10/6 paul and pasta in milan

I love pasta so it is only fitting that I sample the local goods in Milan. Guess I'll have to give these Italians a lesson. They put this meager amount of marinara - hey don't they know that (just like the hokie pokie) that's what it's all about. My noodles are swimming - drowning - in sumptuous tomato, onion, garlic and whatever else I add that day. Mmmmm good
Paul

Last day was mostly travel and I spent the night in Amsterdam. Went in to the city for a stop at a coffehouse and then got some food. Feeling good, I headed back to the hotel.

(Rob)

Today was amazing as usual. I woke up refreshed from a great night of sleep. I had a delicious buffet breakfast then caught a cab to my next hotel. The Hilton Rome Cavalieri…WOW!!! This place is nice!!! I get a tour of

 the Conference center then head back into town. I get to the Vatican around 1:30 or so finally. First stop is St Peter’s Square. This square is huge, just like the church. After St. Peters I head over to the entrance to the Museum. The Museum is packed. I felt like I was in a sardine can the whole way through, but it was totally worth it. The statues and works of art are quite impressive. Once again I don’t know what else to say. Words can’t explain this place. It is a must see for everyone. Here are some pictures to tide you over if you have never seen this place. Pictures don’t even do it justice.

 

After the Museum I head into the Sistine Chapel and sit for about an hour. I wish it wasn’t so crowed, but most of the time I am able to just tune out the noise and enjoy the masterpiece above me.

 

From the Chapel I head into St Peter’s. This place is massive. I mean you could easily fit a dozen Sacred heart’s in there.

 

After I finish with the Vatican City I head back to the downtown main and side streets. I do a little shopping and have some dinner. By this time it is around 2000 and time to get on the bus back to the hotel.

(Rob)

Today was amazing, but as usual is started out pretty boring day. I woke up and took a quick shower at the hostel. I packed up all my things in my backpack again and headed out. I am starting to feel better, hopefully by tomorrow I will be

 completely healthy. I head down the road and stop at a pharmacy because my lip is dry and cracking for no apparent reason. I don’t find any so I ask; once again luckily someone spoke English. They give me this lipstick tube and I am thinking, no way, but it actually was chap-

stick. I also bought some crackers cookie things for breakfast. In Germany they were called dinkel doppel kekks or something like that. I head down to the subway to head to my hotel. After some train switching and a taxi I get to the Sheraton Roma. It is a very nice hotel. The Hostel I was in could fit in the lobby a few times over. I changed into my suit and talked with the event manager about the conference center for awhile. After the work was done it was time for me to go back to the tourist thing. It’s about 1430 when I head back into town. The first place I go is the Coliseum. This place is amazing, and huge. 

I can’t do it justice by just showing a picture and talking about it. Everyone should see this place. There are all these guys dressed in old Roman Gladiator garb, even some in Caesar outfits.

After the tour and staring in awe it is about 1630 and I am getting hungry. 

As I look for a restaurant I go by some type of demonstration. There was a police line and everything.

I find a restaurant, but it is empty, just no customers. I think I am eating at a different time than everyone else does.

I have Caprese and a Torentio Pizza.

 Wow, delicious. 

Did I mention I had a bottle of wine as well? I was feeling pretty good when I finished.

 Then I went to pay and none of my cards worked, uh-oh. I don’t know what else to do so I offer to leave some ID and go try to pull out some cash. It was a very awkward situation. Lucky for me I’m able to pull cash out so all is well.

After eating I head out to do some more touring near the Coliseum. I checked out the Palatine area and some other areas nearby, I forgot to take pictures as I was walk, sorry. 

As I got towards the end an Australian couple asked me to take some pictures. I snapped a few and they snapped a few of me in return.

Today has been a great day. J

Fw: schilthorn mountain

-----Original Message-----
From: "Paul Orlowski" <Paul@coking.com>

Date: Sun, 5 Oct 2008 16:34:53
To: <nmorlowski.pics@blogspot.com>
Subject: schilthorn mountain

Incredible ride that took 4 cable cars to get to the top. Non-stop, expansive view of the swiss alps.

(Rob)

After stopping at the colesseum I thought it might be a good idea to find a place to put my backpack. This city has so many diverse areas none appear too modern though, which is refreshing. Once back near the train station I found an Internet cafe. I would have done this first but everything was closed earlier. I found the hostel I wanted online, Hostel Happy Days. The name seemed kind enough to me. After that i got on the metro and found the place. I set my bags down and decided to take a tour of some of the sights within the city.
After my quick self guided tour I decided to stop back at the hostel for a short break and to get off my feet for a bit. Before I went out again I was offered some pasta with the owners and some other guys there. The pasta was served with pepper, chopped parmesian, and olive oil. It was yummy.

