We've had a fantastic reunion week with my middle son. He's just spent 11 weeks overseas taking four classes. Two classes taken while traveling around Europe--Hungary, Italy, Austria, Czech Republic, France and Belgium. Then he headed to Oxford to take two more classes for the last six weeks.
I MISSED HIM LIKE CRAZY! But I was thrilled for him to have this opportunity. And now I'm getting to enjoy the photos and stories of all the wonderful food, concerts and museums. While at Oxford, they headed into London several times, and he got to see Phantom of the Opera. And he and a few friends also took a side trip to Ireland for a weekend.
I'm seriously jealous. :)
When he returned, several of his church friends wanted to go to the airport with us. They made T-shirts with one of my son's most embarrassing photos on them to welcome him home. He was so surprised to see them. :) Oh, and yes, I made sure I got the first hug!
Here's a shot of the tired, scruffy traveler and his friends at the airport.
I thought I'd also share a few of his trip photos. Some of my favorites.
 |
| Paris at sunset. |
 |
| St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. |
 |
| Venice. |
 |
| Charles Bridge in Prague. |
The Charles Bridge really interested me. So I looked it up. Here's a little history from Wikipedia:
The Charles Bridge is a famous historic bridge that crosses the Vltava river in Prague, Czech Republic. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in the beginning of the 15th century. The bridge replaced the old Judith Bridge built 1158–1172 that had been badly damaged by a flood in 1342. (To read more, click here.)
Enough history for now. You know I usually post about food. Well, the other day when I put together this post, I asked my son for food photos to share with y'all. He just dryly said, "I don't take photos of food." (There's a history there, which includes many moments where I embarrassed my kids by taking photos of food at restaurants.) :)
So then Thursday night while we were looking at all his photos, we come across a photo of some lasagna he ate in Venice!! HA! That'll teach him to make fun of me. He's a chip off the ol' block after all. :)
He said this meal was the best he had during the whole trip. The restaurant was called Osteria alla Staffa. Who's ready to go there with me??!
Hope you enjoyed the photos! Wish I could share more.
So then Thursday night while we were looking at all his photos, we come across a photo of some lasagna he ate in Venice!! HA! That'll teach him to make fun of me. He's a chip off the ol' block after all. :)
He said this meal was the best he had during the whole trip. The restaurant was called Osteria alla Staffa. Who's ready to go there with me??!
Hope you enjoyed the photos! Wish I could share more.
www.missytippens.com
Ohhh, this brings me back to when I lived in Europe during my masters program! (I went to the Warsaw School of Economics.) When we got a break, we traveled west more than we traveled east, and Prague was a usual stop for us.
ReplyDeleteJust recently, I looked up apartments for rent in Prague, trying to convince my husband that we needed a trip there more than we needed to go to Mexico. Guess what?? Two weeks in a nice apartment that faces the Charles Bridge is LESS than two weeks in a cabin at our local wilderness hot spot, Wallowa Lake!
I love Eastern Europe and I definitely love how far the dollar goes!
Virginia! We need to take a vacation there, then! Of course the flight expense would be pretty major. ;)
DeleteThats so funny about the monks scaring your friend. :) I can just imagine how beautiful that scene would be.
So did you live there for your whole masters? Was it two or three years? Did you go home at all during that time? You know for some reason I'm thinking your family also lived in France.
Missy, I moved to France (by myself, what were my parents thinking??) when I was 15. It was the first (second) language I learned and I lived in a little town outside Trois and Dijon with family friends. Great experience! But I did come back for my senior year because it was either stay another year for the European baccalaureate (which would have me starting college at almost 20, which is actually when I got my BA) or just spending a year in an American high school and getting a US diploma. This was I graduated high school in 95 and then got my BA in 97, and then went to The Warsaw School of Economics... It's complicated. LOL I usually don't get into it much.
DeleteWow, Virginia. You were one brave and independent girl!!!
DeleteP.S. My favorite Charles Bridge memory was crossing it at 6AM on the way to a café. I was with a school friend who wasn't particularly religious in any way. So, we're crossing this long bridge as the sun is coming up and the fog is so thick we can't see more than 20 feet ahead. Suddenly, out of the fog come Franciscans from the monastery on the Eastern side of the river. I thought it was the most beautiful thing, all these bearded, hooded, robed figures with the rope belts, quietly chanting the Hours.
