Why Do We Call Praha Prague?

Wouldn't it make more sense to call it what the natives do? You're very welcome for that observation, it's on the house!

Dan & I are in Praha, and while we're absolutely enjoying it it will probably not end up on our top 5 cities. We've had some trouble getting around, and since our hotel is outside of the main city area it only has further complicated things. Praha is beautiful architecturally speaking. The churches, cathedrals, plalces, bridges--all of them are stunning and unique.

Yesterday we went on a walking tour of the Praha Palace and St. Vitis Cathedral which was okay. Actually, I should clarify, the castle and cathedral were spectacular, the tour wasn't as spectacular however. We did meet a nice young man from Toronto who we went out to dinner and visited with, Todd. He was a pleasure to get to know, and gave us some great advice about our travels since he travels through Europe for months at a time for work.

I haven't had the chance to update about our last afternoon in Berlin; however that post will be more of a rant due to our visit to the Altes Museum. I'll save most of it for later, suffice it to say that inspite my love of museums and the fact that I got to see one of the most famous Egyptian artifacts of all time I (actually, we both should be included in this statement) was horrified and sorely disappointed in the museum on a whole. When I have a real computer to update on, instead of the iPhone, my desire--nay, my need--to rant will be satisfied, I assure you.

Now, I must draw this post to a close.

Dan & I are going to have a Biblestudy and take it fairly easy as today is a double Sabbath. And as my mother-in-law has requested I draw to my dear reader's attention, we keep the Sabbath as a day of rest, which on this exausting adventure is especially appreciated. The Sabbath, for anyone not acquainted with our beliefs, is a blessing of rest for the 24 hour period of the 7th day--beginning Friday at sunset and continuing through Saturday until sunset. We do no work and use it as a time of rejuvination and focus on the Lord. Today also happens to be a high day (Holy Day), Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement so it is a double Sabbath. Dan and I have no qualms enjoying God's amazing creation on His Sabbaths, so we will take today, and every Friday night at sunset through Saturday at sunset to take it a bit easier and focus on Him and this amazing blessing He has given us.

Berlin is Wonderful, Their Keyboards Aren't

The past 2 days in Berlin have been phenomenal! Dan & I are taking a break from touring, because the museum we want to go to will be free after 6 PM. We figured we'd kill an hour here, and update you fine folks before touring, since it will save us 17€. Saving money makes me happy!

We've changed our itinerary for the days leading up to the Feast. Tomorrow (Friday) we'll be taking a train at 6:44 AM to Prague (Praha), Czech Republic. We'll arrive there approximately 11 AM and spend the rest of the day touring. We'll spend Saturday there, and leave for Krakow, Poland on the overnight train Saturday night.

Sunday we will arrive in Poland at 7 AM and spend the day at Auschwitz. Sunday night we'll jump on an overnight train to Vienna (Wein), Austria and spend Monday & Tuesday in Vienna. Tuesday night we take yet another overnight train to Rome and meet up with Mom & Dad and the rest to start our Feast of Tabernacles in Perugia, Italy.

Sound like a lot to you? It sure does to me! But we've had so much fun so far, that I think we're up for it.

Oh yay, Dan just showed me how to convert the keyboard so it's more like ours at home. It is much easier to type now!

Yesterday after my last post we took a bus tour of Berlin, to get an overview of the city--when we have time to do that, it is wonderful because you can get your bearings as well as see some things you wouldn't normally get to see just walking around the city.

We have pictures galore--in front of what remains of the Berlin Wall, the Brandenburg Tor (Gate), Schloss Bellvue, Checkpoint Charlie, Topography of Terror, Museuminsel (Museum Island), etc. However, we don't have a way to offload them yet, so you'll have to wait a bit longer. Just trust me, everything is amazing, and we look spectacular in each and every picture ;)

After the bus tour and exploring Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche and eating crepes on the square we went to dinner at the famous KDV Department Store. I know, dinner at a store seems odd, but this store has a gourmet floor that is utterly unbelievable!

