Posted on by lgandre · 3 Comments

Day 7 – The Sounds of Salzburg

I was barely in the van before she asked the first question…

“What is that?”
“It’s a cement mixer” the guide answered.
“Why is it in the street?”
“Because they are doing construction.”
“Is it permanent?”

Oh boy. I thought. It was going to be a very, very long ride to Salzburg.

The lady who loved to ask questions, though Indian, told me she lived in Hong Kong. Wherever she was from, clearly, she was familiar with The Sound of Music. Except for the first one, every question she asked pertained to the movie…is that the lake from The Sound of Music? Is that the church from The Sound of Music? Are we going to see all the sights from the Sound of Music?

I began to wonder if the driver was going to take us to Budapest and jump off the chain bridge.

But he seemed unphased (probably having heard that question a million times before), and he patiently explained, that no, we were a long way from Salzburg. And no, we would not see ALL the sites from the Sound of Music because when they made the movie, they actually spliced footage from all over; not just Salzburg or any one place.

We promptly stopped at a roadside restaurant and shop where the driver must be getting some kind of kick back…none of us felt much like eating given that we had just had a hotel breakfast and the items in the shop were beautiful but expensive.  We were anxious to see the hills that were alive with the sound of music.

After days of looking forward this this trip, I was beginning to wish I had just taken the train to Salzburg by myself (although the driver assured us that this would not have included the lake district…which has scenery from the Sound of Music). The lake (Modsee) was beautiful although incredibly busy on a Sunday with folks riding bikes, swimming, or sunbathing. There was really no time to do anything but take a few pictures, but I guess now I can say I’ve seen the lake from the Sound of Music. If anyone cares.

The lakeside castle where some of the scenes were shot was never actually a home of the VonTrapps (their real home was confiscated by the Nazis during WWII but has recently had been turned into a hotel).

When we pulled into Saltzburg, I felt a bit more disappointed. It was just a city.

saltzburg 29

Josef, our driver pulled into a parking lot beside an ornate church (and confirmed that, no, it was not the church in the Sound of Music).

He explained that we were in the new city and after showing us a few sites from the Sound of Music, he would take us into the old city.

My new Sound of Music loving friend (“SOM”) was not in good shape, so walking was slow. We did eventually reach the Mirabelle Garden and the place where a few shots were taken as Maria and the kids are singing. I am going to have to go back and watch the movie…I really don’t remember unicorns.

There was a lovely park there and a band was playing (no, nothing from SOM). But the park runs along the river and we stopped a few times as the guide pointed out significant places. It turns out, long before Rodgers and Hammerstein, a young man named Wolfgang Mozart had left his mark in Saltzburg. The city is very proud of this heritage as well they should be. There is at least one other well known figure from Saltzburg, the scientist Christian Doppler. Maybe someone would care if the hills had not come alive with the Sound of Music.

Josef showed us where famous local chocolate was made and other important things like good places to buy ice cream.

He showed us another fountain featured in the Do-Re-Mi scene of SOM. I cringed waiting for SOM herself to say, “that’s not what it looked like in the Sound of Music,”
But instead, she simply said, “where can we buy souvenirs?”

I guess there is nothing more inspiring than shipping containers and construction debris.

“It’s almost free time and you can all go do what you want.” The guide told her, and we all breathed a sigh of relief.

But first, he took us to the graveyard by the Abbey where the VonTrapps hide from the Germans in the movie. It is a lovely little graveyard. In reality, the VonTrapps did not hide in a graveyard, they left the country on a train before the war started.

Saltzburg 15

And truthfully, I’m not sure what was actually filmed because even though there are many caged areas such as are depicted in the movie, I didn’t see any tomb stones that aren’t flush against the wall.

But maybe the fictional heros in that Abbey have done more than make for an exciting story because the abbey is still functioning to this day.

After the graveyard, I went back a few centuries and hiked the hill to the castle. I will say this, if I worked there, I would not need a gym membership. That was no joke.

Saltzburg 12

But it was worth the hike. The Castle was originally built somewhere in the 1400s and occupied by the Archbishops of Hamburg. The site of city was originally chose because of its defensive position on the Danube and near the mountains, but salt mines were discovered which made for the city’s main industry. (And consequently, the name, Saltzburg).

The Archbishops were the spiritual and civil rulers and apparently, had frequent need to exercise disciple to maintain their control. The tour including the torture chambers and a rather terrifying hole that led to the dungeon.

There is also a significant WWI and WWII history involving the Castle and grounds although I didn’t absorb it all.

Overall, it was a pretty cool castle and afforded beautiful views of the city below.

On the way out, I learned that one of the elements in the SOM was not fiction, and that is that puppetry was a huge part of the culture in Saltzburg. Part of the museum captured this and it was fun to see.

Saltzburg 2Saltzburg 3

Even though I took a train down the mountain, I definitely felt the walk/hike that morning had earned me an ice cream lunch. I tried some new flavors including black current and elderflower. Let’s just say, it’s a good thing I also got an old faithful, chocolate.

I took a quick photo in the gorgeous church where the Captain and Maria got married. There was a couple doing the tango on the steps. I don’t know why. They didn’t tango in the Sound of Music.

