Post-Europe Trip Reflection #5: In Fair Verona Where We Lay Our Scene

11 July

Slept in. Sigh, what a beautiful thing to do on holiday! As much as there was lots to be seen, the pace of our journey so far caught up to me at this point. We enjoyed our first Italian breakfast, complete with our host's homemade berry jam, fig jam, muffins and glorious, oh so glorious, Italian coffee. I decided from then on, to partake of espresso as often as I could whilst in Italy.

I then took some time to take photos of this lovely little farm we were living at. Here is an olive tree and then a fig tree.

Before we started back on our treacherous journey back down the mountain, we had a little pow wow. As life goes sometimes, there were things left unsaid, that really needed to be brought out. We took some time that morning to each share where we were at and how we were feeling about the trip thus far. Traveling with friends is obviously different than the countless trips I have taken with students and with me as their leader. At the same time, this morning ended up being a much needed "team meeting" of sorts. And it was good.

We made our way back down the "mountain", without any incident!

Verona, as our first Italian city, was lovely. We just wandered around, took pictures, sat at a terrace cafe and ate amazing little pizza thingies, took in the style of those just walking around, admired the many Vespas and bicycles and checked out Casa di Giulietta: the home of the Capulet family inn and the supposed balcony which inspired Shakespeare. Here visitors add countless graffiti and glue love notes to the wall, but this is not why we were there! We were there to see the famed bronze breast. And see it we did. Juliet's right breast is bright bronzed in comparison to her left, thanks to the many who come specifically to rub it! Apparently, rubbing the breast is meant to grant one luck in love. And of course, being the token single in our group, partook of this great tradition I did. Twice! (For the best photo opportunities, of course.)

What else did we do in Verona? Checked out some other monstrous melons whilst shopping for dinner groceries!

If I haven't mentioned this already, I was reminded that one of my favourite things to do in another country is shop at their supermarket. We had the chance to do this often in an attempt to save some money. We stood in line with a rather inebriated fellow, who for some reason decided to approach us later in a city plaza and spit on one of my friends!! Not a pleasant experience at all. Right around this time, I stepped into some of the nicest public bathrooms I have ever had the privilege of experiencing. Cost 50 cents.

Those groceries and the nicely selected bottle of Italian wine made for an amazing home-cooked meal, a lovely end to a long day of walking (and shopping).

Post-Europe Trip Reflection #4: Bless-ed Driving

10 July

The drive got off to a bit of a shaky start, leaving St. Gallen. It was time for our first fill-up of diesel. At this point, we were realizing what an amazing vehicle we were given! It was quite difficult to find a station that would take our Canadian credit cards however. We ended up using some final Swiss francs to get ourselves set until we found another station. And again, went in the wrong direction from the Autobahn and started driving up a mountain. Oops. Once we got back on track (which included driving around a roundabout a few times as we deliberated which was the correct exit to take), it didn’t take long to arrive at the Austrian border!

We didn’t even have to stop, but chose to in order to get our passports stamped by both the Swiss and the Austrians. Again, the signage wasn’t great, but we were able to locate the place to buy our Vignette which would allow us to use Austrian roads. This one was 8 Euros versus Switzerland’s being 40 Francs! Not much for what was soon to become one of our most picturesque drives.

I would say on this particular day, the realities of travel, driving confusion, little sleep, four women together, etc. we found ourselves in an interesting place. The drive through Austria was a quiet one at times as we each took in the grandeur outside of our windows and mulled in our own thoughts. Up until this time, the majority of music played was my various mixes of Nineties tunes, yet on this day, it seemed fitting to play a little something more contemplative. This meant popping in "Nobody's Got It All Together" by Jill Phillips, then "Behold the Lamb of God" by Andrew Peterson and others and then the one mix cd I had along of more worshippy stuff (of course including some tunes by Rich Mullins, U2...). For me, music is huge. Nature is huge. Combining the two is huge-er. Despite what was going on for me inside, I could not help but sing out songs as I looked at the brilliant creation around me.

I didn't really get any shots that do this drive justice. It was a drive surrounded by mountains, some of them snow-capped and some of them church or monastery (I think?)-capped.

It just got more and more thrilling as we entered Italy. More mountains and then gradual rolling hills filled with vineyards and olive groves. So many old, old clay tiled-roofed homesteads. Such amazingly placed orchards and vines, making the best use of the steep mountain landscape.

The roads were a little thrilling as well! Very high up lots of times and filled with Italian drivers! Today I can proudly say that I drove in Italy, successfully! As tricky and frustrating as it could be sometimes (particularly their seeming impatience with you to move back over after you've passed someone, even before you could see the car you were passing in your mirror!), I just let myself join in on the aggressive style. One thing I happily give the Europeans overall with their driving is their actual understanding of the concept of passing (or as the British say, "Overtaking"). A pet peeve of mine in Canada is drivers who remain in the middle lane, never moving right. Always move right! Isn't that what we were taught?! The Europeans do it! (Even if they insist you do it before you feel that it is safe to do so!)

