Trip Updates
Below, explore all our special blogs. Our current active blog is Pr. Taran’s Sabbatical project blog. You’ll find older trips here too, such as the Egypt trip from earlier this year!
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Rothenburg and Family Roots
Our latest stay has been in the idyllic town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. We stayed in a hotel that is more than 700 years old. Just through the lobby…
Erfurt, Eisleben, Eisenach
How do you keep track of which important Luther “E” city is which?!? I genuinely messed them up in my planning several times. And we almost drove to the wrong…
Alles gut aus Berlin (All good from Berlin)
I’m a day behind (we arrived in Erfurt yesterday), but we’ve had a fun filled entry into Germany. The Lenzs and the Spokane Dennings train-ed and airplane-d from Italy up…
Required Rest and Renewal
Something I’ve learned and confirmed while on sabbatical is that I have a hard time sitting still. I get stir crazy. I feel as if I’m only as productive as…
Day 10 – Venice
Our last full day before departing for home tomorrow. Today we took the bus to Venice (we stayed at a hotel just outside the island) where we then caught a…
Day 9 – Last Day in Tuscany and travel to Venice
We left our Tuscan Villa this morning and went a short distance to Winery where we had a cooking class making pasta (that we ate later for lunch), having a…
Day 8 – Hilltop Towns in Tuscany
Today we visited the hilltop town of Montalcino. We then went to a quaint winery below the hilltop town of Montepulciano. There we had a wonderful picnic lunch. The Tuscany…
Ciao Rome
We have wrapped up our time in the Holy City, Rome. The heat was sweltering. We took daily naps in our cool hotel during the warmest parts of the day.…
Day 7 – Tuscany Villa and Wine Tour
Today was great! Relaxing, beautiful, happy people and good food and wine. We started by visiting one of the oldest wineries in the Chianti region of Tuscany with a tour…
Day 6
This morning, we left Florence and departed for a 1.5 hr. bus ride to Siena. We had a two-hour walking tour of Siena ending in their beautiful cathedral. We then…
Days 4-5 in Florence
On day 4 we arrived in Florence in the mid afternoon. We were supposed to have arrived before lunch and had the afternoon free, but that didn’t happen. Some people…
The Gift of Hospitality
We made it! After a flight to Minneapolis and then a 9 ish hour flight across the pond, we arrived in Rome! The girls did GREAT! Having grandparents on board…