SAltzburg 1

Having covered medieval history, WWI, the SOM, and the tango, I felt like it was time to visit one of Mozart’s houses. Our guide had told us which one had the best museum, the one where he was born and lived as a child.

The house and museum were pretty well done and told the story of this child prodigy who left a quite significant mark on the music world considering he only lived to be 35.

They had a lot of replicas and even some original artifacts (along with a lock of hair that might or might not be his).

Mozart was reasonably successful during his life, but he lived an popular tour life and his death left his young wife and kids with quite a bit of debt. Constanze proved to be a prudent business woman and managed to turn things around and preserve his legacy remarkably well including publishing his first biography. After about 10 years, she did remarry and eventually returned to Salzburg which she and Wolfgang had left a few years after their marriage.

When we met back at the van at the end of the day, I chatted with SOM and learned that she hadn’t done much of anything because it was too hot. When she kept complaining, I thought about asking her if she wanted to sign “My Favorite Things” but I decided against it.

We waited at the van for the last of the group to show up and we could hear music playing from the full choir and orchestra inside. It wasn’t Mozart or Rogers and Hammerstein, but maybe it’s appropriate that our final moments in the city were filled with the beautiful sound of music.

salzburg 36 (2)

Posted on by lgandre

Day 6 – Budapest by Bus

The driver was at my hotel promptly at 6:45 am. The free hotel breakfast opened at 6:30 am, so I had made good use of that extremely valuable 15 minutes. Breakfast that morning had been a beautiful sight.

There were nine of us headed to Budapest, which is about a 2.5 hour drive East. I really don’t know that much about Budapest since it isn’t mentioned in the Sound of Music (or any other books or movies I could recall). Thankfully, the driver/guide filled us in with the history of Hungary during the drive and I stayed awake for a pretty large percentage of it.

Budapest 3

Budapest is a town on the Danube River (which is not a beautiful blue…just sayin’). It was originally settled during the Roman Empire, but was then conquered by the Magdars and a bunch of other people.

It turns out, Budapest is a very beautiful city. The driver was trying to cover as much of it as possible so we only had a few minutes at each place, but it was obvious that a lot of resources had been invested into the architecture of the lovely town—some dating as far back as 86 AD (There are actually a ton of different architectural styles and it’s almost impossible to tell which ones are ancient and what is recent, but they’re all ornate).

Hungary suffered under communism from the end of WWII until 1989. Apparently, after the iron curtain fell, everyone went out and bought cars whether they needed them or not (which you really don’t…unless you want to get out of town…something those folks had probably never been able to do until then).

Hungary became part of the EU in 2004 (although it’s still not been able to reach the financial standards necessary to officially adopt the Euro).

budapest-8.jpg

I wasn’t expecting much of Hungarian food since it hasn’t really made a presence around the world, but I have to say, the lunch I ate was one of the best meals I’ve had on this trip.  Or maybe it just seemed that way because I’m still catching up on calories from those 25,000 steps yesterday.

I met several nice folks on the tour and walked the chain bridge afterward with a lady from Australia. She and her husband have 4,000 sheep (plus dogs, kangaroos, etc) on over 3,000 acres somewhere in the middle of the country. She was only too happy to walk with me. I guess living that remotely, she and her husband see a great deal of each other and not a whole lot of other people.

The guide had told us an interesting story about the chain bridge that connects “Buda” and “Pest” and the pompous architect, Adam Clark who had designed and built it.  He said he jumped off to his death in the Danube after some students criticized the lions at the entrances because they didn’t have tongues.

We thought it was an interesting story, but on a whim I googled it, and Siri says Adam Clark died of lung disease when he was 54 and brought up a photo of his grave stone.  But then, I have learned that Siri is not exactly a reliable source of information.  Who knows, maybe a famous architect did jump off his bridge into the Danube because someone said his lions didn’t have a tongue.  Sounds legit to me.

At any rate, it’s a beautiful bridge. And really, a surprisingly beautiful city.  I don’t know about all the history I learned today but maybe I’ll be a little more motivated to study up on the history myself.  Someday, I’d love to go back with a little more time and get lost in the Labyrinth under the city.  With Siri.

Budapest

Step count: 17,000
Cumulative Step Count: 114,000 (~57 miles)

Posted on by lgandre

Day 5 – Keeping it Real in Vienna

vienna 11

It’s not Vienna’s fault, really. It’s just not fair to ask a city to be the next stop after a trip to the Dolomites. There was probably nothing Vienna could have done that wouldn’t seem like a little bit of a let down after breathing that mountain air.

Toni's contribution to Vienna Architechture
Toni’s contribution to Vienna architecture

Not that it was all bad. A little graffiti just sort of keeps it real.  Actually, there is a lot of graffiti.

Grafitti aside, Vienna has a much different feel from Venice. Venice, at this point, is a tourist hub where people get around by boat and walking. Vienna is a modern, working city where folks get around by car, bus, train, bike, motorcycle, scooter, e-scooter, horse drawn carriage, baby carriage, Segway, Big Bus, running, or, in my case, walking.

Vienna has a different smell than Venice too.  That’s a good thing.

When I arrived, I realized that pretty much everything I know about Austria I learned from 1. The Sound of Music; 2. Miracle of the White Stallions; or 3. Old cassette tape on one of the composers…I.e. the Life of Mozart. (I guess you could also throw in on a much lesser scale, 4. Woman in Gold.)

