Travel – Page 12 – Valerie's Voice

Reentry

Over the years, we’ve learned that when we come home from traveling, especially traveling abroad, there is always a reentry period, time needed to step back into life, readjust back to “normal” routines. It’s not a negative thing, its just life.

So as I reenter my life back in Northfield from our amazing trip to Austria and the Czech Republic reality sets in and there is jet lag, travel weariness, and house chores…laundry, groceries, weeding, going through mail and email, cleaning the house. It gets done, slowly.

Part of reentry is wanting to catch up with family and friends… to see what’s been happening in their lives. And then I wonder…did anyone miss me? And then I wonder… what did I miss? And soon realize life back home usually doesn’t change much in sixteen days. I think it’s the other way… we change from our travel experiences. And I’m still trying to articulate in what ways. I know I have been blessed: my eyes have been opened to new sights and I have been reacquainted and exposed to other cultures.

We walked multiple miles daily and I am grateful for my health. I often thought of people who would not be able to see what we saw simple because it was tough getting there…mostly steep climbs, uneven roads, cobblestone streets, rugged paths, and lots and lots of steps…most sites are hundreds of years old in Czech Republic and Austria. There are not many handicap accessible accommodations at these sites.

It’s also fun to take some time to recollect, to reread journal entries, and look at photos to remember and relive all the wonderful adventures we had with our friends during our short time away: the special places we went, the magnificent scenery we saw, the delicious food we ate, and the fun people we met along the way.

Looking towards the Kapuziner Church in the monastery behind a wall, in Salzburg.

I delight in thinking about the morning my friend and I went on an early morning hike up Kapuzinerberg (a mountain behind our hotel in Salzburg, on the bank of the River Salzach) to Kapuzinerkloster, a walled monastery. Once inside the wall we followed it and saw wonderful vistas overlooking beautiful Salzburg. We came upon the Kapuziner Kirche (Kapuziner Church) and quietly stepped inside and heard the monks praying in a different room. From their cadence I think they were praying the Lord’s Prayer. In the sanctuary, where we stood, were two stations near the entrance…one for lighting a candle and the other held a basket for prayer requests on a table beneath a photo of Mary and Jesus. I wrote out a prayer request and since then, I have thought many times about the monks praying over my request….praying for a stranger they don’t know, from another country. It warms my heart.

So these are some musings on our first days back…I am grateful…for the many rich experiences…I look forward to writing some of them down. And most of all, I thank God for safety, protection and the health we enjoyed during our travels, and for bringing us safely home.

A Table Creation

When my friend and I travel we often say it would be fun to look back on a map showing all the places we dart in and out of in one day. We criss-cross all over town, rarely following an organized route anymore since we have GPS. We have a list of the names and addresses of places we want to visit and plug the info into GPS. We also stop at places along the way that look intriguing.

We both agree, a map of our day would look somewhat like Billy’s trails portrayed in the comic Family Circus.

At the end of one day, on our recent trip to Oshkosh, we were headed back to our hotel when saw a garden shop so we stopped in for one last escapade. The nursery had slim pickings of annuals, and no perennials. So we decided to go into the gift shop next-door. As we looked around we noticed a few tables made from glass tops put over different items. We both thought a glass-top table might be something we could make (we’re always saying, “We can make that!” HA.) We had been looking at small tables on this trip, because I wanted one for our living room.

Back in Northfield I told my husband the idea and he thought it just might work. So we ordered a piece of glass cut to the size and shape we wanted. We found a mirrored, ceramic pot at Menards that happen to be the right size and height we wanted, and I cut a circle out of a place mat.

We turned the ceramic pot upside down, placed the cut-out place mat to secure the glass and to cover the bottom of the pot (which was now the top), and put the piece of cut glass on top of it all…and voilà…a wedge table to fit between our two recliners!

I have learned… you never know what ideas will generate when you step into new places.

1,000 Crèches

Definition of Crèche according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary: a representation of the Nativity scene.

Last December I read an article about a church in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, that permanently displays one woman’s collection of 1,000 crèches. It immediately piqued my interest and I told my friend about it. We decided right then that we would meet in Oshkosh for our next annual get-away.

This was a beautiful hand-painted porcelain crèche from Ireland.

We were not disappointed. The Algoma Boulevard United Methodist Church indeed was open and welcoming. The church office administrator brought us downstairs and unlocked the door to three rooms for us to peruse 1,000 chèches from around the world. She turned on the lights, and turned on Christmas music to set the mood, then left us alone to take it all in.

Mildred Turner started collecting nativities in 1988 to help her overcome some set backs in her life. We wanted to know more about her but couldn’t find much information. Was she married? If so, what did her husband think of all these crèches? Where did she find room to display them as she was collecting them?

