Family Travels

Part 2: Top 10 Moments Traveling with my Family
My family was able to meet me here in Europe and together we visited, in addition to Brussels, London, Ireland, and the Alsace region of France. The following are the Top 10 moments that made me stop and think, "Wow. This is sweet."

10. Care rentals. Though it took us an hour and a half to figure out how to turn on our French hybrid, it was so nice just to be in a car again, to navigate and not get lost (with just one wrong turn), and to not have to base part of our day on the timing of public transportation.

9. Madrigal meal. On our first night in Ireland my parents and I were able to visit the Bunratty Castle and proceeded to have one of the finest meals of my life. We were given no silverwear and had to eat everything, including soup, pork ribs, chicken and vegetables, with our hands or "dagger." To top it all off, the food was accompanied by very talented madrigal singers and instruments. It was a fabulous way to be welcomed into Ireland (espcially when addressed as Lords and Ladies).

8. Moher Lodge. One of our B & B's was owned by, who had to be, the sweetest Irish couple, and basically the quintessential Irish B & B. We were greeted immediately upon arrival with tea, slept in a perfectly quaint and cozy room, served the most delicious breakfasts (Irish and otherwise), and treated with the same hospitality that one would find from a long distance relative. In fact, as one photographer said whilst he stayed at the lodge, "I took a picture of a crooked lamp shade here because it was the only imperfection in the entire B & B." Oh...and two of the other guests at the B & B were Luther grads! (We were sure to take a photo to send to the Luther Alumni magazine)

7. Strasbourg tea. I had a few spare minutes to myself after my family and I had split up for a bit to do our separate things, and I utilized them sitting at a cafe near the city's cathedral and sipping on tea. Sometimes a girl's just gotta have tea.

6. Witch's Eye. My aunt and I were able to hike up a hill in Thann, France on which perches the remnants of a castle called the Witch's Eye. I found a way to climb into the center of the eye, we had a fantastic view of the city, and we were even able to just sit and stare out at the city that was the birthplace of my ancestors, having one of those indescribable "How did I end up here?" moments.

5. Colmar. About an hour south of Strasbourg, France lies what has become one of my favorite European cities called Colmar. It has a canal that stretches across the city, and just off of it sits the area known as Little Venice, named, of course, after it's "Venetian" like buildings and canal. The town looks be completely preserved in original 18th century architecture and layout. Half of the city is made up of pedestrian roads and squares filled with fountains and cafes. I may have been able to just spend the entire vacation taking leisurely walks across this timeless, beautiful town.

4. Herbie. On the island of Inis Dirr, one of the Aran Islands off the coast of Ireland, my parents and I were greeted in the middle of our touring of the island by a little mut who adopted us as his guests and promptly began showing us around the island. We named him Herbie, and let him lead the way throughout the little island. He waited for us while we ate ice cream, and even sat with us while we relaxed on the beach. He eventually found a companion of a more similar species and lost interest in us, but for the rest of the trip we found ourselves longing for Herbie's company.

3. Soccer ball retrieval. While sitting at a cafe in Strasbourg that sat next to a canal, my aunt and I soon became completely engaged in the spectacle of watching a handful of adolescents try to retrieve a soccer ball that had been kicked into the canal. They had most of the patrons of the cafe as their audience, and spent at least 45 minutes using different strategies to reach their ball. I refused to leave until I saw the ball safely back with its owners, and happily participated in the applause that followed their successful recovery.

2. Picnic in the park. My parents and I took a day to just relax around Brussels, and spent a large part of the afternoon in one of my favorite city parks. After eating our perfect picnic of a lunch, we were able to lie down on the blanket and be perfectly content doing nothing in the company of the people that mean the most to us.

1. Spending time with my family. I can't begin to describe how comforting it was just to be back with my family, to revert back to old routines, and to get to show them what I am doing with my life. Thank you again for coming. :)