http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Elske/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Elske en-us Sun, 20 Jul 2008 03:36:12 BST Sun, 20 Jul 2008 03:36:12 BST Hi EveryoneYesterday we did Rome in a day We left at 830 am and made it back at 900 pm. Short of a coffeebreak lunch and supper we walked all day Yeah those Albertans aren't afraid of walking It's the quickest way to get around the city. We saw oodles of old 1500's churches the Pantheon now a R.C. church 27 B.C. and of course the Colloseum. Not to mention the rest of the stuff in http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Rome/blog-276468.html Hello EveryoneWe made it to Rome Not overnight of course considering that it took us 22 hours just to get to Venice. We left Romania on Friday May 9 Bethanyrsquos birthday. We had birthday cake with Peter Hailey and the team and then had a cake at Vasili and Anarsquos place a wonderfully hospital couple. They live in a typical Romanian apartment building very interesting Not exactly http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Romania/Oradea/blog-275908.html Hello EveryoneThis is our last day here we've not had internet connection since Monday to blog thus you haven't heard from us. We've had a great couple last days. On Tuesday I went with the nurse to various homes to visit elderly people in the little outlying town of Lunca. It was amazing to get inside their homes and listen to their stories. through a translator. The houses were very very p http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Romania/Oradea/blog-274397.html Well it was quite the Sunday In the morning we lost the keys for one of the vehicles and some of us got to Centre of Hope were we met in the morning rather late transporting twentyfive people has taxed the mission's organization to the max as it is Then when we all arrived safe and sound in mind and all of us had left for church in Lunca Peter and Hailey's vehicle broke down. Regrettabl http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Romania/Oradea/blog-273116.html Today we visited Sighisoara home of Dracula a Romanian folk hero. NOT the Disney Dracula The castle dates back to the middle ages although the settlement is probably older. Dracula pushed back the Turks who continually invaded Romania. We went there via train a forty minute ride. Today was Peter's birthday although we celebrated last night already with Peter Hailey Gerrit Jane Ed and I w http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Romania/Transylvania/Sighisoara/blog-272453.html We spoke to the women's group this morning. I spoke on Galatians 69 Do not grow weary..... and on the first chapter of James which again speaks of perseverance and how God loves the widows and orphans. These women all have taken orphans into their homes. Jane spoke about being refined as silver from Malachi. God allows us to go through trials so we can reflect His character. We couldn't talk wi http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Romania/Oradea/blog-272201.html Hello EveryoneI just noticed that I haven't blogged since Monday Wow Time is going so fast So much has happened since then. On Tuesday afternoon we planned a ladies' tea with the ladies from the tiny village of Lunca where we are working. They had never done anything like that in the village so the ladies from the team here wanted to make it very special for them. Jane and I went shopping wit http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Romania/Oradea/blog-271925.html Hello EveryoneEaster Monday more planning and meetings this morning to get ready for the projects starting tomorrow. This afternoon we went with Peter on a tour of how his journey to Romania started back in 1990 one year after the fall of Ceauscecu. He described the horrible conditions in the staterun orphanages with kids lying in their own excrement two in a crib eyes glazed over as they n http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Romania/Oradea/blog-270958.html Some of you have asked about our return date we are unable to reasonably change our tickets. Meaning we have two tickets on Aeroplan which are absolutely not changeable before May 21. Thus Julian and I will need to buy two new tickets for our return with Air Transat which means that we need to transfer from Heathrow to Gatwick and spend a night in London to catch the next day flight. New ticke http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Romania/Oradea/blog-270591.html Our first day in Romania. Easter Sunday. This morning we got together in the Centre of Hope the main mission station here in Medias. We had lunch there with the team and then headed out to church in two tiny villages in the country in Lunca and Lodroman. In Lunca a single lady had been praying for a church for years and now there was one established. She greeted the team with lilac flowers olie http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Romania/Oradea/blog-270566.html We made it to Romania It took us 28 hours to get here although we took a slight detour to Bavaria in southern Germany to visit Neuschwanstein the legendary castle of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang built by Ludwig II King of Bavaria. It was an amazing building inside and out although we could not take pictures of the inside. The whole thing cost 3.7 million marks which was back in 1860 The m http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Romania/Oradea/blog-270280.html We just returned from a huge old castle. They had rooms full of medieval weaponry and complete armour. Also horse bits which were very facinating. All from the 1400's. There were rooms full of original paintings by the masters such as Frans Hals etc. Paintings from the Renaissance Gothic period etc. A tiny picture only a foot long and half a foot wide was worth millions of dollars. They had f http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Hessen/Frankfurt/blog-268966.html April 22 2008We made it safely to Germany to our niece Henita's place. We had a great dinner last night at ten o clock. We lost a whole bunch of stuff like our brandnew video camera but the camper is slowly spitting our stuff back out. We actually didn't really lose it it was all were we left it but our brains have been fuzzy. We've been sleeping well ten hours overnight Today we are going http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Hessen/Frankfurt/blog-268858.html April 21 2008Hello EveryoneFinally an update After several difficult days we are reunited with Ed. Mark was turned back in London as he did not have a Dutch visa which we never thought was needed as he's a landed immigrant. However Ed visited different embassies and the High Commission without any success. He brought Mark back to Canada then turned around and came back after spending 2 12 http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Netherlands/Gelderland/Apeldoorn/blog-268569.html April 16th. I dont' have any news to add but am just playing with the blog to see how to work it. Thanks for your patience http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Alberta/Lethbridge/blog-266917.html One more day until we leave It's hard to believe that we will be leaving so soon I don't have any info yet but wanted to get this blog up and going Hopefully I can figure out how to upload the pictures http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Netherlands/North-Brabant/Den-Bosch/blog-266560.html