Sizes ranged from a miniature crèche, about the size of the tip of my index finger, to large public outdoor display pieces. There were crèches made from just about any art medium you can think of…colored crystal bells, Lladró’s fine porcelain, metals, stone, pottery, shells, clay, wood, fabric, ivory, yarn…the list goes on. We didn’t know what to expect but this was a wonderful display of quality crèches. Even the two crèches made of Popsicle sticks were well done.

Popsicle sticks and cloths pins and felt. This could possibly be a future project for grandchildren…

Although there were many unique crèches I think the story behind the wood-carved crèche deserves extra attention. German prisoners of war carved it during WW II. They were housed at Green Lake, about 30 miles from Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Several of the men whittled this set during their free time. It is not known why this nativity set was left behind when the prisoners were transferred to another camp a few months later. It’s wonderful that this nativity scene is a part of this collection.

Part 1 of the German Prisoner’s wood-carving.

Part 2 of the German prisoner’s wood carving.

All the crèches were cataloged and we could look up individual pieces if we wanted to, but that felt overwhelming. Thankfully a lot of the crèches were labeled as to where they were from and/or the medium, although I didn’t capture the info in my photos. We spent a couple hours enjoying all the pieces, pointing out the unusual, taking pictures of our favorites.

The stars lit up on this ceramic crèche light.

This was our first morning in Oshkosh. Our trip was off to a good start.

Additional photos:

A unique porcelain music box nativity, that plays “O, Little Town of Bethlehem” apparently Mildred Turner’s favorite.

Counted Cross-stitch. This piece has the date 1988, the year Mildred Turner started her collection.

Delaware

Our planned route for our road trip to the East coast took us close to Delaware. I have never been to Delaware so I thought it would be a good idea to drive through the state and add it to my list of states I’ve been in. When I mentioned this idea to our host the morning we were leaving Washington D.C. heading to Pennsylvania, he suggested we go to the Hagley Museum in Wilmington, Delaware. So we did.

The Hagley Museum is along the banks of the Brandywine River and is the site of the gunpowder works founded by E.I. du Pont in 1802. The du Pont company became the largest American manufacturer of black powder.

A side view of the Visitor’s Center and museum.

The Visitor’s Center and museum, in a beautiful brick building, includes three floors of exhibits.

More beautiful and interesting brick building walls.

Outside the museum, there are 235 acres with historic buildings to explore, and tour different parts of the gun powder operation, including the the Powder Yard with live demonstrations.

One of many buildings along the Brandywine River used to manufacture gun powder.

A demonstration of gun powder being ignited.

You can walk up to Worker’s Hill where the worker’s lived on site, and tour Eleutherian Mills, which was the first du Pont family home.

The du Pont’s first family home. – both ends have been added on since the original was built.

I especially like touring older homes…like the Rockefeller’s in Williamsburg, and now the du Pont home in Wilmington. This was du Pont’s first home in America (they immigrated to America from France)…a few miles away is Winterthur, another du Pont home where the family lived, with 175 rooms. It is now open to the public but we didn’t have time to go see it. (Maybe another trip to Delaware – who knew there were such interesting places to visit in Delaware?)

I liked this wrought iron bench painted turquoise, and the yellow pansies and the lamppost at the entrance to the house.

The du Pont company went on to become the country’s largest chemical firm. The exhibits in the museum showed many examples of their inventions: nylon (including nylon stockings), Teflon, Kevlar to name a (very) few but there are so many more.

We enjoyed this museum a lot and I said to Gary, “It’s interesting that this morning we never even heard of this place and now, here we are this afternoon, touring it and enjoying it.”

O, the joys of travel.

Memorable Hikes – Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia 2013

Continuing my series on memorable hikes…

Gary and I flew to Nova Scotia in 2013 and rented a car to tour the provinces of Nova Scotia (including the Bay of Fundy) and Prince Edward Island.

We were hiking around the Bay of Fundy during low tide. It was amazing to hike far out from shore on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, knowing in a couple hours water would rise to cover the entire area once again. And it would be deep waters. The record tide recorded is 53’…it was 43’ the day we were hiking around the sea floor in the Bay of Fundy. A park interpreter making a presentation on Alma Beach, at low tide.

According to Wikipedia: “The Bay of Fundy is a bay between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the state of Maine. It has the highest tidal range in the world.”

I don’t really understand how tides work – I do know they’re connected to the moon’s cycle. I remember when we took a trip to Maine in the 80’s I learned there were two tide cycles each day: two high and two low. I was so surprised. Growing up in the Midwest and not living near the ocean I didn’t know such things. I guess I wasn’t listening in school either. HA

I remember while hiking in the Bay of Fundy, I once again was in awe of God’s amazing creation. When the massive tides recede, the endless mudflats are home to many sea creatures and people love to search for them when the tide is out.

