The three days of the convention had flown by as we were not only encouraged by the program but also by the association with so many wonderful brothers and sisters.
We were excited to hear that 164 were baptized and that the Sunday attendance was 27,132 with another 10,000 plus tied in to our key talks at seven convention locations in Germany.
Brother Jackson delivering a talk that was translated into German and Serbian-Croation as well as transmitted to seven conventions in Germany. He is always so down-to-earth.Mihael from Munich, Germany. The boys are shopping for the same Lederhosen before we leave Vienna!This lovely family was very warm and friendly with all of the delegates.There were many like this brother who had immigrated from Africa and were now serving in English Congregations in nearby countries.Jorally from India….love the shoes!Two of our sisters from Poland.This brother and his family were from Igieduma, Nigeria where the Branch Office is located and where I had the privilege to serve 30+ years ago.As the program ended, this family from Bratislava wanted to make sure we felt their brotherly love.What a memorable and faith-strengthening experience for all of us!
As we walked away from the stadium, we came across this group of children who had rehearsed a farewell song for us. Then we found the singers from the opening night dinner doing a spontaneous rendition of the “Welcome To Vienna” song they composed for the delegates.
The refrain is “Sweet Friendship and Love is Sincere”. We agree!
After a good night’s rest, we were ready for the second day of the Convention. We felt comfortable taking the subway on our own so we left a little earlier to have more time to socialize. It had rained again during the night but was clear and cool with a high of about 66 degrees in the forecast.
The view toward the German side of the stadium and the poofy clouds in the sky. It felt more like a Spring day than a Summer one.Beverly meeting a couple in their traditional outfits.This sister is from Mexico.Evan with two brothers from a nearby town in the Lederhosen.The baptism talk was given by brother Ken Flodin from Warwick and translated into both German and Serbian-Croatian. What a special and memorable talk for these baptism candidates in the Serbian-Croatian section.They joined the baptism candidates from the German section at the pools.We made some small gift bags with a photo contact card and wood key fob engraved with a cowboy hat that we were happy to give to all the kids.The fleece blanket included in our welcome bag came in handy as the breeze picked up and it started to get cool.These two sisters sat near us. Many like them wore their traditional dresses.A sister sat next to us whose mother from South Africa made this outfit for her.To cap off our day, we met with Rick and Renee Oschner from Tucson for dinner at this Indian restaurant.
The day had finally arrived for the convention to start. Our hotel, the Renaissance Wien was packed with Witnesses so you can imagine the long line for the breakfast buffet. Although, as you would expect it was very orderly. The few non-Witness guests at the hotel seemed over-whelmed by the crowd. We were instructed to meet at 8:15 a.m. in the lobby where we found several Austrian brothers and sisters with the orange umbrellas who would guide us on the subways to the stadium.
Peter (on the right) was our guide for our two subway line connection to the stadium which took about 30 minutes.
As we got closer to the entrance of the stadium, our brothers and sisters were waiting with welcome banners along the sidewalk. How loving!
The Convention banners displayed proudly.
A panorama shot of the stadium. There were three sections: German was the largest, followed by a section for Serbian-Croatian, then English.Here is the view from the English corner of the stadium looking toward the German side. The Serbo-Croatian speaking section is to our right. The attendance was about 26,000 total (19,000 German and the balance English and Serbian-Croatian).Here is family; seated and ready for the convention video to begin.
This was our final open day before the start of the Convention so we decided to visit a couple of historic sites in the downtown area of Vienna. We started at Belvedere Palace which has lovely gardens and some art exhibits. It was built in the early eighteenth century by the famous Baroque architect Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt to be used as the summer residence of Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663–1736).
Here is the garden and fountain area as you approach the palace. Note the implementation of editing and transition skills in this montage thanks to iMovie. Spielberg better watch out!
The appropriately named: “Hall of Marble”A view along the entire gardens.This immense foyer had about a 50 foot high ceiling.Looking up at the art in the ceiling.Austrian artist Gustav Klimt’s work “The Kiss” is on display.Also on display is Jacques Louis David’s iconic “Napoleon at the Great St. Bernhard Pass”At the ornate gates to the palace grounds.Appreciating historical sites and works of art always makes us hungry so it was time to visit Cafe Central, established in 1876, whose past regular customers include Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud.Studying the menu and appreciating the interior decor.The showcase in the front has all of the dessert options on display; just remember the number of your selection to give to your waiter later.But first, it was time to have the renowned Austrian dish of Wiener Schnitzel. Simple and delicious.An “Iced Chocolate” from the menu; a scoop of vanilla ice cream in chocolate milk with whipped cream.All over the downtown area, our brothers (both local and international delegates) are using carts to invite the public to our Convention.
