L'Abri

We are finishing up our second day at L'abri. It is a Christian intentional community here in the Swiss Alps. We spent this morning studying and writing in the amazing library and this afternoon working and picking fruit for the others to eat. Some people stay here for years, but we are only able to be here for a few days.


It is nice to stop being a tourist for a while and spend some peaceful days of study and discussion. We like that for now we don't have to sleep in a different place each night. We may leave on Sunday or Monday we aren't sure.


Next we will go back down to Italy.

Italy

Today I spent 5 hours in the town where my grandfather was born. No one in Ortona, Italy spoke English or recognized the names of my relatives that left there over 90 years ago, but it was a wonderful town with a castle and warm and friendly people. We loved it.

Tomorrow we will be going to L'Abri in Switzerland.

I'm out of internet time and must go. See you later

Leaving Greece

Yesterday I caught the bus to the ancient city of Mycenae, which was amazing. After that we had another wonderful evening in Nafplion.

Today we take and overnight ferry to Italy. We could only afford passage sleeping on the deck so pray for nice weather.

Probably won't have internet access for a few days, but hope to be back with more news soon.

Nafplion

We are now spending 2 days in Nafplion. This is more our speed. It is a beautiful little city on the water. Then tomorrow night we will be taking a ferry to Italy.

Athens, Greece

We arived in Athens this am. We spent most of the day walking around the old city. We are both a bit jet lagged. It is fascinating to realize that you are walking in the same placed where Aristotle, Plato, and Paul taught. But right now in my jet lagged state Athens strikes me as a bunch of old monuments surrounded by a polluted and over populated city. Looking forward to getting on the rails tomorrow.

I think Athens, Georgia may be more my kind of city. It wasn't the cradle of western civilization, but it is home.

Backpacking in the Old World

Joya and I have packed our bags and we are off to see the world! Our plane leaves today. We will be backpaking Europe while riding the rails for the next 4 weeks. I'll try to post some updates on where we are and what we are doing on Gridbook Notes when I am able to find affordable internet connections. I expect that the Gridbook Blog will be quiet for the next month, but hopefully afterwards I'll have some interesting musings inspired by different peoples and cultures to post.




Sorry that I didn't get to say goodbye to everyone. Life was a little crazy there with both moving to Georgia and packing for our big adventure. I miss you all.

Sorry for the recent lack of info coming from this direction. I know that The Gridbook Blog has been quite sparse recently. I don't mean to leave it un-updated for so long.


We have some exciting new news. We have a home in Athens, Ga. Hopefully closing next week. It has enough space that we should be able to welcome many of you into our home!



In the mean time we have been living in New Hope B&B here since our house sold. We are paying the monthly rate which is actually not bad. We also love the folks that run this fine home.

A few weekends ago Joya went on her first backpaking trip. She did great. She and I went with Chris, John and Hannah.





Brian and Scharlie couldn't make it because of the exiting arrival of Samuel Jonathan Carlisle.




Well, that is life right now. One month left in residency....