We just enjoyed walking out on the sea floor.

(photo taken from travel brochure)

Who built the ark? Noah, Noah

And then some 700 more carpenters, including a few Amish men, rebuilt a replica of the ark in 2017.

On our way back to Minnesota from the East Coast we decided we were close enough to detour a few miles south to northern Kentucky and check out the Ark Encounter.

We asked a stranger to take our picture by the door of the ark. The door is too large to capture in the photo.

A Christian Foundation had the vision to build a replica of Noah’s Ark (without taxpayers money) to show people in this day and age what the ark might have looked liked.

The structure itself is massive… 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet high, an impressive sight to see for sure. These measurements were carefully calculated from information they studied about cubits, a term of measurement used in the Bible.

They researched the Bible and other resources to get an accurate design. Inside the ark there are three levels, with several exhibits on each deck.

They’ve recreated what the cages might look like, a possible watering system for distributing water to all the animals, and there was even an explanation to a plausible way Noah could have discarded animal waste, and so much more.

An idea for providing for reptiles and amphibians.

Different size cages for different sized animals.

A possible technique to feed the animals.

A possible technique for distributing water to the animals.

A possible technique for air ventilation.

Life-like images of Noah and his family were placed throughout the ark.

Life-size image in the “kitchen” area of the ark.

A work area among the living quarters for Noah and family.

It was well thought out and very interesting.

We decided it was worth the detour to get a new perspective on an old, old story.

This is a partial wall in a room filled with children’s books telling Noah’s ark story.

Click here to link to the Ark Encounter website.

Sight & Sound Theatre

While in Pennsylvania, visiting my husband’s family, we often take in a show at the Sight & Sound Theatre in near-by Lancaster.

The founder of Sight & Sound Theatre, Glen Eshelman, grew up on a dairy farm and attended the same country church that my husband attended in his childhood. Glen started painting landscapes when he was a boy and then started taking photographs to paint and then photography became his passion.

This passion prompted Glen to start showing nature slides set to music, to church groups, and this is how Sight & Sound began back in 1964.

The Thursday night performance we attended was sold out. Wednesday night was our first choice when we ordered tickets before we left on our trip, but that performance was already sold out. The theater holds 2,000 seats.

Today the theaters (there are two: one in Lancaster PA, and one in Branson MO which opened in 2008) feature full-length Biblical story productions with professional actors and actresses, outstanding costumes, professional musicians, live animals, all performed with realistic time-period backdrops and props on a 300-foot panoramic stage. The performances are so elaborate they continually perform the same show for a year. It is difficult for me to describe the brilliance of these productions.

It was unbelievable how believable they made the water look on stage. The disciples were in an actual boat on stage…and the wind was blowing throughout the audience in their seats. Throughout the performance animals were on stage and in the aisles, and doves flew overhead.

This year we saw the production Jesus. I love this description from the brochure:

“What you are about to experience is not a history lesson on the most famous person ever to walk the earth. It is not even necessarily a story of Jesus’ life. It’s a story of Jesus’ love, which we believe, is life.”

The production was over-the-top wonderful.

Click on this link to learn more about this incredible theater experience.

Memorable Hikes – Washington D.C. 2018

Continuing my series on memorable hikes…

After a beautiful Easter morning service that included the singing of Christ the Lord is Risen Today and hearing the Hallelujah Chorus at a church we were visiting in the D.C. area, we decided to take the train to the National Mall and walk around.

The metro system in Washington D.C. is user friendly and we hopped on the train, along with our host for the weekend, and “people watched” for thirty minutes while we enjoyed the train ride to the National Mall.

As soon as we stepped out of the metro station we saw the Washington monument standing tall. There were lots of people everywhere…and this was April…I can’t imagine the crowds during summer. We turned and looked behind us, to the East, and saw the U.S. Capitol from a distance, and then started our hike walking west toward the Washington Monument.

It was wonderful to see the cherry trees in bloom.

The day was cool but the cherry trees were in bloom and it was beautiful. We walked from memorial to memorial, beginning at the Washington Monument (built in 1848). I have been up in the Washington Monument on a prior visit, but it is currently closed for renovation until 2019. We glanced at the White House to the north as we passed it, then walked through the WW II Memorial (dedicated in 2004) on our way to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (dedicated in 1982), and a Vietnam Women’s Memorial, a sculpture dedicated in 1993 for the women who served in the Vietnam war.

Next we stopped at the Lincoln Memorial (dedicated in 1922) which is a favorite of mine, and for many I believe.

A classic view of the Lincoln Memorial from one end of the Reflecting Pool.

