 |
| Bridal Veil Falls Bike Ride - Utah We have enjoyed the beautiful September mornings and our bike rides. We try to bike 10-11 miles each day. We tried a new ride on the trail to Bridal Veil Falls. It was absolutely beautiful and a great trail. It was just 8 miles with a little more elevation than our normal trail but so worth it. These morning workouts have been preparing us for our trip to Europe and the many miles of walking every day. Fall means football games, fresh apple cider, acorns all over our yard, beautiful flowers that survived the summer heat, garden bounty, students back in school, early sunsets, and gatherings with family and friends. We started the month with a Mission Reunion and visits from former missionaries to our home. Matej Prazak from the Czech Republic came to Utah for a visit and stopped by to say Hello. We had a delightful visit and we were so happy to see him and catch up on his life.   So fun to be with the Thayn's, Lloyd's, Russell's, Bunker's, Homer's, Matthew's, Kennard's, and the Brown's! It is always great food, conversation and memories when we gather with these special friends.    This year was so fun to see so many who have married this past year and we got to see their new wives, husbands, and significant others.It's time to plan an Oktober Fest for this awesome group. Mission Reunion 2022  On September 14th we started our trip to Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, and London. I am going to tell our story through the PEOPLE, PLACES, and FOOD. We started in Salt Lake City - as per today's travel conditions - there was a mechanical on our first flight that created a 4 hour delay and oversold flights for the day. The plane was finally fixed and we were able to fly to DFW Airport. Unfortunately we missed our connection to Frankfurt, Germany. So thankful for dear friends who offered for us to stay in their homes. Phil and Lisa Brinkerhoff were the first to respond and they made our delay so enjoyable - It could not have been better if it had been planned. We were picked up from the airport and arrived at their home to an amazing dinner that we were able to eat outside on a beautiful Fall evening in Texas. After a long day in the airport and flying we had a great nights sleep. Lisa finished off the morning with a waffle breakfast with all of the fixings - we were really being SPOILED. Phil took us back to the airport and we were off to Frankfurt. We realized when we boarded the plane that Oktober fest would begin on Saturday and our flight was filled with people heading to Germany for the big event. It was already a party for them. It took us a few minutes to get back into the European mode. We boarded an airport bus to take us to the train station. They announced the stop - apparently we did not understand correctly and they dropped us off at a stop in the middle of nowhere. We should have known when no one else got off. Finally another bus stopped and he was so kind to take us close to our stop and show us the way. We boarded the train - the Party had begun. Groups already drinking as they were making their way to Munich for the opening of Oktober Fest. One group of women were having so much fun they missed their stop and it created a little excitement. We arrived in Freiburg and our adventures continued. We visited our favorite places and were beginning to feel we were back home. It felt like time was standing still and nothing had changed in three years. PLACES  Munster Platz in Freiburg. The center of town where they have an open air market, lots of shops and the historic Munster.  The colors are so deep and rich at the entrance to the Munster. The Sun was in a perfect place for a photo.    We spent a lot of time at the Train Station the year we were there and it was filled with memories as we returned.   PEOPLE Amira was another special friend who we visited every week. SO GOOD to see her again. Covid was very hard on her and her delicate health. She is grateful to still be alive. She lost 50 kg (about 100 lbs). She is such an inspiration to me as she deals with so many challenges and helps others along the way.  FOOD 35 cents Next stop was our favorite Italian Restaurant. Still the best pasta and pizza for the price. Love my Italian Pizza.        Jogurt for breakfast - Oh how I wish we could get these flavors and real yogurt. Holunderblute Limette-Minze. Holunderblute is the flower from the Elderberry Plant. It is very popular in Germany and Austria being used in food and drinks. The combination of flavors was delicious.    