If dinner was easy and less than stressful, the next hour or so was frustrating. We're doing very well at getting around on the U-Bahn & S-Bahn (metro trains) but it was our first experience with the bus system. We finally figured it out, but it was a bit difficult at first.

The problem was, we had to be somewhere at a very specific time, because Dan had purchased tickets to a concert of Baroque and Classical Era music featuring Handel, Mozart, & Beethoven performed in Charlottenburg Palace. Can we say romantic and fabulous! The soprano and tenor were phenomenal and the program was fabulous. We both had an amazing time, and enjoyed it immensely. Ladies, can a husband do much better than a candlelight concert in a palace when aiming for romance?! I think not! Which is reason #148573 why I have the most amazing husband in the world!

We got home easily, because as I mentioned before, we've gotten to be experts at using the metro (we even have been able to help other people out, who were confused or lost!). However, when we got back to our flat, we ran into some problems. Namely, that the door wouldn't open. We finally had to call the property manager of the apartment and have him drive out at 11 PM to let us in. It turned out that the door had a "trick" to it, that he had forgotten to mention when he let us in the night before. All was well, but I felt bad for making the guy drive across town in the middle of the night.

Today we've had a (what else!?) great day touring Berlin more. We've been all over Alexanderplatz, up in the TV Tower where we had another romantic meal in the revolving restaurant that is the highest point in Berlin, and exploring the Tiergarten, Lustgarten, and many other parks, churches, etc. After the museums this evening, we're going get a nice dinner in one of the more exclusive areas of Berlin and then call it a rather early evening as our train leaves at 6:44 AM tomorrow.

Our hotel in Prague is set up, and looks great! For only 44€ we'll have a deluxe double room with a queen bed, en suite bathroom, hairdryer (this is important to me, okay!), and free internet! Prague is supposed to be amazing, and we're really looking forward to exploring the castles there.

I'm sorry I haven't replied to comments, I'm not sure how to reply to a specific comment, without just adding another comment to my own post. LiveJournal seems more user friendly in the comment area. But thank you all for reading, and I'll eventually figure out how to individually reply.

Now, off to ramble around the Egyptian Exhibit in one of the many amazing museums here! Tchuse!

A Post From Berlin

And our first post from the iPhone, so please forgive any mistakes, as well as the brevity of the post. This keyboard is less than user friendly.

We are sitting in a tiny cafe just down the street from Charlottenburg Palace, where we spent an amazing morning absorbing Baroque Architecture and Prussian history. Dan is next to me mapping out our afternoon route, and trying to figure out how we can upload some pictures soon.

The trip is beginning to feel more real, the edge is wearing off as our stress levels decrease and we become more accustomed to being completely lost and mostly confused at all times. Our last few days have been filled with blessing after blessing, and this adventure is even more fun than we imagined!

Yesterday we spent most of the day touring Amsterdam with some new friends and fellow backpackers we met up with on the ferry, Phil & Shannon. We all had gotten into London on the same day, had Eurail passes, and similar itineraries--plus we got along wonderfully, so we spent Monday evening and Tuesday touring together. We had so much fun, although Amsterdam was incredibly touristy--and frankly quite shocking we still enjoyed going to a couple museums together, and enjoying the spectacular structures.

Last night we took the train to Berlin and have rented a fabulous flat in West Berlin for the next 3 days. We love having 3 bedrooms, a kitchen, and a washing machine of our own; and all for 69 euro a night! A great deal!

My German is getting quite a workout, and so far I'm amazed by how much I remember, we've been able to communicate even with non English speakers very well. Hopefully, it'll just get easier too.

Next we're taking a bus tour to get a lay of the land, and tonight possibly a costumed concert in a palace. Honestly I can barely believe this is my life!

I need to go now, there is so much more to tell, but I'll save it for later.

We hope all those traveling the next few weeks to the Feast have a safe and wonderful journey! Mom & Daddy have a great flight today--we're praying for you and we'll see you next week!

