Last Post

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Here is the long-awaited final post, for anybody who might still be checking. Like the last post from our 2007 London-Africa excursion, it consists of photos and captions. We took about 7,600 pictures in all, and Keith has sorted through each one -- aside from the pictures we have already posted, these are some of our favorites.

In these four pictures, we have: Keith and the girls, browsing at a store in London; Stephansdom, the center of Vienna; Keith and the girls, lost in the gardens at Schoenbrunn; and the girls in front of the Belvedere Palace in Vienna.

Here we have: a group of our students at the Gasthaus, near the Schwarzwaldeckhaus (it was quite a hike to get here!); one final picture of the Schwarzwaldeckhaus, with the students hanging out the windows; Keith and the girls smelling grapes at our Croatian hotel; and the girls in Jelacic Square in Zagreb.

Top left: Melk Abbey, as seen from the Danube River in the town of Melk (Austria); top right: the library in Melk Abbey; bottom left: a VW bus in Budapest; and bottom right: the Dohány Street Synagogue in Budapest.

These four pictures are: the girls on a bridge beside the Alpsee, in Füssen (Germany); the Neuschwanstein Castle in Füssen; the Kölner Dom in Cologne; and Annika marching in Malmö, Sweden.

Here we have: Bryggen Street, in Bergen, Norway; the girls on the Floybanen in Bergen; Keith and Barbara inside the Roman Colosseum; and Keith and Caroline at Trevi Fountain (Rome).

These pictures show: Caroline, on her way up to the top of the dome at St. Peter's Basilica; a hallway in the Vatican Museum; the view outside the girls' hotel room in Venice; and gondolas in Venice.

These pictures: Keith and Allyson, posing in San Marino; Allyson ponders some munitions in San Marino; the former path of the Berlin Wall; and Annika poses with a portion of the Berlin Wall.

Keith stands in front of the famous door in Wittenberg, where Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses; a canal scene in the beautiful city of Brugge, Belgium; the girls pose in front of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam; and the girls stand beneath the pyramid at the Louvre in Paris.

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These four pictures: a mill in Bayeaux, in Normandy; Hueys on Omaha Beach, Normandy; the Eiffel Tower at night; and Caroline and Allyson making their 15-second visit to Liechtenstein.

This final picture shows everybody in our group (except for one student), standing in front of the Schloss in Vienna.
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Thanks to everybody who has visited this blog -- we are home, now, but we are enjoying the memories you see.

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Hard Rock Cafe

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You hear a lot, these days, about “globalization” – some people say it is evil, and others believe it is good.
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We do not pretend to understand the finer points of the issue, but one thing is certain: it is unambiguously excellent to have a Hard Rock Cafe in every major city. Here are four impressive reasons:
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• In cities that are otherwise uninteresting, the HRCs give tourists something to see.
• HRC started in London, and cannot be blamed for American economic imperialism.
• HRC T-shirts are universally recognized as icons of sophistication.
• At HRC, they put ice in their drinks.
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Cheered by these proofs of benevolence, the Hueys have made a sincere effort to visit as many of these restaurants as possible. Keith, Allyson, and Caroline began this tradition while in Rio (back in 2006), and last year we made a pilgrimage to the original site in London.
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During the past three months, however, we have visited numerous new locations. We did not eat in most of them, because that would be too costly – but we always got a picture! We also got a few T-shirts, and we look fabulous when we wear them. You will be impressed to know that we declined to buy Budapest HRC shirts, because they don’t actually have a restaurant in Budapest.