We attended Church in the Freiburg Ward. It was so good to see old friends. Bishop Winterhalder was so kind and welcoming. We love his family. He asked us to bear our Testimonies in Church. I told him Russ could represent both of us. I have regretted not taking the opportunity to express my love to the Ward. I let my fear and pride get in the way. Our friend of the Church, Katrina was there and as always, invited us to Wednesday lunch - we were leaving Monday morning so we told her we would not be able to. It was good to see her and see that she was still doing well. Marriages and new babies were so fun to see and catch up on. We were invited to a delicious lunch with the current Senior Couple, Elder and Sis. Fredrickson who live in our old apartment. (He is the brother to Susan Von Bose who was a longtime friend in Texas) Wow! that was a fun experience. They had even planted new plants in the balcony pots that I left. Missionary work has really changed since Covid. Very little cooking by the Senior Couples. The Institute rooms are currently being used for a Ukraine Refugee Kindergarten. They have a clothing room and self reliance resources.  Sunday evening in Freiburg on our walk back to the Hotel. After 3 days of racing to catch Trams, walking all around the city center and to Church and visits we were ready for a quiet night back at the Hotel. It felt good being back in that lifestyle, but we are not getting any younger and it took us longer than it used to. We were back at the train station on Monday morning and heading to Munich. We had planned to pick up the car rental, see a few sights and then be off to Oberammergau. We had a a crazy experience on the train. There were about 100 school kids who were going on a field trip that boarded the train. We did not remember to reserve a seat and were just going to get an open seat. WRONG! There was not a seat to be found. We had our luggage and kept having to move when someone showed up and said it was their seat even though it was not marked as a reserved seat. We finally went to the space between the two cars and stood for the first thirty minutes. We then found an open seat for the rest of the ride. As soon as we arrived in Munich we went to the ticket counter and upgraded our train reservation to Vienna with reserved seats. Not going to have that stress again. Enterprise reservation said they were located in the train station. We looked everywhere. We walked down the street and asked 3 policemen and still could not find it. It took us 45 minutes to find out it was right across the street in the lobby of a Hotel. Then we had to wait another 30 minutes for our turn in line. Needless to say we were not able to go see the sights we had planned as we needed to get on the road.    It was an hour drive from Munich and then it was a 1 1/2 hour drive to Innsbruck. It is in Zugspitze land - the highest mountain in Germany. The scenery is so beautiful and a really nice drive. It is only 44 miles but takes more time due to the winding roads in the mountains and a small highway. We met up with Bob and Diane Lake who are currently serving a mission in Innsbruck. They served with us 4 years ago for about 4 months until they finished their mission. They have returned to serve again and are really enjoying Innsbruck .  Innsbruck has one of my favorite city centers. It has beautiful buildings and really fun shops. It is small with so much activity and character. The time went too fast as we visited and enjoyed our time together. We had an 1 1/2 drive back to Oberammergau and returned around 11 pm. Time for a good nights sleep as we get ready for the Passion Play on Tuesday.   I love the flowers in the window boxes. Notice the scene in the top window.  2022 PASSION PLAYOBERAMMERGAU The year 2020 is a memorable one for many reasons including the effects of COVID-19 on the whole world. Many of our friends had purchased tickets and had family coming to Germany for the 2020 Passion Play. Our time of service as missionaries would end just weeks before the opening of the Play and we had considered returning for it. We had visited the unique town of Oberammergau and fell in love with the character of the buildings, the woodworkers and the people. We had been to a Passion Play in Texas and it was not my favorite theatre production on Jesus Christ. When we were planning our trip and realized we would be there in the final weeks - It runs from May 14 - Oct. 2 - we knew we needed to get tickets and take the time to attend. It was the best decision we could have made. The Oberammergau Passion Play is a very special play. It all started with a vow. In 1633, the plague was raging in Europe, including in Oberammergau. People sought refuge in prayer and vowed: If the dying stop, every ten years we will stage the "play of the passion, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ." And in fact, no one died of the plague from that day on. Sine then, the people have been performing the play every ten years. For 200 years the play was staged on the cemetery near the church. The current theatre was built in 1900 when people started coming from all over the world to see the play. Thomas Cook saw the value as a tourist venue and was instrumental in the building of the new theatre. There are many reasons why people come but one reason certainly has to do with the special character of this play. It revolves around the mystery of the Passion of Jesus in a