Postcards From Munich & Switzerland

Yesterday’s mail contained not one, but TWO postcards from our college daughter who is spending the summer in Germany. The above card depicts scenes from Munich. On the back, Daughter wrote: Hello, Family! As you can see there’s tons to see here in Munich. I saw everything on the top half of this card. Our small clan took a city tour and saw many beautiful historic sites. We walked the cobbled streets, ate the one-of-a-kind food, and drank that heavy German beer (within reason, of course).

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Alpine scenes from Switzerland grace this next card. Daughter’s jottings on the back include: Hello Family! Greetings from one of the most beautiful places on this planet, The Swiss Alps! Amazing, huh! And, yes, there are herds of cattle along the sides of the mountains like in the picture! Look on the bigger picture and you can see the green pasture area…..I hiked up that area and collected flowers in my journal. It was phenomenal! I’ll be in Italy over the 4th! So excited for that!

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I have no postcards from Italy yet, but did receive a report via telephone call early Monday morning. Daughter and her companions had just arrived back in Germany after an overnight train ride from Italy. She excitedly gave me an overview of their whirlwind tour of Rome…..the Coliseum, the Vatican, the Pantheon, the Castle St. Angelo, the Trevi Fountain, the Forum, the Spanish Steps, etc. Daughter said, “Mom, I was down where all the popes are.” (The crypt below St. Peter’s). She also enjoyed viewing the Sistene Chapel. She and I are fans of the movie, Roman Holiday, starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, thus Daughter was thrilled to see recognizable sights from that movie’s setting, too. Here’s a YouTube clip if you have the time.

On the evening of the 4th of July, she and her companions watched the sun set over Florence, sipping champagne and toasting their homeland’s birthday. They also toured the watery city of Venice, Italy, enjoying a gondola ride and a chance to gaze upon the Mediterranean Sea there. Daughter said, “Mom, I ran down some steps to stand next to the sea and I almost fell in.”

By the time the travelers got settled in their train compartments to head back to Germany, they were exhausted and ready for sleep. Somehow, though, my daughter and one other girl ended up alone in a compartment with a man from Argentina. After one of the train’s stops, two more men came into the compartment. My daughter said, “Mom…..those two men made us very nervous and I knew I wouldn’t get any sleep as long as they were there. I prayed the whole time and imagined that God was sitting in the empty seat next to me.” She said one of the men kept staring right into her eyes, and she said, “Mom, I just glared right back at him the whole time.” Gulp. Yeah…..that’s my girl. Maybe I’m glad now that she’s always---and I do mean ALWAYS---had a rather defiant, back-talking nature. Over the years, it was at times a consternation to her parents, but perhaps the trait will serve her well in life.

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This is unrelated, but here is Kathleen Parker’s column from yesterday……about Sarah Palin. A And---so I won't be considered completely unbalanced concerning her, here is a link to a differing view, the author being an agnostic, oddly enough. Its good to be aware of what's being said on both sides. Oh, if only Sarah would have just said "NO" to John McCain, we wouldn't have any of this to deal with! The race for 2012 will start heating up soon.......yesterday I, yes, I, received a phone call from Mike Huckabee. He was conducting a survey, but being suddenly rendered speechless over a famous person contacting me personally, I was forced to hang up.

Have a great day!

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