Next we walked to the Korean War Veterans Memorial (dedicated in 1995) and then to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial is a fairly new memorial dedicated in 2011, and this was the first time I saw it and it immediately became a favorite for me. The Stone of Hope is a granite sculpture out of which the carving of Dr. King emerges. The memorial covers four acres and is located on the Tidal Basin. The walls surrounding the statue are etched with several different quotes from Dr. King Jr. such as:

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

At this point we were on a trajectory to see the Jefferson Memorial (dedicated in 1943) which took us past the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial (dedicated in 1997), also new to me.

A view of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial across the Tidal Basin.

The King, Roosevelt and Jefferson memorials are all on the Tidal Basin, off the Potomac River, surrounded by blooming cherry trees.

The cherry trees along the Tidal Basin were given as a gift of friendship to the People of the United States from the People of Japan in 1912.

When we started out we had no idea we would hike a total of six miles that afternoon, but it was fun to see these truly amazing memorials. There are interesting stories behind each one.

They are continually adding new memorials and museums in this area. For instance, they are planning a Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial, under construction at this time, and we visited the newly opened Museum of the Bible which was very interesting.

Washington D.C. is a very unique place to visit and a fun place to hike around, and I am grateful we had the opportunity to do so in the cherry tree blooming season.

Click here to view a good map of the National Mall.

Ben Franklin’s Amazing Glass Instrument

“Of all my inventions, the glass armonica has given me the greatest personal satisfaction.” ~ Ben Franklin

While visiting the Folk Art Museum in Williamsburg one of the scheduled events that sounded intriguing was a multi-media concert of glass instruments. So we made sure we were seated in the auditorium before the demonstration began.

Mr. Dean Shostak was demonstrating three glass instruments. The first instrument, the armonica, was created by Benjamin Franklin in 1761. It is a series of glasses cupped together and you use wet fingers to play it. Each cup produces a different tone. I had not heard of this instrument before. However, it has been featured on Mr. Rogers. Mr. Shostak showed a video clip from one of Mr. Rogers television programs where Mr. Rogers was introducing the instrument to the children.

The armonica. Dean Shostak was playing the instrument which was projected on a screen for better viewing.

Mr. Shostak played several pieces for us on the armonica.

Next he showed us his glass violin. He had it made for him in Japan. It was a beautiful instrument with lovely etching on the sides. He let us come close after the concert to take photos and touch it. There are not too many of these glass violins around. He played one song on it for us. To my untrained ear it sounded nice and much like other violins

Dean Shostak was proud of his glass violin.

The beautiful etching on the side of the glass violin.

The third instrument was similar to the armonica only formatted differently. Instead of the glasses cupped together they were upright in a wooden box, but you still needed wet fingers to play it. I forgot the name of it.

The instrument he was playing was projected onto the screen.

It was a very enlightening, interesting and entertaining 45 minute concert in the Williamsburg’s Folk Art Museum.

On a side note; while we were looking at the dress design exhibit in the art museum we recognized a fellow Northfielder as we turned a corner. We stopped to chat and laughed about our meeting unexpectedly in this place so far away from home.

A 3,000 Mile Road Trip

We traveled over 3,200 miles during our three-week road trip to the East Coast.

A fun photo taken in Ephrata, Pennsylvania.

I’m so thankful we have a comfortable car to drive and ride in, instead of a horse and buggy which we saw trotting all over Lancaster County when we visited my husband’s family in Amish country. Can you imagine?

Our trip took us to Colonial Williamsburg, Washington D.C., and Lancaster County Pennsylvania (with a stop in Indiana, Delaware and Kentucky.) There were many highlights: visiting friends and family and attending a family wedding in a restored barn, going to see Jesus at the Sight and Sound Theater, attending an Easter service in a welcoming church, participating in a Seder meal with our Jewish host and hostess, walking six miles from monument to monument in DC, touring the new Museum of the Bible in DC, seeing the cherry trees in bloom in DC, touring the Hagley Museum where gunpowder was made in Delaware, attending a glass instrument concert, walking throughout authentic Williamsburg, seeing Jamestown and Yorktown, hiking to find the wild ponies, enjoying spring flowers blooming, taking a detour on our way home to see the replica of Noah’s Ark in Kentucky.

Cherry trees in bloom in Washington D.C.

While waiting in the theater to see the awesome production of Jesus I thought to myself how blessed I am to be able to experience so many wonderful things. Our travels have been enriching times! I’ll be writing more details surrounding different events.

Easter at Trinity Lutheran Church in Rockville, Maryland. The pastor did his undergraduate studies at St. Olaf College, in our hometown.

We are grateful for our safe travels, and for the variety of experiences we enjoyed.