We met at 8:15 in the lobby of the hotel where our sister Petra guided us to our tour bus. She explained that we would be driving for about 45 minutes to her congregation in the town of Tulln a picturesque farming area along the river Danube.
The Tulln Congregation Kingdom Hall.Brother Werner Satzer led the group which included a brief video presentation of the congregation’s histrory; a demonstration of the Convention Invitation offer; and a heartfelt singing of song #58 – Searching for Friends of Peace.This Austrian couple had their hands full as we prepared to leave for the field.Evan and I worked with Johan and a brother who went by the nickname “Mili”.They gave us this card with the presentation written out in German. I practiced with my partner Mili who then said I was ready and gave me the first door. I was able to give the presentation 4 times (lots of not at homes).We worked in a neighborhood of beautiful homes with lovely gardens.
It was such an enjoyable morning in the ministry and although my partner did not speak any English, we used Google translate to get acquainted. I learned that he had been baptized for 42 years.
Our group heading back to the cars…time for lunch.The congregation had generously arranged for a typical Austrian lunch for all us at this farmhouse restaurant.A variety of meats, vegetables and sauces to share ‘family style’ at each table.Accompanied by the cheese platter.Our brothers and new friends, Johan and Mili.Followed by the dessert tray. It would be rude to refuse, right?The Tulln Congregation along with the International Delegates from our group!
As part of our week-long stay in Vienna for the Convention, we are able to sign up for organized tour activities with our Austrian brothers as our guides. They provided us a transportation pass that allows us to use the buses, trains and underground system. We joined a group of delegates going to tour the Schonbrunn Palace which was used as a summer retreat for the ruling Hapsburg Royal Family since the mid 1500s.
The palace is just one stop away from our hotel on the subway. At the subway station.Our guides are Alex on the right and Daniel in the middle. The other brother with the hat was guiding a different group. All over town we have met delegates with their convention badges.We took this train around the entire 400 acre grounds to see the gardens.Tourists taking selfies.
A view from the far end of the grounds back toward the palace and downtown Vienna in the distance.
One of the smaller structures on the grounds dedicated to queen Maria Theresa.The fountain near the main entrance.Alex and Daniel with the easy-to-spot-in-a-crowd guide umbrella.
Our flight from Bergen to Oslo then connecting to Vienna on Norwegian Air departed at 8 a.m. Which meant a 4:30 a.m. wake-up to load the car and drive to get to the airport by 6 a.m. The sunrise was at 4:01 a.m. so our body clocks were in sync!
Oslo Airport is very modern and sleek yet still has natural elements of wood and stone in the architecture. We will miss this unique and beautiful country…but we won’t miss the $4 coffees, $12 beers and $14 sandwiches!We are leaving cool and rainy weather for an expected high of 30c (87F) in Vienna which is Wien in German.The Norwegian Air ‘bird’ getting ready for boarding in Oslo.
Just as we left the baggage claim in Vienna airport, we were greeted by a Convention Welcome Desk. We received a special “Don’t Give Up” badge and lanyard and were directed to our bus transport to the hotel.
This felt a little like getting a Welcome Lei when you arrive in Honolulu airport!Our brother Sebastian greeted us warmly in his Lederhosen (leather short trousers) and directed us to the right bus.Ready for the 30 minute bus ride to the Renaissance Vienna hotel.Our brother and sister were waiting at the hotel to ‘check us in’ for the convention; provide us a welcome gift bag; and answer any questions. Super welcoming and organized!Included in the welcome bag were maps, convention invites for the ministry, postcards, bookmarks, journals for taking notes, invitations for the dinner, and even a “Don’t Give Up!” fleece blanket.A close up of the invitations, lanyard and fleece blanket. They really put a lot of effort into the planning of this special convention.After unpacking it was time to board the bus at 6 p.m. for the Welcome Dinner. The Austrian brothers formed a welcome line to shake hands and greet us.The signature color for all of the volunteers is this bright orange on the scarves and ties. You’ll see it again in the umbrellas used by our tour guides. We were given our table assignment and escorted to our table.Each table was hosted by 4 or 5 Austrian brothers and sisters along with a group of international delegates. Our table had sisters from the Polish and English congregations who were very friendly. We were delighted to find the welcome gift of hand knitted socks. Inside the cards we found a handwritten note with the name of the sister who knitted them, their baptism date, and favorite scripture. Mine were from Sister Elfi who was baptized in 1997 and whose favorite scripture is Phillipians 4:13. Very personal and touching to receive the gift from those we haven’t met but treat us like family! Later during a video presentation we saw scenes of ‘knitting bees’ when the sisters got together to work on these for us.