Love to all!

Third Post, First Post from EUROPE!

Surreal. The only word that I feel adequately describes the feeling of the last few days.

Dan & I are here, safe, and having the time of our lives! It's such an adventure--I hope my dear readers know that word will be used to the point of over use within this post, not to mention the following ones. But have I ever experienced such a true adventure? Never knowing what will happen next, where we will eat, let alone where we will sleep? The sights are new (to me, though centuries old, with more history than my amateur historian's heart can hope to devour!), the sounds, smells, modes of transportation; everything is overwhelmingly amazing! Sensory overload much?

Everywhere I go, nearly every sight or landmark triggers a phrase/word association--be it from a play, movie, literature, or years of my obsession with history (of course in this case history pertinent to England). As we walk through Victoria Station and check our bags at the cloakroom I nudge Dan and whisper, "The cloakroom at Victoria Station, the Brighton Line" and "A CLOAKROOM?!" and many other lines from The Importance of Being Earnest. Similar reactions to our trip through King's Cross (Platform 9, Platform 10... where's Platform 9 3/4?). Seeing the Globe Theater, Buckingham Palace, Kensington--well, Kensington everything, Notting Hill, Big Ben, Tower Bridge/Tower of London, British Museum, etc. etc. etc... Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde, J.K. Rowling, Shakespeare, and every other British author I have read seem to speak to me through the scenery, buildings, and essence of London.

But, of course, I'm getting ahead of myself. I have a tendency to do that. Here's a not so brief overview of our first 3 days in Europe.

Friday afternoon my wonderful parents kindly came over, and after watching us fly about like flustered chickens they calmly drove us to the airport. They are very understanding about the insanity one goes through planning a trip. After all, they'll be leaving to meet up with us for approximately 3 weeks next Wednesday. Is that really in 2 days? My days are so mixed up right now!

We boarded our plane as planned. Had absolutely no glitches of any sort making our connecting flight, and besides my in flight movie getting killed it was a relatively uneventful flight. The only thing of note was that, they fed us like mad this flight! After the cheapness we've experienced in the airlines we were shocked! We got multiple drink services, 1 snack, and 2 meals! All for a 6.5 hour flight. Our flight to Hawaii for our honeymoon was 12 hours, and we got 1 drink service and had to pay for any snacks we wanted (I had packed snacks thankfully, so we were saved that expense). I'm not sure why there was such a difference, since I'm fairly certain we flew the same airline, but it was a marked difference none the less.

Upon arrival at Gatwick, International the feeling of being overwhelmed did set in, for me at least. I think some of it had to do with the fact that I had not slept well on the plane (the flight attendants literally woke me up to serve me breakfast), and the fact that while I love adventure (that word again!) I want it to be a well planned adventure--or at least one where I have control over the uncertainties. I suppose all of that doesn't make me a very good adventurer, hm?

Confession time. When I get stressed--especially about travel--I take it out on Dan. Big time. Thankfully, by about the 3rd day of travel I have sufficiently loosened up, or figured the systems out enough that the stress is no longer to the point of cruelty... However, pity Dan the first few days of long holidays. He deserves it.

After we got a taxi to the hotel (because hey, it was 4 AM our time, and we were not up to figuring out the bus system for a hotel that had no street number, just a street name and borough) we were informed that check-in wasn't allowed until after noon.

Confession time 2: When I get stressed, have incredibly low blood sugar levels, a 28+ lb backpack that I thought would be a breeze to carry and now want to cry because it's just too much, and am running on little to no sleep I really take it out on Dan. In fact, he is so familiar with this he promptly says, "Katie's grouchy, hungry, and sleepy." and goes straight to work on fixing as many of those things as possible. Could I have a more wonderful husband? No, it is utterly impossible, because I was blessed with the most loving and caring man on earth!

We started to walk to a restaurant for a meal, but quickly abandoned that plan. Frankly when we're running on no sleep (it 6 AM our time) and the directions are given, "past mini-roundabout, to big-roundabout, then roundabout to your left and straight on to the next roundabout" we decided it just wasn't going to happen.

