The End of the Epic Adventure

Just to cap it all off, I thought I should write one last post!! We've had a lot of fun, connected again with our European "children" and their families, and experienced things we never dreamed of! We have celebrated for what literally is, a few months now, and now when we thought it couldn't get any better, we came HOME to more warm weather and best of all our family and friends!!
God has blessed us good!!!
Signing off for the Blissful Friesen Family Adventure,
Janet

Waiting in Amsterdam for our flight

In North America! (Minneapolis)

Nearly over

We have landed in Minneapolis and are back on North American soil!
We have nearly reached the end of our epic adventure!!! It is with great sadness and anticipation that we say goodbye to this time of our life. ReAl life will be a difficult adjustment!! Paying bills, cooking and laundry aren't looking that appealling at the moment! But seeing all of our family & friends has a very strong pull!
One thing we all expressed, was we will be happy to spend time alone!!! As well as going shopping, groc or other, will be a real treat when we don't all have to follow each other around the store, bumping into each other each time we turn around. Tia says "no offense, and no offense taken".
It is great to be so close, really looking forward to seeing you all.

J

Last Hooray in Amsterdam

Yesterday was our last day as legal tourists!! We made the most of it!! After a late late night at the Tins of BBQ & friends,we slept in, but then packed up and left for Amsterdam- the final stop on our tour!Annika & Andeas drove us there. A 2 hour drive at a smooth 180kms per hr. Seems to take no time at all. After dropping our bags at the hotel, then took the train into Amsterdam. Amazing canals and restaurants along the banks, VERY many people again, truly felt like tourists again!! The kids took a peddle boat down the canals, walked by Anne Frank's house, enjoyed a few whiffs of marahuchie walking past the "coffee shops"!! Enjoyed the boats with people having picnics on them as they cruise down the canals, and various other sights you don't see in Canada!!
We then came to the difficult task of saying goodbye to our extended "family"! Annika and get brother Andeas stayed as long as they could, then dove the 2 hrs home.
We're staying in a beautiful hotel near the airport, and will catch our flight home at 2:00pm, Monday,which is 7am Monday your time. We arrive in
Minneapolis around 5pm.
So see you all in a day or so.
Love J

Lintdorf

Hey y'all,

We are finally at the Tins, Annika's house, and am loving every minute. Today we went on a tour of a Lindt chocolate museum. It was very informative; we learned that chocolate is bad for your liver, but good for your stomach and diherra. (definitely spelled wrong) We then we to a huge cathedral nicknamed 'the Dom.' Later, in the evening, after a delectable cheese fondue, we went to this small town called Zones. We went to a restaurant for beer and other beverages. It was a fun day, but must be signing off soon.

Oh, one more thing, as we were driving home from the quaint little walled-in town we drove through a  tunnel. (apparently there are no speeding limits, so we were going 200 clicks an hour, just sayin') Annika then pointed out that the tunnel was 1074 meters long and exactly 4.1 meters high. There was a big semi in front of us. Mom and Dad totally bought into this, but they couldn't see her face. She was smiling ear to ear. Lying! That semi was at minimum 4 meters high, but we trusted Annika! Well, we have learnt our lesson. (she did admit later that she was just 'puling their legs')

It's now dawning on me that our trip is nearing an end. No more homestay students, blogging, and endless speed limits. Though I love it here, I do miss home. Tomorrow is our last full day, and the Tins' are hosting a neighbourhood barbeque. Looking forward to it!

Tia

Keep up the comments! Loving to hear from the audience!

Church and more Schnapps!

Bonjour, ciao, gutentag, hello,

This morning we had a delectable breakfast of all the food groups. We we to the Grandmother's church in a little steeple high above the town. Very cute and quaint. We came home and played quite a few rounds of Bananagrams with Anna and Benny before lunch. "Lunch" was the cakes and pies we had for dessert yesterday along with coffee and whipped cream. I was saying we should do that everyday at the lake! After out afternoon coffee we went for a drive along the Austrian countryside. We saw cows and grass and rolling hummoks and we thought of Teletubbyland! We saw the church where Anna's parents got married, an original pioneer house, and waterfalls high up in the mountain. We were so high the clouds were below us, well, the clouds were really low, too. We rushed home to eat again; a meal of potato salad, greens salad, and schnitzel. It was one of the best meals I've ever had. 2 of Anna's cousins then arrived; Julian and Stephanie, twins, just a month older than Anna. We quickly hopped into the car and drove to a super-de-duper fun water park with 3 slides plus one that dropped for 14 meters. (Unfortunately) that slide was out of order. Darn... Well must go to bed the mama says. Gutten nacht!

Austria, Anna's House, and Schnapps

We have arrived at Anna's house safe and healthy. As soon as we got here the presents and liquor flowed. We had big noodles and two sauces; mushroom and turkey, also salad, beans, and bread. The wine a was a comin'. We then had banana and chocolate cake and apple pie. After that we had schnapps! If there is one word I learn from the German, it will schnapps. The grandma was talking about walking the 4 kilometres to town and dancing and drinking more schnapps.