At any rate, as I started passing one ornate building and one impressive statue after another after another, I realized I didn’t know what or who any of them were and consequently, all I could think about was how heavy my back pack was and how much I regret my codependency on unreliable Siri.

If you haven’t seen Miracle of the White Stallions or heard of the Spanish Riding School or the famous Lipizzaner horses, I’m not really surprised. But apparently, some people have because I figured the riding hall had about 500 seats. Tickets weren’t cheap. And at 11:00 am, every seat was filled and folks were standing along the walls.

The empty riding hall...because I don't want to be the one to "irritate the horses"

It’s hard to describe the performance and they would not let us take pictures because it “irritates the horses” so I can only recommend you look them up or view the recent Netflix special on these beautiful Stallions. They have a way of almost dancing and a long tradition of performing that has not changed in forever.

I did notice, however, that neither the show nor the Netflix special in any way references the story told in “Miracle if the White Stallions” in which the US army saved the breed toward the end of WWII. I think we deserve a little credit in the form of discounted tickets or something. Just sayin’.

After the show, I decided to try to go to the hotel to try to drop off my backpack which, after carrying it around since 4:00 am, seemed to weigh far more than 1,000 lbs. I had intentionally booked a hotel near a train station (although a bit out of town for cost reasons), but I had never found out what train station. So it made for a very, very long walk. I felt like Christian in Pilgrims Progress carrying a heavy burden. It didn’t help that I had made a poor choice of shoes that day.

I neglected to mention that while I was looking for the Spanish Riding School that morning, I had been talked into buying a concert ticket for later that evening by a street salesman who gave me a special discount. 😉

By the time I made it to the hotel and shed my burden, I had learned that the hotel was right next to a palace (Schönbrunn Castle) which also was hosting a concert that night that sounded very similar. Schönbrunn was cool, quiet, inviting, and it was RIGHT THERE. But no, I had paid 30 Euros for a ticket to a concert all the way back in the heart of Vienna. That meant I was in for more trains and a lot more walking to end a day that had started at 3:00 am. Ugh.

So after a few hours of catching up on emails and work and fighting to charge my phone and computer with a temperamental outlet in my room, I headed back to the train station…thankfully, now I knew the closest one to the hotel (not the one I came on) and the closest one to the concert hall, so I figured all would go smoothly, but I left two hours early just in case.

What I didn’t know then was that the clever salesman had been peddling tickets that looked *almost* exactly like the concert going on at the Opera House that night.

I tried going to the address on the ticket, but Siri pulled one of her “you have arrived” stunts when clearly, I had not arrived.

Then I started asking locals who all directed me to the Opera House but after arriving there, I realized that although the ticket looked like the same concert going on at the Opera House, it was not.

After nearly two hours of walking, I was extremely close to giving up when I happened to light on another salesman on the street selling tickets for the same concert I’d been duped into. “It’s just beyond the Opera House” he told me, generally pointing. Then he gave me a map. Which was also no help.

But I found it. Somehow. And my some miracle, I was even on time.

And although I was in the cheap seats and couldn’t see much of anything, the musicians were good and the music was beautiful—Mozart, Grieg, Vivaldi, etc.

vienna 6

So there you have it…a nod to Miracle if the White Stallions and the Life of Mozart. Sunday, I plan to go to Salzburg and find out if the hills are still alive with the Sound of Music. Hopefully, my feet will have recovered by then. In honor of the Woman in Gold, I will not go to any Museums.

Not at all a bad way to spend the day after the Dolomites.

In fact, I’m hesitant to admit it…but even though I’d pick a day at the Dolomites over a day in the city every time (and I’m generally not one for concerts that begin at 8:30 pm), I do love the European way of walking every where.  I love to see couples dressed up and catching trains for an evening out.  I love the rows of little, privately owned shops and the simplicity of only buying what you can carry home.

Total steps today: 25,000 Cumulative steps: 97,000 (~39 miles)

Posted on by lgandre

Day 4 – The Dolomites

 

I was not a happy traveler when the alarm went off. 6:30 am was really 12:30 am EST and it felt very much like getting up in the middle of the night.

But I was very much looking forward to the group tour to the Dolomites and the directions on how to get to the tour pick place were a little sketchy, so after last nights’ experience, I wasn’t going to take any chances.

Thankfully, I had significantly lightened the load in my backpack and I at least had the benefit of the lessons learned the previous evening for navigation, but I still made the mistake of thinking I would save 15 Euro and walk to the pick up point 34 minutes away. I will skip the details and tell you that an hour and 30 minutes later, I arrived by water taxi having spent 20 Euros. But the important thing was, I arrived.

We were in a smaller van and it didn’t take long to see why. Winding up the narrow roads of the Dolomites was exciting enough without extra axles.

We drove through the ugly town where the people who work in Venice live, through the grape vineyards, and then began winding our way into the mountains.

It’s hard to describe the rest of the day with words. I can’t even do it justice with pictures. The Dolomites are truly beautiful and rival anything I’ve ever seen and maybe more.

Our Italian guide, Francesco, was friendly and didn’t seem to miss a photo op along the way. Even so, I was jealous of the numerous motorcycles, hikers, bikers, and other outdoor enthusiasts. They definitely had the right idea.