dramatic as well as meditative way. We loved how the Old Testament is used as it relates to earlier teachings. Between scenes, moments from the Old Testament come alive. They serve as meditative points of reflection throughout the play. The theme of the play has stayed the same over the years, but the presentation and current understanding and knowledge changes. It is presented more like an oratory. The orchestra, choir and soloists were phenomenal. The original play was written by a Pastor in the Catholic Church. It was under the direction of the church for over 200 years. Over time, it is no longer under the church direction and many religions are represented. They have recently sought advice from representatives of Jewish organizations who have shown great interest in the fact that the play correctly depicts unique religious and cultural aspects of the Jewish religion, to avoid the anti-Semitic overtones coming to the fore, as has happened too often in history. The current Director (1990-2022) feels that the audiences today are different than the spectators twenty-two or even twelve years ago. Many people are no longer familiar with the theological details that were considered common knowledge in earlier times. The questions we have to ask have changed. Since the Passion Play seeks to convey the message of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to people as a reassuring and empowering event, it must take up the fears and hopes of people today, The new production aims to clarify important elements of Jesus' message for today's spectators. I learned several things about the last week of Christ's life I did not know before. I learned a lot about Judas and it filled in a lot of holes in my thinking. The 2022 production wanted to present the following matter more clearly: Jesus, the Jew, wanted to renew the religion of the fathers. He acted prophetically. With religious zeal, he calls upon people to promote social justice and to take religion seriously in its innermost core, which means: cultivating the relationship to the Eternal Father - God - and to prove this through acts of social justice. Simply put, Jesus emphasizes that: praying and loving are crucial in the jewish/Christian religion, while everything else plays a more supportive role. The current requirements for participation is you have to have been born in or lived in Oberammergau for 20 years. Women originally were not allowed and now make up a large portion of the characters. There are almost 2,000 cast members. The top 10 characters are sent to Israel the year before the production to learn, feel, see all that is there in preparation for their roles. The people have tackled the Passion Play of 2022 with the same enormous commitment as they have done in the decades before. They know their duty. They keep the vow of their ancestors in a way that fulfills the aim of the promise at that time, namely to strengthen confidence and faith for the future. They told us that this blessing is from the plague of 1631 and that no one has died since that time from those plagues. This did not apply to Covid-19 - they were not protected any more than any other city in Germany. They are human as the director stated.  The picture below is the co-director and also plays Nicodemus. He led the orientation for the play. The play is 2 1/2 hours then a 3 hr. Dinner break and the final acts another 2 1/2 hours. You literally make a day of it. The next play will take place in 2030, back on schedule. It is worth planning a trip - once in a lifetime experience.   One of the most real and touching scenes was Christ being nailed to the cross along with the 2 thieves. The tender scene with his mother, Mary and Mary Magdalene. They show the tomb is empty but do not really show the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for my knowledge of His resurrection and could visualize in my mind the glorious scene like in the Savior of the World presentation in Salt Lake City, UT THE TOWN OF OBERAMMERGAU     VIENNA   So many people at the market. I have never seen such big bunches of grapes. I used to shop here every week and loved getting my produce, eggs and spices. So good to be back. It was hard to just look.  We met the new Institute Director and several of the YSA we served with. It was so fun to catch up on their lives and see what is going on at the Institute. They have helped with the Ukraine refugee situation and the missionaries are teaching German and English classes. They have 100 Ukrainians on Thursday night for the German class and about 30 on Friday nights for English. We went back on Friday to see a few more people and it was so touching to see the building full and for such a worthy cause.   One of our special friends, Wilson was there and it was so good to see him. He comes to the Institute about 4 evenings a week. He needs friends and he likes being around the people even if he just watches most of the time. The Institute Building  On Thursday bright and early we took a train to the Czech Republic to visit another missionary we served with, Michael Janousek. First time in the Czech Republic and a really special experience.    