I decided to head out again and see the Circus Maximus. This is a large area where they used to hold chariot races for everyone to watch. I wasn't quite sure what to do next so I walked over towards the Collesium and ran into the Forum along the way. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to tour all of these places and not just walk by them. A few hours later when I get back to the Hostel I decided it was time to eat again. I went in search for an authentice Italian meanl. For dinner I had Bruschetta with Ham, thin sliced, and cheese. For my main course I ordered Spicy Penne Pasta, what I got was a plate that looked sized for two. With all this I had the house red wine. It was all so tasty, but I am probably a little overstuffed. I'll walk it off tomorrow. Well time to get some real sleep. Tomorrow is going to be another amazing day in Europe.

More photos later and at your request.

Today the majority of the day was spent for travel. In the end we ended up in Munich! Oktoberfest!We didn't have much time so we headed straight for the Theirenweisen, the Oktoberfest grounds. This place is amazing. Getting into a tent wasn't too difficult, but finding a seat was a whole different story. We finally found a seat with some nice Germans who speak no English, quite exciting. We commenced to drinking. Folks, these are no beers for the faint at heart. These are large brews at about a liter a piece, mmm. We didn't just a few. I figure 5 or 6 is enough to have a good time. There was music, dancing, singing, dancing on the table, and more drinking. At one point we each ate half a chicken, scrumptious. The environment was excellent and we were only in one of the many tents that were packed to capacity. I'm not sure when we got back to the hotel, but on the way back I had the need to stop for a 1/2 meter bratwurst. I have a feeling my head may hurt in the morning...Today we woke up not feeling complete. We went to Oktoberfest, but didn't have anything to show for it but a headache. We must get leiderhosen, and that is exactly what we got. I even got a pair for Christopher. My mom got a cute dress, you will have to talk to her about getting a picture.On our way to the train station we got a little lost, but eventually found it. It was all of 1 and 1/2 blocks from our hotel... Once there I had some delicious Subway, oh that's not german. Sorry I was in a hurry. I found my train and seat. I nice German guy sat down next to me and it turns out he lived in the states awhile and spoke English. Along with the german guy there where two older German women and a Bavrian man dressed in the garb. It was fun as the german guy translated what the women were saying. Apparently, they like my broad shoulders and wanted to know what I was doing with a suit and hiking backpack. I told them my story and they said I should easily be able to meet many beautiful Italian women. We all had a nice laugh and my cheeks may have turned a bit rosy. The conversation was excellent for the rest of the 5 hour train ride. In Verona I switched trains and got on one that apparently wasn't going anywhere good thing someone spoke english and I got on the right one.Venice, what a city. A city that went by quickly because I was not able to get a hotel. I got a ticket for the midnight train to Rome. I went in search of San Marco square. It took a little longer due to a few extra turns not on the correct path. When I finally found it I didn't have a whole lot of time. I snapped a few pictures and decided to take a different path back. I forgot to mention that I had a quick dinner at this horribly cheesy Italian restaurant. Delicious lasagna, but it may have been microwave. Well I am now on the train to Rome and in second class. The 5 other people in the 6 person room are speaking French and I know so little :( I should have paid more attention in high school. Good night, hopefully.

I arrive in Rome @ 6:50am on 5 October 2008 (Rob)

This is another mess of a situation. I wish I would have planned a little better before hand. Unfortunately, I did not plan very well and now I had to suffer a little for that. Once off the train I had to figure out how to get into town because the train station I was at was not the main terminal in the town. It's ok I'll just do a little walk and find a map or something. After a few minutes, about 20 I realize how far out I am and that I dont want to walk with this huge pack so I take the Subway to Roma Termini the Main Station. I should have stayed on the Metro a little longer, but alas I did not. I walked from there to the Colesseum all the while looking for a place to get online so I could let the world know I am alright. I'll continue on later but it is time to eat.

Thursday, October 2^nd 2008 (Rob)\

I’m not feeling to good so I am going to get right to bed. I will try to elaborate tomorrow. Seminar during the day. Packing up at noon. Going out to the Cathedral and a little touring. 1700 we went out a our first bar had one drink. Went to the first Bar had a drink of Pfaffer Kolsch. Second Bar had 2 drinks of Baffel Kolsch. Third bar had 2 drinks of Kolsch. Fourth Bar had a tall bier. Fifth bar had a bier. Sixth Bar had Bier and some dinner at Furhe. Took my mom back to the hotel.

Like I said I’ll try to elaborate tomorrow, but I am not feeling good and need to get to bed.

Rob

Wednesday, October 1st 2008 (Rob)
This morning it was a bit tough to wake up. I definitely had a bit of a hangover, that's what happens though when you have a good time in Köln. The seminar today was as normal, but ended a little early so we could take the long bus rode to another factory. The country side here is gorgeous!

When we arrived at the factory there was a beer tent setup and ready for us with Bratwurst and fixings. I had 3, I was a little bit of a piggy. After the delicious brats we got to go on a factory tour. Some of the pumps they make are so larger.

Once everyone has gone on a tour and they were full of Brats we walked down the street to an authentic German restaurant that was in what may have once been a farm house. The spread of food was quite impressive, too much to list. After dinner we took the long bus ride back to the hotel.

