and picture taking difficult. The teachers and most of the students went to grab a 30-minute lunch at a small Chinese restaurant which was the first taste of Chinese for many of them. The next site was certainly one that I recognized, the Pantheon. This circular structure toped by a dome with a large open hole in the center featured the largest dome in the world for over a millennium until it was bested by the basilica in Florence, though still it remains the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world today. Having virtually climbed through the whole in the top and descended to the floor, I had felt scale of this dome before. Since the Roman acceptance of Christianity, the Pantheon has functioned as a church, but the main attraction was certainly its unique construction.

Upon departing, we soon found ourselves standing in a large square with another fountain that contained an Egyptian obelisk and a separate fountain stream for the main rivers of the four major continents: Nile (Africa), Ganges (Asia), Danube (Europe), and the Amazon (the Americas). We were given a curious amount of free time, so I bolted off again in the direction that seemed to have the most potential and I found picturesque streets as well as an important intersection in the city with a bridge that offered a great view of the Tiber, Saint Peter’s Basilica, and the Castel Sant’Angelo. I also noticed that Romulus and Remus myth remained such a part of the identity of the city that they have a bronze plate of the brothers being nursed by the she-wolf along with the famous S.P.Q.R (Senatus Populus que Romanus = Senate and the People of Rome) featured on every public trash container.

As the rain subsided we headed into the anticipated heart of the ancient city of Rome. We first visited the Italian National Museum and, since we were given unclear instructions about time limit and the group always gathered late, I decided to not worry about taking some extra time to see if I could find a view. I climbed hundreds of steps and ran through an exhibit to uncover a wrap-around balcony that offered an amazing panorama of the old city. The Roman Forum was on the hill near the museum while the old central street was lined with partially preserved structures culminating in the Coliseum. I spent some time trying to imagine the bustle of life on this street in Ancient Rome and the noise that would periodically rise from the Coliseum as 50,000 spectators reacted to the bloody spectacle before them. However, I knew I would be late so I found the group waiting and we walked along the street to the Coliseum.

To be honest the Coliseum was not as tall or grand as I had been expecting. It was a massive accomplishment considering it was built over 2,000 years ago, but with all the other things we had seen, this structure did not surmount its predecessors in the way I anticipated. It was still awesome to be able to visit this site that is very well preserved, but we did not have enough time to go inside which was a letdown. I walked all around the structure to take in the design and ended at the Arch of Constantine. This triumphal arch was the situated next to a road that still contained the original Roman stones. I lingered between the Forum, arch, and Coliseum for a minute to take in the heart of the ancient city from the slopes of Palatine Hill on which the city was founded before being summoned to the bus for our departure. We drove to the airport and made our stand in the crowded security lines to take off and watched as the lights of Rome grew faint marking the end of our 5-day race through Italy.

This trip was a great opportunity to see so many wonderful things in Italy. There are certainly disadvantages to traveling in a big tour group, but having everything provided and planned for you and being able to move quickly and cheaply from one place to another in a tour bus was crucial to being able to see what we did with the size of group we had. Although I am usually a person who likes to visit new places, the fact that I rarely had the opportunity to explore or take in the feeling of a place and the overwhelming historical richness and natural beauty of Italy makes me very excited to return this summer during the trip planned with my parents. I now have a better understanding of what to expect and what to look for and it will be great to be able to move at our own pace.

Back at LAC things are moving along and we are trying to keep up. Our long schedules are beginning to wear a little on all of us and I feel that my productivity has been slashed. Fortunately, I now have less deadline work because most of my resources are coming from last semester and I am simply improving little things here and there while trying to work ahead to prepare for the mass of new content that will be mine to teach next year. However, there are a lot of side projects to take care of in preparing for the end of the year and to begin transitioning for next year. With only six weeks left of school, I am hoping to recommit myself to spending as much quality time with the students, in the community, and with the Lord as I can. My busy schedule has made me feel holed up in school without having the ability to focus on doing a few things well and I want to lean on Christ to allow Him to take control of my time and prioritize what needs to be done before summer.

This quarter so far has been more of a normal schedule, so we have had Bible club three more times. After moving the time to be earlier we have gotten a larger turnout, but this has also meant that students are often distracted during discussion. We have had some fun times with them playing a variety of games and have discussed the spiritual world/the soul, why there is so much suffering in our world, and the relationship between science and religion. Discussion is give and take because the students are often very interested, but they are very easily sidetracked and it can be difficult to keep them attentive long enough to give a cohesive explanation.

In history class, I just finished my unit on Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, which I am easily excited about. Like in bible club, the students were usually very interested, but they are easily distracted by things that are different from what they thought. Because they know so little about the religions that are ingrained into their own culture, I think it is incredibly important for them to understand the basic historical formation and main beliefs of these faiths. The unique differences and views of salvation can play a huge role in the way people view the world. I hope that the combination of this instruction and bible club will help the students become more aware of the importance of religion in our world and encourage them to ask critical questions about our faith and their own spiritual formation. Please pray for progress in this slow process and that God would open their hearts and begin to work his way into this community.

