Hello, Friends and Family! We hope 2016 has been a good year for you and yours. We managed to stay healthy and spent most of the year exploring Europe. A rough map and itinerary are included to the left. The first half of our trip was at our leisurely norm with over a month in each country, but we inexplicably slipped into the crazy, keep-on-themove pace of a type A tourist during the 2nd half. We won’t make that mistake again!
The Alhambra – Granada. Moorish palace and fortress used from 9C–15C by Sultans and by Isabella and Ferdinand after 1492.
Spain
Italy
Seeking warm weather, we started in sunny Spain. Pictures don’t do the Gaudi architecture justice, but his Sagrada Familia was almost grand enough to convert these two heathens. Most of our time was spent in Seville, where we were pleased to discover that a) we could understand Spanish Spanish as well as South American Spanish and b) we were still as fluent as when we left Mexico City six months before – that is, we could possibly converse with a 4-year-old.
Our next stop was Naples. We loved the craziness that is Naples on our first trip to Italy and wanted another chance to see Pompeii and Herculaneum. In spite of numerous premonitions, Mike was able to avoid “death by scooter.” The Amalfi Coast was new to us, and we stayed in a cottage on a small farm overlooking Sorrento. This was our favorite apartment of the trip, as it came with the homeowner’s organic fruits and vegetables and homemade wine and tomato sauce. They even fired up their stone pizza oven for Mike’s birthday.
We rented a car to explore the beautiful Andalusian countryside and were blown away by the Alhambra, whose grandeur was on par with Gaudi’s creations but dates from the 9C.
Cathedral/Mosque of Cordoba – Cathedral that began as a mosque in the 8C. Catholics built their Cathedral within the walls of the mosque.
Sagrada Familia Basilica – Barcelona. Just one of the outrageous constructions of Antoni Gaudi.
Vesuvius & Sorrento – View from our cottage in Priora.
Greece Athens was a lovely surprise. Large pedestrian streets made it one of the most walkable cities we’ve lived in and our apartment, 2 blocks from the Acropolis, made every walk scenic. Mike took a side trip to Israel that coincided with Independence Day while Suzanne enjoyed a bit of alone time.
The Acropolis
Then we headed to Paros and learned why everyone loves the Greek Islands. Our house included a roof-top balcony from which we watched the sun set on the Aegean Sea. We had a fun day exploring Mykonos with friends whose cruise ship visited for a day.
Buda+Pest (left & right of The Danube) After beautiful and stately Vienna, Budapest – one of our favorites – seemed young and vibrant. Prague was darker and not as appealing, but our view may be tainted because this was where Suzanne’s cell phone was pickpocketed.
The Western Wall of Old Jerusalem on Independence Day
Berlin Wall & Killing Zone – Berlin has done a tremendous job documenting its Nazi and Communist history while simultaneously becoming a 21st century metropolis. 2 weeks weren’t nearly enough. Shoes on the Danube in Budapest – "To the memory of victims shot and pushed into the Danube by Arrow Cross [Nazi] militiamen in 1944-45."
Old Netherlands & Windmills – We toured historical working windmills making paint, grinding grain, and cutting wood. Back to the Mother Tongue – The most hectic part of our trip was a quick tour of the U.K. In England, we visited friends we had met in our travels. Then we spent 2 weeks dashing through Scotland and Ireland, and luckily managed to hit their 3 weeks of summer.
suzanne.shelton2@gmail.com
We also explored the villages of Mike’s 8 German great grandparents. We didn’t meet any relatives, but we visited lots of the Lutheran churches they had attended.
New Netherlands & Polders – Mike has been fascinated with the Dutch “war against the sea” since grade school. They built a 20-mile dam separating Issel Lake from the North Sea and reclaimed 800 square miles of farmland from the water – an engineering miracle.
Stolpersteines – Stumbling Stones – 4x4” brass cobblestones placed in front of buildings to commemorate a person’s last known address before becoming a victim of Nazi extermination. Found throughout Europe, they are a chilling reminder of the loss of individual lives.
For its 20th anniversary of Gay Pride, Amsterdam hosted EuroPride, which featured over 80 highly decorated vessels in a canal parade. Our being there was not planned but served as a welcome reminder of the redeeming power of love and acceptance.
Suzanne & Mike 136 Rainbow Drive #3646 • Livingston, TX 77399
Hasta Luego – We leave Dec.1st to spend 6 months in Mexico. We will be able to view all cards and letters received and look forward to reading your family news. We wish you all a merry holiday season and health, happiness, and peace in 2017.
mikesump53@gmail.com