Snapshots of our Travels through Europe

It's hard to believe that we're heading home soon, and that we began our travels through Europe close to 9 months ago! There is already a blog post on our travels through Europe, but I wanted to give you a fuller picture of our time there. These are all photos of us with the people we were with along our journey.  I'm leaving out the artistic photos for now, and I figure the photos of the places and the sites we visited you can get from travel books!

The first stop of our International journey was Italy. It was really nice to have my mom with us there. Fortunately, Brian has family, friends, and co-counselors throughout Europe that he's developed relationships with. We were able to get an insiders perspective of what life is really like to live in these places. Of course there are lots of stories behind many of these photos, but for now, the images will give you a surface view of what we experienced.

We flew into Milan, Italy, where our month long journey began.

The first day when we arrived in Milan with Brian's cousin (Andrea) and his son. They were kind enough to store our stuff for Mexico while we traveled.

In Bologna, Italy with Brian's cousin Tanya and her son Sebastian.

Out at an AMAZING Italian restaurant with Tonya's boyfriend and his mom. Oh, the food--- YUM!

Lea with my mom.

In Bologna with a friend of Brian's who he met at the University in Madison. They were in the same program. She is now living in Bologna (her hometown) with her three boys.

And Brian with Francesca. What a sweetheart she is!

At an art museum with my mom.

With Brian's other cousin's who live in Milan. We had the pleasure of staying with them. They couldn't have been more hospitable!

The three of us trooping with our backpacks! Planes, trains, buses, automobiles... you name it, we traveled on it!

Brian with his cousin Tanya in Bologna. She discovered that her great grandmother's ring matched Brian's great grandfather's ring that Brian wears. The couple's wedding bands from over 100 years ago were reunited after all these years!

Brian truly enjoyed the food (and especially the sweets!) In Italy.

Brian with his two cousin's studying their family tree.

In front of the Duomo in Milan. It is the 5th largest cathedral in the world.

In a park by their house.

Our last meal with the family before saying goodbye. Each meal we shared with them seemed better than the last!

Lea by a cool truck!

Lea poses at an art museum.

Lea and my mom at an "agriturismo" that we stayed with. They are basically places in the country where tourists stay.

Lea and I in a smaller town that we visited, Piacenza.

And boy, did we enjoy the pizza in Italy!

Brian (1HC, or one happy camper!)

And then we flew to Malaga, Spain. We traveled from Malaga to Granada by bus and stayed with an old friend of Brian's who he met at the University in Madison.

The Mediterranean Sea was a perfect stop!

And Lea showing off our drinks at a cafe.

With our friend Gracia at the AlHambra.

Also at the AlHambra. An incredible place!

And then we flew to Paris! More than anything, Lea wanted to see the Eiffel tower so we thought we'd grant her that wish.

By the Arc de Triumph.

And dinner with the "couchsurfers" we stayed with. Now that's a story!

On a tour bus...

In front of a cool statue!

And the Eiffel Tower!

In the Paris train station.

And now off to Lewarden, Netherlands to stay with co-counselors who Brian has a near and dear relationship with.

On the train.

A couple of older women (sisters) who we sat with. They had great spirit about them!

I was amazed by how many bikes there are in the Netherlands. My kind of place!

And Lea with a relative of our friends. The Dutch people certainly have some height!

Lea with our friend Wytske (pronounced Vitska).

And with her husband Tsibbe (pronounced Chiba) and Lea. They had so much fun together!

Brian by a canal. Apparently, they're all over the Netherlands!

The Holocaust was an important theme throughout our travels in Europe. There seem to be reminders of the war wherever you go there. This Jewish star was held intact in a synagogue in Lewarden that is no longer used as a synagogue because since the war, the Jewish community barely exists there.

A well known leaning tower.

And a short, overnight visit in Berlin. We stayed at a woman's house who Brian co-counsels with, but I failed to get the camera out when we were with her!

This man is actually another co-counselor who lives in Berlin who we happened to run in to!

 

Lea by a cool sculpture!

And on to our next stop, Warsaw, Poland --- Brian's mother's birthplace.

Lots of time on the train...

In front of a neat store!

As you can tell, it was much cooler in Poland.

This is the new part of the city that was completely rebuilt after the war.

Here is a man with his baby who we met. I think he guessed we were Jewish. He is too, so he was simply interested in talking and getting to know us.

To see this building was a very moving experience. Jews lived in it before the war and it hasn't been touched since. You can see gun holes and blown up photos of who I assume were residents of the building. It's literally falling apart, but it's still standing as a powerful reminder of the thriving Jewish community that once lived in this city.

A marker as to where the Jewish ghetto wall stood.

We met with the daughter of the family who hid Brian's mom (Wanda) during the war. Fortunately, her granddaughter joined us to translate.

 

Lea in a modern bookstore.

YUM! We ate really well throughout our travels :-)

 

A couple of lovely women from Egypt who we met while waiting for a bus.

And we were fortunate enough to stay in an apartment right next door to another co-counselor who lives in Warsaw. Jacek has been like a brother to Brian!

And Krakow, Poland, which is the birthplace of Brian's stepfather, Adam. I found Krakow to be one of the most beautiful places that we visited in Europe!

Lea and I in front of a cool sculpture in Krakow's central square.

At the Wawel Castle.

In the dragon's den of the castle down below!

Lea is holding a postcard that she got as a souvenir.

And to a small town in Poland (Nowy Sacz) where Barbara lives. She is a lovely woman who cared for Brian's mom while she was aging.

The letters together formed the words "Nowy Sacz" out of bushes.

At a cafe with a friend of Barbara's.

In the center of Nowy Sacz.

 And on to Rome, Italy. Also a request of Lea's!

Trevi Fountain at night.

Here's a woman from China who couldn't keep her eyes off Lea. We had guessed she had never seen a person with red hair. She asked if she could take a photo, so I thought I would too! We encountered people from all over the world on our travels.

The Colosseum.

And Lea posing with some "gladiators."

 

Back at the Trevi Fountain during the day.

And the Vatican.

Enjoying gelato!

Lea wearing her crocs with possibly the biggest croc in the world!

Enjoying some green space in the midst of a very polluted city!

And a brief stay back in Bologna, Italy with Brian's cousins, Tanya and Sebastian. Bologna was on the way to Venice, which was our next stop!

At a Japanese Restaurant.

And here we are in Venice! Another place that Lea really wanted to visit. She was such a trooper that we wanted to grant her wish, and we ended up loving Venice as much as she did!

On a water taxi.

Lea was very excited to see the cruise ships!

And the sun decided to come out!

Here we are in Burano, which is part of Venice. It is known for its brightly colored houses. Incredible!

And here we are in Murano, also part of Venice. It is known for its glassblowing. Wow!

Enjoying a hot drink.

And meeting Brian's cousin Andrea one last time. We had to get our bags for Mexico from him which he generously held. It was a masterminded plan!

And on to Mexico City through Amsterdam ( a long trip!) for the next 8 months of our lives...

After a month of traveling, we were ready and excited to stay put in one place and get settled into our lives in Mexico in a village that we already knew well. --- We feel completely blessed to have had this opportunity to travel, though. To  experience the day to day lives with the people we stayed with along the way, hear the number of languages that we did, see the sites, eat the food... Certainly memories that will always be with us, and lots of important perspective gained.