Innsbruck, Austria

On Sunday, October 18th, we left Chiavari a little later than planned--after leaving the apartment, and locking the keys inside as instructed, I remembered we didn't have a key to raise the security gate in the parking lot. As a result, we sat at the gate for about ten minutes waiting for someone to come along with a key. Eventually, there was a lovely old couple headed to church who graciously discerned my predicament and called their daughter in the neighboring apartment. She came down five minutes later with a key, and with no animosity or frustration--only good cheer--waved us through the gate and on our way. I told the kids we were lucky to be the opportunity for someone else to earn a blessing.

This did contribute significantly, however, to our being late for church in Genoa. I don't know how much it mattered, though, because I never could find the church building. I found the address, but there wasn't any trace of the church. So we turned on a session of the recent General Conference for awhile, then sang Primary songs and hymns all the way to the Milan airport--about two hours. It was Spirit-filled and peaceful and happy, and I was overwhelmed with the blessings of my family and the gospel. 

We were supposed to meet Ed at the airport pick-up curb, but due to missing church, we arrived early enough to go inside, eat our sandwiches and fruit and wait for him at the customs gate. It was fun to surprise him, and wonderful to have him back with us. Joe kept saying "now we get to live with Daddy again!" I'm grateful there will be no more days and nights apart for the foreseeable future--we've had our share of being apart this year.

From Milan we were headed to Innsbruck for two days, because Ed had been invited by his Old Assyrian colleague, Cinzia Pappi, to give an address at the University of Innsbruck. It was another 4 1/2 hour drive, but like the drive southward through Switzerland, the drive north through the Dolomites and the Tyrollean valley were stunning. The rain and mist increased as we got closer, as did the darkness, so we didn't a good view of Innsbruck as we came in. We checked in to our hotel (two great rooms with plenty of space for everyone, but no wifi), then tried to find some dinner. As much as we have tried not to travel on Sunday, we knew we'd have to go out for dinner when we arrived in Innsbruck, but we had a hard time finding anything until after 8 pm. By then the kids were exhausted and Ed, whose stomach had been a little unhappy before, was starting to look pretty peaked. Due to the fact that he had his colon removed at age 20, he is especially susceptible to dehydration when sick, and he was worried that he had caught another stomach bacteria while in Turkey. (Did I mention that he got sick in August during a conference at Kultepe, Turkey, passed out in front of his colleagues, and ended up in the hospital for a day? Gratefully, they hydrated him well, a pharmacist gave him an antibiotic, and he was back to normal in a couple days.) This time he was starting to feel dehydrated again and worried that he wouldn't be able to give his talk the next afternoon. We took the kids back to the hotel and put them in bed, then drove to a "Klinik," which happened to be the ER. They gave Ed a bag of saline and subjected him to a blood test, a stool sample, and even an EKG. (He didn't need it; it's just standard procedure at this hospital. Ed thought it was a little excessive.) They gave him an a prescription for an antibiotic and told him to come back if it got worse. 

We got to sleep around 1:00, and I woke up at 3:30 to the sound of Ed vomiting in the bathroom. I was pretty worried after that, but it was gratefully the only episode, and he began to get better after that. In the morning, I took the kids to breakfast, picked up juice and the prescription for Ed, and met briefly with Cinzia to give her the update and cancel the tour of Innsbruck she was going to give us. I gave the kids carte blanche with the screen time and fell in bed until lunchtime. (I was also fighting a cold, on top of the lack of sleep and long drive.) By the time I woke up, Ed was weak but feeling better and confident he would be able to give his talk at 5:00. I took the kids out for pizza (which I can no longer eat--I'm so tired of pizza) and to play at the park for an hour, then back to the hotel for more screen time while Ed and I went to the University for his talk. I wasn't about to let him go alone and have him faint again. He gave a great talk and had a decent turnout, and afterward we were able to go to dinner with Cinzia and some other colleagues and students. Ed and I both had duck and potatoes, which tasted excellent.

In the meantime, our children fed each other dinner (Linda made everyone sandwiches), took their showers, and went to bed on time so that when Ed and I got home about 9:45, they were all in bed sleeping. I was so proud, and so grateful, both that they have learned to take good care of themselves and each other, and that we have taught them to do so. 

