Der Dachstein - Trip Down the Mountain

Once we got back I was able to post this video.  This was from our trip into the mountains around Schaldming.  Henry and I had a trip down Der Dachstein, on the very top of a Cable Car.  A few folks get to ride on the top of the cable car.  It's was a bit exhilarating and the view rivaled just about anything I've experienced in my life.  Great memories for sure it was wonderful to be able to have my phone handy to take an HD video.

Touch down on Tuesday evening - JFK

Back in the USA
Always great to get back to the states...every time there is a magical feeling of comfort about crossing back into the USA.

Last Day in Venice Italy

Last lazy day in Venice had us going the the Academy (art museum) in the morning - just Charlotte and I.
Then to the grocery store Bills and then the afternoon was a cafe and a trip to a cool glass museum.

Back in Wien...great park time....

Train back...

We had a glorious overnight train trip from Venice to Vienna.   With private sleeping car and breakfast too.
It was a most wondrous way to travel for sure...

Venice Day 3

By day three we felt rather comfortable with getting around the city and knowing where to get the best cheap pizza or the best Gellatta. 
We took it easy with croissants for breakfast at the apartment then we made a simple pasta for lunch there too.
We explored in the afternoon.  Did some shopping and Charlotte and I visited a big Gothic church.
More pigeon feeding was had by Holden then we all went back to a restaurant for pizza...very good pizza and Holden had Tuna tartar.
A bit of Gellatta from Grom and then a walk home as it started to rain.
And a good night of sound sleep.

A word about Churches in Venice

As I mentioned in previous posts the churches in Venice are amazing.  Each area or Campo has a church.  There are six main districts in the city of Venice and each district has 5-10 Campos or town squares.  Since the city is some what dense and each street or ally is small and twisting then these Campos provide and open air gathering place and a natural place for community.  Otherwise there is no room for trees, parks, or even space to play.  These Campos are all named after Catholic Saints.  Then most of the Campos have a corresponding church that is named the same in the Campo.  So San Francesco Della Mary is an old church in Campo de San Francesco.  We visited a good deal of church which sounds boring, but it wasn't these were amazing places all their own with interesting pasts and unique art and architecture that held interest.

Our favorite church was Saint Pantalon - plain on the outside, but glorious in the inside.   Sam said, "It is like Jesus wants us to be, great on the inside with a good heart for others and that the outside really doesn't matter."  Having a fifteen year old that gets the importance of this and makes that connection is awesome. The attendant at the church was very kind and couldn't speak one bit of English, but hit lit up the entire ceiling for us with lights and we were the only people in the church. 

A huge and cool Gothic church that I (Chris) wanted to see was Gloriosa dei Frai.  This was from the order of the Franciscan Monks that were a plan and simple order.  Their focus was that the mainline church of the time was not a lot lace for the common people.  They worked to make the church a place where everyday people were welcomed and could access the Bible and hear teaching.  The church also has works by Donatello and Titian.  The art is this church rivals any in all of Venice in my book.  The ceiling his a ships keel design with many wooden beams supporting the roof.  Each of the huge and long beans has carved designs in them.  It is like looking at a gigantic ship frame that is inverted and placed on the ceiling.  This probably is the longest and largest church in Venice as far as holding people for a service.

Off the beaten path was San Francesco della Virgin.  It seemed an active church.  With real people still serving the community.  The priest was in the church talking with folks and he was smiling and genuine smile...not the car salesman type grin that one wants to run from.

St. Mark's church was what you have to see in Venice.  It was originally constructed in 1050 AD.  I like what Holden said about this church, "It either has a whole bunch of stuff that was stolen or the stuff is so bright that you can't even see it.". There is no doubt that this church was built for all of the wrong reasons that one should build a church....to impress and bring wealth and power to the city...really completely the wrong reason if anyone would have taken a look at what Jesus said about "the Church."  The actual bones of St. Mark were stolen from Constantinople around 1000 AD and brought to Venice to give the city a major "relic" and make it "legitimate".  The bronze horses atop (now replicas and the originals are tucked away) were also stolen.  Much of the ancient mosaics in the church and some of the gold leaf guided were were stolen from Byzantine churches as well.  It was worth going into and it was magnificent, but the place just had an odd feel about it for sure.

Venice Day 2

Day two starting with us getting our train tickets secured and hence us needing to extend our time in Venice one day, which worked out fine but caused a bit of concern until we had some great help from a travel agent recommended by the agency/person from Views on Venice (where we rented the apartment.)  We were able to get a price that was half of what we saw on th internet and get a private sleep coucette for the four of us.  This was a Hod thong and not a try harder and figure out the best angle type of thing.  We really needed to trust in Him and we prayed for Him to handle it.  This was all too wonderful  in the end and we we very grateful for God watching over us.  

Many photos and not enough of a keyboard to explain the details of day two.  Only to say that Venice is an amazing city with this history, art, culture, and complexity to jog your heart and mind in many directions over the course of a day.  The over riding beauty was walking into the many Churches and seeing the art of the Byzantine period or the Renaissance period or the Baroque Period right on the very location it was created and meant to be observed.

The grandness and magnificence of culture and histories over time made you feel small and unimportant and yet in another way with your faith and connection to Christ part of something much greater that your own heritage or country or time period.
Holden loved playing with pigeons.
The food was grand in many ways...we found a favorite dinner spot.
Navigating the streets and small alleyways and bridges requires continual focus and map reading skills with the occasional..."okay let's stop and find some shade and reorient ourselves...."
All together some great memories....

View

View from our apartment we are staying in Venice.  Rather dreamlike...

Sending Sam and Holden out on their own

Trust in God to protect we send our kids out into the streets of Venice to walk and get pizza, ahhh but the adventure and memories...(a short trip with clear parameters... Dont worry too much Linda)...

Venice Day 1

A few highlights from day one.
1. Visiting a Church that was turned into a temporary museum to the work and art of DaVinnci
2. Eating out at a great place
3. Participating in an art work with card board box creative construction.
4. Sunset as we came in the house.
+navigating the streets and walking are just simply unbelievable here.

Getting from Vienna to Venice

Because they are spelled rather similar (at least in English) I thought these 2 cities would be easier to travel between than what are experience was.  By trying to save some money on the train tickets ( I Christopher) made our travel rather uncomfortable on the train ride to a Venice.  This is more a story we'll save for telling in person than on a blog, but suffice to say that my kids and my wife were amazing...very tough indeed.  Here are a few photo of the train trip nearing the end...it got better at the end...
There is a beautiful photo of the Italian Alps at sunrise.  I was awake for sunrise for sure...

Vienna's Amusemnt Park - Prater

If you let very happy in Northern Ohio then it to s hard to go anywhere a that is an am segment park and not compare the experience to Cedar Point.  Prater was very cool and had some get ride and some different experiences such as a Water Labyrinth (not so much water, more about of a crazy kid fun house).  There were roller coasters.  The boys rode on one that was like the Cork Screw (CP comparison).  We ride a water room ride like Thunder Canyon and the Dodgems too.

Everywhere you go and especially at Prata you hear American Music.  We heard REM, Huey Lewis and the News, Van Halen, and much more.
Then since we were in the mood we played our own music on the train ride home....Mylee Cyrus --- Party in the USA.

Note the photo of a Merry Go Round using real horses.  Then a silly 4 arm photo.  Also, you will see a huge building with a sign that read "Daytona Beach" and it looks like we are the n Daytona Beach, but we are not we are in Austria.  I would have asked (but time slips away have 7 kids in tow doesn't make it very conducive) about the story of this arcade style board wall place in Prater became it must be an interesting story for sure.