This morning we left around 9am, packed up the car, and had breakfast from a grocery store. We drove all day, except for the occasional pee stops and nap times (more so for Dad). Our GPS is very faithful and trustworthy; good ol' Simon. (he's got a British accent!)

As we were driving and about half an hour away, we passed a McDonald's. That was a sight for sore eyes. When we passed the golden arches our car went from bring the sleepy, exhausted bunch that we had been for the past 6 hours and turned into one full of excitement. Those arches represented freedom, they signified fat and grease. We needed it, it was our lifeline, our livelyhood, but most of all, our connection to Canada. Well, super long story and description cut short, we didn't stop. Our lives were over a we knew them. No actually it wasn't nearly that bad. I wasn't even that hungry, but, hey I had to make it interesting somehow. Our day was very uneventful, yet a good break.

Welcome to Austria!

Schnapps after dinner!

The specially made banana Canada cake for dessert!

The dinner table at the Fechtigs.

The 7 Hour Hike!

Well, ciao, folks who are still listening,

As most of you would have guessed, the hike did not take us 7 hours, unfortunately. (That would have made for a great story to tell my kids!) The hike, unbelieveably, took as long as the not-completely-untrustworthy Rick Steves said. In fact, it took us less than 2 hours, who woulda thunken! We are currently in Venice, well just outside. Our hotel is just a bus ride away from the heart of Venice. (Am I spelling that right?) We just got back from the beautiful canals and views and a long day of hiking. We arrived off the bus and rode the boat at 10am, it is now 9:45pm. (For those of you who have trouble with time...Annika...that is a long time walking!) Apparently I will be shut done in 5 minutes, so I must dash.

A message for Uncle Dan and all those wishing to see pictures, these computers and Ipods we are using to blog do not have SD slots and Mom forgot or did not think to bring the USB cord for the camera, so no pictures until Annas house, which we are arriving at tomorrow, well actually her Grandmas. We should have tons up then!

Thanks for all the prayers, we have recieved lots of them!

Tia

Our 1.5 hour stay in Pisa.

Can you tell we´re tourists?

In front of a military museum in Venice.

Dad´s new look!

The end of Ronald Mcdonald?

 

Bailey and Dad had come across this statue in Venice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smurf ice cream. Just for you Chloe!!

Monterosso, Vernazza, and locks of love

Well today we finally locked our love. Mom and Dad shared one lock and tossed the keys gracefully into the water, never to be found. Bailey and I, both waiting for Mr. Right, chained our live along the walk and also tossed the keys in. That was this morning, after that we trained to Corniglia and started our hike from there. Let me say, that hike is not for the faint of heart. That is for a person looking to participate on 'The Biggest Loser.' I have done it once, never to do it again, EVER!!! And guess what, tomorrow is another gut wrenching hike, longer this time! Today's hike was 4km and took us just over 2 hours. Yeah, that bad. Tomorrow's beautiful hike is 3km and an estimated 2 hours, though since the 4km one was an estimated 1.5 hours, we should be hiking for...(doing the math) 7 hours, I think. We spent the rest of the day at the beach keepIng me, Tia, out of the sun as much as possible. My burn from yesterday is so bad, you get burnt just from looking at me. We had another delicious supper and continued to play our all-time favorite game Bananagrams. Mom and Dad now out on a walk and me and Bailey are trying to complete this blog via iPod touch, not as easy as it looks!

The first view of Riomaggiore.

The archway above the Via Dell Amore. aka The Tunnel of Love.

Mom and Dads imprint on the tunnel. 

Locking the love.

Throwing away the key, never to be found!

On the exhausting hike. In the dead heat of the day, walking from Corniglia to Vernazza.

Chamomix France

Left Paris yesterday after lunch. I think some of you may have to get knee patches, since we could feel your prayers as we got on the road after we picked up our car rental!! First things were a little loud in the car, then extremely quiet as we all dared hardly say a word! Then our wonderful children took over the navigation system and all was well!!
Nice highway, many rest stops on the way.
Arrived in Chamomix in the evening. It's a Banff like town, snow covered mountains, gorgeous view out our window in the morning!
Off to Cinnque Terre today.

New experience: staying in a youth hostel!! Smells like camp, lots of different languages spoken,nice horse blankets!

J

Waking up in the youth hostel.

The view from the hostel window.

Eagerly getting ready to leave the hostel for Cinque Terre!

Day 4 in Paris

Today was a little slower pace! Our feet & legs haven't had this much exercise in a long time! We took the subway to Sacré Coeur. It was beautiful as expected, but lots of seedy characters lurking around looking to take your $!! Very educational in a variety of ways!!!

