Sept 21- Eating our way through Antwerp!

oh Belgium...how I loved your food...and how glad I am that I don't live there for the sake of my waistline!


and here is the hallowed youtube clip of the Sound of Music flashmob!

I have more than a few days of catch up to do, but I couldn't skip any of Prague! So here are three of my favorite videos from Prague...

Finally Auschwitz...and crepes in the Czech Republic!

Sept. 16th

Auschwitz. Terrible, aweful, overwhelming Auschwitz. I spent most of the day in stunned silence, and managed to only cry once. In a building filled with "evidence" of what the Nazis did (read piles of stuff they took from the Jews and others they killed), I became completely overwhelmed in a room where both sides up to the ceiling were piles of shoes. The sheer amount made me hyperventilate into tears, and it was only a small fraction in reality. This place is a big burden on Poland, but one borne proudly because of they way they fought so bravely against the Nazi occupation the entire war. It meant that many of their cities and infrastructure were destroyed by the Nazis, and then somewhat suppressed during communism. Now Poland is quickly catching up to the rest of Europe!!

Sept. 17th
We took it easier on Friday, but did go to a lovely French restaurant for some excellent crepes, and then for an evening stroll to the highest point in Ostrava- created by digging for coal! It was a beautiful evening all together- a fitting end to a "down" day.

I didn't know Madonna was Black!

Sept. 15 Vlog #2
So after leaving Lodz earlier in the morning Jarek and I visited a few fantastic places on the way to our friend Katka's place in Ostrava, Czech Republic. First a stop to see the famous Black Madonna icon, then on to a lovely ancient castle. It was a long day, but worth it.


Here is a picture of a copy of the Black Madonna, since she wasn't in her place when we went in!

mmmm! And here is a fairly traditional Polish lunch on the way to the castle!

The Castle!!

Lodz- 100% Cotton!

Poland!

Savoring Stockholm

Another day...another city! After a quieter day in Gothenburg on Friday with my good friends Aaron and Sara, bright and early this morning I got on a train to Stockholm. In a mere 4.5 hours I traveled from one coast of Sweden to the other through striking but homey countryside (think little stugas lining little lakes!). Stockholm was fun to wander around in, lots of little islands connected by bridges. I didn't get too lost, and by the end of the evening I even stumbled upon the royal palace where I got yelled at by a guard- maybe for getting too close to some cannons? Or him? Not really sure, but it was kind of thrilling all the same! I had a momentary thought of- what if I get arrested by the royal guard on my one day in Stockholm?? What a great story that would be! :-D
Now I am hanging out in my hostel where fortunately I have the room to myself right now- though my roommates (3 19 yr old boys from Germany here to hang out before starting university) told me they will come in around 3 in the morning! We'll see how much sleep I get tonight!! Tomorrow I will fly to Warsaw, Poland to hang out with my good friend Jarek! YAY!
Vlog for today:

Castle Ruins!

Here it is! Bohus Castle ruins!

Guest Vloggers and a Danish Home (and Gothenburg!)

Sept. 5-7 (Aalborg, Denmark and the Ferry to Sweden)

Well it is very late in the evening here and I think I'm finally starting to adjust to the time difference- which means I am a yawny mess right now, but trying to get these in while I have good wireless internet! Sunday Sept. 5 in Aalborg we went to two services, a very traditional Danish Lutheran National Church service, and the other a contemporary youth service in the evening. The stark differences as well as the similarities were fascinating. I wish I could have snapped a picture of the "priest" (pastor) in his robe and collar, whew! was it funny. I am so happy I am not a pastor in the Danish National Church!

Yup, this is what he dressed in, though the flower is a bonus in this picture!

At the Sunday evening youth service we had coffee and snacks afterward- the name of which I've forgotten in Danish because all I can think to call it right now is the Swedish word- Fika. There I met some lovely young women who did a guest vlog:

Sorry it's a little long! After all their hard work to translate it I wanted to make sure it all was here. Thanks Cecelia and Sara, and I loved meeting you both!

On my last day in Denmark I took a little video tour of my friend Maria's home so you all can get an idea of what a "typical" Danish household is like. Actually, I have no idea if it's typical or not, but you get the idea. This one is long too, so feel free to fast forward if you prefer. And mom, I know the camera work is shaky and is giving you motion sickness- I'm working on it!!

