wedding week, and london.

sooo, i'm back in germany!

after our berlin/prague extravaganza [neuschwanstein was gorgeous- especially surrounded by majestic alps! the entire castle is based on wagner's operas. pretty sweet.], we were back home in siegen for two days. i spent these days doing laundry, resting up, and spending time with my dear friends sabine and aan-sofie! what a blessing it is to be in this old "home" for a while- to see familiar faces, to have encouraging conversations, to pray together, to enjoy one another. it's been great.

thursday morning karen and i took off again, this time for the köln airport, from which we flew to london! our 5-day weekend [thu-mon] was spent primarily in a suburb of london [actually it's in surrey], called leatherhead. what a lovely area! so green and nice, yet still so close to the city. we stayed with the gracious and vivacious kottman family, and enjoyed every bit of time, talking, laughing, playing with the kids, helping around the house, eating, exploring- we even went up to Box Hill [as in the movie Emma- their picnic spot!] for an evening.

we also got to spend time with the people of Calvary Chapel Leatherhead! what a sweet church. everyone was so kind and welcoming. it was great to pray, fellowship, and worship with this group of believers. i was really blessed.

one day i met up with friends jasmine, hollie, and francis for a trip to windsor castle, where the queen spends her weekends! it was really amazing to see how old everything was- it's been in constant use for something like 500+ years i think they said?? crazy. we had a great time together- another opportunity to reunite with old friends!

we came back to siegen on monday, and ever since we've been preparing things for the wedding.. which happens in two days! eek!
tuesday was pretty restful, and included a nice lunch at the friedrich home and a worship night at the youth group.
wednesday was a little busier with preparations. i got to lead worship with my dear friends ela and ludwig at cc siegen, then watch the germany-ghana world cup game with a bunch of crazy germans!
this morning i had a nice walk up the mountainside through the forest, then went over to see inga-lill and david for a little while, which was great! then it was mexican lunch in honor of michelle's birthday, cooked by her lovely mamacita Pilar- so delicious. then tonight we had the bridal shower/birthday party for michelle, with over 20 of us gathered in michelle and simon's new home! it was a fun evening.

now it's off to bed- rehearsal and last minute preparations tomorrow, and saturday it shall come to pass!

xoxoxo aus liebe deutschland.

prague.

ok here's the story of this week so far. karen's still asleep so i have a few minutes to update. :)

berlin
arrived sunday night
stayed in the lovely home of karen, in berlin-zehlendorf, one of the outerlying suburbs
monday: bike tour through berlin, learned a lot of history, particularly concerning the Wall
tuesday: pergamon museum and a boat tour of berlin from the Spree river
wednesday: saw the East Side Gallery, climbed to the top of the Reichstag [government building], checked out Brandenburg Gate, etc.
conclusion: berlin is such an amazing city! we hardly even made it to the different parts besides Mitte [center], and yet left many things undone. i was amazed at the contrast of old and new [but mostly new], and the grand breathtaking architecture. i'd really like to go back someday again.

dresden
thursday we left berlin early and drove a couple hours to our halfway stop, dresden, another gorgeously rebuilt city! like berlin, much of the city was destroyed in the war, but everything has been rebuilt and restored to its former glory. we took a bus tour to get the best feel for the city in the shortest time possible. we learned that dresden is also the home of a very famous mouthwash [Odol], and condensed milk was invented in its famous dairy.

prague
arrived thursday night and looked around for a little while, then met our gracious host/hostess christian and jessie, who are here for the summer taking care of the church, CC Prague.
friday we felt it best to take a day of rest, so we hung out at home [the church/apartment] for the majority of the day. friday night we attended the Prague State Opera and saw La Bohéme. it was my first opera, and was absolutely delightful, despite its sad ending.
saturday we headed into town for The Grand Tour- bus, boat, and walking, and saw all the great places: the Moldau river, Old Town, New Town, Lesser Town, the Prague castle, the St Vitus cathedral, the astronomical clock, and much more. after the tour we had lunch downtown, then walked across the famous Charles Bridge before heading home. saturday night's opera was Carmen at the National Theatre. it was mindblowingly ornate- the costumes, the dancers, the all-star lineup of singers, the chorus, the children's choir, the props, the story. it was another sad ending, but what a rich experience!
sunday we had a restful morning, then headed into town for a little shopping and lunch. as a sidenote, we've tried döner in all three cities so far; at Prague's Wenceslas Square is advertised the best döner in the city, and i heartily agree. it was delicious. sunday afternoon was church, a small gathering of american, irish, english, and czech believers. i was blessed to lead worship and come before the throne with my fellow believers. we took off directly after the service for our final night on the town: back to the Prague State Opera for the ballet Swan Lake. i've never been to a ballet before either, and was enthralled every minute! what a beautiful performance! the story was so black-and-white, the dancers so graceful, the costumes and backdrops so exquisite, and the music simply wonderful. and best of all, after our two sad opera endings, it was a happy ending and love conquered all!

neuschwanstein
this morning we'll bid adieu to fair prague [the home of the world's best and easiest public transportation system, by the way], and head back into germany, this time to the southern border. we're headed to the inspiration of the Disney castle, the most photographed place in all of germany...... Neuschwanstein.

then it's home to siegen tonight. it'll be a long day in the car, but well worthwhile.
i'll try to post pictures either on here or facebook this week.

wish you were here,
a.

wir fahren nach berlin!

my suitcase came today! it's nice to have options again to wear. :)

been doing lots of hanging out with friends. it's been wonderful! and it's been really hot and sunny so outside is enjoyable too.

tomorrow i'm going to church and then karen and i will head out for berlin! looking forward to this next leg of our journey. please pray for safe travel, good conversation, wisdom and direction each day for what to see and do, and lots of FUN!

xo. a

here.

well, i finally arrived! here are some highlights:

-business class is amazing.

-cafe creme frappuccinos are not.

-siegen still feels like "home"

-the sun is shining and the church bells are ringing [holiday today]

-lost my suitcase somewhere along the way- hoping it'll come back to me today?

-it's really great to see all these friends again!

xoxo.

attempt #2: fail/success.

so, i got to the airport, flight was still good, got through security, ate my turkey sandwich, and.......

"ladies and gentlemen, the flight to chicago is cancelled" [my personal adaptation]

...and i'm not kidding! two days in a row this flight has been cancelled! yesterday due to weather, today due to maintenance problems.

...

so, i went back downstairs, where all the american airlines folks knew me as "the frankfurt girl," and they computed and checked, and finally printed off tickets for me to get there!

bit of a change of plans: i'm flying to chicago [as planned] on united [not as planned], then to london [not planned] in business class [big not planned but totally ok with me!], then to frankfurt [as planned] on british [not planned], and i'll be arriving about 5 hours later.

BUT i'm going to get there!

i'm not really stressed at all, which is good. at this point in the game, i'm still somewhat starbucks-caffeinated, and wryly amused. i'm just along for the ride!

and just for the record, the free internet in the airport has proven to be the most convenient part of my trip thus far. :)