A Cave Church and Chicken Feet

Budapest is huge and hot and very busy!! This was one of the coolest cities I have ever been to! It is such an old city and has so much history! We hiked up to the top of a cliff and had such a cool view of the city from there! It was a tough hike with lots and lots of stairs but really worth it! On the way up, we popped into a cave church. It was a catholic church with chairs set up all through the tunnels. It was decorated with candles, small statues and pictures everywhere. I have never been to church in a cave before, but I think I would like it! Plus, it might be one of the only places people are able to escape from the heat! It was nearly 40 celcius that day (I am not sure what that is in ferenheit, but I know that it is really hot)! I wanted to jump into the river so many times--the locals had no problem with the heat...they were drinking hot tea, hot soup, and ordering hot meals! They must have superpowers. There was a huge market building with vegetables, meats, spices, and lots of souveniers for the tourists. One interesting thing I saw for sale was chicken feet--they were right next to the pork chops. I know that it is common to eat these in some places (like Korea for example), but I am sure that when a plate of them is put in front of me for the first time, I will feel a little stress! I would think they are incredibly difficult to eat...my family always had chickens as I grew up, and I always thought the feet looked really boney and rubbery. I will let you know when that big day comes that I try to eat some and will maybe even recommend that you pick some up next time you are at the market!

Fresh Fish

Norway might be my new favorite country in the world (after USA, of course). There are so many differences in the landscape. Lakes, woods, mountains, cities, reindeer... It is so interesting! We found a little restaurant near the Northkapp that advertised that they serve fish. We went inside and were informed that this was a family style restaurant where you don't really choose what you eat--you just eat what you get. We sat down and we served soup, bread, salad and lots of really good, fresh fish! It was such a good meal and this picture was the view from our table! It seams like there are more boats than houses, and fresh fish can be found everywhere!! We stopped many times for warm, freshly smoked salmon and would eat it right away with cheese and bread! A perfect meal! The roads are pretty bare...there are not many houses and the towns are really far apart from each other. People do their own thing and there is a TON of fishing!! Those of you from central and northern MN: I know that Norway or Finland would be ideal places if anyone ever wanted to move to a new country! Dad...you would love it!! Many people travel to the Northkapp with campers. There is a great policy: you are allowed to pull over and sleep anywhere you want to, just don't leave trash and don't bother anybody!

Lillehammer

This picture was taken in Lillehammer. This was the ski jump for the Olympics and I have decided that I am not interested in ever jumping with skis on!! We took the stairs up to the very top of the jump and as I looked down I couldn't believe that there are people who enjoy strapping skis to their feet and sailing down this steep jump!!! Does anyone know someone who has done this? Did they die? Anyway, I wanted to post this picture because I was so amazed at the size of the jump!! On TV, it doesn't look so scary!

Nordkapp at Midnight

This picture was taken of me at midnight! Can you believe it! I love the endless daylight...although I never want to sleep because I am afraid I will miss out on something! I am having so much trouble judging time! Now it is near ten pm and I have the feeling that it is only four in the afternoon! Norway is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. It seems so pure up here. There are animals running around everywhere (they especially like the roads) and wherever you look it is beautiful! The air seems fresher (a little cooler, too). We have been in Norway for five days. We spent one day in Oslo (a great city, but very expensive), two days at the Northkapp and two days traveling. Tomorrow we leave for Finnland and will travel south by ferry to Estonia, and will wind our way back to Switzerland from there! Thanks to those of you who send me emails and 4th of July cards!!! I love the reminders of home!

Italy

Martin, JJ and I spend only a couple of days in Italy. My favorite city was Rome. There is so much history that it makes the city seem eery. Walking down the streets, I almost expected ancient Romans in robes and sandals to walk out from the winding alleyways. The Collosium was larger than life and the pizza was some of the best I've ever eaten! We went to Vatican City after the Collosium and walked around outside for awhile. We heard that some of the marble from the Collosium was taken and put into the Vatican. Vatican City was such an embellished place. So much presentation and so much tradition. The next day we went to Venice (the city with gondolas and singing men) and got ourselves lost in the empty streets (it was Sunday and mostly everything was closed). There are so many alleys and side streets that it is impossible to know where exactly you are (I definately had that problem)! Each evening after walking around in the steamy, hot weather, we drove to a tiny village and found a place to park the car for the night--under an olive tree, or near a church. The three of us slept in the car for three nights in Italy and showered at gas stations. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be! Martin's car is a station wagon and the seats fold down...we tried to fit all three people back there the first night, but one person ended up having to sleep in the driver's seat after that! :) After our days in Italy, we traveled back to Switzerland and hung out for a few days. JJ's roommate Jesse joined us for a couple of days and we went to Luzern and Zurich. We swam at the lake, made fondue, explored castle ruins and enjoyed each others' company. JJ and Jesse got on a train yesterday and Martin and I came to Munich. I am leaving tomorrow from Munich for Prague. I will be volunteering at the International Baptist Theological Seminary and will work in exchange for food and lodging. I am excited for my first solo road trip in Europe!

Here in Europe

Last Friday night, Martin and I picked up JJ in Florence, Italy. It was funny because on the way down from Switzerland (just after we crossed the Italian border), we started hearing a funny sound... Actually, it wasn't funny, it was just extremely loud (Martin's car is a diesel)! It was so loud that it reminded me of some of the tractors from back home! We stopped and looked under the car only to see that the muffler had broken into two pieces. We decided to keep going so we could pick up JJ (he had no phone or any way to contact us) and then we would try to find a garage in the morning. Well, JJ, being the innovative farmer that he is, took a look and decided he could fix it. The guys cut the end off a promotional metal coke bottle and found some wire on the street and rigged up a pretty good solution! It was hilarious for me to watch! JJ has fixed my car several times in the past years, but I was pretty impressed that he was able to use a simple coke bottle and some wire off the streets of Italy for this job!