Unfortunately I am not feeling so well. I thought it was just hangover, but it changed into something else. Goodnight

Tuesday, 30 September 2008 (Rob)

Pardon me if I don’t exactly type coherently. I had quite a good time tonight; but I digress, there was a whole day before this. Today was a lovely day for the first full day of our Coking.com seminar. Everything went pretty smoothly and the attendees seemed to enjoy themselves. There isn’t much to tell to you that are outside of the Coking.com community other than the fact that it went well and the food was delicious as always. After the presentations and breakout groups we went on a tour of a Zimmermann & Jansen Factory in Duren. It was quite a nice tour and it was very informative. I learned more about the valves that I am already supposed to almost be an expert on according to some. I am part of a team that gives a coker seminar, yet I only know the basics of a coker…odd, I will learn more as time goes on, isn’t this how it always goes? The tour was great and then we went to dinner in Downtown Köln at an amazing restaurant. The food served was 5 star and the company was to match. I mostly was with my parents and 2 gentlemen for Eveready, a company that does pigging. If you don’t understand me, feel free to ask me to clarify and I gladly will.

 

After dinner we headed back to the hotel and I changed into some more casual attire. I guess it wasn’t very casual, but I changed out of my Coking.com shirt and Tie and into another button up shirt under my suit, I was looking pretty classy J. Me and the guys from Eveready headed down to the night scene in Köln, unfortunately it took us a while to find it. We started out a Beerhaus that was dead and then jaunted on over to another that was dead as well. We asked a bartender where the happening spot was and she gave us the names of a few places. It happened that they were all right next to each other, we managed to skip the strip club SHE suggested, lol. We first stopped off at a laid back coffeehaus type place and had a few beers. After this was not cutting it we headed next door. The almost did not let us in because we are American. They asked where we are from, then they kind of frowned at us as we gave them the answer. They probably don’t get many of our kind down that way, two Canadians and one American. The place we went to was called Diamond Club I believe. It was kind of a Disco as they call it, basically a dance club. As I walked in I noticed I was getting glares from a few different guys, this let me know that I was looking good that night. We had a good time and a few more drink at the club when it was suddenly 2am and we decided we best get back to the hotel before it got ridiculously late. It was quite a night, but all in all it was an excellent time.

Unfortunately I must go to bed now so I will have to post pictures from the past 2 days tomorrow. Sorry.

Monday, September 29^th 2008 (Rob)

Coking.com Seminar Training and Welcome:

Today was definitely a workday, but there was a lot of fun to be had as well. Unfortunately, I have no pictures for today. I will find some good pictures from yesterday to put in their place. Most of the good pictures today were taken  by other people.

I woke up at 6:00 this morning to start of a lovely first day of the seminar. Setup the different IT equipment and then had some breakfast. Breakfast here is similar to our style in the states. There are eggs, bacon, sausage, tater tots for hash browns, and some other normal American food. Along with this, they have hard boiled eggs, soft boiled eggs, breads, nutella, mushrooms, and Sauteed tomatoes. Not all the food is the same, but it is all delicious. Every meal I have the opportunity to try something that I have never tried or am not used to trying. It is quite the experience. I had some type of raw white fish with a red-orange sauce over it that was delicious. Of course there are all these amazing hors-devours that are perfect for each meal. I am quite impressed by the culinary expertise of this region.

Later on in the evening, after the day of training we welcomed most of the regular seminar attendees with a spread of different finger foods and hors-devours. More importantly, there was delicious beer, wine and champagne as well.  

After mingling and saying hello, the event was moved to the restaurant and Ice Bar. The restaurant is the place where we eat most of our meals and the Ice Bar is a bar attached to the hotel that actually has a bar made up of ice. I had some delicious dinner and a few different drink which made the evening quite a good time.

So far I have seen that they know how to treat you in Germany.

Sunday, September 28^th 2008 (Rob)

Coking.com Seminar setup and evening:

Not a whole lot of excitement today, just a lot of setup for the upcoming seminar in the next few days. Köln is a beautiful city with tons of culture. It is a city of pilgrims. After WWII there were only 40,000 Köln natives still left in the city of the 750,000 that there originally were; now there are over 1,000,000 Köln citizens.  Köln is a city of pilgrims.

After a long day of setup we decided to go out for an evening meal to a nice tucked away restaurant. This has been the most fun meal yet. The restaurant we ate at was amazing. It was located in a building that used to be part of one of the original city gates of the city. There are cool statues inside and the atmosphere was perfectly set. We all had many different meals and a good amount of beer and or wine. Tomorrow will be a similar schedule with mostly work during the day.

Saturday, September 27th 2008 (Rob)
Touring Köln:

Today we decided to take a tour of the city by bus. We started off with a delicious buffet at the hotel. They had everything that you could ever want for breakfast. Well almost everything. I don’t think they had steak. We met up with our friends the Pitman’s at breakfast.

After breakfast we headed up the road to the tourism information building. My dad found a double decker bus to go on the tour of the city. We passed so many different and interesting buildings dating back to medieval times. We stopped at a few places on the tour.

We took a tour of the Lindt Chocolate Museum…very tasty. After the museum we hopped back on the bus to go to the cable car that crosses the Rhein, the big river running through Köln. Great view from up there. We had lunch at a nice German Cafe, delicious brews, before heading into the Botanical garden next to the zoo. I was pushing my mom around in her wheelchair most of the time. I had to make it exciting for her so there were times we would almost hit a tree or go off the beaten path. She would let me know when it was too much by screaming Robby!!! Like I was in trouble…or else…empty threats, hopefully.

Once back at the bus stop we met up with the Pitman’s again and Marlea and Jane as well. Once back at the beginning of the tour we were at the famous Köln cathedral. My parent’s and I went inside and my dad and I took the climb up to the top of the tower, such an amazing structure. It was one of the only buildings left standing after the bombings in WWII. Over 70% of the city was leveled. We were also lucky enough to see the beginning of a mass with some very important looking bishops and priests. After the Cathedral we headed back to the Hotel for a little break then to dinner at the hotel restaurant. Dinner took quite a long time for no apparent reason. I ran to the store to grab my mom some eye drops. Not sure what I will do with the rest of this evening. I am exhausted from this first day of Köln.

To start I have never really blogged anything before. I’m taking a trip to Germany and Italy and I want to have a good memory of it with the ability to share it with others easily.

Thursday, September 25^th 2008 and Friday, September 25^th 2008 (Rob)

Grand Rapids, USA to Köln(Cologne), De:

 Around 4pm Thursday, Kara took me to the airport but we first had to make a quick stop to pick up a suit at men’s wearhouse. She said I looked amazing in a suit and I had to agree. Somehow it magically transformed my ars and made it look amazing. Stopped at the mall for a bit while the suit was tailored. Said sad goodbyes 

at the airport. We won’t get to hang out again for at least a month.

Checked in and eventually boarded the plane last as I like to do. Well, it’s either first or last for me, not a big fan of in the middle. Realized I left my brand new camera in the boot(trunk) of my car. Cripes!!! Flew to Detroit. Looked for a new camera in the airport. All they had was a $300 Canon, I’ll pass. Slept through a good majority of the flight to Amsterdam. Where’s all the weed I hear about? Bought a new camera in a technology shop in Amsterdam. How do I

 get Absynth so I can bring some home? Waited around for my Köln flight. Flew to Köln realized I had no clue how to get to the hotel by train like I thought I was going to. I don’t know, I guess I thought I would magically learn German and know how the whole city was laid out and where the hotel was. Guess that isn’t how it work. Got a Taxi instead.

Around 5pm Friday, arrived at my hotel room.

Köln is plus 6 hours from eastern standard. Gorgeous hotel room.Such clean cut lines. Met up with the rents who happened to be in the ajoining room. We went down near the Cathedral and found a place to eat, Steakhaus. More on the Cathedral tomorrow after the tour. Dinner was quite tasty for all. The potato was especially delicious, not sure why though. Heard some good street music on the way back to Hotel. I think I will post video on YouTube at some point. Stopped at a apothecary on the way back as well, actually the pharmacy. I almost bought a dusche…for my nose…odd I know right. I decided to pass on that. Back at the hotel it’s around 9 and I think I will head to bed shortly.

http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=uulkq8eb21E

Europe

August 19th

Flying first class – oh yah! Seats that adjust 8 different ways with the ability to flatten out into a sleeping position, 7 course gourmet meals, full size pillows and comforters, personal DVD players and a complimentary travel kit with tooth brush and paste, socks to keep your feet warm, eye mask, ear plugs, etc. We fly through the day and end up in Heathrow by 6:00 am the next day.

August 20th

We rent a small car – a
Meriva. Blimey, the steering wheel is on the wrong side of the car. And bloody hell, the drivers are on the wrong side of the road. The “fast lane” is now on the left side of the road. With Becca riding shot gun, Paul cranks up his powers of concentration with the manual clutch (the gear patter is backwards as well) and we head out.

If we didn’t have Jill with us, we’d be lost (Jill is our gps garmin nuvi). It’s 8:25 and we hit rush hour on our way into London. Everyone is driving bonkers. Lots of aggressive tailgating and lots of cutting people off. Paul’s quick reflexes save our arse a time or two. As they say – “That Paul Orlowski, he takes care of his ladies.”

We arrive at Windsor Castle. The armed guards at the gate inform us that it doesn’t open for another hour. Parking along the streets is non-existent but we manage to find an overpriced lot. Well “stone the crows”, they don’t take anything but pounds and we only have euros. We drive around, find a bank and make the change. Tickety boo, we head to the castle to check out her majesty’s pleasure.



We saw no prisons or queen mother, although she is said to reside there occasionally. But we did see room after room of royal riches. For me, my favorite part was seeing so many huge paintings done by the great masters (many in the range of 12 x 20); Rembrandt, Rueben’s, and my favorite one by Van Dyke of Charles I as a child with his brothers and sisters and pets… the dog in the picture looks like Bagel! There was an immense, long room called the Hall of Knights. On its high ceiling were numerous shields symbolizing the knights’ emblems and colors. Curiously, some of the shields were blank. The shields were of the knights who had been dishonorable. For Becca, the highlight was the numerous chandeliers – she loves the bling. The walls around the castle were 12 meters thick of stone in some spots. Towards the middle of the castle ground is a keep. Within the walls of the keep is a well that goes 160 feet through rock. This is the final defense of the castle.



We end our tour with the changing of the guard. You’ll find no “nancy boy” amid this lot. These young chaps really take the biscuit when it comes to showing off the fine art of guard changing.











On our way back to the car we get a good nosh- up at a gourmet-to-go restaurant shop called “eat.”















Its toodle pip and we’re off to Stonehenge. There is much to see and note as we drive along. The land we drive through has a gentle, romantic looking rolling slope through green fields and patches of deciduous trees. There are quaint houses, grand and but mostly small, tucked in amid the hills. Housing developments – haven’t seen any so far, except maybe the tasteful row houses constructed of brownstone or brick. We’ve not seen one pickup truck or SUV on the road or highways. The commercial trucks, even the dump truck that just passed us, are mostly Mercedes Benz. Most cars here are little bigger than a smart car, which even the police drive. There is a road sign that says “Queues Likely” meaning there could be a line of cars waiting. And of course, to keep those lines from forming there are many round-abouts. No English country-side would be complete without horses and I spot an equestrian center, Wellington Farm, complete with jumps.

As we get further from London, the road narrows and are lined with hedge rows. Although rush hour has past, it seems the pace of the motors has not. Out of necessity, Paul finds the wee-fiendish-driver-within and all our nerves are raw by the time we reach Stonehenge.







Some of the magic of Stonehenge was lost due to its high traffic volume. But tourist or no, those are some stonking great stones! The stones were located in vast rolling fields and around the countryside you could see burial mounds. We were also disappointed to see that the stones were cordoned off and we were unable to pass among these stately giants. Obviously this was an issue with others as well. There was a group of “druid-looking-wanna-bes” nearby with homemade banners that said things like “Free the stones”.

In grand Orlowski style we optimized our time, before heading to Spain that evening, with one more stop – Bath. This is truly one of the lovely places in England. It is tucked in the valley of the River Avon. The hills are lush green with centuries old trees and even older buildings of stone and brick, with architecture as quaint and charming as you’d imagine from fairy tales. By now we have been traveling for over 30 hours. There is a naturally occurring hot spring where the Romans built baths. It became popular as a spa resort during the Georgian era which led to a major expansion that left a heritage of Georgian architecture crafted from bath stone. Yup – you guessed it. It’s time for a bath before we head to bed in Spain.



Ohhhh… the warm hot springs feel so good! There are four levels to the spa. The top and bottom levels have pools; the middle areas have a changing area and other spa services, as well as steam rooms. There are four glass circular scented steam rooms… the first has Eucalyptus, the second Lavender, the third Mint and the fourth smells of earthy minerals.

It’s cheerio to Bath and onto Bristol where we catch a 7:00 plane to Malaga, Spain. I didn’t think it could possibly get better, but on our way to Bristol we pass through some of the most beautiful countryside of this day. But our attention is often distracted because the roads have narrowed even further and in most places there’s not room for one car from either direction. The road is lined with a 5 inch curb – no soft shoulders like we have in America. We careen down the lane like carnival bumper cars. Becca calls “curb” as we squeeze our way through the gauntlet of hedgerows and on-coming cars; Paul calls back with “car – you choose.” I can hear the branches of the hedgerow slapping our car as we wiz on down the road. Our bodies previously refreshed from our bath are once again tense and alert. We stop for gas at $2.00/liter before returning our trusty ride.

We are totally knackered when we board the plane. By 12:30 am we are in Malaga and have procured another rental. We drive along the Spanish coastal highway, on the right side of the road : ) In the dark, the countryside reminds me of the coastal drive to Rosarita, Mexico. `

We arrive in Marbella (pronounced Marbeya) at our white stucco 4 story condo – Costa Nagueles. Kristofer is waiting outside the gated complex to see us in. We haul our luggage inside and are greeted by cool marbled halls. Our condo is simple; 1 bedroom, 1 bath, small kitchen and living room which has a pull-out bed in the couch. Kristofer and his co-worker, Karen Zabel, from Projectline have been in Spain since Sunday, sleeping in youth hostels, hot houses with no air conditioning. They managed to stay at this condo last night – we offer them the floor if they’d like to stay with us the rest of the week.

Our reason for being in Spain? The wedding of Andraya Schacht and Barry Smith! Andraya is the daughter of some good friends of ours, Maggie and Ken Schacht. Maggie and I were pregnant with Kristofer and Andraya together. Kristofer and Karen have been clubbing in Marbella each night with the bride and groom and their entourage of friends. He mentions that last night alone the groom dropped $1800 on drinks.

With less than 4 hours of sleep in the last 50 hours, head to bed by 2:00 am.



August 21th

Kris after a hard night of partying with the Schacht posse!












We awake at 1:00 pm. Kristofer has headed out for 18 holes of golf with the groom and his buddies earlier at 8:30 am. The ladies suit up and head to the Buddha Beach club for drinks by the pool with the bride and her friends. We look around for Andraya or Maggie amid the sun-drenched bodies. Hmm… no-see-em! We wander down to the beach and wade in the ocean for a ½ hour. After returning to the Buddha pool, a young woman with jet black hair greets me. I don’t recognize her behind the sunglasses and new hair color, but I do recognize her sweet high voice and it brings me back to good memories with her family cabin on Samish Island. It is so good to see her and be part of this big event in her life. I feel strong feelings of pride and caring for her as if she were one of my own.

She informs me that she has been contacted by two different wedding magazines who would like to feature her event in their next issue. They especially took interest in her wedding because the guest list looked like something out of a United Nations benefit. Questions like what were are your flowers? Or what was your favorite part of the day? She heads back to her lounge chair, where her 10 bikini-clad brides maids are gathered, to text back the answers, making up the answers on questions to events that haven’t happened yet : ) Most all of these women are actually models or look like one, Andraya included. At the age of 16 she left home and made her way over to Japan. She was a top model there by the age of 18 years of age.

But before she goes, she motions to a bed where there are beach towels spread out and indicates that we can use it if we want. We find out later that it cost $150 Euros and has not been purchased yet. Thankfully the bed has a palm tree nearby and provides some shade on this blazing Spanish day. Maggie, her mother, shows up later but is busy with extra wedding plans & the barbeque for later that evening so she can’t stay. She talks of the wild party they had last night (the $1800 of drink party) and said there was talk that some people got up on these beds while some folks on the floor sprayed booze in their mouth. I found out later that Maggie was one of boozen bed dancers.





One of the bride’s maids comes over to us and introduces herself. She is very sweet and personable. We visit for quite awhile. She tells me that Andraya spent some time working in Miami and that’s where they met. She says that Barry is a great guy and Andraya is very lucky. She tells me his nickname is Jawzy. She has to leave for a dress fitting before I can ask her why. Andraya has ordered 10 dresses; two sizes each ranging from size 0 up to size 8.



There is dance music blaring from the speakers, a full service bar and lunch/breakfast menus with amazing entrées like you would see with
CuisineByClaire. We order drinks and lunch. The sun is hot and high and we’re done on both sides. We taxi back to our apartment, shower off the sun screen, and get ready for the Schacht’s barbeque at their villa.

The Schacht’s villa is completely surrounded by a high-wall. There are two large wooden doors with doorknobs in the middle. Tonight they are opened wide and you can see several steps leading up to the villa on the right which has a marble floored, covered veranda in front of it. Beyond the veranda are tropical trees and bushes surrounding a lawned yard with a pool in the center. There is a classical guitarist softly planning Spanish melodies.

Many of the same young ladies from the poolside are there, this time in cocktail dresses with boyfriends to match. They all truly look like something out of a catalog or magazine depicting the newest styles or trends.

One of the bride’s maids, the one who visited with me at Buddha Beach, is in the process of creating a video for Andraya and Barry of this evening, interviewing party guests; she is having them say or recollect memories of Andraya. There is a tall beautiful buxom blonde who looks like a model from Victoria’s Secret. She looks puzzled as she looks at her camera. I ask her how she is doing and she says she has lost the ability to see the view out of the viewer as she takes the picture. I call Becca the techie up from the poolside and she has it fixed within seconds and we have made a friend. We make rounds shaking hands and making introductions with Barry and his mother. I hold myself back from asking why his nickname is Jawzy. His mother is sweet and gregarious. I find out that she is a personal assistant to the rich and famous; her most interesting client was Jeb Bush.

It feels foreign to be here with this group… even my two children have gravitated away from this crowd and sit in a half circle of chairs around the pool with several other young adults from the Bellingham area. But really all it takes is a few familiar faces to make a person feel at home, and the Schacht’s casa has always been mi casa and I settle into eating paella, drinking sangria and celebrating the joining of these two lives with this great family. Maggie breaks out the glow sticks and we decorate our bodies.

The Spanish are not known for their deserts and none are offered at this event, so after we leave the party we stop at a café for burnt crème and creamed crepes… dang there’s no chocolate in sight. Its 12:30 when we get back to the room; Kris and Karen head back out for some night-life. It’s common place for this town to go to bed at 2 or 3 in the morning and raise close to noon.



August 22nd

And I can’t seem to wake up before noon. Everyone else has been up for awhile. Kristofer is alone in the living room pensively writing the words to a love song that he will be singing for Andraya and Barry tomorrow at the reception. Where are the others? Oh… of course; down at the internet café doing business, corresponding with friends and for Paul with two major seminars coming up, doing business (what an amazing man).

Kris - with his farmers tan from golfing 18 holes with Barry and the boys.


We get a late start with plans to go to old town Marbella for some window shopping, eating and to find a guitar shop in hopes of renting one. Unlike England, most of the cars on the road are midsized and most are very expensive makes, such as Mercedes, Jaguar’s and BMW’s.



We are hungry as hombres and stop at a placed called La Pesquera. It is a full restaurant in an open-air setting of a plaza. There are double linens on every table with the establishment’s name embossed on them as well as the napkins. The plates are also signatured with the restaurant’s name. We order several items from their tapas menu. Octopus, shrimp, meatballs, a salad (with vegetables from the local farms), mussels and Spanish omelette. For desert, we make up for the lack of chocolate the night before and order a chocolate mouse cake.
















Donde es el banos?























Then Paul and Kris take off for the music shop while the ladies cruise the shops. The men return after an hour with no luck on their task, but the ladies have more than enough shops to find tempting buys. Old town’s streets are charming – they wind along brick & cobbled paths, some meant for cars, but most for foot traffic only.


The shops are all small, sole proprietor type. Paul has discovered that the business file he sent earlier was corrupt when it was received, so when we’ve returned from our shopping he ends up having to spend more time resending the file. I feel disappointed, yet grateful for all the hard work has to put in even on this vacation. He is an amazing man!

We decide to dress to the nine and go down to the port for dinner. Things are hopping on the boardwalk. There are huge yachts lining the docks, most over 100 feet. You can smell the money all around you. One of the biggest yachts, Lady Hayes of London, is all lit up for business, its stern side parked to the dock. There are two armed guards escorting high powered-looking men onto the ship as the crowd watches. There is an orange Lamborghini not far away & folks pose beside it for pictures. I hear someone say that the people who own the big yacht are Saudi’s from London.

We get reservations started at “Amore e Fantasia”, and walk the nearby dress shops for 15 minutes. The clothes in each shop are one-of-a-kind. Dinner is amazing with lots of chocolate deserts : )


August 23rd

We vowed to wake up earlier and did – 10:00 am! We head to the beach next to the same port from the night before. Already there are numerous sun bathers lining the beach. Going topless is obviously not a big deal for the ladies in Spain… but it is for me and my top stays on. We rent beach lounges for the day. It is too warm to lie out for too long and we find ourselves in the ocean more than the lounge chairs.






With the wedding at 6-ish and not having had lunch, we pack up our beach things and head back “home”. On the way we duck up a back street and found an authentic Spanish restaurant. Nothing fancy here, but great food at good prices. We come away with a several course meal for the 5 of us for 30 euros. Oh yah!!!

After showering off the sunscreen & dressing in our wedding-best, we head out!







“Click” goes the door behind us. “Oh-oh… does anyone have the keys?” We call the property manager. She will be there in 15 minutes. We feel fine with the timeline; there are cocktails before the wedding for about 45 minutes.




Paul and I drop the kids off at the wedding.















Then we head back to the condo to wait for Wendy. Thirty minutes later she lets us into our room & we head back to the wedding.

But when we finally arrive, to our surprise, we are late for the wedding. A parking guard escorts us to two huge doors, dark-wooded 12 feet high doors, which open into a high white walled garden. I had hoped that we could make our entrance inconspicuously, but as the garden doors were opened I could see a long, wide pearl colored carpet that ran down the length of a beautifully landscaped tropical tree lined entrance and at the end, amid a clearing was Andraya, Barry and the wedding minister. Clearly we were late. About 150 guests were seated to either side of the garden. I recognized Becca’s purse before I saw her. It was sitting on the only two empty chairs at the back. After we are seated, she leans over to me and tells me “that they decided to start early” but it’s only been going for about 10 minutes. Andraya is the epitome of a raven-haired Spanish beauty. She is glowing and laughs & smiles throughout the ceremony.






Although not like the long catholic marriage events, it was short and I could say sweet – but there was something else that made it much more special. Maybe it was the fact that I’ve known this young woman from the cradle, yes… But it was also seeing her burst into tears of humble happiness and awe when the minister presented and announced, with holy water flask in hand, that this holy water was saved by her mother for the last 26 years & it was the holy water in which Andraya was baptized. The minister blesses Andraya and Barry with this water.

It is what gives each of us reason for tears of happiness that reveals the beauty of our hearts. And it is a precious privilege to experience this in Andraya.

The wedding ended with the song “Love, Love, Love” by the Beatles, and Becca noted with a smile how the brides maids (most of them models) high stepped back up the isle like it was a catwalk. From the wedding, we exited this garden off to the right, down a series of stone steps, and into a lower garden, with a fountain in the middle, where the after-the-wedding reception was to be held before the dinner. Beyond the garden to the right was the main building with the working kitchen on the left & expansive living quarters on the right (this is where the rat pack used to hang out). Through the living room there was a large open lawn with a pool in the middle and beyond that – the Mediterranean. There was a stage to the left with tables and chairs set up for the dinner around the pool. Live jazz music was played by a trumpet and saxophone. More wedding pictures were taken of groups of the family, etc.

































The wedding is held at the Marbella Club Hotel.















This was the original meeting point for the rat pack in the 1950s and 60s. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop, who appeared together on stage in films during the in the early-1960s, including the movie Ocean's Eleven. Despite its reputation as a masculine group, the Rat Pack did have female participants, including movie icons Shirley MacLaine, Lauren Bacall, Angie Dickinson, Marilyn Monroe, and Judy Garland. Many of the rooms at the facility where the wedding was held are not used anymore, but are preserved with the furnishings and décor of that time. It was amazing! Later we took our own “unguided” tour and did some exploring of our own.

Not sure if this was original art at the club, but I really liked this picture.



















There is a feeling of sacred passage that happens (at least in my heart), when my children and my close friend’s children step through a significant portal of change. It gives us the ability to feel the beauty of their lives, our lives and all the “better or worse” times, the “richer or poorer” times, and feel the treasure of life like God must. Seeing my friends Maggie and Ken and knowing what little I do of the journey they have traveled as a family, gave me such a reverent feeling toward them all.

After a hug of congratulation to Andraya, Andraya tells Kristofer that she will speak with the band about lending him a guitar for his song. It is almost time to be seated for the wedding feast. And I am feeling bad… Maggie has told me that when she gave the caters the final number of guest, Karen (Kris’ friend) was not included. Therefore, there was no seat at the table for her. It was a last minute scramble, but just after most of the people were seated, Maggie tells me one person didn’t show & that there is room for Karen; but Karen has already headed back to the room. Paul was an absolute hero – he took off and somehow managed to track her down. She was 4 blocks back up the road at an internet café; and he brought her back!

Dinner was scrumptious. Then the roasts and toasts got going. The best by far was Ken’s words of tribute to his daughter & new son-in-law (and he was worried because most of the others were professional speakers – bah, he showed them).









































Who's that man in the white hat? Could it be the mystery man who was the catalyst in raising Andraya to her level of social elite.


Sheik of Arabic? No silly, it's a Saudi Prince.















Next came the special songs from guests. First up, the Estonia twins; surprisingly enough they chose an American pop song (sorry, I can remember the song right off).

I know Kris was a bit nervous when he headed to the stage, but surprisingly the rancor and raucous nature of the crowd dissipated. Andraya and Barry stood hand in hand in front of Kristofer while he introduced himself and talked of his childhood memories with Andraya – she was always getting one over on him.




With no chance to practice the song that he’d originally written, he did a remake up the song “Jesse” using the word “Destiny” instead. It came off well and they seemed to like it : )




















The next part of the evening did not go so well… long story short, I fractured the small toe’s metatarsal bone in my foot. How you may ask? And even if you didn’t I’ll tell you…

In making my way to the dance floor with Paul, through a dark area of the grass by the pool, my left foot stepped under a 2 inch piece of conduit that was a couple inches off the ground. When I stepped forward with the right foot, the left foot didn’t come un-wedged soon enough from under the conduit and cracked the bone as it tried to move forward with the rest of my body when I fell. After a couple dances with the pain getting worse, Paul carried me back to the car and that was the end of that evening.



August 24th

We woke up the next morning by 7:00 and headed back to Malaga and caught a plane to Brussels for Paul’s family reunion. I was still unable to put any weight on it so we bought some crutches (crookens in Belgian) in the airport before heading over to the party. By the late afternoon when I was still not able to step on it, we decided to have it x-rayed. One very generous and gracious of our relatives from the reunions helped us find the hospital… it’s a good thing too because we found Jill to be very inconsistent in Brussels.

I have never experienced anything like it. We were able to check-in immediately when we arrived – took all of 5 minutes. Two minutes later they took us back to talk with a nurse. Two minutes later they took the x-rays. Two minutes more a doctor came in to read the x-rays & gave me the diagnosis and then proceeded to take me right into another room and immediately casted it. Although we’ve yet to get the bill, it was the fastest and most efficient health care I’ve ever received let alone in an emergency room.





Belgian healthcare is said to be some of the best in the world.


August 25th

Since our jolley good times had become so stilted from this fall, we decided to cancel the rest of our journey to Poland. We check into a Holiday Inn in Gent and are fortunate to get a handicap room and I borrow their wheel chair. During this ordeal, I think a lot of my friend Gabriel Twining. God has blessed him with such strong constitution. He is an inspiration to me.

Paul has managed to reschedule our trip to leave on August 26th. We spent one more day in Belgium while Paul drove the rental to Koln, Germany to do business for the October seminar.

While he was there, I chilled at the hotel with my foot elevated and on ice while Becca toured Gent with Uncle Dennis and Aunt Kathy.

Becca and Uncle Dennis found the following crypt in a church in which four different people were buried, one of which was a Depape (Paul's biological father was a Depape and died when Paul was 2-years-old). The info on this plaquard includes the four crests across the top of the individuals buried there. The furthest on the right is the Depape crest. We don't know the story of who this individual was, but Becca is assuming it's royalty.


















A wedding shop in Gent (picture taken by Becca : )




















Paul returned from Germany, he had a twinkle in his eye from driving the autobahn. Everyone (except me, sniff) headed out to tour Gent in the evening...




















August 26th

Awe - first class was such a blessing when you're supposed to keep your foot elevated : )















August 28th

We are home! Today I had a doctor in Bellingham look at my foot. He put a walking boot on it and said it should heal up in two months time.