The next morning we had to leave Innsbruck, but we managed to see the Hofkirke, which contains the tombs of Maximilian I and Archduke Ferdinand, and go to lunch at a Chinese buffet with Cinzia. I think Cinzia had invited Ed to her university in some measure because she really wanted to meet all his kids, and Ed and I felt bad that his illness had made that impossible so far. We had a fun lunch with her, and the kids were decently-behaved. Ed was pretty tired when we finally got on the road, but we were grateful that he was on the mend, grateful for Cinzia's kindness, and grateful for our good kids. Also, the clouds and rain had cleared away and we had beautiful views of the mountains as we drove north into Germany. 

The Hofkirke is now also the home of the Innsbruck Art Museum, so it has some interesting elements, including the crying eyes on the face of the facade outside. Also, there was a really fun multi-media presentation about Maximillian himself--the first powerful king of the Hapsburg dynasty. 

Maximillian wanted to be buried in an ornate tomb in this church, surrounded by iron sculptures of his forebearers. Ironically, his remains are elsewhere, since he died decades before the church and its decorations were finally finished.

Just one of the many sculptures, whose beautiful craftsmanship is unfortunately not very visible from this photo.

This elbow plate from a knight's armor gives you an idea of the intricacy and decoration each statue exhibits. 

Is there anything I don't like about Italy?

For those who don't know, Switzerland is like three countries in one: French to the west, German to the north, and Italian to the south. I don't know about the French/German border, but the German/Italian border could not be more distinct. As you travel south you climb higher and higher into the alps until you are at 2000 meters above sea level. It is grey and cloudy and wet and smells overwhelmingly of manure, Grimmsian in its aura. Then you go through the San Bernandino Tunnel, 6600 meters (4 miles) long, and BAM--you come out the other side into a quintessential Italian mountainous countryside. The sun is shining, there are palm trees along the road, architecture is distinctively Mediterranean, and all the roadsigns have changed from German to Italian. I was so startled and delighted by the scenery, both before and after the tunnel, that the kids were sick of me oohing and ahhing. (I was interrupting their concentration on their iPad games.) After winding down to sea level again, the outskirts of Milan were distinctly ugly, and I was disappointed until we got within about 50 km of the coast. From there the mountains began again and we stayed in them until we arrived in Chiavari, about 45 minutes southeast of Genoa. Our airbnb hosts greeted us with snacks and breakfast foods in the fridge, cheerful smiles, and shocked expressions at the number of children I had with me. Our apartment has three bedrooms and plenty of space, in addition to balconies off of every room and views of both the sea and the mountains.

A blurry picture of my bedroom. 

A much better picture of the view from the kitchen.

We spent the evening getting gelato and exploring and decided we were going to love it here.

Joe's first gelato. We've had it almost every single day. Gelato may be the biggest expense of our whole Italian vacation.

The first day was not great for me, and between my feminine cycle and having driven all day the day before, I was wiped out. Gratefully, I have learned that when I feel this bad, I simply need to sleep it off, which I did. Three hours later, the world seemed much more manageable.

Italy was supposed to be a vacation for us, but in order for it to be truly relaxing, I've had to realize and remember a internalize a few things I've been fighting against since leaving Utah in July.

1. This may be the only time in our family life when we are completely unhindered by other peoples schedules: no callings, school, friends, family, etc. That means I need to feel free to do what we want, and what is fun and best for us, and I need to loosen up about schedules.

2. I need to return to the most valuable lesson I learned during our year in Denmark: back then, nine years ago, it was given to me by the Spirit in these words: "if all that happens today is that Isaac learns to put on his shoes himself, then it has been a successful day." Translated into Europe 2015 that means that I need to make sure I have proper expectations: if everyone does their math, reads their scriptures, and I get to spend good time with them, then who cares what sights we see or don't see? Being in Europe doesn't have to mean being trapped by Europe. It can just mean learning together whatever it is we need to learn that day.

So although I still sometimes wake up wondering how I am going to fill the day, and how I'm going to keep everyone entertained or interested, or just plain busy, I more often look forward to enjoying time with my kids and relaxing doing things I want to--taking walks, reading books, and helping my kids with their homework.