We served over 6 months with him in Freiburg and then again in Vienna. We have many memories with him and his companions. We were so glad to be able to visit and meet his darling wife and new baby, Adam. He is 28 years old and was recently called as Bishop in his Ward. He is truly a blessing in his country, to the Church and to his family.  Back to Vienna and continuing our bucket list. There were a few things we did not get to do or see before we had to come home. This was the perfect time to complete our list.   It is a 212 ft. tall Ferris wheel at the entrance of the Prater amusement park. It was constructed in 1897 and was the tallest in the world from 1920 until 1985. It's purpose was to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Emperor Franz Josef 1, and was one of the earliest Ferris Wheels ever built. It was severely damaged in WWII and when it was rebuilt it went from 30 cars to 15 cars. We went past it almost every day and always said we would ride it before we left - never happened. It was a spectacular view of the whole city as we were on the top of the world. They even have dining cars that you can have a candlelight dinner - maybe another day!   It was a magical night. We met a fun couple from Knoxville, TN and enjoyed our ride visiting with them, KARLS KIRCHESt. Charles Church 1737   One of my interests was seeing the organs in all of the churches we visited. This organ is in two parts, in the center there is the curved Baroque organ, which dates back to 1739. It is surrounded by square elements added in 1847.      This picture is Jesus heals a paralytic by Giovanni A. Pellegrini (1675-1741) In all three images, the figure of Christ is easily recognizable because he is aways depicted wearing the same clothes: red tunic and a blue cloak.   The Center Dome. Everything tells a story. Faith, hope and love are shown as a central theme. It is hard to take it all in and to understand what all of it means. I learned a lot and it puts more meaning into my visits to these churches. Our stay in our beloved Vienna came to a close. We are so grateful for the closure we were able to put on this time of our life. We would love to have stayed a few more days but London was calling and we were off to the airport to fly to London. So many memories as we arrived at the airport. LONDON ENGLANDIt has been 20 years since we have been to London. Again, we had a list of things to see that we had not been able to on our previous visits. THE NATIONAL BRITISH MUSEUM   The Beginning of Clocks. Interesting to see from Sundials to current time pieces today. Bronze double-action pump - Roman The long hot summers of the Mediterranean climate meant that water was often in short supply. In towns, rain water was collected in cisterns both private and pubic, or water was redirected by aqueducts from mountain streams. Small fountain-houses fed by piped water from streams were a feature of Greek cities. In Roman times such fountain-houses could be huge architectural complexes, supplied by aqueducts. These were sophisticated feats of engineering, bringing water many miles through or around hills and over built-up bridges.  opposite the cit of Thebes (modern Luxor and Karnak). It was discovered in 1820 by Giovanni d'Athanasi, working for the British consul. He removed eleven fragments from the wonderfully painted walls and sent them to the British Museum.   This group of mummy cases is reported to have been found together in a family tomb about 1896. The mummies were left in Egypt, but most of the coffins were acquired for the British Museum by E.A. Budge in 1897. The cases have been dated to between 50 BC and AD 50. The decoration of the coffins reveals a mixture of Egyptian and classical features. Some depict the deceased as a living being, with classical costumes, hairstyles and jewelry and only minor allusions to Eqyptian religious beliefs. It is impossible to say when Christianity first reached Britain, but by the 4th Century AD, when it had received Imperial sanction, we begin to see definite evidence for its presence. The most widespread evidence for Christianity is to be found on portable possessions rather than buildings. The appearance of the Christian monogram, often with the Greek letters alpha and omega, on objects such as this jewelry. EUROPEAN MISSION REUNION 2022  Sunday morning we gathered again at the historic Hyde Park Chapel in the middle of the city close to Kensington Palace. It houses the Chapel, Visitor Center, Mission offices and Information Call Center. The murals in the building are very striking.    