ReplyDeleteAfter they passed, I turned to my friend and she had a look of fear on her face. "That was the creepiest thing I've ever seen, " she said.
HAHAHAHA! I guess it could be sort of creepy if you've never seen a monk before.
That's so funny! Last night just before you were writing this I was looking up information on the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal in the Bronx to hook them up with lawyer boy and the Salvation Army in Manhattan... We were talking hooded, faithful men at almost the same time! :)
DeleteThey burnt the cheese.
I am a cheese purist. If I wanted burnt cheese on top of my lasagna, I'd make it myself and forget to turn the oven down or off or set the timer.
I now need to go with you to properly show them that string cheese and tomato sauce topping need not be BURNT to be delicious.
Melty, oozy goodness is how this Yank likes her cheese. But you know what? Some folks like it charred and it looks like this Tippens kid is one of them. His favorite, huh????
Well, Missy, he might have grown accustomed to scorched food over the years. An acquired taste, LOL!!!! :)
Ruthy, that cheese is perfect! There's nothing better than brown cheese. Of course you're right about him being accustomed to burned food at home. Hahaha But that lasagna looks perfect to me.
DeleteHe said that it was the top rated restaurant on Yelp, so they decided to try it. They got there really early, before it opened (since they eat so late there), and a really nice employee put their name on a list and told them they could just come back later. The restaurant was tiny, so they ended up with one of the only tables for five. The owner waited on them and was so much fun. Treated them really well. So I guess the whole experience was fantastic--brown cheese or not. :)
*Raises her hand for the burned cheese.*
Deletelooks perfect to me too! dn't want my cheese black but nicely browned is delicious!
DeleteSusanna
Okay, I want to know more about these classes he took. I also crave lasagna now.
ReplyDeleteTina, while traveling he took European Composers and The History of Art and Architecture. He learned a TON. Was telling us all about the architectural features in his photos. About pieces of art and concerts he attended.
DeleteAt Oxford, he took Technology and Society as well as Intellectual History of Europe. All were taught by faculty from here, professors who traveled with them from Georgia.
So for a physics major, these were a nice change of pace! :)
I'll go with you! and you can take all the food photos you want!
ReplyDeleteSusanna
LOL! Thanks Susanna! I'm glad I wouldn't embarrass you. :)
Deleteif my inhaling all the food on the table doesnt' embarrass you , your snapping photos won't embarrass me! ;-)
DeleteSusanna
Yay -- road trip! I'm in. We're paying with virtual dollars, right?
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome experience he had! I am jealous of the Ireland jaunt. Can we do more than a weekend there on our road trip, please?
Now have a craving for lasagna. Sigh. I'll have to settle for squash ginger soup tonight instead. (Daughter brought me coffee shop leavings again)
Kav, those are some nice leftovers! The leftovers my kids usually bring are an extra taco from Taco Bell. :)
DeleteMissy, your son as a Southern accent, correct? Did he say anything about having trouble being understood in England? Just curious...
ReplyDeleteHe said no one had any trouble, Virginia. But I don't think my kids have much of an accent. Probably because hubby grew up with a military dad, moving all over (Japan, California, Arizona and Georgia), and doesn't have much of an accent himself. I guess I have the most accent--a blend of KY and GA. :)
DeleteWhy I ask... I posted a video of a Scottish man talking to a Southerner. Now, this Scots has such a brogue that I really had a hard time following! My husband couldn't understand a word he said and my kids asked if he was speaking French! In the facebook thread, a friend said that Southerners and British English speakers actually understand each other BETTER because of the shared dialect. Something about the roots of Southern dialects being from the Brits who came over in the 1800s??
DeleteI dunno. I'd never heard that before. So maybe they're right!
So interesting!! Maybe there's something to that theory. :)
DeleteYou name the time, and I'll meet you at that restaurant. That lasagna looks FABULOUS!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful trip for your boy, but I know you're happy to have him home for a while :)
Actually, Jan, we moved him back to the dorm today. (sob) So I only got him home for a few days.
Delete