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  • Julie Bielenberg

More Adventures!

A log of our adventures from May to July 2024 as Russell and I get to experience a little more of this beautiful world. "Every Day Is An Adventure". Read more
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  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    Brukenthal Palace.

    July 3, 2024 in Romania ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    After our trip to Sibiu the others decided to rest or pack. I chose to take a walk through the gardens - with my brolly as it was still raining. Our hotel is called Palatul Brukenthal Avrig as it is in the Palace Gardens of the Brukenthal Palatul (Palace). I wandered through the lower gardens and ended up where the original palace stands.

    The building of the palace was started by the former governor of Transylvanian, Adolf Nicolaus von Bucow but the constructions were finished by Samuel von Brukenthal. This was his summer palace. It is being restored. At the moment it houses an exhibition of glass as Avrig once was famous for making glass. Also a small 3 room museum showing a typical Transylvanian Saxon home. Then a small area with a few costumes. A family group was in there and I found out there were costumes the visitors could try on - over their clothes for photos.

    The photo in the garden showing Russell, Patty and Mac was taken last night. We had dinner in the garden and then played UNO.

    The last photo is of 3 Romanian women. Scarves are still seen on some women - not many. Colourful skirts and aprons too.    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    Arad then Timișoara.

    July 4, 2024 in Romania ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    We headed off this morning on our last full day in România. The two men have packing the car down to a fine art! Today our destination was Timișoara but we stopped off in Arad first.

    Five years ago we received our call to the Hungary-Romania Mission and I was put in contact with Cristina so I could learn a little Romanian. (Russell had the harder language, Hungarian). As Cristina worked full time she got up at some crazy hour because of the time difference. When I realised the time she was up just for me I suggested I use one of the tutors in Utah but she said no. We thought we would meet in person at some stage and almost did then the borders closed due to the pandemic. Facebook has allowed us to keep in contact and we FINALLY met today in Arad! We didn't get a chance to really tour her city as we were passing through but at least we met and enjoyed time at lunch!

    Russell and I had a special interest in seeing Timișoara. Just 3 weeks before leaving on our mission we were told we would be located in this city. We knew our role was to cover both Hungary and România but until that point we believed our home location would be in Hungary. The missionary department had told the church travel department that was the case and so we were not asked to apply for a Românian visa. It is a long process for Australians and so by just finding out we would have had to delay our mission for up to 6 months. However another couple were assigned to Eger and would arrive around the same time. They too had a role which involved both countries so a swap was done. (Americans could just arrive and organise their visa once in România.) Instead we were reassigned to Eger in Hungary and we were able to leave as planned in October 2019. Of course no-one knew Covid was coming and had we not gone when we did then we simply could not have gone at all.

    Timișoara is very different to Eger. We have discovered that it is a beautiful and large city. (Eger is a beautiful small town.) We know we would have come to love it here had we come, but it was not to be. Instead we found our home away from home in the small town of Eger and loved it there.

    We arrived here early afternoon. We walked from our hotel and explored the city centre. We have found Timișoara to be a lovely city. Many very beautiful buildings, squares and parks.    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    A Folklore Festival in Timișoara.

    July 4, 2024 in Romania ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    We found out that a Folklore Festival is happening now in Timișoara. We didn't get to see the main happenings, a celebration of dance and music of different cultures. We did however see the performers, or some at least, in the city gathering together to parade through the streets to the location of the festival. There were some beautiful costumes. I took so many photos of them standing around, starting the walk etc but may have mixed up some of the countries in these photos.Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    Back in Budapest.

    July 5, 2024 in Hungary ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    We left Romania today.

    In many areas that we have travelled through beautiful sunflower fields are common. Patty and I were hoping for some close-up snaps. We had a chance to stop for these photos just before crossing back into Hungary from Romania.

    After a really wonderful Românian roadtrip, we are back in Budapest, Hungary. The Richards dropped us off at the flat we had booked for tonight and tomorrow night, then went to return the rental car. We will meet them at their hotel tomorrow and have a "farewell dinner" nearby. What a fabulous 12 days we have had. We got to catch up with a couple of people we wanted to see, we saw beautiful scenery, towns and attractions. Not only that, we've had great fun with good friends. What's more, after being in a car with them for 12 days we are still good friends!