The biggest location was the one in Amsterdam (above left), but we moved on because we were pretty anxious to get back to our hotel. In four locations, we decided to sit down and eat: in Berlin, we had an exceptionally odd waiter who kept rubbing our backs and saying “oi!” In Rome, it was a meal shared with a small crowd of students; in Copenhagen, it was the perfect end to a long day of walking; and in Paris, it turned out to be one of the cheapest meals in town.
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Berlin and Rome.
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Copenhagen and Paris.
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Two of the locations were closed: in Zagreb, Croatia, the interior was completely trashed, and we decided they must be remodeling. In Venice, Italy, they weren’t planning to open till Christmas, and we decided not to wait (from what we hear, now, the place is currently submerged beneath two feet of water).
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Zagreb and Venice.
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In Cologne, Germany, we looked at the prices, gagged softly, and left; in Oslo, Norway, we found ourselves wishing we could pay the prices they had posted in Cologne!
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Cologne and Oslo.
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Two of the trips were shortened because we had to catch a train: in Gothenburg, Sweden, we barely had time to snap the picture, and in Munich we had to keep moving (it was too early for lunch, anyway). In the pictures you can see that the girls are actually wearing their backpacks.
mGothenburg and Munich.
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We only have one more HRC to visit this year, and it is (ironically) a location that we have never seen before: 45 Monroe Street, in Detroit. Who knows? It might be our favorite one of all!
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Trains, U-Bahns, Trams, and Buses

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At midnight on Saturday, our Eurail passes expired. It was a dramatic moment: after two months, these golden documents have turned to paper. But they have lots of stories to tell!
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This fall, we used trains to reach the vast majority of eighteen countries. We sometimes paid a nominal reservation charge, but our passes allowed us to travel, without extra expense, more than sixty times! A few trips were as short as fifteen minutes, and others were as long as ten hours. For a fee that costs considerably less than most hotels, we were able to sleep on “overnight” trains, and to awake, the next morning, in a new city. We had to bring our own food, but the accommodations were consistently pleasant, and the restrooms were free! The Eurail network is truly amazing – nearly every town is connected.
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What Caroline saw, as she looked out her window in Austria.
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We also discovered that every major city has a rail-based transportation system. The next time you see a picture of London, Paris, or Rome, you should try to envision the tunnels that run deep beneath the ground, with hundreds of thousands of commuters. Station entrances can be found all over these cities, and they lead you down into a totally different world. The stations themselves can be pretty elaborate mazes of hallways, escalators, and shopping malls. They even have subway musicians, and you can throw them a Euro (or – you can be like Keith, and avert your eyes).
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What Caroline saw, as she looked out her window in Switzerland.

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Aside from the subways, there are trams that run through the streets and there are extensive systems of bus routes. Nearly every address is accessible. One ticket will usually suffice for all of these – as long as you carry a valid transport card, you should be all set to go. On the other hand, if you don’t have a valid card, then you need to be wary about the random “ticket-checkers,” because the fines can be pretty stiff (just ask a few of our students)!

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What Caroline saw, as she looked out her window in Normandy.

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Of course, there are drawbacks to this kind of transportation: the tunnels can be trashy and noisy, and the rides can be pretty crowded. For instance, Roman subways have seats, but you’re lucky if you can find a place to stand! And – these systems were obviously expensive to build, and they surely cost a lot to maintain.
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Nonetheless, we will truly miss public transport when we get back to Michigan – it will be a sad moment, the next time we buy gasoline or take our van to the shop! Our Vienna transport cards are valid until next Sunday, and it will be a sentimental journey, when we take our last ride on the “43.”
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Danksagung

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For Barbara, the day began with an errand to the store – it was open, as usual, and the trams were running on their normal schedule. For people in Vienna, there is nothing special about the fourth Thursday in November – and, though it was strange for us, they did “business as usual” on Thanksgiving Day.
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Things were different in the Schloss Neuwaldegg, where we made a major production. Several of our students had visiting family members, and we invited local missionaries as well. Our cooks got started several days early, and they prepared eight enormous turkeys – along with a host of other traditional dishes. There was plenty of food for everyone, and we will be having turkey sandwiches for the next few days.
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Rochester students prepare for the meal.

Before the meal, we gathered for a talent show, and there were several highlights for the Hueys. Annika proved to be a versatile actress: in one skit she was a security guard, and, in another performance, she played the role of a turkey! Allyson played four songs on the piano, and, as requested by her father, she ended with "All I Ask of You" (from Phantom of the Opera). He thought it was a special, unrepeatable moment.

Everything is secure with Annika on duty.

Allyson plays for the audience.