Tuesday evening found me on the giant ferry to Sweden! This ferry was definitely a step up from the Seattle ferries I've experienced. It had multiple restaurants, a mini casino, and sleeping cabins, as well as a full blown "duty free" shop on board. Mmmm yummy giant bar of Marabou Daim chocolate here I come!!

Sept 8- Gothenburg, Land of Goths?
Then Sara Moller, a Swedish friend from Seminary took me in for the night and exploring in the morning!Spent Wednesday trolling around Gothenburg- where public transportation is king!

One last one I promise and then I'll be all caught up! Wednesday evening I got to hang with Lina Marklund, another Seminary friend-thank goodness for Seminary and all the cool Europeans I met there- at least it was worth something! ;-) We spent the evening having Swedish take out by the sea at sunset- very romantic!

Good Morning!
I hope you have a glorious Lord's Day! It's beautiful here in Aalborg and we are going to a traditional Lutheran service in town. Yesterday (Saturday) we went to the very tip of Denmark where the North Sea and the Baltic Sea come together. It was a radiantly beautiful day. Strangest sight of the day? Nazi bunkers from WWII that are all along the northern coast of Denmark. This was the position the Nazis defended against Sweden from! I must say even walking by the bunkers was disturbing, especially in such a starkly gorgeous place.

Vlog from the night of my birthday:


Vlog from the tip of Denmark:

Bikes, Buskers and Scarves

Sept 2-
Got up bright and early and by noon I was in Copenhagen!



Copenhagen!
Everywhere BIKES! I went on a lovely boat ride all around the city, then wandered to Our Savior's Church. The man inside told me a story in broken English about some of the architecture- the church was a gift to the people from the king- maybe Christian the something? (a lot of the kings seemed to be named Christian) He really wanted to solidify his power so he filled the church with symbols of that- like Elephants. Yeah, I don't get it either. Up front in the chancel area besides statues of an angel with whom I can only assume is Jesus, there are statues representing Justice and Piety as goddesses (well, sort of). These were what were supposed to characterize his rule. the building also had a very unique tower that has a spiral staircase to the top on the OUTSIDE of the bell tower! From there it seems like you can see the whole of Denmark. Later I got a city bike, jut put 20 kroner in to unlock it and you get it back once you put it back. It was thrilling to be riding a bike around with all the Danes!
I was going to see the Little Mermaid, but alas she is in Shanghai representing Denmark in something or other.
If there were three words to describe what I saw in Copenhagen I would say- bikes, buskers and scarves- tied every which way around most people's necks! Here's a few videos for now, but I'll add more and pictures later!

Times Square- NYC!

Well day 1 ended to mixed reviews. If you watch the vlog below you will see a happy shiny Sarah about to leave from the US for Europe. About 9 hours later you would have seen a Sarah at the Edinburgh airport running from counter to counter trying to figure out how to get to Copenhagen by the end of Sept. 1st. My flight from Newark to Edinburgh was delayed for so long (we were waiting on the tarmack for close to 90 minutes) that I missed my connecting flight to London, which meant I missed my connecting flight to Copenhagen! So after much figuring and running about I realized I was going to have to stay in London for the night. Well, there are worse things, right?

So I booked a lovely little bed and breakfast 5 min from London Gatewick Airport and it is the most charming little place I've ever seen! My room was an adorable single room, and I will try to take some video of the outside. I ended up at the wrong hotel first, a Best Western that was an ugly concrete block, but fortunately I wasn't booked there, so they got me sorted and to the right place! The Belmont Gatewick House was such a welcome sight at the end of a frustrating day. This feels authentic! After a late dinner in the pub, I literally fell into bed and slept a blissful sleep until rising at 5:15 this morning. One thing I will say for doing crazy flight patterns like I have is that it does effectively reset your internal clock so it's happy to be on ANY sleep schedule! Now over a quick breakfast of coffee and toast I am posting this before getting going with my day.

The GOAL is to make it to the lovely town of Aalborg Denmark by tonight. We'll see! I'm looking forward to meeting my host in Copenhagen, Jenny Brockman, and then get to see my beloved team member from Youth Encounter days- Maria Pfrogner and her husband and little one! YAY!! Well regardless of where I end up today, tomorrow I will wake up 30 years old for the first time!

I hope you have a blessed day!