We walked back to the hotel and that was when things really started going our way (as my dear Steph would say "It's a God thing!").

The front desk clerk, presumably seeing our jet-lagged bodies carrying around bulging backpacks, and weary looks took pity on us and let us have our room early. What a blessing! We defied all of the recommendations and took a nap that lasted until 9 PM London time (about 10 hours). Frankly, we could have slept more, but after that hunger became more of an issue. We went to the front desk where the most friendly and helpful clerk told us where to get the best local food (after we expressed we weren't really looking for McDonalds, KFC, Burger King, TGIFridays, or Pizza Hut--which were our other options). We took a taxi, with an incredibly interesting and kind taxi driver. He had the solution to every problem (much like my husband seems to!) and all of his were food related. We were told the cure for jet-lag, hangovers, and the common cold. It was quite informative, and entertaining.

After yummy dinner of fish'n'chips at Ye Olde Six Bells (a 500 year old pub--and total tourist trap!) we headed back and slept easily the rest of the night.

Sunday started with us trying to get to London. Again, remember this was only Day 2, so my stress levels and not fully understanding the British rail system were high. However, a free taxi ride because the driver enjoyed our company so much helped my mood and my faith in Great Britain--she has some of the kindest and most helpful people, even if seemingly everything costs an arm and a leg! We finally got to Victoria Station, and began exploring London for what was planned to be only 1/2 a day.

Immediately after leaving the station (and our obscenely heavy backpacks at the excess baggage check!) we were confronted with London. The London. You know, the one I have spent my entire life reading & dreaming about. (Dan is reading over my shoulder and just told me I write dramatically. He's right; however, I do everything in my life dramatically, why shouldn't I write dramatically?!)

We decided since we had the day to kill (our first train to take us to the ferry to Amsterdam didn't leave until 20.00--8 PM for you Americans) we'd do an overview of London and see as much as we could. We signed up for a double decker bus tour of London, and hopped aboard to start our London Experience.

The bus tour was amazing! We ended up getting off at Madame Tussauds because we thought it was one of the few things we'd have time to actually 'check' off our list. We enjoyed it, although it wasn't quite as exciting as I thought it would be. When we got back on the bus tour (you could get on and off as much as you wanted for 24 hrs, with buses running every 15-20 min) we began to realize our hopes of making the overnight crossing to Amsterdam were slim. London rush hour + a road diversion (read: construction) will do that to you. Resigned, we enjoyed the rest of the bus tour, went to pick up our bags, and find a place to stay that night.

After a very frustrating hour or two of trying to find a hotel in a decent price range (we weren't really keen on spending $700 American for one night!) we were blessed (another "God thing" without a doubt!). I had been calling hotels near the Liverpool Street Station, since we'd be leaving out of there at 6 the next morning. The prices were absurd. Finally there was a hotel with a hard to understand middle eastern man who told me that a double queen room would be £148. Jackpot! We rush off to try to find said hotel, only to get there and find out that there had been some mistake. The number we had been told was the Great Eastern Hotel was obviously being miss-routed. Their cheapest room would be 2.5 times the quoted price.

I was close to tears. However, God worked it out beautifully. The front desk clerk was so sympathetic to our plight (as backpackers we were obviously not looking to spend £350--almost $700--on a room) and he insisted on calling some contacts of his in the hotel industry for favors. He ended up getting us a very nice room with an en suite bath for £101. Plus, it was only 10 min walk from the station! He went above and beyond, even though we were not able to stay at his hotel. Then he refused the tip we tried to give. He was just .so. kind!

Every step of the way I have been floored by how kind and helpful the British people have been!
Oh, I suppose that brings us to today. Is this post long enough for you? What can I say, I've been itching to journal about all of this!