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We are not the only people in the Schloss this week – DOR Films is here as well, and they are making a movie (starring Bibiana Zeller and Joachim "Blacky" Fuchsberger) about elderly people who, despite their age, continue to seek the gusto from life. Bibi and and Blacky have been using two of the rooms in our hallway, and the whole thing has been mildly interesting. At the same time, however, the film crew has been pretty intrusive, and we barely managed to banish them from our Thanksgiving dinner space!
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Most of our students are preparing for a few more days of “free travel,” and then we will start the packing process. For the moment, however, we are thankful for this extraordinary semester. Rochester College is blessed to have this kind of program, and the Hueys are blessed to be a part of it. We have a lot of European memories and some very special friendships! We hope to be home for Thanksgiving 2009, but we will never forget our feast in the Schloss.
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Shreds Rides Again

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If you followed our blog last year, you might remember that we devoted an entry to Shreds, who, at an earlier stage of his life, was Caroline’s constant companion. He isn’t quite so ubiquitous these days, but he still likes to travel, and he dives into Caroline’s backpack whenever we plan to visit a photogenic location.
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Shreds has seen a lot – he began in 2006 in Rio de Janeiro, where he posed with the Christ Statue, and we have several pictures from London landmarks as well. His biggest highlight (we believe) came last year in Uganda, when he floated in the Nile and stood at the equator. Hence, it was only natural that he should join us in Europe this fall.
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He did not visit the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen (he claimed it wasn’t important), but he was absolutely thrilled by the Roman Colosseum and he was awed by St. Peter’s Basilica. He posed (repeatedly) with Michelangelo’s David, but photography was not permitted in the Accademia. He consented to a photo at the Neuschwanstein Castle, though he was furious about the scaffolding.

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He made quite a scene at the Brandenburg Gate, when he kept shouting, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” At the Eiffel Tower he was muttering something about “freedom fries” – but the picture went pretty smoothly. All in all, we are glad he made the trip with us.

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For her part, Annika has been carrying a tiny friend named Teddy. Like Shreds, Teddy has been to England and Uganda, and he is becoming a seasoned traveler. He has ridden in Annika’s backpack throughout this fall semester, and, as you can see, he has visited the Mona Lisa and the Notre Dame cathedral. It is difficult to know how Shreds feels about Teddy, but they are pretty civil with each other. The past three months have provided a significant bonding experience for them, and like the rest of us, they are better for having been here!

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The Huey Awards

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Having completed our final 10-day traveling experience, we are ready, now, to distribute the prestigious Huey Awards. To be eligible for a Huey, your city must be one of the places that we have visited since November 14, as shown on the map below. Here we go . . .
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Least Child-Friendly:
We are reluctanct to give this award to the people of Amsterdam, because we know how desperately they want it. Their Huey was guaranteed, however, when one of our children (who did not recognize the cannabis symbol) asked why she couldn't have "one of those lollipops." Fortunately, our experience in that city was redeemed by the Anne Frank house -- what an incredible place for a family with daughters!
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Most Charming:
Also a candidate for "Best Food," the city of Brugge outpolls all the others. We spent a full day walking the canals, visiting the shops, and snapping pictures of windmills. If it hadn't been raining, we would have been completely overwhelmed with warm fuzzies.
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The Huey family stands on the line of the Berlin Wall.
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Most Lutheran:
After a great deal of thought, we give this Huey to Wittenberg, the city of Martin Luther. We saw Castle Church, where the 95 Theses were posted in 1517, and we discovered that Martin is peacefully resting beneath the floor of the sanctuary. We also visited City Church, where he actually preached, and we declined several opportunities to purchase Luther Beer.
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The girls pause on a bridge outside our Brugge hotel.
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Most Likely to Seem Boring for Children Aged 11-16:
It was fascinating to see Berlin -- we stopped at Checkpoint Charlie and we followed the erstwhile path of the Berlin Wall. It was fascinating, at least, for those of us who lived through the Cold War! Our children were mostly unimpressed -- Allyson believes that Berlin should get a Huey for the "Most Gray" location, because it kept raining . . .
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Most Daunting Three-Day Itinerary:
What can we say about Paris? nWe saw the Eiffel Tower (twice), Versailles, the Musée d'Orsay, the Louvre, and Notre Dame -- with a side trip to Normandy. We had to leave, however, without seeing the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Élysées, the Roland Garros stadium, EuroDisney, and lots of other noteworthy sites. What an amazing city!
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Viewing the Eiffel Tower, from the Trocadéro.
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Most Cheated by a Brief Visit:
We went to Bayeaux .in Normandy, and we enjoyed the famous Tapestry there. We regret, however, that we had but 45 minutes to give for the American Cemetery at Omaha Beach. It was a remarkable visit and we are glad we made the effort -- but the time was much too short!
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Most Likely to be Nice if You Can Actually See It:
This Huey goes to Lausanne, Switzerland, where we arrived at 8:00 in the evening and left at 9:00 the following morning. Based on the rest of Switzerland (which was truly breathtaking), we suspect that the city deserved a few days more. Annika believes that Lausanne deserves the distinction of "Most Expensive Ham," but that judgment is based on one store only.
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Most Welcome Sight:
This, of course, would be Vienna, but it will soon be supplanted by Pontiac! We are basically done, now, with our European wanderings, and we are ready for a jolly Thanksgiving and a frantic week of packing.
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More posts on the way . . .
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Churches in Europe