Had lunch at a cute French Restaurant, then left to go home. The girls did some shopping at an amazing mall - Galleries Layfayette. There was really nothing there anyone in MB could (or should) afford! We also browsed at Printemps dept store. The depts were a little different than our Bay or Walmart stores! We found a cell phone in the Tag Heuer(?)dept for a cool 4 grand!! Then in the Hermes dept we came across a watch for a little less than we paid for our 1st house!! Nearly 50 big, big ones!! I wondered where I'd have occasion to wear that? It didn't match my swim wear at the lake, and it would off set my sweats in the wrong shade...

Anyways at that rate the temptation to drop any $ wasn't very big any more!! Besides, we'd spent it all on ice cream by then!! At $5 or $6 a cone we're rationing the intake!!

After supper we walked to take a look at the Eiffel Tower all lit up. It was worth every step of the way, rats and all!!!(yes we did see a few of them scurrying in the dark!!)
Goodnight.

Walking up the stairs to Sacre Coeur.

The guys that are very eager to take your money if your not careful!

The Eiffel tower & Versailles

Our dreams came true today! We went up to the top of the Eiffel Tower today!!!! It was a beautiful day and the sun came out just as we were up there. To bad that doesn't make us French! Then we'd be able to understand what they're saying about us.

A few new experiences today: people selling gaudy trinkets at the Eiffel Tower on blankets with strings attached for easy clean-up for when the Police arrive to chase them away!
Young girls posing to be deaf for sympathy donations, having a "talking meeting" with their boss!!!

We also toured the Versailles castle today. The gardens strtchef out for miles and miles!!! Beautiful grounds with many different living quarters around the estate! Visited the Temple of Love, and the Marie Antoinette's private Hamlet! And no, we didn't bump into her!

Had fabulous pizza on our balcony with the Brown family on a gorgeous night!

In the gardens at Versailles.

In the courtyard of the Versailles Palace.

Day 3

So Today we went to the famous Eiffel Tower while Mom practically had a heart attack beside us. We did the whole nine yards to the top of the gigantic tower. Annika in tow, we all had mini heart attacks at first, we didn't have a ticket for her so she had to go buy one at the second level, from the stairs. She was sweating and puffing from exhaustion and fear of losing us. After finally meeting up with her she then needed anothet ticket to go all the way to the top. She procceded to go in another line while we all moved forward, leaving her. Once we all met up at the elevator, we were very relieved. (well except mom)

At the Eiffel Tower, prior to going to the top.

Breakfast on our balcony in Paris!

Day 2 in Paris Champs-Elysees, Arc de Triumph, Louvre

We started the day sleeping way too late, so began the scrambling!!I guess we needed it!!
Good shoes all around made our day uneventful in the foot department since we were on then ALL day!!!! I think the last time I walked that far was for a fundraiser!! Walked through the gardens at the Louvre, the Champs-Élysées, and then toured the inside of the Louvre. I thought shopping was hard on the legs...?!!
My scooter would fit right in, except I would have to become a little more aggressive than on my leisurely drives around the neighborhood!!!! It's not for the faint of heart!!

New experience: Grandpa style man called us "Bloody Americansky"!

We had supper at a cute French restaurant tonight. Eat your heart out Julia Child!! The girls had Creme Brûlée for dessert to top it off!

Yesterday we saw the Notre Dame Cathedral and went for a boat cruise along the Seine River and had our first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower!! It's all surreal!!


Happy Birthday Mom! Hope it was good!

A Mercedes Store along the Champs Elysèes

A proud mama at the Arc

We Made it to Paris, AHHH!

So, we are officially French... Well almost. Except for a few language barriers and the excessive shoving, we're practically Parisian!
Annika arrived safely though a few hours behind schedule, but for those of you who know us, that was right on time! Looking forward to the first sleep in many, many days. (or so it seems)

GOODNIGHT!

In the Rekjyvek Airport at 3am Winnipeg time

The very tired, jet-lagged us waiting by Notre Dame for Loren and Kathy

Only at Minneapoils...

Well, the trek has officially made it's first pit-stops, Albertville and Minneapolis. We drove all, all day and stopped almost every hour for a bathroom break! Thanks, Dad, who bought a quart sized Powerade, no actually 2 of them! We came safely to the hotel and plan to do some serious shopping at Target tomorrow.
We have all our boarding passes and everything ready, so hopefully the check-in will go smoothly.

By the way, Mom doesn't want to be linked to this post, so for all who care, it's Tia, signing off. Good night!

It's really here!!!

Hard to believe our trip is finally here! Harder to believe, we've been married 25 years! I thought we were so young and had time to get rich and real jobs and grow up and be mature! Now we've been married 25 years, just like old people!! So I guess we'll have to be mature and face that we're old!
All the weekends, vacations, and extras we've forgone, are all paying off today! We've been packing for 2 days straight. Some more than others, and some repacking! We're off to Mom and Dad's for breakfast, and then the adventure begins!