Here are some of the highlights of our ten days in Italy:

Sleeping arrangements: I have no picture of this, but my roommate for this leg of the trip is Joe, and I love it. Of course, I love rooming with Ed, but Joe wakes up every morning happy and excited and ready for the day. His joy is contagious, especially since he's not too old yet to give me lots of hugging and kissing and snuggling. Of course, it helps that I've been going to bed early and sleeping soundly for eight hours almost every night so I don't mind being woken up at 6:30 each morning.
     After listening to Isaac and Linda pick at each other for weeks on end, I finally punished them both by making them sit next to each other in the car and share a bedroom until they can learn to get along. They seem to have enjoyed themselves together, and by the end of our week in Italy they are being kind enough to one another that they have moved out of the back seat of the car.

The beach: At first, the kids were really disappointed that this is primarily a rock beach, and not a sandy beach. But they have found enough sand, and also found that they love playing with the rocks, too. They practice skipping them, search for interesting shapes and colors, and build rock castles in the surf. This region, Liguria, is full of marble, and there are marble stones, big and small, all along the coast, just waiting to be discovered by eager hands and sparkling eyes. The first half of our trip the weather was in the low 70s, but we only tried swimming once, and it was pretty cold. That didn't prevent at least the younger three from getting wet almost every time we went down to the beach (which was almost every day). The latter half of our stay turned stormy and cold, so they kept everything above the knees out of the water after that.

Our first swimming excursion. I managed to get in up to my waist, and I my body really wanted to stretch out and swim, but I couldn't take the cold. 

One of many types of marble found in the giant stones forming the breakwater.


Joe told me he wanted to make "sand angels."

Sunday: We are staying in the town of Chiavari, about forty minutes north of Ed's sister Rachel's favorite area from her mission, the town of La Spezia. Since it was the same distance either direction to the nearest church building, we chose La Spezia to see what part of Rachel's life had been like. Once again, I love the gospel, and I love the Spirit I feel in Sacrament meeting, and it doesn't matter what language is being spoken. And people are always so very quick to offer translation--I've never once had to ask anyone. People just guess there is a need and jump to it. My kids doubled the size of the Primary, but the Primary President (I believe she is the entire Presidency and has one other teacher) rose to the challenge of trying to do it bilingually. It turns out that this blessed woman is Sister Margheriti, who Rachel wanted me to say hello to, and I can see why Rachel loves her. She was so good to my kids, despite the fact that my kids were pretty rotten that day. The kids were sure there wouldn't be any Primary because they didn't see any other kids in Sacrament meeting, and when they found out they would have to stay instead of go home early and play with their new legos (that we had bought the day before, to be opened after church), they were unhappy and made sure everyone knew it.
       But after a great time at church (at least for me), we came home and the kids all had their new toys to play with for a few hours. Then we enjoyed a lovely hour or so on the beach watching the sunset and skipping rocks. Sunday can be hard with kids, especially when traveling, but this one, all in all, went well. I had ample experience with the Spirit, which is what I most needed and wanted.

 

Sister Margheriti and I, and Brother Margheriti with the kids. 

Taken from the Strand above the beach.

I love having Mary along on this trip. She rarely complains and makes great and mature company for her mother. We like to sit and talk and laugh together at the park and other places when the other kids are all running and playing. 

Abby can Princess Pose with anything, even a chunk of marble.

The Ropes Course: The first evening, I went out exploring (and trying to find a new SIM card for my phone) and discovered a park with a ropes course in it. We went back the very next morning and luckily, all the kids were big enough to go through it. It took about a half hour, and they all loved it. I was amazed at both Abby's and Joe's dexterity and balance. We went back a week later and did it again--Joe and Linda went twice that day.

Isaac was Abby's spotter.

Mary looked after Joe. (Can you tell he really liked it?)

Linda coming down the zip line.

Here are all five of them on our second time through.

There is another park near our apartment that has a nice playground. We took some balloons there one 
day to run around with, but the kids mostly just wanted to make obnoxious noises with them. 

Santuario Nostri Signora Delle Grazie: Halfway up the mountain from the waterline, and halfway up the
road from Chiavari to Zoagli, lies an old church from the 15th century with ancient and decaying 
frescoes. I wanted to hike the trail from the beach but was pretty sure the kids would make it less than 
fun, so I opted to drive to it instead. We visited it late one afternoon and dropped in on a mass, so instead
of exploring the frescoes, we explored the mountain trails around it. We found an old bunker from 
WWII and Linda's jacket disappeared into thin air. But we got some exercise and fresh air and a 
beautiful view of the Mediterranean in the late afternoon sun.

