We are rightfully exhausted after trekking in Petra today. If you ever have the awesome chance to go, please do! It is an absolutely amazing experience–with both beautifully carved sandstone formations and natural waves of rock erosion. Just be aware that it’s terribly hot, so go early to avoid the crowds, drink lots of water, wear good walking shoes and a hat, and try to ignore the multitude of Bedouin vendors who can be obnoxiously harassing.

While John and I didn’t even attempt to climb the 850+ stairs up to the largest carved building, we walked through about 2/3 of the ancient city area, including the Siq narrow passageway in and, of course, took our pictures in front of the most famous building, the Treasury (think Indiana Jones!). The cliff carvings, ancient chiseled tomb-caves, Roman colonnades, amphitheater, and water channel all combined to inform us of a civilization thousands of years in the past.

John was stubborn and walked the entire way in and out–about six miles total, but I rode a horse for the last half mile back to the entrance. I didn’t want to ride the camels or donkeys, as they seemed to be very overworked. It’s hard walking in sand!

Tonight we’re in a gorgeous hotel in the capital city of Jordan, Amman. Air conditioning and a wonderful buffet has made it an enjoyable way to end the day.

We began our early morning in Jerusalem. I didn’t expect to see so many road construction crews and traffic jams, but our bus finally made it out of the city and headed to Jordan.

Crossing into the new country at the Allenby Bridge (or King Hussein Bridge if you’re from Jordan) was quite the challenge–we were given two pieces of paper for a visa and entrance permission, underwent a passport check, and passed through several checkpoints with armed security guards. And we also had to change buses because Jordan doesn’t allow Israeli buses in their country. Additionally, a “tour policeman” had to join our group to ensure we didn’t steer off our itinerary. Yikes!

We saw our first glimpse of the Dead Sea from afar, then wound our way up Mt. Nebo to the top–the celebrated spot where Moses first looked into the Promised Land. Four church renovations (actually built on top of each other) are near the summit, and some original mosaics have been discovered under centuries of architecture. I could envision lots of quilt patterns!

After visiting a mosaic school to see handicapped people painstakingly working on placing stone chips into intricate patterns, we ate a late lunch at a nearby restaurant, enjoying more Mediterranean cuisine.

Then we headed to the Moabite region of Jordan, the city of Madaba, where St. George Greek Orthodox Church houses more intricate mosaics and paintings of saints.

Just after sunset we arrived in Petra, checking into the Panorama Hotel, which promises to be quite a view in the morning.

After an almost-eleven-hour flight from JFK, we arrived in Tel Aviv. While the airport itself is quite modern, I was struck with all the security and barbed wire fencing surrounding it. Shalom has not yet come to Israel.

All the luggage for 40 people arrived safely, and although we found each other at baggage claim after going through passport control, I think we all felt like herded sheep as we made our way through the building to our tour bus.

We drove an hour, arriving in Jerusalem at dusk. Along the roadway and at the checkpoint in the West Bank, we saw many small communities along the rocky hillsides, distinguishing the Palestinian settlements from the Jewish ones by the lone minarets arising from the center of towns.

After checking into an eclectic hotel, we enjoyed a buffet meal of Mediterranean delights. The desire for sleep weighs heavily on my eyelids. So from the city on a hill nine hours ahead of my fellow Coloradans, good night!

Why I awakened at the alliterative 4:44 a.m., I’ll never know. Everything had been packed and placed by the front door last night, and I ran through the mental checklist in my mind. I even remembered one of my quilting friend’s words, “Pack a roll of toilet paper and wear Depends!” It made me smile, although I didn’t feel very good. Waking up with a headache and scratchy throat is never fun. But I remembered the pastor/pilgrimage leader’s three rules of travel:

1. God is good and in charge.

2. Everything is subject to change except Rule 1.

3. God can be glorified if we remember Rule 1 when Rule 2 is happening.

The three hours of travel to JFK in New York City passed quickly. I sat next to another lady named Linda, and she was a Jewish woman from Long Island who expressed her jealousy over our group trip. She couldn’t help but notice all the purple and white striped ribbons on 40 passengers’ luggage!

