Brampton Ontario

We've spent the first of two weeks here in Brampton Ontario, just outside of Toronto. It's been a week of snowy day after snowy day. It's been freezing cold and some days so windy that the cold literally felt like it was biting me. The snow is beautiful though, and I always say cold is worth it if it includes some of the fluffy white stuff.

I should have brought my camera with me after all, because the scene down on Main Street with the lampposts, gazebo surrounded by an ice rink, and the trees all still covered in little blue Christmas lights was enchanting. And I could go on for another thousand words and still not do an adequate job of delivering the picture to you.

We dined at a fancy Italian restaurant called Rapini's where I had a Caribbean lobster tail, and it was good, but yesterday we found Moxie's and that was even better. Thanks to Josh for taking me to Moxie's in Calgary last summer, because I recognized, when I saw the place here, that the food should be good.

We've been enjoying the Olympics, especially being in a timezone where we could watch it "live" and not have to stay up late into the night. We also greatly enjoyed being in a hotel with a workout room and hot tub.

Right now I'm contemplating the two most exciting things coming in life:

1. The birth of my first grandson to Mark and Beth.
2. The two year mission to Argentina for Sharayah.

And God is good!

Hot Tub!!!

Athens, the Acropolis, and the Aegean Sea

We left the snow of Germany behind for a few days. Flying into Greece was one of the most picturesque flights ever. Made me want to cruise amongst the Greek isles more than ever.


A short walk from our hotel and we were among the ruins. We found a little cafe called δia-τaūτa where we shared a Mediterranean salad. Marty had delicious lamb and I had chicken & rice in a white wine sauce. We always forget to take pictures of these great dishes, in the tradition of our daughter, so I took a pic of the table when the damage was all done.


We took so many pictures of this gorgeous place, that it's hard to limit it to just a few. We visited the Acropolis Sunday and Monday, one day being overcast and the other being sunny. The ruins transported me into the past; a sensation I'd searched for in Rome, but missed. While pictures can't relate that feeling, only being in a place can, here are some of my favorite shots from both days:










Centuries old detail at the base of this column reveals beauty from the past...


Mars Hill, the site of the Areopagus, the Council of the Greeks, where Paul delivered the good news of Jesus Christ to the Athenians.

We followed in Sharayah's footsteps and read Acts 17:16-34 out loud as we stood here.


Saw these beautiful churches...



In opposition, while I don't believe in the gods of the Greeks, I do admire this statue of Athena, representing Wisdom, who calls out to all of us... even in God's Word.


At their university, statues of Plato and Socrates, representing the philosophers and their devotion to study.


Today, we hiked up to Lykavittos and had this gorgeous view as we enjoyed lunch.


It's been an experience of a lifetime... contemplating how Jesus has been in all places in all times and all spaces... my horizons continue to expand.

Feuer Und Eis

Okay, for those of you that don't understand German, that title means "Fire and Ice". It's a good subject line for our weekend. We woke up early Saturday and prepared to leave for Stuttgart because the weather wasn't as bad as forecast.

Marty looks out the sunroof and suddenly announces "Something is on fire nearby." I ran to look and there was a huge cloud of smoke coming over the roof of the house next door. The thing you have to remember about Germany is, the house next door is typcally adjoined to... your house!

We raced to the front window and discovered the reason for the sirens we'd heard earlier. A house just down the street was in flames. You can see in this picture that the smoke is so thick it is blotting out the church tower just beyond.


We couldn't get out of our underground parking garage, because a firetruck was blocking the entrance. So we walked down to view the destruction.


What you can't see at the end of that ladder extended over the roof was two firemen. Here I caught a shot of them in a short clearing in the smoke. The tile roof still has snow on it, which shows how well these roofs suppress fire and don't add to the problem.


We knew we weren't going anywhere soon, so we walked into town and had Brunch (Redonkulous!) at the Moritz.


Finally the way was clear for us to get our car out, and we headed to Stuttgart.
First stop: The Porsche Museum


So many beautiful cars...





This was one of my personal favorites:


And I loved this amazing picture on the wall between the floors of the museum.


Next we went landmark hunting and found this cool old tower overlooking Stuttgart. It's called Burgholzhof-Aussichtsturm, built in 1891.


The next morning, we went to the Staatsgalerie, where we saw Monets, Manets, Picassos, Cezannes, Gaugins, Renoirs, and Rembrandts. I found the works of two other artists that I now like: Sisley and Marco Ricci. Sisley is similar to Manet. I wish I had pictures to show, but they wouldn't let me take pictures. I could only buy postcards at the end. I did sneak one picture before my camera got shut down. It's a Klee that Marty and I both liked alot.


Then we went to the Ludwigsburg Castle.


And it was cool because they let me take pictures! They didn't come out so well because the place was so dark, but the many chandeliers were beautiful. One of my favorite rooms was the Queen's bedroom.


The balconies in the theater...


And one of the many ornate hallways...


It was one of the nicest palaces we've visited.


Well, we started with fire, and we end with ice. This sweet little chapel on a tiny island in the middle of a frozen lake at the Seeschloss (Seacastle) Monrepos.


And if that wasn't enough, when we got back home to Memmingen, we walked to the Eiscafe and had an Eiskugel... schokolade!

The Great Wall of Memmingen

This blog is dedicated to Mom & Dad and their love of snow. Here's a pic of how very much it was snowing. Look closely and you can see the big, fat flakes tumbling in the foreground.


I shoveled snow for the first time in my life this morning. I cleared the entrance to our apartment building, or well, at least half of it. Marty's the man, and he had to take over and finish it after I did about 3 scoops. Haha.


Before I start our snowy tour around town, here's one of my favorite sights... the Pizza Blitz car. It's sooo cute!


It's cool seeing snow sticking to the sides of the trees.


We took a historic walk around and through the city.


First, one of the many cool gates in the old wall built back in the 1400's.


We walked along the wall, much of which is bordered by parks, which look even better with a blanket of snow.



So Mom & Dad, I hope you like the pics so far. I think several are 1000 piece puzzle quality, don't you? Here's one I think would be especially difficult.


Another great tree picture. It reminds me of the gum tree we used to have in the back yard, only this one has much bigger gumball thingys.


More pictures of the parks...



Along the way, we happened upon this sign and found it terrible that Fussball is Forbidden (see last line) in the Stadt of Memmingen. Those big B thingys in the German alphabet equal two ss'es.


And now for the more personal touch, which my sister Alicia always requests, pictures with Marty (jumping for joy) and me in them:



Here we are at the main gate, the only one that people could get through at night in the old days.


And the towers... I like towers. Here's one of the towers in the wall, which lends it a sort of "castle" look.


And here's my favorite tower, the Swallow Tail tower. Very sweet!


A view along the inside of the wall, with another gate and a cool bridge over the little river that runs through Memmingen.


Next we reached one of our favorite gates to drive through, with it's mural portraying the entry of King Maximilian into his imperial city of Memmingen in 1489.


Then there was a small section of wall with the guard walkway on top still intact. I can imagine being a sentry on the night watch.


Finally, St. Martinskirche, much more picturesque when accented by snow. Marty likes it because it's named after him... err... well, you know.


And so we've enjoyed our first day of our "snowed in" weekend in Germany. There's not been as much snow nor as much cold as forecast, but we're sticking with our excuse for being lazy. =) Hope you're having a nice weekend as well.