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Europe is a land of beautiful cathedrals and basilicas. Vienna itself has its share, with the Augustinerkirche, the Votivekirche, the Stephensdom, and quite a few others. Many of these buildings have been around for centuries -- some have traditions that are more than a thousand years old, though the existing structures are usually more recent.
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A look from inside the dome at Karlskirche.m
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For Protestants from the United States, these sites can be difficult to assess. Our students are frequently dismayed by the ritualism and the extravagance that they find, and they often conclude that these buildings are nothing but gaudy monuments to a long-extinguished spirituality. Keith still remembers an old story about an American preacher who (reportedly) humiliated a cathedral docent by sarcastically asking, "when is the last time anybody got saved in this place?"
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These insinuations, however, are horribly unfair. It is true that these cathedrals were sometimes built at the expense of the poor . . . and it is true that the European churches are no longer characterized by vibrant spirituality. It is also true that these churches have dark histories of military complicity and administrative corruption. Some of them even have gift shops, with money-changers . . . WWJD?
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The Kölner Dom, from the middle upwards.m
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And yet . . . it would be good to spend some time with the people who work behind the altars. They are deeply committed to their work, they are spiritually disciplined, and they are exceptionally well-versed in Scripture and theology. There is nothing particularly cold, lifeless, or ritualistic about their devotion!
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Moreover, we need to remember that these buildings were never constructed with evangelistic intent. On the contrary, they were built for communities that considered themselves to be Christian already, and they were designed to call attention to the majesty of God. The architects wanted people to experience God's presence, and they accordingly covered the walls with biblical illustrations and with the faces of beloved spiritual role models. Protestants miss the point completely, when they speak of these "idolatrous images."
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A look downward into St. Peter's, from the dome.m
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We should also pay attention to an important historical reality: very few American church buildings are more than 100 years old, and they are rarely well-preserved. By contrast, despite the struggles of reecent generations, European cathedrals have always been cultural focal-points, and they have been maintained with a great deal of care. If they are magnets for tourists, that is scarcely a mark against them!

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Here are a few of our favorite cathedrals and basilicas, after 10 weeks in Europe:

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The Kölner Dom (in Cologne, Germany): This one was totally unexpected, and unbelievably huge! Unfortunately, we did not get to spend much time inside, because they were trying to have a service (imagine that).

Karlskirche (in Vienna): Aside from the fact that we had to buy tickets for this one (and aside from the surly ticket lady), this was worth the visit. The interior is gorgeous, and we were able to take an elevator to the top of the painted dome, where we could see it up close.

Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (in Florence): This cathedral, also called the Duomo, is particularly striking from the outside. The dome is its most famous characteristic, however, and was the architectual masterpiece of Filippo Brunelleschi.

St. Peter's Basilica (Rome): We're all sorry about John Tetzel's indulgence-selling fundraiser, but it did not finance a significant percentage of this incredible building. There is no way to briefly describe the size and the beauty of the place.

Cathedral de Notre Dame (Paris): We haven't been here, yet, but we plan to visit next week. Let's just add it to the list right now!

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