More Surprises!

In visiting a small town with a group of missionaries, a few of us came upon an antique store. One sister noticed a beautifully painted ceramic piece in the window and grabbed her husband's arm to go inside to look closer. They thought it would make a nice gravy boat for Thanksgiving dinner and decided to buy it. At that point the proprietor told them that it was originally a ladies chamber pot! The sister (we are sworn to secrecy as to her identity) was horrified and was ready to change her mind about the purchase. She said she would only get it if not a word was said about the original use of the gravy boat. But I'll bet that she and her husband will share a smile and a giggle at Thanksgiving dinner this year! (I doubt if we'll be invited to dinner at their house because of having mentioned it here!)

                                          Edible mushrooms for sale at an outdoor market!

The wonders of modern technology!!  June 10, 2015 - This morning when we got up, we called our son, Merrill, in Seattle to see if our two Utah families arrived safely. His apartment was alive with excitement! And, what a surprise it was to also "see" and talk to our granddaughter, Maryn, who was in Guatemala talking with her mother on face time! Maryn and my niece, Mindy, are both there with a group from UVU on a humanitarian trip.  How amazing:  Germany connecting with Guatemala in Seattle with Utahans!

We are surrounded by tons of creamy chocolate! Every week or two we have been surprised by a treat left at the front door of our apartment or on our desk in the office. We feel loved.

When I called to make an appointment, the receptionist said to come at nine and a half. I said, "Do you mean 9:30?" (I guess nine and a half does make sense.)  There are a lot of interesting interpretations of English, such as "stripes of beef," or "fresh line" written on a picture of a lime. A receptionist said, "Come to me," rather than "Come with me." Then she said to Ken, "I'll bring she back." Whatever mistakes they make, they still speak English better than we speak German, so we've got to hand it to them for trying!!!

Seeing cigarette vending machines on the street here and there.

Do we really need bolts on every door and closet INSIDE of the apartment?

These windows and doors are going home with us! They are great because they open two different ways!

It was a surprise to realize that dandelions are among the most beautiful of spring flowers. What were we thinking? They are definitely not weeds!

Fields of dandelions even made the Alps more beautiful!

When the Sacrament was passed in the Luxembourg Ward we were visiting, the bread was so delicious that it startled me! 

Reconstruction of buildings is going on everywhere, even on our Church building. We learned that taxes are deferred if improvements are being made.

 Parking is limited because the cities/towns/villages were all built before there were cars so the roads are VERY narrow. People get quite creative!

On one trip, we stayed overnight Saturday night in Stuttgart, Germany so we could attend Church the next morning. We prayed that we would be able to find the Church, and we did, after the GPS took us this way and that way through the entire city. However, the doors were just as you see them here, closed and locked! What? On a Sunday morning? It must have been Stake Conference that day. Then we realized that our prayer had been answered. We'd asked to find the Church, but should have asked to be able to attend Church!!!

The Swiss totally have the right idea! This parking garage in Zurich has a light on the ceiling for each space: red for occupied and green for vacant. A sign at the end of the isle shows the number of vacant spaces on that row. A sign outside of the garage shows the number of vacancies in the whole place. A sign on the street shows the number of vacancies in this garage as well as what is available in two other nearby parking garages. How efficient can you get?

Spargel! White asparagus is a big favorite around here. The fields where it is grown are covered with tarps so the sun doesn't turn the asparagus green. (Doesn't that make the it malnourished?) 

Many bridges around Europe are loaded with padlocks! This one is in Salzburg. Couples engrave their wedding date on the locks, attach them to the bridge and then throw the key into the river. This is evidence of their eternal love, of course! A few bridges have been so loaded that it has jeopardized the integrity of the bridge so the locks have had to be cut off. 

Do you call this creative gardening? or last-resort landscaping? This tree we found in Salzburg, Austria as we walked along the road from town to our hotel.