wow, time flies when youre having fun!

I am sorry that it has been so long since weve been able to write! We spent 3 days in paris where there was no internet cafe close to our hotel, and then a day at normandy, same story. I dont know what it is with the french but they always find a way to make things difficult! For example the nationwide strike that happened ALL 3 days while we were there! We almost didn't get to go to the Louvre because of it! trains were stopped, buses were stopped... it was a pain! But we still had a fabulous time in paris! It was so beautiful! It's just a shame that paris is in france! :)
Normandy... I have never been more proud to be an American! As we were driving up the directors were preparing us for an experience similar to the concentration camp, so i was ready for that, but once we got there, it was a completely different experience! Instead of sadness and despair for what happened, I felt honored to be able to walk where so many boys were made into men, and ordinary people into heroes! We watched movies, walked in bomb depressions, and walked the beaches where the American troups landed, and it was one of the proudest moments of my life! I hope that when we meet with everybody on thursday we can somehow relate all these feelings! By the way, A FAVOR PLEASE... please tell those who might not be reading the blog about thursday so that everybody can be there.
Lastly was the last few days in London. What can I say about London?!? They speak English!!! Hallelujah! We have had some good times here! I will just recap them really quickly and tell more on thursday... Today we went to the british library, got to see the handwritten messiah directly from Handels pen! Wycliffes handwritten bible, the Magna Carta from 1215, Jane Austins journal, a letter from Bill Shakespeare, galileo and newtons notebooks, and origional buddhist sutras. OVERLOAD! we also saw a pair of plays, not really famous at all, but they were pretty good. Les miserables and phantom of the opera. WOW! Phantom was very good... Les mis was Incredible! the lead was incredible! I was completely speachless!
Anyways, we have done much much more, but I will wait and talk about them because I think that you all will enjoy that much more. Thank you so much for allowing us to share some of our experiences with you these last few weeks. They have been incredible and we pray everyday that someday we will be able to do the same with all of you! We are excited to come home tomorrow,,, sad, but excited. But life goes on, and we are here to live and learn! We love you all very very much and look forward to seeing you day after tomorrow!
Love S&A
p.s. we saw platform 9 3/4!

We´re better!!

Wow! We got to spend the last 2 days in copenhagen denmark and what a suprise! That city is absolutely awesome! The Christus, the actual one is just remarkable. I thinnk we sat in that church for about 2 hours just writing in our journals, admiring the beauty. It was the first Statue of Christ that we´ve seen this entire trip that has been uplifting. All the rest have been a huge crucifix and honestly kind of sickening! But the Lutherans sure got it right with that one! All of the apostles are always portrayed so beautifully, but for some reason they always make christ seem so helpless and pitiful. I don´t get it. but this was awesome.
We also got to go to the copenhagen temple, and oh how peaceful it was! And I think that both Alisha and I thought the same thing... It is so nice to be in a house specifically to worship, and not be distracted by all the gaudy and ornate figures and stuff everywhere. One of the thoughts that came to my mind as I was watching the baptisms take place, was how amazed I was at the similarity between our baptistries, and theirs of old. Yet the feelings are completely different. It made me wonder if the purpose of all the ornate pictures, gold, and statues wasn´t ment to try and describe the feelings that should be felt in their of the spirit with objects of beauty... just a thought, but it makes sense to me. Anways, if you haven´t recently, go to the temple and enjoy the quiet peacefulness and how it refreshes everything. Also think about those who have tried so hard and confused the spiritual beauty with the physical beauty. How blessed we are!
Well, today we spent in Munich! It has been such a fun city! Hard rock cafe, Hofbrau haus, neuschwanstein castle (cinderellas), and quartets on the street! It has been awesome! I wish I could show you the pictures I got of the castle, but I´m losing hope! It looks like it will have to wait untill we get home. SO FOR ALL THOSE WHO WANT AND ARE READING THIS... THURSDAY NIGHT WE WANT TO SHOW OFF OUR PICTURES!!! so tell us what zou think about that.
Well, we love you all and can´t wait to have you here with us soimeday!
S&A
p.s. Karen- thanks for all the comments! We love reading them and hearing feedback! Love you!