We briefly stopped in Cortina. This small mountain town of 6,000 was just awarded the hosting of the 2026 Olympic Winter Games. It looks like it’s used to handling tourists, but I am curious how they plan to get a million people up that winding mountain rode. I suspect it will be forever changed.

Perhaps they plan to expand, but they’ll never make it by 2026 if it’s up to these guys we observed.  We had a good laugh watching this guy roll rocks down the hill with a rake one at a time while the guy below barked orders on what to roll next.

Road work

For lunch, we stopped at the beautiful lake town of Misorina. It was truly breathtaking. We all enjoyed our lunch made from locally grown/handmade pizzas, pastas, and more.

The weather was perfect. After lunch, I took the walking path around the lake and ended the stop with chocolate gelato. I definitely found my happy place.

When we got back in the car, the emails and texts started hitting my phone. My people were up. Back to reality. But it was a super fun day.

I must be getting the hang of navigating Venice. When the driver dropped us off at Piazza Romale, Siri said 17 minutes back to the hotel and it only took me an hour. Including the water taxi. Of course, it is a little more complicated to navigate with Siri in one hand and a cup of rapidly melting gelato in the other. So there’s that.

But the good part was that I was the Rialto Bridge, San Marco square, and 1,000 little shops that make Venice the beautiful city that it is. I could see why someone who likes old, charming, dirty, inconvenient, crowded cities might like Venice. At least maybe in April or May.

Venice - Rialto

But I didn’t have the least little bit of regret for spending my day at the Dolomites. If I ever turn up missing…don’t look for me in the Dolomites. Just saying.

Step Count: 20,000
Cumulative total: 72,000

Posted on by lgandre

Day 3 – Dublin to Venice

I still haven’t completely adjusted to the time change. Either that, or I’m suffering from a laundry induced hangover. But I made myself get up. Somehow.

An important element to my two week back pack trip was the need to wash clothes every now and again. I picked this “apart/hotel” especially so that I could do laundry and was pleased to find that there was a washer/dryer combo right in the tiny unit.

But things went downhill from there and I was probably up an extra hour of delirium last night trying to get the combo washer/dryer to work. It would act like it was going to before dissolving into incessant beeping. I even got out of bed twice to try it before finally turning the whole thing off—my clothes still locked tightly inside.

Today, I hoped, things would be different.

Things were not different. But I did need my clothes back and preferably clean. One trip down to the receptionist desk was all it took and a happy red headed maintenance man named Ian showed up a few minutes later. I was somewhat relieved to find that it had not been solely operator error and very relieved to find that he was able to fix it. Hallelujah!

Most folks I talked to thought a two day stay in Ireland was ridiculously short, but I believed I had at least gotten a fair taste of this beautiful country. In the afternoon, I would catch a flight to Venice via Cologne, Germany.

The bus stop to the airport was just across the street from the hotel, but I still had a few minutes between check out and the time I really needed to be on my way to the airport, so I thought I’d find something to eat and visit the “Castle of Dublin”—which Siri showed was only a 9 minute walk.

I followed Siri through the busy streets passing by the mix of modern and classic buildings including these churches:

Dublin Christ Church Cathedral
Church of Ireland (Protestant)

And passed the Queen of Tarts where I bought a scone.

Dublin Queen of Tarts

Then Siri told me I had arrived. And I saw this:

Dublin Castle

Not quite what I had in mind.

I tried to get a Siri to recalibrate and she took me down a different street. Then another. And another. And kept telling me I had arrived. I was getting less and less about the castle and more and more concerned about time but I kept thinking it would be a shame to miss it since by all accounts I was quite close and in all likelihood there would be a bus stop right nearby it.

By the time I saw signs pointing to the castle, it had sunk in to me that the smaller bus stops I was seeing did not have the 747, the line running to the airport. If I really knew what I was doing, I could probably catch any bus and make the transfer. But alas, I did not know what I was doing…in fact, I couldn’t even find the Castle of Dublin in the middle of Dublin.

Besides, my backpack was starting to feel like it weighed 1,000 pounds. (Where are the Bostic boys when you need them? I’m not used to having to carry anything. 🙂

So I hightailed it back to the bus station and waited for the 747 and connived how I would get my stuff on the plane with an 8 kg limit without paying any fees.

When I arrived at DUB, cutting it a little closer than I would have liked, I don’t think it would be an exaggeration to say there were hundreds, perhaps even a thousand people in line in front of me. But leave it to the Irish to move hordes of people through a long security line efficiently. In fact, as many airports as I’ve been in, I was mesmerized by the system they had for tubs and scanners.

It was a short flight to Cologne. I researched every option I could think of to find a way to see some of the old city during my layover, but alas, three hours was just not enough so I had to content myself with getting a stamp in my passport, eating a Bratwurst, and buying a magnet to prove this trip included Germany. Then I tried to catch up on emails and texts.

The flight to Venice was also only about an hour, but even so, it was 10:00 PM local time when we arrived. Unlike Ireland, Italy was dark, hot, quiet, and much less user friendly or people friendly. Perhaps because English was no longer a thing and I was having to guess at how to get a bus ticket to where I needed to go.