After Easter, we had a few rainy weeks in Lezha, but the past 10 days has been beautiful with the warm sun making its return. There has not been any notable change in the food situation, but I have had some opportunities to eat some good food. One of these times I was invited by of one of my students who used to live in Greece to come to his house along with Elvis (the other Greek) in order to try some Greek food. Both of his parents were cooks in Greece so the food was amazing and there was so much variety including: two types of rice, some greens, potatoes, ground beef patties, chicken, pork, salads, Tzatziki, a special sauce recipe from Crete, bread and more. We spent some watching motorbike videos and they told me how every boy in Greece has one that they would race and how when they left their motorbikes in Greece it was like losing a part of themselves. The students who have lived somewhere else have shared that it has been difficult for them to come back to Lezha because there is not much to do besides go out for coffee or play soccer at a calceto.  They have also suggested that the local culture is not fond of new or foreign ideas, so it can be stifling to those who have experienced another style of life and had part of their identity changed.

This past Tuesday, we had off school for Albanian worker’s day so I went to the beach in Shengjin with the two Greeks. After only a couple hours of swimming in the dirty water and getting some sun, Elvis invited me to come to visit with his family at their house on a mountainside. Despite being unusually exhausted, we climbed the path up to his property where I was introduced to his family and had a feast placed in front of me. His grandfather was happy that I was visiting his house because I was the first American he had ever seen. It began to get a little emotional when he talked about how I reminded him of his one son who had left to live in the States. He said that I honored this place because of my appreciative attitude and he wanted an American to experience something uniquely good about Albanian culture to go along with the bad. I was very honored to be so welcomed by this family and privileged to have had such a meaningful interaction with a group of people that I had never met before and could communicate with only with limited words and gestures through Elvis.

My time on the mountain with this family gave me a wonderful picture of a rustic lifestyle that had mostly disappeared from the industrialized world and stood in strong contrast to the packed living conditions in Lezha. The homes there were built in the 19th century and were simple single-story houses built with wood and stone covered in plaster. There was only three rooms and the ceiling was so low I had to duck down, which would get old very quickly if you lived there. Elvis told me how he lived there when he was young and how as many as 20 people had somehow squeezed in that small house to live together back in the good old days.

What luxuries the house did not supply, the natural surroundings made up for. There was a mountain stream that provided a non-stop supply of fresh water. There were patches of gardens, trees, and pasture all worked into the green slopes of the mountain. We ate cherries, climbed a tree, chased after sheep, laid in the shade, drank directly from the mountain stream, sat on a donkey, sipped the local wine, threw sticks, and ate some more cherries. I thoroughly enjoyed this time because it allowed me to get away from all the noise and concrete in the small radius where I live my life here to experience God’s creation and have a genuine interaction with the Albanian culture. As I sat in the shade to escape the heat and heard traditional Albanian music being played through a stereo, my mind wandered back to my time with the Bedouin in the desert of Jordan. Although the landscape was quite different, the combination of hard work and a slower pace of life in the wild harmonized with the simple eastern-style melodies to provide a similar experience of simpler times. I am very thankful to Elvis and his family for their hospitality and I hope to have the privilege of returning to that special place again.

The return of warmer weather has beckoned a renewed interest in soccer. Last week we I played for the first time since the advent of winter and it felt good to run around. Although I had only watched two soccer games the whole year prior to a few weeks ago, I watched a significant part of four games within the span of several days. This is because the Champion’s League finals have been taking place and all the men are glued to the television screen as the best clubs in Europe battle for dominance. There are so many things that frustrate me about soccer and I cannot believe that some of the procedures have not been adapted, but I still find myself getting excited when there is so much hype surrounding a game and I understand who is playing. Ken Horst came to visit for a couple days to go over the details of our budget and stay, and one night he went out with Dini and I to watch one of the games. I have found myself shouting sometimes during intense parts of a big game when a goal is scored or big opportunity missed, but Ken (as a long time resident of Italy) was very excitable and it made the experience more amusing. It is amazing how all of Europe can be so enthralled by this game, but in the US we remain largely unacquainted with these contests. The final will be a Spanish-free bout between Chelsea and Bayern Munchen on May 19.

Things may be coming down to the end for this year, but there is still much to be done. Please keep each of the staff members in your prayers as we encounter whatever stressors will fly at us toward the end of the year. Pray that we are able to maintain order in the school and our classrooms as summer approaches, that we have clarity to see the big picture, and that we can effectively make the adjustments that are needed for an expanding school next year. Pray that we would find our strength and drive in the Lord and that our tired bodies will be invigorated to take advantage of the rest of our time this year. Pray particularly for VMM and the school boards efforts to locate and recruit more teachers for next year. We are going to need many staff additions to be able to adequately handle the increasing responsibilities while still retaining the time to be a purposeful mission presence in and outside of school. There are a lot of plans that have yet to be made and tasks that have yet to be accomplished, so please keep us particularly in your thoughts during the next month and a half. Thank you for all of your support and may God bless your efforts wherever you are.

Kalofsh Mire – “Have a good one.”