Warning: may contain material not suiteable for all ages

ughh!
Well, we are in Berlin today. And have had a great view of everything from the bus bathroom, where we spend most our time these days (Just today) with extremely pissed off stomachs! We both got food poisoning sometime the last 2 days, and it struck today! Absolutely miserable to be throwing up while travelling on a bus for hours and no chicken and stars cambells soup. But we are surviving. It just happens to be the longest day of the tour also! touring berlin, flying to copenhagen, and not arriving at the hotel untill after 10! But we`ll make it!
Last time I wrote we were in Salzburg, one of the most beautifull cities in the world! we went from there to Prague,,, maybe the ugliest city in the world! And got to enjoy a strings concert by the prague royal orchestra! We watched it right by st. vitales cathedral... google that, it was incredible! I think it inspired batman!
Since, we´ve been to wittenburg, the cutest city known to man! in the words of Alisha, it´s a small city with lots of little buildings of different color stucco´s. I say it´s straight from a chick flick!
The last thing I want to talk about is MAUTHAUSEN concentration camp. Words cannot describe what we saw. Even driving up to the camp, the feelings in the bus and in the woods were solemn, and utterly sickening. The area that they built it in is one of the most beautiful areas I have ever seen with the fall leaves on the forest, the river winding through, then you go up over a small rise, and in front of us was a fortress surrounded by barbed wire which immediately caused a feeling of lightheadedness. We visited a few different areas of the camp, and like I said, I am at a loss of words! Finally after viewing the "Stairs of death" (please look it up) we went into the camp itself, including the barracks, graveyard, and execution chamber. The most sickening, humbling, and sad sight I have ever seen. One of the only things that has ever literally made me sick to my stomach. Yet the most powerfull thing that both Alisha and I felt, was the presence of those who died there. Indescribeable, but we literally felt their souls among us. I am very glad that we had that opportunity to visit there, but even visiting there is something that I pray never will happen again. I can´t even imagine what those people went through.
Anyways, it´s time for us to go. We love you all and think about you everyday!
S&A

Blow them kisses?

If I blew everyone who hated tourists kisses my lips would be eternally chapped! But it is getting better now that we are out of Italy! Alisha´s presentation went great! She gave it on the bus as we were pulling into the tower parking lot. She was very informative and as put in her words "Amaying, simply splendid". Luckily, I still have 2 weeks till we get to the Louvre! But first things first, ON TO PRAGUE!!! That´s the plan tomorrow. Once again, if anybody wants me to pick up anything from any of these countries, you need to let me know! The options are lessening! Germany (Steve), England, france, you can check it out. Well, we are about out of time now so we have to take off. We love you and hope that we can share some of our experiences with you all!
We love you!
"So long, farewell, auf wieterzen (SP?) to you, and you, and you...
S&A

Out of Italy and loving it!

Hello Austria and Salzburg!
This place is sooo beautiful! Italy was a fun place don't get me wrong, there were lots of things to do and see, but it was not near as beautiful as austria is! We have only been here for a few hours, and it is magnificent! We drove through the swiss alps on the way, and stopped at the salt mines which give salzburg it's name (salz=salt). And they are fabulous! I can't wait to show you the pictures, whenever that may be... stay posted! It is a little weird adjusting to the new language, Alisha still says "Grazie" to all the people, and I say "Scuzie", but maybe someday we'll get it right.
Overall, Italy was incredible. Florence was my favorite place of all, but Alisha liked quiet small Ravenna. Most of you however I think would like Venice the best! We got to go on Gondola rides, the river's between peoples houses, Indiana Jones movie, it was so much fun! I think that the best part though was the glass palace! We would have loved to bring some venetian glass back for you all,,, but it was VERY expensive! Like one little teacup was about 80 Euro, which is like 115 American dollars! It is crazy! But we got to watch their master blow a vace, and a small horse, simply amazing! Anyways, we are really trying hard to find a place that will allow us to download pictures, we really have a bunch we want toi share. So once again, hopefully next time we will be able to do that!
We love you guys and miss you alot!
Wish you were here with us!
LOVE, S&A
p.s. Karen, I wish I had enough time to tell you about all the experiences with locals that we`ve had, but maybe you`ll have to remind me when we get home! There are simply too many! Just imagine a pack of 50 Americans who don`t speak a word of Italian walking down a small alley street! They Love us!