Thankfully, I figured it out and was soon at the main bus depot in Venezia. It took me a minute once I got off to collect my wits and it took Siri even longer to collect hers.

Venice
Piazzale Roma

The city did look pretty in the lamplight, but frankly it smelled terrible and I was a little too tired for sightseeing anyway. I was ready for the hotel and praying the Siri would be in a better mood than she had been in Dublin that morning.

I do think Siri was trying; I’ll give her that. But navigating through Venice by foot is much like being in a 3D maze. What I originally thought were just alleys were, in fact streets, and they started and ended wherever they like in no organized fashion. Siri apparently kept losing signal and I found myself having to retrace my steps from time to time.

Streets of Venice in Daylight

I tried to ask a local where my hotel was but her either had no idea or he pretended he didn’t. That didn’t inspire confidence. Then I noticed that although the streets were getting less and less populated (it was getting close to midnight), a high percentage of folks I saw were also holding a black box in front of them—their faces illuminated by a soft glow. Either a high percentage of tourists were playing Pokémon Go or else I was not the only one on the struggle bus with Siri.

Gradually, I started to get the hang of looking for the street names on the buildings and guessing better what Siri was saying vs what she was actually thinking. The hotel sign finally stuck out in front of me and I stepped into a very, very lovely blast of AC.

Welcome to Venice. 

Total Step Count for the day: 12,000.  Cumulative Step Count: 52,000

Posted on by lgandre

Europe with a Backpack – Day 2

Bunratty – Cliffs of Moher – Galway

Day started with a “true Irish breakfast” although I’m not sure I can really say that since I skipped the blood pudding, beans, and bangers. I guess it was a true American breakfast at an Irish hotel. Such is life. I’m not eating blood pudding without a really, really good reason.

And I was late for the group tour and the driver today was grumpy enough to make up for the friendly guides yesterday. Alas.

But we started off back at Bunratty Castle and the “folk Park” there. There are about 1,000 steps in the Castle and I think I climbed every one of them three times…I kept having to back up to let other folks by because that’s what you do in a traffic jam on the winding narrow staircases in the towers. They were worth every step though.

The grounds were also much more interesting than I anticipated and I wished we had more time. Even though I kept moving, I was not able to see everything (maybe I would have been okay if I hadn’t kept backing up on the stairs). But anyway, I didn’t want to be late given the grumpy bus driver. And the fact that they will leave you if you’re late. Yikes.

We stopped at a little town called Doolin for lunch. Other than a tiny strip of shops, it was nothing at all. I did see a place to rent bikes which might make a great way to spend the day if you really enjoy looking at grass. And if you had a really good bike. It’s a hilly town.

Ireland - Fish and chips

From there we went to the Cliffs of Moher. The Cliffs were worth the whole trip. I was glad the weather was beautiful and that it was as clear as it was. I made full use of our time and, again, I could have used a lot more. But I used what time I had and tried to make my Fitbit very proud of me.

The scenic drive continued and I was thankful for the elevated bus that allowed us to see quite a ways as we drove along the coast. We stopped a couple of times for photo ops and even I took some selfies. I never take selfies.

Drive

We wound our way back to Galway where I visited the Spanish arches and once again, visited drug stores looking for a converter. The one I bought for 5 Euro yesterday worked for my computer but did not have a USB port for my phone.

Galway 2

The train ride back to Dublin was pleasant. In between trying to catch up on emails and texts, I chatted with some other folks from the tour and a much more friendly guide that had joined us in Galway. He was full of tidbits like where and how the Euro is printed and where the pictures on it were from. I learned that there are quite a few tea totalers in Ireland such that the overall alcohol consumption per capita is actually low for Europe. Who knew. I had only met one other lady so far that didn’t drink and she was from Michigan.

It was deceptively light when we got back to Dublin considering it was closing in on 10:00 pm. I had a clean efficient little room across from the church of Ireland waiting for me and rounded out my steps at 18,000…probably would have been 28,000 if we had had another hour at the Cliffs of Moher…but such is life.

My great day in Ireland wasn’t quite over, but I’ll save the rest for another day.

Posted on by lgandre

Europe with a Back Pack

Galway
Galway

 

Day one: Dublin – Galway – Bunratty

It was a six hour red eye from New York to Dublin. And apparently, when you book the $212 bargain ticket, they don’t give you so much as a drop of water on the flight. We arrived about 8:15 am (3:15 am EST).So it was a welcome miracle that I actually walked out of the airport feeling sorta good.

I took a shuttle through Dublin to the train station where I would be catching a group tour to Galway—a small city on the coast. They had clocked in my backpack at 7.2 kg at the airport (yes, they weigh carryons) but it felt heavy enough– I was glad I had packed light (although I did realize I had accidentally left the “perfect” electric converter that I bought especially for the trip).

The train station just felt like a lot of other train stations I’ve been in…with vendors selling coffee, pastries, smoothies, etc. I wanted something to eat although I tried to talk myself out of it on the basis of it being 3:00 am and all. But I did locate the desk for the tour group. It was deserted. So I found a seat nearby waited. Then I found water and waited. Then I got a smoothie and waited. Then I got more water.

As time for the train got closer, I began to get a little concerned, but just before 11:00, Sean showed up. Followed by Pat. Turns out, I was the only person signed up for the tour that day, but these lovely retired gentleman worked as guides and made sure I got my money’s worth.