We are now awaiting another flight to TelAviv in several hours, but we don’t mind the six-hour layover. John and I were able to eat a nice dinner at the Paris Cafe in the recently renovated TWA Terminal. If you ever have a layover at JFK, run by the place! It’s next to Terminal 5 and can be reached via the Airtrain. With sixties music playing in the background and red/white decor all over, the nostalgia is palpable. There was even a Lockheed Constellation (“Connie”) plane on the tarmac that housed a bar. Definitely worth a visit!

We’ve been planning to take this trip for months now, and even though we usually like to set up our own arrangements, this particular excursion will be best done with a group. The Middle East can be a scary region to visit right now, and as I write this post on Labor Day exactly 14 days before the planned departure, I’m soberly thinking of the news that Hezbollah fired missiles into northern Israel within the past 24 hours. They were retaliating against Israel for killing two of its commanders in last week’s Israeli air strike into Syria. The confrontation was intense but over within an hour. We continue to pray for peace, and especially now with our journey imminent!

Cherry Creek Presbyterian in Denver has almost 70 people signed up for the pilgrimage, and it will be pastor/leader Brad Strait’s tenth trip to Israel. We have appreciated all the meetings in preparation, and the deep-dives into history lessons have been especially enlightening.

I’ve never “practiced” packing two weeks before heading on an overseas trip. But in this case, I think it may be wise so that I have enough leftover space for purchases. John researched and ordered two duffel bags that each have a hard case on the bottom. They are surprisingly roomy, but I will need to show restraint and edit the luggage. I’m hoping to be as good with editing “stuff” as I usually am with words….

After flying for nine hours on a packed 777 plane, logging over 7,000 sky kilometers, watching four movies and one documentary, we landed on American soil–Chicago to be exact. The global entry kiosks really shortened the customs entry time, and we found our transfer gate to Denver fairly quickly. 

I had not been at O’Hare Airport in decades. The arched terminal ceilings looked vaguely familiar, but I don’t remember the huge dinosaur statue. It’s surprising that we avoided O’Hare for many years, even though I flew into there many times during Emmaus years. When we lived in Iowa, John and I would most often fly into Moline/Quad Cities. It used to be much cheaper and less car travel than either Des Moines or Kansas City.

The last leg of the journey was uneventful. When we arrived in Denver, though, it was pouring rain, which is unusual. If I recall correctly, every place we went on this trip was rainy upon arrival.

Before leaving, I was told by someone in my quilting group that I should pack a roll of toilet paper and a cloth bag for shopping. She was right about the cloth bag, but we never needed TP! I did require facial tissues, but then I always pack those.

What do we need to bring the next time we travel to Europe? Here’s two “W” items and two “S” things to remember:

1. Washcloth (two accommodations had hand towels and bath towels, but neither place had face cloths)

2. Walking sticks (especially if we hike long distances again!)

3. Slippers (placing your shoes outside the door and wearing slippers to breakfast is commonplace)

4. Soap (several places we stayed had no body wash or soap; we did end up buying it)

Other than washing clothes and catching up on sleep, we’re glad tomorrow is a day of rest.

Many memories now fill our hearts and minds. Thanks for following our journey. Who knows when another will begin and which paths we will walk down next?

On this last morning in Europe at the busy airport, I’m reminded of the ways people attempt to fill their lives with happiness. The lobby of the Hilton has rows of huge, stacked cubicles with fake geraniums. There’s also a bar area with a big pretzel sign on top. This area is surrounded by fake palm trees. (Reminds me of some teacher I know who made her classroom posts into palm trees…:) In the corner of the lobby by an elevator stands a cigarette machine. I’ve seen so many in Europe, but it’s a blast from the past in America. And this weekend in Munich is the height of Oktoberfest, the annual beer-drinking festival so popular that in some places, if you don’t have a reservation from months ago, you’re out of luck. I see couples passing by with their traditional German outfits–women in dirndl skirts and shirred blouses that show lots of cleavage, and men in their boyish lederhosen and felt hats with feathers sticking out. People are ready to party.

On the other hand, we’re ready to leave. At the breakfast bar this morning, with the most elaborate spread I have ever seen at any breakfast ever, the one food item that caught my eye was the honeycomb tray. Surrounded by other condiments that may have been highly processed and perhaps even chemically “fake” food, the honeycomb in its natural state drew me in. It made me think of what in my life is real and what is polished up and presented as real but is actually not. I know. Deeply philosophical….

