Hello Dear Family,
Wow, has this ever been a busy week. Seems like things continue to really pick up. We had a great Home Evening on Monday which Mom prepared early because Andy and Ruslana were arriving at 3 PM and we normally open the center an hour later. So we decided we'd get everything ready to go except for just warming things up, then leave for the airport and be all ready when we got back. So off we went, bought all of the supplies we needed, headed to the center and were only 20 minutes behind our schedule when Dad suddenly found out he'd left the keys back in the apartment. Mom has a second set for the apartment but not for the center so he left her sitting on the steps and ran back to the apartment which is almost an hour round trip. We called our district leader who has a second set of keys for the center and he graciously came over and let Mom in which was definitely out of his way so by the time Dad got back, she had most of the things ready. He helped get the vegetables ready for the salad but by the time we actually left for the airport it was almost time for their plane to land. We attempted to text them as we traveled but had a hard time getting a connection. We knew it would take a little time for them to get their luggage and clear customs but even so we weren't on site until almost 45 minutes after the plane had landed. We desperately searched around the arrival hall for about 5-10 minutes without success when they suddenly walked through the door and our reunion was a complete success. We were able to get them to our apartment to unload a little bit and then returned to the center, arriving about 6 and proceeded to have a lovely home evening which the sister responsible for the spiritual thought graciously did in English.
The next day we had a lot of walking around to many of the things we had previously seen and visited with others plus took in the State Opera House which was something Ruslana really wanted to see and which we had never toured. I was impressed to find out they perform over 50 different operas a year, alternating up to 3 at a time on different days so it's really quite a production. There was still time to get up to our favorite mountain top viewing place and then it was dinner at our favorite restaurant, the 12 Apostles Cellar and home for a good sleep and maybe get a little further out of jet lag.
The next day, Dad had the responsibility of teaching the first Institute class of the year that night and not wanting to haul all of his notes around all day, ran over to the Center to drop things off while Mom showed them the beautiful City Hall and Parliament buildings which are close by. Then we decided to head off to the Schoenbrunn Palace grounds where we've taken everybody including Steve Lyde and Tom and Laurel but we somehow took our streetcar one stop too far. That put us right in the neighborhood of the beautiful church dedicated to Charlemagne which one of our BYU young men had said was one of the more beautiful edifices in the city. It's being renovated but they have built an elevator literally up to the top of the dome. Again, we had never been inside but decided to do that because it was so close and were amazed at how lovely all the work was up close. There's frequently a dove at the top of a few of the cathedrals and we were about 10 feet away from it as we finished our ascent, the last 30 feet or so being on a set of stairs. Then it was off to the summer palace of King Franz Joseph and his wife Maria Theresien. Their home is translated as Beautiful Fountain and we think it's really the highlight of the city. As we approached the front gate we were greeted this time by a statue of Mozart He definitely seemed a little more friendly than some of the other "living statues" that we have previously seen.
We had plenty of time to enjoy the grounds and then left in time to get back to Institute for the class which Andrew, Ruslana and David attended while Mom helped out in the kitchen and entertained Alex. Two of our young adults are also named David and Alex and everyone really enjoyed teaching young Alex how to play Fussball, the little game using a ping pong ball to score points.
The next day we were off for our Senior Conference in Munich and we managed to get tickets for Andrew's family on the same train there and back. While we were engaged in the three days of conference, they went on to Neuschwanstein, the beautiful castle of "Mad" King Ludwig which inspired the Disney Sleeping Beauty castle, enjoying the beautiful sights of Bavaria in that area. We had just a wonderful time with 25 other couples working throughout our mission. We had several sessions of instruction and both a time for introductions as well as a testimony meeting which were wonderful. One couple working in Switzerland have learned to play the Alphorns and actually brought two and gave us a wonderful serenade. We met the second counselor to the mission president and found he had served not only in Hamlin where Mom had served but even with the same landlady, Frau Ehlkes! Matt and Mindy may remember her as we stopped by her home while bringing Matt home from his mission and she still remembered Mom even after over 20 years, exclaiming as we rang her doorbell unannounced, "Ist dass Ruth Ann?" The remainder of the conference was superb with the next morning offering a tour of Munich being led by one of the high councilors in the stake.
We heard the Glockenspiel at the City Hall and heard all about the story concerning the architect of the main Munich cathedral who had reportedly made a pact with the devil. As the story goes, if the construction could proceed without any major mishap or loss of life, the architect agreed that the first soul to enter the cathedral when it was completed would belong to Satan. Apparently when that occurrence was about to happen and the devil attempted to enter the cathedral, the architect stopped him with the observation that although there was a bright light in the cathedral, there were no windows and the devil was denied entrance beyond his first step. That footprint is enshrined in the back of the hall and the devil was blown back out the front door resulting in a wind that apparently still revolves around that entryway!
After the tour was completed and we returned to our conference sessions, things got interesting. Apparently negotiations were heavily underway with the drivers of the German railway system who were threatening to strike, thus disrupting the train service throughout Germany. Negotiations failed and every driver went on strike at midnight. We notified Andrew that their return from Neuschwanstein might be impeded and we weren't sure whether we'd get home or not. They were able to find a train that was running earlier than their original intent and we found the transportation system heavily delayed but not completely inoperable and numerous prayers were offered up. With considerable delays the next day as we visited the mission home and mission office we were able to obtain a ride with another couple to the train station where the Austrian system was still working and had an enjoyable ride back to Vienna.
Sunday we attended the International Ward which holds its services in English and enjoyed a real family meal with Andrew, Ruslana, David and Alex. We are now literally minutes away from leaving again for Salzburg to enjoy the sights there and in nearby Hallstatt. More to come next week.
Love,
Mom and Dad,
Grampa and Grammy,
Elder and Sister Parker
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