About halfway to Galway, the train stopped and about a dozen college boys got on. They ordered beer from the concessions and after one or two, started blasting their Irish tunes from their cell phones…and then started singing along. So…I got the Irish pub experience. To be clear…I didn’t go to an Irish pub. The pub came to me.

When we got to Galway, they handed me a map and a fistful of other brochures and tickets told me to meet them back at the bus in about 3 hours.  All the work I had done to travel easy and light seemed undone as I constantly shifted the brochures around in my hands.

Galway is a great place to walk…especially for someone directionally challenged like me.  All roads seem to eventually lead back to the city center.

There are pedestrian streets of shops including about 1,000 little drug stores. I’m pretty sure I went to all 1,000 of them looking for a converter for my computer and phone. I eventually shelled out 5 Euros for a cheap one for my computer, a few more for water and a chocolate croissant, and a few more for magnets. I was thankful I didn’t have any luggage space to spare so I wasn’t tempted to buy much.  All that though, and no one gave me a bag I could put the brochures in…so now I was carrying water, a converter, and brochures.  I didn’t look like a tourist at all.Streets in Galway

Anyway… for me, the real fun of Galway was walking along the coast. There are beautiful views of the Atlantic…little boats…swans…and a small lighthouse.

The Salmon Bridge (Galway)
Salmon Bridge

I visited the church where Columbus said his final prayers before heading for his voyage to discover America. And I took pictures of the beautiful cathedral.

The cathedral - Galway
Cathedral

The streets were lively and in fact, had a lot of musicians playing here or there. One of the most prominent was playing Darius Rucker and other songs like “Take me Home Country Roads.” Glad I got to enjoy the local culture.  (Actually Irish music and American country are basically the same thing…about girls and alcohol.)

100% of our group (me) was on time for our pick up, but the bus was about 40 minutes late. So Mike and Pat and I chatted some before me and my back pack loaded on the 50 person bus and headed to Bunratty Castle.

Me and all my friends
Me and all my Friends

This road trip was beautiful. Lots of sprawling farms, sheep, and stone fences.

I didn’t understand why the banquet at the castle started at 9:00 pm until I realized that for many folks (coming from the US) it was only 4:00 pm and for the rest of the folks (Europeans), their nights are just getting started at 9:00.

The folks at Dunratty Castle made the evening fun with good food, good music (better than the train), and good humor. We sat family style packed in the ate with our fingers. The only complaint I heard was that the wine was awful, which didn’t bother me since I don’t drink and had already been in one Involuntary Irish pub that day.

Bunratty
Bunratty Castle

They wrapped up the evening with a beautiful acappela version of Danny Boy and a rousing ballad about whiskey. I walked back to my hotel as the rest of the crowd headed across the street to the pub.

All in all, it was a day well spent.  My fitbit said I had taken 22,000 steps and my feet suggested in may have been even more than that.  And I didn’t regret a single one.

 

Posted on by lgandre

Maybe Love is a Feeling After All

Here’s the thing. Just when you think you’ve learned something…or at least worked hard enough to graduate with a credible “B” on your transcript…you find that all you just went through was really just kindergarten.

Next will come first grade. Than second. Then third. Because God loves you too much to leave you the way you are.

I guess the good news is that as long as He is still pruning, we know that He has not given up. He is still a good father; watching and disciplining. He is still a good shepherd; pursuing and protecting. He is still a gentle potter; shaping and perfecting. He is still a wise friend; wounding and sharpening. He is still a merciful Savior; convicting and convincing. He is still a loving God; giving us free will; yet in relentless pursuit of making us more like Christ.

The last few months, I have been trying to be deliberate about being kind. I’m trying to use kinder words and more respectful tones. I’m trying to give a little more and expect a little less. I’m trying not to let my own needs be an excuse for selfishness.

But here’s the other thing. I’m learning how hollow even kind words can be when your heart is not them.

It’s interesting to me because all my life, I’ve been taught the counter-cultural characteristics of love found in I Corinthians 13. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love does not envy… The “agape” love described in this renown passage is that of learning to put others before ourselves. Love is the action of putting you before me.

I’ve been told time and time again that love is not a feeling. Love is a choice. Love is an action.

That’s why I don’t believe in happily ever after…or pretty much any Disney film…or Hallmark movie…because happiness in love is not the result of luck in finding the right person. Feelings come and go…as do good looks, compatibility, magical moments, and Christmas.

Romance is temporary; but love can be forever because love is not a feeling; it an action. It is a choice.

But I’ve always been a little confused by the opening part of that passage, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I have become like a sounding gong or a clanging symbol. And though I have the gift of prophecy…and have all knowledge…and have not love…”

I guess, against the backdrop that “love is the act of putting others before ourselves,” it makes sense that we could be a famous speaker and not have love…because we could be making the bests of speeches while really trying to draw attention to ourselves.

And perhaps we could have the gift of prophecy and understand knowledge and mysteries and not have love…because we are like that. We get big heads and small hearts.

But the third one has always stumped me… “And though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profits me nothing.” Give my body to be burned? Really? What selfish motive could one have in that? Perhaps you would go down in history. Perhaps you would be well thought of by those left behind. But you would also be…dead. So what good would the admiring obituary do you if you are tiny flakes scattering in the wind? Why would a selfish person give their body to be burned?