We left very early to have plenty of time to get to church about 45 minutes away on the bus. We got on the first bus and showed our ticket and rode to the first stop. When we got on the driver said - NO that is yesterday's pass. They have a tap and go that you can use your credit card for that ride. Russ tapped for him and then went to tap again for me and he said, NO - you can only tap one time per card - WHAT? Their policy says unlimited taps per day. He made us get off - in the middle of nowhere with no place to purchase a day pass. We tried to figure out what our options were. Russ finally asked another bus driver that stopped what our options were to get a day pass. He was so kind and said, get on my bus and I will drop you off at the main station and you can purchase a pass. When we got to the bus stop, he got out of his seat and got out and showed us exactly where to go to purchase the ticket. So grateful for good people in this world! We were so grateful when we came up out of the tube station and there the church was at the top of the stairs and we didn't have to walk far and search for the building. Another Tender Mercy. KENSINGTON PALACE   It is the birthplace of Queen Victoria and home to young royals for over 300 years. It is the official London residence of the Prince and Princess of Wales, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and the Duke and Duchess of Kent and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent. There are the pubic areas that can be toured and the private residences. In 1981 two apartments were combined to create the London residence of newly married Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales. Diana lived there until her death. William and Harry were raised there. PICCADILLY CIRCUS   In this area we came upon the theatre that The Book of Mormon Play is happening.  This area is a centre of national democracy and protest. The Mayor supports this democratic tradition and gives access to the square for such causes. The Nelson Column was erected in 1843. The lions were placed on guard at the base of Nelson's Column in 1867 The square is now linked to the National Gallery WESTMINSTER ABBEY Protestant abbey hosting every English and British coronation since 1066. Site of Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth II's funeral. Sixteen royal weddings have occurred at the Abbey sine 1100. Prince William and Kate were married on 29 April 2011. The Abbey has been closed to the public since the Queen's death. It is only opened to those who attend services. It was a Sunday afternoon. We had attended Church at the Hyde Park Chapel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the morning and really enjoyed the services. There is peace in gathering with Saints together all over the world.  The organ and Boys Choir was like angels in Heaven. It was 1 hour or music and scripture. One of the Priests gave a sermon based on the works of George Herbert His writings are used in many of their sermons and throughout the Christian world. He has a memorial in his name inside the Abbey. The Temple a verse from this book: Abstain wholly, or wed. Thy bounteous Lord Allows thee choice of paths: take no by-wayes; But gladly welcome what he doth afford; Not grudging, that thy lust hath bounds and staies. Continence hath his joy: weigh both; and still If rottennesse have more, let Heaven go. We left feeling so uplifted from the music and scriptures. Oh, if the walls could talk. With its rich history and all that has taken place within its walls, there is much to see and learn. They asked for no photography so again there are no pictures. The Choir chamber was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. Most are out of wood and this one was metal works and gold.  This picture of Queen Elizabeth was all over London. What an amazing lady and legacy to her people. We did not go to Buckingham Palace because we have been twice before, but the streets were lined with British Flags and lots of people as we looked in as we passed by. It was 11 days of nonstop activities. We have rested this week - still trying to get back on a good sleep schedule and are trying to rejuvenate. We enjoyed the people we met, the places we visited, the amazing buildings and museums we toured and the FOOD! Starting R3 on Monday to get back in shape.  While we were away on our trip, Emily and Ian finished our front entrance renovation. Emil's favorite holiday is Halloween and so she needed it finished so she could start decorating. The four of us poured the cement for the new threshold two weeks ago and then Emily put the finishing touches on it. They painted the entryway to complete the job. Emily bought these doors for the home they were going to build before we decided to purchase this home due to the rise in costs and lack of labor during Covid. It fits the design of the house and it turned out beautiful. From now through Christmas it will be decorated - fun times. I don't think we could have fit one more thing into this month. It was truly memorable and full of adventures and the realization that we are getting older and move a little slower than we used to. Ten and Thirteen hour flights take a toll on your body. Life is good! The Grimmett's |