A view of the church from the beach.

The kids enjoyed climbing all over the bunker, but Mary was less enthusiastic.

Exploring the trails.

Aquario de Genova: On the sunny days we stayed in Chiavari and walked around town or went to the beach, and on the rainy days we planned an excursion. One of the cooler days we drove to Genoa and visited "Europe's Largest Aquarium." Linda says I should have been more impressed, but I thought that being right on the coast there would be a greater number of fish, instead of pictures of fish. I'm not discounting the live dolphins and manatees and piranhas, but it was less extensive than I expected. (I think I have been spoiled for museums forever, living in Chicago for as long as we did--nothing compares to the Museum of Science and Industry, the Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum, and the Art Institue.)

Oh no! Mary's being eaten by a monster of the deep!

Abby liked the crabs. She takes blurry pictures.

Just outside the aquarium was this restored clipper ship. The kids are preparing to set sail, I guess. 

The Cinque Terre: In 2002, Ed and I took a two-week trip to London and Italy to celebrate finishing his doctoral exams. Almost the whole trip was great, but near the end, the day we were to leave Siena for three days in the Cinque Terre, I woke up at two in the morning with Salmonella. I don't know when I have ever felt so bad as I did those first six hours. After that I was exhausted enough that we had to cancel our trip north, stay in Siena a couple extra days, then head back to Rome to catch our flight home. So the Cinque Terre has been on my bucket list for a few years now. I didn't know if I wanted to try to visit it with the kids, but Isaac and Mary were insistent that they wanted to make sure I got to see the things I wanted to see (bless their hearts), so we spent a long afternoon traveling to Vernazza on the train. It was a quaint little town, and I think my kids were the only kids I saw the entire time we were there. It was crowded with tourists, and I shuddered to think what those narrow streets and small wharf were like in July and August. As it was, we stayed long enough to watch some giant waves on the pier, get some pizza, and catch a train back to Chiavari for some gelato and some time on a larger (and much cleaner) beach. I'm very glad I got to go see Vernazza, but I don't think I need to go back again.

The view down Main Street (the only street) from the train station to the sea. There are no cars in Vernazza, no roads going in--only the train.

We found jellyfish in the harbor! This cured the kids of begging to swim there.

Beautiful big waves.

The view from the end of the breakwater.

The view back through town from the same spot.

I tried to get the kids to let me get a nice photo, but this is all I could manage. The American tourist seated just to the left of the photo were laughing at me trying to convince them all to sit still, look at the camera, and smile.

ME time: My time in Italy has driven me to make a major concession. This is a decision that I have fought every day of this trip, and for many years previous, because it is an issue that calls into question my fitness as a mother, and my self-identification as an intellectual. I'm talking about screen time. Electronics have always been a point of contention, because I want the kids to spend less time with them, and they just want to spend more and more. I would go on, but I think everyone understands this dilemma. Here and now, for the whole world to see and judge, I have decided that for my own sanity, I am no longer counting the number of minutes or hours my children spend on their devices. I do still control what they can do on them--we have days where only educational shows and websites can be viewed, and they have to finish their homework. But on this trip I can't do everything I need or want to do and stay sane if the kids don't have something non-parent-directed to do some (and sometimes MUCH) of the time. We are usually staying in places with no toys, no books, and no yard. While I wish they could just use their imaginations and make up brilliant activities with a paper clip and a piece of paper, that doesn't usually happen. Instead they whine or fight and make Ed and I frustrated. 

     So now I let them go on electronics whenever I don't have something specific for them to do. And it means I have time to read my scriptures, get groceries, plan our trips, make phone calls back home, and there is even less fighting overall. Call me a lazy mom if you want, but this new freedom is liberating, and I hope that as we rejoin Ed on Sunday and travel for another eight weeks, it will mean greater peace and happiness for all the members of our family. 