By the time we got to Verona, I started to tire, but driving in the city is a little intense and the others were hesitant to just start out their own Europe driving experience in that setting, so I carried on. Again, we had a lesson in the difference in direction-giving. We were reading the directions from the website of Ca del Rocolo, the rural Bed & Breakfast we were staying in (advertised as Agriturismo) and well, it becomes somewhat of a game. Going on instinct. "Turn...here! Yes, here!" "What's 'here'?" "Right. I mean, left!"

Honestly, if you want a taste, check this
out! Pay close attention to Direction #9!!

Yes folks, we were driving up a mountain again. This time a mountain road that narrowed the higher we got. Narrowed to the point where it could only fit one vehicle. And sure enough, we met another on its way down! (Picture this. Four exhausted women. Driving up a mountain with a large (and beautiful) drop-off to the right. Trying to follow a paper of directions. Hungry. Tired. Anxious. Nervous. Tense.) Fortunately, maybe because there was another car behind us, the car we met did the reversing to the closest spot where the road widened enough for them to fit into. And we carried on up. Did I mention that I stalled at the beginning of our ascent?! Sigh.

Eventually, we all came tumbling out of our car and beheld the wonder that was to be our home for two nights! It really was great. Maybe for some, not worth the harry drive to reach, but I was in favour. Our host graciously picked us some tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, onions and garlic from her garden, gave us some mozzarella, Parmesan, pasta, olive oil (home grown) and wine and we had one of the most fulfilling meals ever. I was so thankful for my friends at this point who stepped up to make this meal while I plopped on the big nice bed in our room of cute wooden doors and shutters.

How Embarrassing

This morning at work I'm checking the emails and there is one from "chick track" with no subject. Interesting, since I remember reading Chick Tracts as a kid. (My dad had a bunch hanging around for some reason and I loved the comics.)

So here's this email starting out with "HAVE YOU HEARD THE NEWS? In the Bible Revelation Chapter 1 Verse 7 says Jesus is coming soon. Happy are we if he finds us waiting for him." And ending with "five easy steps to accepting Jesus as Savior." In the middle there was this link to www.2007rapture.com. I think you'd better take a look.

Interesting still is how I noticed this considerate email/warning was sent to twenty-four international YWAM locations.

Post-Europe Trip Reflection #3: Reunions

9 July

Woke up to a marvelous Swiss breakfast. Mmmm. Then set out for our romp around Basel. Our tour guide was my friend Daria who I hadn't seen since her DTS in Kitchener, Ontario in 2000. Back then, I helped to lead her school of five students. We were the same age, 19, but because I had already finished my own DTS the year before in England, that gave me a heads up. I remember my nervousness over leading their outreach to Mexico City. YWAM Kitchener/Global Youth Network has always done an amazing job at empowering youth and giving them challenging leadership roles. Fortunately, our team went to Mexico with one of the Global University teams who had a very experienced leader. I also remember even feeling slightly strange as one of the students "under me" was older than me. I put him in charge of the money in Mexico!

(BTW, here's a most flattering picture of me around this time (2000). Chris, ya gotta see this!)Click here.

So here we are posing in front of the Rhine River on the balcony of Les Trois Rois a posh Swiss hotel. Daria was an amazing tour guide and we learned about this old city. About the snobby folk of Greater Basel and the lawless folk of Smaller Basel. About bridges and cobblestone streets (all very, very old).

We took a wonderful gander through the Basel Cathedral, built of red sandstone with a patterned roof in the thirteenth century and rebuilt following an earthquake in 1356. We took the slightly scary and tiring climb up the various levels to the top of the spire.
Here are some of my shots:


Uniquely-carved chairs instead of pews.



We then spent some time in a Swiss supermarket stocking up on chocolate and buying food for our road trip. I also bought some Aromat seasoning, this kind of salt I used to use at my first job at a German restaurant making salads as a teenager. It's been making some recent potato salads pretty good.

It was really great to spend this short time catching up with Daria, who has gone on to Master in African Studies and specializing in educating about Tropical Disease. Her once German-accented English, now replaced with a proper British accent! Very cute. It was great to see her love for her city and her community there as she commonly encountered a friend on the street and greeted them with the three-kisses of the Swiss.

From Basel we drove (simply, with no lost episodes) to St. Gallen where two friends from both mine and Sharon's DTS live. Although Sharon has visited them from time to time, I hadn't seen Conny since her visit to Canada the summer of 2000 and Damaris since our whirlwind tour of London at the end of our school in June 1999! Here we are back then.Click here.

Sharon and Dama were roommates for 9 months and traveled to Brazil together while Conny and I were roommates for 9 months in England. And seeing them in their homes in Switzerland was so comfortable. We went out for Rosti, caught up and reminisced. When it came time to leave the next morning (after another amazing Swiss breakfast where Sharon had her revelation that cheese is not supposed to be orange), we actually felt teary.


With directions in hand (printed from a Swiss-type Mapquest), Waterloo library book map of Italy left behind, we were off from Switzerland (terribly, terribly too soon) and on to Italy via...Austria!