Today we got up a 4:30 AM. Yes, the Ambroses. Are you sufficiently amazed? We made our train, connecting train, and are right now on the "ferry" to Amsterdam (about 3 hours left).
I use the term "ferry" loosely! This is really just a small cruise ship! We're having a blast, catching up on the internet, watching a movie (we saw the Bourne Ultimatium again), eating, and chilling out. It's wonderful!

Sitting at the computer I must look like I work here. My third "Dutchie" has asked me for directions.

Now my hubby is cold and wants to cuddle, and frankly, while Ih ave about 10+ more pages to write, I think hubby time is more important!

I have no idea when the next time I get such unfettered internet access, so hopefully this will suffice until then.

Cheers!

P.S. We've taken tons of pictures, but no way to upload them now. Perhaps next time. Just imagine us looking quite european/cosmopolitan and in artsy London locations and you'll pretty much have your pictures right there! ;)

P.P.S. Many apologies if this is difficult to read. I got up at 4 this morning, which I have no idea what time that is "my time" since my body has no idea what time zone it is in. Hopefully the next post will be shorter and easier to read.

Second Post

9 AM, the morning we leave. I'm stressed out, giddy, I barely slept last night, and frankly I'm now positive that many things I wanted to get done before I leave just plain won't get done.

So how better to knock the list down than posting a tentative itinerary? Makes perfect sense to me!

• Fri, Sep 14th: Leave for London
• Sat, Sep 15th: Arrive London--Briefly tour London, England
• Sun, Sep 16th: Leave for Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Mon, Sep 17th: Enjoy Amsterdam
• Tues, Sep 18th: Leave for Berlin, Germany
• Wed, Sep 19th: Tour Berlin
• Thurs, Sep 20th: Enjoy Berlin/Leave for Krakow, Poland
• Fri, Sep 21st: Tour Krakow
• Sat, Sep 22st: Krakow/Auschwitz
• Sun, Sep 23rd: Day in Prague, Czech Republic
• Mon, Sep 24th: Vienna, Austria
• Tues, Sep 25th: Tour Vienna
• Wed, Sep 26th: Leave Vienna for Perugia, Italy
• Thurs, Sep 27th: 1st day of Feast of Tabernacles in Perugia, Italy (Holy Day)
• Fri, Sep 28th: Tour Florence, Italy/2nd Day of FOT
• Sat, Sep 29th: Sabbath in Perugia, Italy/3rd Day of FOT
• Sun, Sep 30th: Tour Rome, Italy/4th Day of FOT
• Mon, Oct 1st: Tour Assisi, Italy/5th Day of FOT
• Tues, Oct 2nd: Tour Vatican City/6th Day of FOT
• Wed, Oct 3rd: Tour Torgiano, Italy/7th Day of FOT
• Thurs, Oct 4th: Last Great Day in Perugia, Italy
• Fri, Oct 5th: Pompeii, Italy with Mom & Dad
• Sat, Oct 6th: Pompeii with Mom & Dad
• Sun, Oct 7th: Venice, Italy with Mom & Dad
• Mon, Oct 8th: Venice with Mom & Dad
• Tues, Oct 9th: Milan, Italy
• Wed, Oct 10th: Turin, Italy
• Thurs, Oct 11th: Day in the French Rivera/Monaco
• Fri, Oct 12th: Madrid, Spain
• Sat, Oct 13th: Touring Madrid
• Sun, Oct 14th: Gibraltar (owned by England, on the southern tip of Spain)
• Mon, Oct 15th: Tangier, Morocco (AFRICA!)
• Tues, Oct 16th: Geneva, Switzerland
• Wed, Oct 17th: Munich, Germany
• Thurs, Oct 18th: Touring Munich
• Fri, Oct 19th: Bonn, Germany
• Sat, Oct 20th: Rhine River Cruise
• Sun, Oct 21st: Paris, France
• Mon, Oct 22nd: Touring Paris/The Louvre
• Tues, Oct 23rd: Brussels, Belgium
• Wed, Oct 24th: Take the Chunnel back to London, England
• Thurs, Oct 25th: Tour London
• Fri, Oct 26th: Tour London
• Sat, Oct 27th: Tour London/Leave for America

Yeah, that doesn't look exhausting at all!