     You know what I used my newfound freedom to do? Get a massage. I'm addicted to massage, and I haven't had one since we left Utah. I decided to try out Italian massage, and while I had be more proactive about being sure I was actually covered by the drape, the massage itself was very good. The table was actually a heated waterbed (that was surprisingly relaxing) with lights that rotated through the colors of the rainbow slightly faster than I found restful. I know that sounds a little shady, but it was a reputable and very clean spa, so I wasn't worried. And I left feeling looser and relaxed than I have in months. I couldn't resist taking some pictures of the bed: 

Carrara and Lucca: We took our final field trip on Friday, October 16th, knowing that Saturday would be spent packing and getting ready for the drive on Sunday to Austria. We headed to the Carrara marble quarry, where there has been marble mining for more than five hundred years. It is the same mountain, in fact, where Michelangelo and other Renaissance sculptors got their marble. The tour wasn't stellar--they drove us 600 meters into the mountain, we walked around a cool room, then they drove us out. The speech wasn't very interesting to the kids (surprise, surprise), but we did learn a few things. And since there wasn't enough room in the van to take all of us at once, the kids and I stayed behind for the second trip. That meant we got to be alone in the quarry and practice our opera with the awesome acoustics. It was the most fun part of the trip!

Stylin' in the hard hats (that were either too large or had broken straps, so they kept falling off).

This is the "chain saw" used to cut marble blocks. It runs on a track, simultaneously pouring water on the blade and the marble so it doesn't get too hot and shatter the marble. The workmen get to stand and watch for quite a while.

At Christmastime in 1995, when the workmen were cutting the marble from this wall, one piece broke off and left the image of the Madonna and Child. The workmen say she has watched over the quarry ever since, as there have been no accidents in the quarry since the image appeared. 

Here's Abby singing opera in the large room, which has actually been used to stage professional operas, as well as exotic car shows.

Goofing around.

We were done in Carrara by 1:00 and within easy striking distance of both Pisa and Lucca. I had wanted to see Lucca (along with the Cinque Terre) when Ed and I were here before and missed that too, so even though the younger kids just wanted to go home and play on their iPads, Mary and Isaac asked me "Mom, which town is on your bucket list--Pisa or Lucca?" I chose Lucca, and they told the rest of the kids not to whine, because we were going to Lucca. It was nice to have the kids value my feelings.

Lucca is a medieval city with the city walls still completely intact and the old city inside renovated into a luxury tourist center. We parked just inside the massive, 50-foot thick walls (with a beautiful walking path on top, all around the town), and walked through town looking for gelato. Then we walked the walls back to our car and headed out of town. It was fun to see the old architecture, and it is a beautiful spot I would love to come back to with Ed.

Joe at the church tower, flexing his muscles.

Isaac, sitting on his big sister.

And Finally . . . 
On Saturday, we took one more trip out to the beach, as it turned out to be a beautiful and somewhat warm afternoon. Ciao, Italy. I miss you already.

Switzerland: Not as restful as I had hoped, but more beautiful than I had imagined.

I chose to stay in Neuwilen, Switzerland because I found this amazing house on airbnb that was inexpensive, had acres of meadow and forest and stream right outside, had a beautiful sunroom and a lego/playmobil toy room. It had only two bedrooms, but there were only six of us and we could make that work just fine, especially with lots of other living space to use when various people are awake. (That's the key--making sure everyone has it quiet where they need to sleep.) And the home really was all the things it professed to be, except . . . .  the home's owners lived there as well. And they didn't just live in a different part of the house, but we had to share all the living space. On airbnb, when you mark "Entire House," I'm pretty sure it means that you aren't sharing with anyone. But we shared. I had opted to stay for three nights because this looked like such a fun place to relax. And the kids had a great time. But I was so stressed and frustrated at having to parent my five crazy kids in front of and in the private space of two complete strangers (one of which was a family therapist), that I actually burst into tears in front of the wife when we were talking one afternoon. They were very kind people, generous Christians who have for years opened their doors as a halfway house for recovering addicts. So they really are used to sharing their space--physically and emotionally--with all sorts of people. But I had been so excited to let down my guard and let the kids run free, and even to leave them at the house while I did a little sightseeing, and I didn't feel comfortable doing any of those things. I was completely relieved when Thursday morning rolled around and we rolled out of there. It's really too bad, because the kids loved it there. The homeowners even have a ten-year old boy with whom Isaac played well.

The first day in the toy room, before the toys exploded all over. See the cabinets there? There were actually twice that many, and they were all full with bins and bins of lego and playmobil.

The view from the patio: a playhouse, pond, stream, field, forest, etc. There were even bikes to ride. 

Of course, I hit their rock wall on a narrow curve trying to park the van. Thank heaven for $0 deductible insurance. Right now the bumper is taped up with brown duct tape and looks super-duper classy. We'll get it fixed when we get to Prague. I might try to take a black Sharpie to the brown duct tape. 