We were asked not to post videos or photos on social media of the actual dinner, the traditional dance and song, and other entertainment (including a very good Elvis impersonator), so we will be happy to invite you over when we get back to Arizona and show you personally!
After a long day of driving and boating this was a good day to relax a bit, take a leisurely drive and do our laundry before the departure for Vienna, Austria.
Kyle and I went down to the Bryggen to get some breakfast/lunch items.Baker Brun was the spot.Pastries for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch.We came across these firemen on a break enjoying ice cream, not donuts!Their cool fire truck.We drove about 40 minutes south of Bergen to the Solstrand Hotel on shore of Bjørnefjorden fjord.Parking at the hotel was in front of a massive granite wall.We enjoyed walking around the grounds and seeing the old boathouses.For our last meal in Bergen, Bev found a restaurant called Spisekroken.Three starters from left to right as described on their menu: – Wild trout from Hardanger with pickled cucumber and fennel,creamy egg, crispy bread and mustard chips – Creamy mussel soup with wild garlic and pickeled Jerusalem artichoke. – Santa Kristina ham with white goat cheese rolled in ash, roasted pumpkin kernels, honey and field salad with beetroot vinagrette.After the main dish of veal, we were served a trio of desserts: – Meringue with licorice root, eggcream with licorice, raspberry sauce and raspberry sherbet. – Dark chocolate cream with black currant foam, caramelized pistachio nuts and almonds, red currant confekt and nugatt confection with hazelnut. -“Fjellblå” bluecheese ice cream, honey, walnut and apricot, as well as fig muffins.
Yes that is blue cheese ice cream! It was a delicious and very memorable dinner to end our stay in Norway.
After dinner, Bev and the boys took the funicular from Bergen to the top of Mount Fløyen. There were amazing views of the city below.
Looking at Bergen from Mount Fløyen.Looking inland.Walking down the 800 steps back to Bergen.Getting close to town.Kyle enjoying the view of the lake on Mount Fløyen.
It was a rainy morning in Bergen and the forecast was for continuing light rains throughout the day. We had been told to expect this so we went ahead with our plans to drive to the town of Flam which is on shore of the Sognefjord, Norway’s longest fjord at 205 km from the ocean near Bergen. At its deepest, Sognefjord plunges to more than 1,300 meters and the mountains along the fjord rise to more than 1,700 meters.
At the mid-point on our 2 1/2 hour drive to Flam, we stopped at lake Vossestrand to stretch our legs and enjoy views of the mirror lake.
Here is a short video of the same scene.
We arrived at our destination Flam with an hour to spare before our 12:15 boat tour departure. One of the guides recommended this Bakery for lunch.It did not disappoint!We find that food is pretty expensive in Norway as the pastries were priced at 30 and 40 Norwegian Kroner each, which is about $3.60 and $4.80. A ham & cheese croissant sandwich is about $10.Instead of taking the large cruise boat tour where they serve tea and cookies as you sail leisurely down the fjord, we opted for the Fjord Safari tour which is a fast Rib Boat for 12 passengers. According to Norwegian maritime rules, we had to wear these survival suits….just in case.Here is a view of the boat.Our boat captain Per from Denmark said that he moved to Norway because he loves mountains and the highest point in his homeland is just 150 meters.
We enjoyed getting up close to the shore and the many waterfalls along the fjord.
The village of Undredal is in a picturesque valley. It boasts a population of 63 humans and 400 goats.
Per lives here and has built a small cabin that he is going to start offering as a rental on AirBnB. We’ll have to come back.
We then entered the 20 km long Nærøyfjord. As the guidebook says:
“The Nærøyfjord is the narrowest and best known of the many arms of the Sognefjord. With its steep mountainsides, hanging valleys, towering peaks, snowfields, waterfalls and small hamlets, this fjord is perhaps the most outstanding natural attraction in Norway.”
These kayakers were off for a camping trip down the fjord. Our captain Per explained that by law you are allowed to pitch a tent and camp anywhere in the country as long as you are at least 50 meters from someone’s home. Indeed, Norwegians are “powered by nature”.It was some of the most breath-taking scenery we had ever experienced and proved the wisdom of Psalm 54:6: “You firmly established the mountains by your power; You are clothed with mightiness”