Within a few minutes before leaving our four-night-stay gasthof this morning, a technician finally arrived to fix the hot water heater. Ironic, because for three mornings we’ve had tepid water at best. I suppose we enjoyed camping at its finest!

We walked down the mountainside for the last time (3/4 of a mile) and met the gasthof owner who had our luggage in his vehicle to transfer into Tom and Petra’s van.

Before leaving Austria we stopped at a beautiful lake: Haldensee in Tannheimer Tal. It is overlooked by the Hahnenkamm mountain that, from a distance, looks like a camel or a creature with a saddle.

Also before leaving Austria we bought fuel–less than 1,10/liter Euros for diesel. Fuel is cheaper in Austria than in Germany. According to my sister-in-law Petra, it’s because of the German taxes being higher and not having toll roads in Germany, while surrounding countries all have toll roads and lower taxes associated with fuel.

Something that is cheaper in Germany than in the U.S. is Birkenstock sandals. We stopped at Fuessen, just inside the German border and walked around the old town area. Petra pointed out a shoe store where I paid only 65 Euros for a nice pair of Birkenstock with three straps! We couldn’t talk John into buying lederhosen, but Tom modeled a pair for my camera. I have already owned a dirndl; in fact, a kilt and a dirndl were the first two pieces of clothing I sewed as a teenager. I learned from Petra that a janker (jacket) can be worn by both men and women.

Near Fuessen stand two world-famous castles, Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau. We drove by and snapped some photos, but too many tourists were around and our time was limited, so we didn’t stop for a tour. I understand that Neuschwanstein is so popular that advance tickets must be ordered online. It’s the castle that inspired the Disney castles.

A few kilometers north of the castles, we stopped and went into Weiskirche, a church from the Baroque era. It’s by far the most elaborate church interior I’ve seen to date. It’s a world heritage site, with many people stopping by daily for free admission. They do ask for donations, though, to help defray maintenance expenses.

We took a scenic route north to Munich and avoided much of the Friday rush hour traffic. Tom and Petra dropped us off at the Munich Airport Hilton where we will catch our plane back to the States tomorrow.

After wandering around the airport, we ate in the huge cafe court between the two terminals. In the night lights, the colors and overall architecture are stunning.

We must return again to see more of Europe. 

I discovered that my brother has a formerly unknown-to-me talent–killing flies with his bare hands. Our gasthof seems to have many flies, especially at breakfast time because the owner opens the main door for fresh air. Today the flies are frenetic. They know their life span is short with the below-freezing temps this morning. Tom has further shortened almost a dozen flies’ life spans during the three days we’ve been here.

The best views were today. With crisp, morning air and no rain clouds for the first time since we’ve been in Austria, the day has been bright! Brother Tom says it’s the clearest skies he’s ever seen here, and he’s been in this valley at least three times.

Today was our last full day in the Austrian Alps, so of course, we had more hiking. The only form of transportation we had other than our legs was going up a cable car near the summit of the Walmendingerhorn Mountain (6,368 ft. above sea level) for a spectacular view. We did have to walk up about 15 more minutes to reach the summit after disembarking from the cable car. It was literally all downhill from there. We hiked all the way back to our gasthof.

John figures that with the step count of both yesterday and today, we’ve walked almost 22 kilometers. Today’s hike was fairly level and downhill; yesterday’s was more uphill. I’m not sure which is harder on the feet. They both come with unique problems. All I can say is I’m glad that I don’t have an ingrown toenail–going downhill puts a lot of pressure on the toes!

Enjoy our scenic photos!

To say I’m sore and tired would be an understatement. We walked 15,266 steps or close to 10 kilometers. In the past seven days of sightseeing, we’ve walked about two dozen miles, so today was a bit more than usual. 

The exercise today, though, was not just leisurely strolling. It was hiking up and down Alpine paths–sometimes grueling in its steepness. If the scenery weren’t so extraordinary, I would not have gone as far so willingly. All the photos I will be posting are from that hike.

The comic relief for today was me stepping in a big, mushy cow pie. (Don’t worry, I’ll spare the photo….) I had some scrubbing to do when we arrived back at the gasthof!