Is the author trying to tell us that an ultimate act of sacrifice can be done without love?

If so, what happened to the theory that love is an action? Can it be that a choice to do a right action is not actually love absent the feelings…the motivation…the energy…that we traditionally equate with love and romance?

I’ve noticed that as hard as it is for me to be kind, that the recipient of my kindness can sniff insincerity a mile away. Often long before I will admit to it.

While I am focused on my sacrifice, the recipient is often looking through my thinly veiled kindness directly at my tiredness, my crankiness, and my shrinking hoard of patience. While I’m convinced that I am speaking with the tongues of men and of angels, they hear only gongs and symbols.

If I’m being honest, it doesn’t seem quite fair.

Because sometimes a dry, heartless affirmation is all I have to give. And if you don’t like it, you should hear what I’m really thinking. And sometimes, the silence that may seem uncaring and aloof may be the very thinking keeping me from FLIPPING MY LID. Yep. Be glad I’m not talking right now.

I feel like I should get points for trying. For holding my tongue. For saying something nice when I didn’t feel like it. A participation ribbon at least.

But Paul seems to be telling us something different. He is, in fact, pretty emphatic: if your heart isn’t it in, it isn’t love. It’s gongs and symbols.

It’s noise. But it is not music.

So I’m coming to believe that emotion is a necessary part of love after all. That love requires ingredients of vulnerability, sincerity, and energy that transform the noise of our actions into music.

A closer study of I Corinthians 13 would support this. Love bears. Believes. Hopes. Endures. It is more than action. It is something that looks a lot like what we commonly call “emotion.”

I’m coming to believe that emotion is a necessary part of love. It is the energy that brings patience and kindness to life. It is the harmony that ties the melody of our actions to the rhythm of God’s truth.

Did I mention it’s difficult?

It might start easy and get hard. Or start hard and get easy. Or ping pong back and forth between easy and hard. But it’s subject to change; therefore, it’s difficult.  It just is.

I’m convinced that the only thing harder than taming the tongue is cultivating healthy emotions. Long after we have learned to behave and use kind words we have to still force our selves to blaze trails in the mind and go where we didn’t think it humanly possible. Our emotions are the final frontier.

Here’s my conclusion:

I should still say “I love you” when I don’t feel a thing. But I should let it bother me that I don’t feel a thing. I should still use kind words when kind words are all I have to give. But I should be asking God to breathe energy into my words. I should still be gentle even when I can’t be excited, but I should ask God to set a fire in my soul.

Because love bears. Believes. Hopes. Endures. Love includes emotion; it is vulnerable, sincere, and exudes energy.

It is not just the noise of our actions; It is the beauty of our emotions that makes the music.

Posted on by lgandre

On Being Kind

It was the kind of tired when the very thought of lifting your arm and your head up far enough and long enough to send a text message seems like an impossible task.

The kind of tired that makes you pretty sure there are two hippopotamus’ sleeping in your bedroom. One is lying on your left leg and the other on your right. You’re pretty sure that absent a crane Dragging them off, you will never be able to move again.

The kind of tired that makes you think that if you you could lift your head, and if you could move your legs, you would crawl to the window, stick your head out, and declare to the madly spinning world…STOP.

Just STOP. That is all.

That was me. That was my December.

So as the new year approached, I had nothing to give. I made no plans, set no goals, made no resolutions. I scarcely noticed that the 8 at the end of the date was turning to 9 except for a feeble attempt to recharge my Scripture memory and catch my breath.

I’ve taken January a day at a time. My main goal: to get through it.

So recently, I started wondering if I could sort of start 2019 over. And asking myself…if I could, what would I do differently? Would I try to lose weight? Save money? Eat better? Work less? Read more? Pray more?

What priorities do I have that need to be reordered? What are my biggest messes that need to turn hard corners and come to Jesus?

Thinking through the last four months, I realized that more than any other challenge I face, I struggle to apply the simple admonishment: “Love is kind.” (1 Corinthians 13).

Love is kind.

I have had a lot of opportunities to apply that verse lately. And I have failed in many of them.

Love is kind.

Kindness, I’ve learned, takes extra energy. It requires humility. It demands quick forgiveness. It means extreme self control. It is a successor of patience. It feeds off creativity. And it is often exercised while clinging to the lifesaver of prayer.

Love is kind.

Kindness is not what you say, it’s how you say it. It is not what you do, it’s why you do it. It rises above the way that it is treated and gives to those whose who take and take and take.

Love is kind.

It’s sympathetic. It’s quiet when words won’t help. It’s vulnerable when tears are unavoidable. It’s slow to judge. It is wisdom exercised with gentleness. It keeps its calm in the middle of the storm.

It’s hard.

In fact, it takes practice. I know because I’ve failed a lot. I’ve tried, and I’ve still failed a lot.

But as I tried to take inventory of my life and make sense of some tough days, I sensed this recurring theme: God is teaching me to be gentle and kind.

In a world gone mad, where women want to prove themselves tough and “equal” to be men, I need to be kind.

In the craziness of the business world and the imminence of deadlines that are not being met, I need to be kind.

In the brokenness of people around me and the constant wave after wave of needs that seem so overwhelming, I need to be kind.