In the city of Flowers

Here we are now in Florence! We finished in Rome with a bang! We got to go to the Borghese gallery! That was absolutely fascinating! That was probably the best collection of art and sculptures that we?'ve seen yet! Inculding the vatican museum, I can't wait to show you all those pictures! Speaking of pictures, I chose this internet cafe solely because it can download photo's, but really they can't. advertising technique? anyways, The next day we spent the entire day pretty much at vatican city. Probably the thing that I was looking forward to the most after the Louvre, and the verdict is... I wouldn't go back! It was such a great dissapointment! First we were standing in line for over 2 hours simply to get into the vatican. then after squeezing through the thousands of people to see the museum, we stood in another 2 hour line to get into the sistine chapel. Once there, we were herded through the chapel to the exit in back by guards. The worst part, is once we were in, there were so many people that we couldn't even gather the group together until we were out! The chapel was amazing, so it was too bad that there were so many people there. After that, we got to spend the rest of the day at st. Peter's basilica. That was amazing! The largest church in the world lived up to it's reputation... GRAND! I was also able to go underneath into the catacombs and look at previous popes tombs, including John Paul II's tomb! It was a very humble tomb compared to the rest.
Yesterday we spent pretty much the entire day travelling. First to Pisa, they had this huge tower that was leaning. I don't know if you've heard of it... and then we got here to florence where we have spend a long long long long long long time looking at art. Italy is truly the artists capital of the world!
Tomorrow we are off to Ravenna and Padova where I don't know what we will do, but I'm excited, and hoping that we make it safe through the gauntlets they call roads!
We love you all!
S&A

When in Rome, do as the Romans!

Where do we even begin? how about the beginning... We got to Rome yesteday, and it has been non-stop ever since, but absolutely awesome! I wish we could upload some pictures, but we have to make a cd first, so I think we will try to do that about once a week. Yesteday after finding the hotel, which by the way is a convent!, we took a stroll down into ancient downtown Rome, and there we spent most of the day. First we went to the Forum, which was like the marketplace, and then we had a little free time, so Alisha and I went and found the mamertine prison where Paul and Peter were kept. That was probably my favorite part of the day. The only entrance was a hole in the ground where they would lower them into the cell which was a circle about 15 feet wide, and 6 feet tall. What a miserable place, and to think that Paul was still able to teach and uplift the saints there! next time you read 2 Timothy keep that in mind. That is one of the pictures that will for sure be added. Then we went to the church that has saint Peters Chains, and the Michaelangelos Moses. Talk about a master. That is for sure something that you should look up on the internet if you have time. Incredible how realistic and intricate it is. From there we went to the collosseum, which is exactely what it says. HUGE! I had no idea how enormous that thing is, but we're talkin BSU stadium times 2! Simply huge. The next place we went was the Trevi fountain, which was Alisha's favorite place, so look that one up on the internet also. Once again the sculptures there are incredible. Lastly we had a romantic dinner in front of the pantheon, where I had the best canelonni I have ever tasted, and Alisha had a spaghetti which was uncomparable to prego! The noodles were hollow!
Today has been a great day also! the two things that I'll mention are the sacred steps, where Jesus walked on the way to be tried by Pilate (They were imported here) and the Church where michaelangelo attended. I don't remember the name, but I will include pictures. Hopefully I will get pictures onto here day after tomorrow. That's my goal.
Anyways, I hope you all are having a great time back at home! We sure wish that we were here with the family! We love you all!
ciaò!
S&A