First Post

It is 12:48 AM as I write this, both the eve, and the day of our departure. I'm wired, and exhausted. In other words, my world is upside-down, and I couldn't be more excited!

Today was the most amazing and uplifting Feast of Trumpets I can imagine. God blessed us with inspiring messages, uplifting fellowship, amazing food--essentially the best send-off possible.

We had a number of new people at church and one in particular stood out. Marilyn. The sweetest little old lady I can imagine. She and I hit it off from the beginning. A true "kindred" if you will. As we sat down for a scrumptious dinner of beef tenderloin, baby redskin potatoes, salad, and cheesecake we began talking. She found out Dan & I were leaving the next day (today!) for a 6 week backpacking tour of Europe and she was immediately intrigued. After the usual questions (How can Dan take that much time off? What will you see? You're really only taking 5 outfits apiece?!) she began telling me of her lifelong desire to visit Switzerland.

Marilyn married Delbert when she was still a young woman, and they had 25 beautiful years together. When she began telling me about what Delbert had planned for their 25th anniversary tears began filling my eyes. Delbert hated to fly. He had to often for his job, but refused to any more than he absolutely had to. Marilyn had talked her whole life about going to Switzerland and seeing the Alps and every time Delbert had encouraged her to "just do it!" Every time Marilyn had stressed that she didn't want to do it alone. She wanted to share the experience with him.

For their 25th anniversary in February Delbert planned to take Marilyn to Switzerland. He bought the plane tickets on the Concord, no less, and made all the necessary arrangements. As the time approached he let Marilyn know of his plans for them, and her excitement grew. Unfortunately, at that same time Delbert's health took a turn for the worse. He died in December, 2 months before their 25th anniversary. 2 months before their "big trip."

Marilyn told me of their last night together, with tears in her eyes--and tears streaming down my face. She told me that ever since they became born again, they prayed together every morning and every evening. Each taking the turn to pray for the other. Their last night together and Delbert prayed for "My Marilyn" he prayed for God to fulfill the every desire of her heart--to provide for her, to comfort her after his passing. He prayed that the Holy Spirit would descend on her in her grief and that she would be able to physically feel God holding his precious child, holding "My Marilyn" and stay with her allowing her to be comforted with a peace that surpasses all human understanding. He prayed that God would supply her every need--physical, emotional, and spiritual in the turbulent times he knew would follow his death.

Marilyn knelt down beside Delbert's bed, and with what I can only imagine as the most bitter sweet pain ever she prayed to release Delbert from his pain. That God would take him away fromt he suffering, and raise him up again when He returns to this earth. On the Feast of Trumpets, who knows how many years from now.

Marilyn's ability to share her story, her faith, her love for her husband, which was so strong even after 16 years of separation was one of the most inspiring and beautiful moments of my life. Her focus on the hope she has, Delbert has, and all of us have in Jesus Christ and His coming was the perfect complement to the day before we depart on this trip--The Feast of Trumpets.

Delbert and Marilyn didn't get to go on their "big trip" to Switzerland together. But they journeyed through life side by side. Amazingly their journey together is not yet through, because they both will rise and meet Jesus Christ in the air, at the sound of that last Trumpet! Hallelujah! AMEN!

Dan & I leave tomorrow. We get to take our "big trip" and I'm so grateful for that privilege. But I pray with my whole heart that we have the opportunity to journey through life as Marilyn and Delbert did. Hand in hand until the end, praying for each other up to the very last, and together we will be resurrected to see our Lord return triumphant!

For those who are curious the first leg of our journey is as follows:

September 14th, 6:50 PM depart for London
September 15th, 10:30 AM arrive in London

After that, let's see where the Lord will lead us! We hope you will travel along with us, through this blog. As of today, the Ambroses are Abroad!