One afternoon, Linda decided to learn the "Jolly Holiday" song from Mary Poppins, complete with umbrella. It was cute.

I think I do love, Switzerland, though. Neuwilen is a tiny town, and there were cows in the fields all around the house where we stayed, complete with their own bells. The fall colors had just started to turn as we traveled south through Germany, and continued when we left Neuwilen on Thursday and went south through the rest of Switzerland. The countryside along the eastern border (which we crossed and recrossed back and forth into Leichtenstein--another country to check off the list!) was green and wild, with cliffs and tunnels. We followed the Rhine river, and it was an amazing blue-green color that looked shockingly cold. Add to this the colorful timber frame houses, traditional Reformation churches, and distinctively-striped hawks swooping above the fields. I loved every minute of the drive through southern Germany and Switzerland.

Frankfurt: I Hate Germany. Again.

We left Holland for Germany on Wednesday, September 30th, to spend five days in Frankfurt before Ed had to leave for two weeks in Turkey. We chose Frankfurt because there are cheap flights in and out of it, but we mostly wanted to stay there because our friends from Jerusalem, the Williams, live there. Jolynn had already driven us to France the day we arrived in Europe, and now we would get to spend a few days with the whole family. Isaac and Mary were beyond excited to see Ivan, and they all got along like gangbusters. It helps that Ivan is bright and inquisitive and intellectual and loves science and fantasy and space and Minecraft, just like my kids. I don't know that I've seen Mary so mentally compatible with any friend as she is with Ivan, and he and Isaac do all the usual boy stuff together.

So why do I hate Germany "again"? Our first trip to Germany as a family happened a little over eight years ago at the end of our year in Denmark. Super-smart Ed and his super-smart wife decided to take Mary (age 5), Isaac (age 3), and Linda (age 2 months) on a 12-day driving tour of Germany, during which time they stayed at hostels in nine different cities. And they invited Ed's single brother Ben to come along for extra hands, who ended up primarily as a witness to Ed and Candice's marital breakdown. Beginning your trip with a 5 am flight is a mistake. Hostels with young children are a mistake. Moving that much was a mistake. Fighting German traffic was a mistake. Traveling that long on a tight budget was a mistake. There were a few salvageable moments on that miserable, horrible trip, and I'm pretty sure we vowed never to go to Germany ever again.

Germans aren't particularly warm and friendly, they are rather aggressive on the roads (and not just on the autobahn, but in town where you can see their angry faces and hear their car horns). So that wasn't very fun, but it didn't matter too much--one lady even got out of her car to come and yell at us while we were trying to park, and Ed and I just laughed. Not in her face, but later.

Housing is at a premium in Frankfurt, and it took me weeks to find something we could afford anywhere near the city. Even then, it was the most expensive place we have stayed, and it was in the worst shape. The owner was very apologetic about his management team, but facts be known, we had a leaking radiator that left streams of water across the bedroom floor every morning, not enough blankets (the maid told us to use towels for the kids), no wifi the whole time we were there, a sticky kitchen, and lots of lights that didn't work. On the positive side, it was in a relatively quiet area with decent shopping, and we were only 20 minutes from the Williams. And there was a great Thai place nearby where Ed and I ate one night.

Our stay coincided with the 25th anniversary of the German reunification, and Frankfurt was hosting the largest celebration in Germany. As a result, traffic was awful and one afternoon we were routed through the labyrinth from hell: we drove through a major traffic jam, got shunted into a detour, and got stuck behind a student driver in a collection of one-way streets: in the end it took two hours to get to the Wiliams. This was on our third day in Frankfurt, and the day before Ed was to leave for Turkey, which was a terrible day. Read on:

Frankfurt is where Ed and I began to realize that our three month excursion is beginning to take the form of a Homeric Odyssey. It seems that no matter what hurdle we overcome at each port of call, the next stop will yet bring another unique and potentially "deadly" trial of wits and courage. This time it was Ed's scanner. His research for this entire trip is a process of making x-ray scans of Old Assyrian tablets in collections across Europe and Turkey in an effort to try to geotag the tablets. Scholars often don't know where many of the tablets originate they only know where they ended up and were buried). Ed's scanning will hopefully help historians get a better sense for the trade and the people but identifying where people were when they wrote various things. But Ed's scanner has had no end of trouble, and had to be sent back twice already to the company to be fixed. He had been using a loaner scanner, but he had returned that one by mail and was supposed to receive his repaired original machine from the company before heading to Turkey. Now it was Friday and it hadn't yet arrived. After chasing down phone numbers at DSL, Ed realized it had been delivered to another city within Germany, but customs was holding it because it looked like he was buying it new and they wanted him to pay the import taxes. In the end he had to pay 500 euros to get it out of customs and get a special delivery so he could have it in time for his trip. There was great relief and rejoicing when it arrived at the Williams at about 7 pm on Friday evening--he left at 5:00 the next morning. (Of course, when he arrived in Turkey, he discovered that the company had neglected to include a necessary power cord, which he didn't receive until the following Thursday, and then a few days later there was a software problem, for which he lost another two days of work. But those are later chapters in the Edyssey.)

There were some good things about Germany, the best of which was Jolynn and Jay and Ivan and Emily treating us like royalty. Jolynn fed us at least four times, gave the kids corn dogs and goldfish crackers from the commissary on base, invited us to watch two sessions of General Conference with them, let our kids play with their pianos and guitars and toys, and lent Mary a dozen books to take with her on the rest of our trip. And Jolynn just let me talk and vent and helped me to relax. They made Frankfurt worth it.

Another good point: our apartment was also near a forest with a lake. Ed and I went out one moonlit evening for some romantic time near the water, and I took the kids out one sunny afternoon for a walk around the lake. The forest was just like the ones we used to play in in Denmark, and along with lots of dogs to play with (tame ones on leashes, not wild ones), there were also the log teepees we saw all over in Danish forests.

The kids really, really, really, really, really want a dog when we get home. I don't think I'm up for it.

A giant downed tree with interesting fungus formations. Linda was grossed out by the fungus.

Teepees!

I'm a little embarrassed that I didn't take a single picture of the Williams, because they really were the very best part of Frankfurt.

Ed left Saturday morning, and I stayed with the kids until Monday morning. Ed had convinced me a number of weeks ago that since it didn't make sense for us to pay to go to Turkey with him (and be bored in industrial Ankara), and since we couldn't find anywhere within the vicinity of the Williams that we wanted to pay to stay in, I should take the kids and head south where the housing is cheap. And warmer. So I looked for the warmest and cheapest place I could find, and voila! The Italian Riviera! Of course, it would take us nine hours to get there, but even with the driving time and cost of gas, it would be cheaper (and hopefully more fun) than staying anywhere north of there. I decided to break up the trip, so on Monday we headed south through Heidelberg and landed just over the Swiss border by Lake Constance in a small town called Neuwilen. But on the way there, we were supposed to stop at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart. Thank heaven I looked at the website the night before, because it is closed on Mondays. We went to Heidelberg Castle instead, which I absolutely loved. But I still owe the kids a trip to the Porsche Museum.

The Castle is almost a millennia old, but lies in great measure now in ruins, and has for centuries. It was a favorite haunt of Romantic artists and poets, and I could easily see why. I could just picture Lord Byron mooning about the castle walls, perched by the fountain, composing poems about ghosts and lovers. The kids, however, just wanted to ride the funicular. Which we did.

Clowning around, as usual. One of our airbnb hosts, in his review of our stay, wrote "those kids were so full of beans, it was amazing Mum and Dad had any energy left at all". I think about that review often, in moments like these. And I hope that all the Europeans around us in line are as positive about their "energy" as our host was.

The view going up the hill.

The view of Heidelberg coming down. (Through a window, unfortunately.)

I stole this photo from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Heidelberg-Schloß.JPG. The differences between the many centuries of building are obvious in the architecture.

And I stole this one from http://www.germany-insider-facts.com/image-files/heidelberg-castle-2.jpg. I thought the kids would love exploring there, but they didn't.

This lovely Romantic fountain was right in front of the carefully constructed grotto. I love how the Romantics carefully constructed their wildness. 

This guy was guarding the doorknob on the gate into the grotto, which was unfortunately locked. 

I looked around the gardens and castle walls while the kids waited oh-so-cheerfully and patiently for me to be finished. Kind of like this.

Exploring trails around the ruins.

Is that Isaac? No, it's brave, brave Sir Robin!