With my type A personality that doesn’t understand why some people are highly unmotivated and pathetically disorganized, I need to be kind.

Even in the face of disrespect, unprovoked anger, or the foggy frustration of exhaustion, I need to be kind.

I share this for two reasons:

One, many of you know me well enough to help me work on kindness. I give you permission to make me read this every day in 2019.

Two, maybe you could also use some kindness. I hope you will join me in the challenge: finding practical, creative ways of being kind. If you need to, read this every day in 2019. Or write your own reminder and send it to me.

Thinking through the first month of 2019 has helped me shape perspective about what it important. Perhaps I will set some measurable goals; perhaps I won’t. This year, I’m setting my sights on pleasing Someone who doesn’t care about check boxes and scales and bank accounts. I may never have the satisfaction of accomplishment on this one; Just the slowly growing humility the fuels a critical element of the strongest force in the world. That’s all I need.

Love is kind.

Posted on by lgandre

Celebration of a Life Well Lived (Close to Home – Part IV)

I received word Wednesday that my Grandfather had joined my grandmother in heaven.  I cried on and off through the course of the evening…sad because I miss him already.  Happy, because I knew he was ready to meet the Savior He had served for so long.

I saw him last just a few days before.  He lay in bed in the dim light of my aunt’s living-room-turned-hospice-care.  He was weak, his speech was slurring, and he confessed that he could not remember my name.  Even so, I could tell he loved me and was grateful I came though neither of us seemed to have many words.

I gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek and spent a few minutes plucking out hymns on the piano by his bed.

At 101, I think we would all agree, he lived a full life.  If you’ve read my other blogs, you have some idea of the incredible man my grandfather was, serving in World War II, then as a missionary in Japan, then as jack-of-all-trades in his rather long “retirement.”  He was fun, hard-working, and all-together inspiring.

We loved his annual visits growing up because they were always punctuated with lots of ice cream. But since they didn’t live nearby, I actually got to know him more as an adult than I did as a kid–making long drives to Jacksonville on the weekends.

We biked, talked, swam, danced, and played lots of dominoes as they plowed their way through their 80s and 90s.

Over the years, his hand gradually grew heavier on my shoulder as he walked.  Then eventually, walking had to be traded for a golf cart, a then a tricycle, then a motor chair, and finally, a bed.  Aging was difficult for a man who had always been so strong and independent.  Sometimes, he let it be known that he was done with this life and ready for the next.

My mother and four aunts have been amazing and over the last year have traded off spending weeks at a time caring for him instead of dropping him off at a nursing home to spend his final days smelling like moth balls and staring at a television set.  [They have set a high bar for my generation. :)]

After receiving the news of his passing, all of them gathered at my aunts’ house and I joined them for a few hours.  We missed seeing him in the next room, but though it was quiet, it was not an altogether somber atmosphere.  Most of what needed to be said had already been said. It had been a long goodbye.

In many ways (and acknowledging that the death of no two saints will be the same), I felt this is what it should look like–no regrets, no greed, no fighting, no despair. Just a life remembered.

Today was back at work; business as usual. This evening, I busied myself with cleaning my kitchen and scrubbing the bathrooms.  It was just another day.

But as I was cleaning, I came across a plastic box that Grandma had sent home with me after one of my frequent visits to Jacksonville. I thought it contained mostly legal papers she wanted me to go through so I had never really opened it.

That was the beginning of hours on my bedroom floor pouring through letters, articles, and even a few comic strips, photos, and newspaper clippings.

The clock was turned back seventy years.

My Grandfather has always been a good correspondent and a creative writer.  I have saved many letters he wrote me over the years.

But now, I found fascinating his letters written to his mother from war in 1946 and to my grandmother (his girlfriend) in 1947. Some handwritten in his masculine cursive on stationary supplied by the Red Cross; some typewritten on thin sheets of tissue-like paper.  Some still had envelopes stamped “U.S. Army Postal Service.”

He loved his mother. He loved my grandmother. But most of all, he loved Jesus.

Nearly every thing he wrote was woven with Scripture, his work, the gospel, and the lives of others around him. Even his love letters are beautiful expressions of a resilient faith.

In one letter he wrote of rescuing three Japanese injured in a motor crash. In another, of traveling 30 miles–by train and foot–to see comfort a desperate mother trying to care for her dying son. He wrote about purity. He wrote about burnout and the struggles faced by an Army chaplain and other chaplains who had effectively given up.

He kept a few clippings of articles he wrote–published here and there–and even kept a few of the prayer letters from the mission field (and even after their retirement). He wrote after he moved to Florida that he expected that he would fade away.

I remember seeing him the summer of 2001 and him commenting how he probably didn’t have many years left to live. He felt like the greatest failure of his life was that he had not led enough people to Christ.

I think he was wrong in both accounts–he had rich years left; and he has no reason to regret his life. He reached other teens as a high schooler; he didn’t give up as a chaplain; he pressed on as a missionary; and he didn’t fade away in retirement. He followed hard until the end.

And I’m so glad he wrote about it.

I hope to take his letters with me as we celebrate his life together on Sunday. But I also want to publish some of the highlights of his writings here…mostly for family but also for anyone interested in reading snippets of a live well lived.

Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift.