Newschwanstein Castle

 

The castle of Neuschwanstein (3306 feet above see-level) is built in the style of the late romanesque period of the early 13th century. This style is obvious in the construction of the building as a whole as well in its ornamentation: the round arched portals, the arcade windows and towers, the position of columns and its bay windows and pinnacles. The King's living quarters and representational rooms in the third and fourth floor were more or less completed by 1886. The rooms on the second floor are still in bare brickwork an not accessible.

We visited this castle on a brisk but clear day with only the promise of rain that graciously held off until the next day. The bus drive from Munich was around two hours and brought us up the mountainside. THEN, we had a one-mile, uphill walk to the castle itself. Once in the castle, we accumulated over 370 stair steps before having to walk back down that mile to the town at the foot of the castle. Sore feet, yes. Worth it? YES! It was my second visit but I so enjoyed watching my son's first reaction to the castle.

Bois Jacques

 

 

 

 

 

North of Bastogne, Belgium between Foy and Bizory lies the Bois Jacques forest. During WWII's Battle of the Bulge, this area was held by members of Easy Company, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne Division. Numerous remnants of foxholes can be found in the tree line along the road between Foy and Bizory. If you look at the pictures, you will see the fox holes are not that big nor, I imagine, were they very comfortable. We were there in the light of day but the trees shadowed the place and it wasn't warm. Fox hole fighting was not a great occupation.

The quilting germ is seeping through the jet lag!

I can tell the jet lag is seeping away as I'm turning my mind towards my fabric stashes and starting to think about quilting, again! I haven't gotten an inspirational 'push' yet but the desire is definitely here so can an idea be far behind?

I have a couple of quilts that need some final stitches so I figure that once I pull them out and thread a needle, it will activate the energy levels and get me thinking. The suitcases are unpacked and stored and even though my son and I are still getting up at four every morning, we are on the 'road' to local time recovery.

I have come to realize, however, that there are too many crafts to try in the world and definitely not enough time. My older daughter has figured this out and limits herself to painting, pottery, and cartooning. She is crocheting a scarf for her winter months at college which celebrates a much colder climate. Being an art major, she likes to be different. The scarf is about ten inches wide and going to be very long. Naturally, it is a multitude of colors. One of her teachers remarked on what she wears to class so she took his remarks into account and started wearing mismatched socks just to annoy him. Talk about your passive/aggressive personality!

My other college daughter cut her own hair and I'm pretty sure I CAN wait to see the results of that experiment.

Meanwhile, I've finished my breakfast (you have a lot of time to do that when you get up and dressed for the day by four in the dark a.m.) and have to turn my attention towards heading out to morning Mass. Because of the travel schedule on the trip, I wasn't able to get to even Sunday Mass so am relishing getting back into my usual daily Mass lifestyle.

Quick Butter Cake

Ran across this recipe, this morning, and it looks like it might be one of those fall back on staples when you need a fast dessert but have little time to fuss. The recipe also seems to lend itself to some interesting changes according to one's mood and kitchen resources at the time of need.

Butter Cake
1 box yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1/2 cup butter, softened not melted

Combine ingredients, mixing by hand, and pour into a 13x9x2-inch cake pan.

Spread
1-2 cups powered sugar, depending on how sweet you want it.
8 ounces cream cheese
2 eggs
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix the sugar, cream cheese, and eggs thoroughly. Spread over the cake mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

*Seems to me, if you cut the sugar in the spread topping, you might consider adding a thin layer of jam on the cake mixture before you top it with the spread.

War and Peace . . .

Better a bad peace than a good war.
-Russian Proverb

War is little more than a catalogue of mistakes and misfortunes.
-Winston S. Churchill

The belief in the possibility of a short decisive war appears to be one of the most ancien and dangerous of human illusions.
-Robert Lynd

In war, important events are produced by trivial causes.
-Julius Caesar

Quotes on Friendship . . .

Keep not ill company lest you increase the number.
-George Herbert

I know not whether our names will be immortal; I am sure our friendship will.
-Walter Savage Landor

If insead of a gem, or even a flower, we should cst the gift of rich thought into the heart of a friend, that would be giving as the angels give.
-George MacDonald

Who seeks a faultless friend rests friendless.
-Turkish Proverb

Quotes on the lighter side . . .

"Personally I'm always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught."
-- Sir Winston Churchill

"Who is rich? He that is content. Who is that? Nobody."
-- Benjamin Franklin

"The average man, who does not know what to do with his life, wants another one which will last forever."
-- Anatole France

Two 'interesting' dates in history . . .

I noticed these dates, this morning, and had to think to myself, "It just never ends . . ." Just a look at the news of the last few months will tell one that.

1939: SS St. Louis carrying 963 Jewish refugees is denied permission to land in US

1989: Tiananmen Square protests come to a violent end with hundreds of students killed

Our hotel in Normandy?

Okay, this was NOT our hotel in Normandy! This was, however, a German bunker. An amazing tour of a battlefield along the coast with the shell craters inthe field along with access to the remains of the cement block bunkers used by the Germans. It was interesting to crawl and climb among all the heights and passages but you often caught yourself realizing that people died here and that it was a bloody, awful horror during the D-Day invasion. Sobering reflection.

One of the World War II witnesses we met during the tour said we should not encourage/let our children play war because it is not a child's game. So far, our generation has had a blessed existence in not being in the midst of a war with the bombing and death. Lots of prayers needed in this world to resolve issues and petition God for peace.

A departure from the war aspect of the vacation!

At our first meal with the tour, we enjoyed a typical English dessert called an Eton Mess. It was comprised of whipped cream, broken meringue cookies, and layers of strawberries. Much to my surprise, when I opened my latest Food Network magazine, they featured a recipe for Eton Mess. My son ordered it, mostly because of the name, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

You can Google a multitude of recipes on-line but the basic premise of the recipe is broken meringue cookies (which you can purchase or bake yourself), slightly sweetened whipped cream (I'll include my relatively fool-proof recipe!), and fresh fruit of your choice but it should be in the strawberry, raspberry, blackberry group. You dig out some tall dessert glasses or just put them in pretty bowls. You layer the ingredients, refrigerate until serving time, and then practice your humble smile at the applause from your family.

When I make whipped cream, I use two cups of heavy cream, four to five tablespoons of granulated sugar, three tablespoons of sour cream, and a touch of vanilla extract. I whip the ingredients until it holds it's shape but BEFORE you get butter. This method keeps the cream from breaking down too quickly in your dessert.

For the fruit, you can slice up strawberries with sugar to taste. A touch of brandy wouldn't hurt! Smash them a bit and let them sit for 30 minutes to release the juice. Even though it isn't mentioned, I'd think you could get away with using fresh peach slices, blueberries, etc. according to what it in season and to your personal tastes.

Meringue cookies are not difficult to make (lots of recipes on-line) but keep your fantastic dessert simple and go with the store bought ones. After all, who will really notice with all the wonderful cream and fruit.

Utah Beach

 

Just a collage of various views of Utah Beach. We were told that it is usually pretty windy along the coast but we were blessed with a beautiful day. Hard to imagine an invading military looming on the horizon when the day we were there was so peaceful.

Vicinity of Dead Man's Corner

 

A picture of the approach to the area. Naturally, it wasn't as paved and easy to access as the recent picture reveals!

Pictures of the Church related to the Memorial mentioned previously

World War II Memorial in France

The memorial says it all as it reveals all that our soldiers gave up in order to help others. There always seemed to be a lot of peace at the various shrines, churches, and memorials as if those who died there, knew it was not ultimately in vain.