    Russell and I are now in an old style Hungarian apartment that has been nicely renovated. We chose this because it is in the next street to the Buda chapel. The plan was to go to church Sunday morning, with our luggage, then get a taxi directly to the airport. Unfortunately our plane departure was brought forward after we booked and we now can't go to church. Had we known we may have booked a hotel closer to the airport .... but as it happens, we are happy being back in a familiar area. The Mission Office is on the floor above the church so we know around here quite well. In fact this apartment block would come very close to backing onto the church building.

    As it happens we are located directly across the road from the best cake shop in Budapest. Luckily, even though it was late afternoon, they still had some Eszterhazy cake left - my favourite Hungarian cake. 😋

    Our dinner at Mezzo Music Restaurant was not just good but outstanding. Hungarian dishes we've never had before. We were quite early as we'd skipped lunch. There were only 6 other customers plus us. We remember President and Sister Hettinger, our Mission Leaders, taking us to lunch here when we first came to Hungary.    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    Thermal Bathing and Opera!

    July 6, 2024 in Hungary ⋅ 🌙 24 °C

    Today was our last full day in Hungary. We had a wonderfully relaxing time at the Gellért Thermal Bath. Budapest and Hungary have many thermal baths. The two best known ones, at least to tourists, are the Széchenyi Baths and the Gellért Baths. Which to choose? In the end we chose Gellért. I had previously toured the Széchenyi Baths so knew what they were like. They are beautiful and the complex is very large attracting many more people. We thoroughly enjoyed just lying back in warm water relaxing. There are 6 inside and 2 outside pools, saunas plus lots of spa treatment rooms. Most people, when we were there, preferred to be on sunbeds in the sun or in the outdoor pools so the inside ones didn't have many people - which was nice for us as we stayed indoors!

    In the late afternoon we had a booking to tour the State Opera House. What an amazing building. We were treated to 10 minutes from an Italian Opera at the end.

    Finally for the day, a farewell dinner with Patty and Mac, our good friends and travelling companions these past 12 days. We ate at an excellent Japanese restaurant right near the Danube. We will miss them!    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    A Sleepover in München. 🇩🇪

    July 7, 2024 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Here we are in Munich. We arrived at the airport to learn the plane was delayed 30 minutes. Our notification of the change came after we had arrived. Then after we were on board we waited over 20 minutes before we backed out of the gate. However there was a silver lining to all of this as by waiting 30 minutes we were able to check in and offload our suitcases for tomorrow's flight. (Lufthansa allows you to do that 23 hours before your flight time).

    With the delays it seems we took all day to take a short flight but we got here in the end. After booking into our hotel we took a walk into part of the old town. We are only a kilometre from the Marienplatz so quite central. We have been to Munich a couple of times before but still wanted to have a bit of a wander about. There are beautiful buildings here, it's a really pretty city.

    We were surprised by the very large number of groups of men, both young and middle aged. There were families, and no doubt tourists like us, but heaps of males many not speaking German. Most seemed to be of a middle eastern origin. We assume it's because with the refugee crisis Germany opened their borders to all who wanted to come.

    The light was fading as I took most of the photos. The day was not a sunny one in the first place apparently. We left sunny 30ish weather in Budapest to be greeted with a cool 19C and cloudy. The rain has stopped though. Tomorrow should be beautiful with a top of 24C.

    The first collage - photos taken on the plane. These really cute and delicious 'soccer ball' chocolates were handed out to passengers. (A Macadamia nut cream filling covered in white chocolate, decorated with dark chocolate - yum!). It was a Lufthansa flight and the Euro2024 championships are being hosted here in Germany. It's the semi-finals this week.

    The final lot of photos were taken from the airport bus as we approached the city. The airport is about 37km out of town.    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    Goodbye Europe 🏰 G'day USA 🇺🇲

    July 8, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Our European holiday is over. We explored just a small part of Europe but have seen so much! It has been wonderful.

    Things will slow down now as we have some time with our family in New Hampshire. Time to relax a bit. We flew to Boston this afternoon and our son-in-law Keith collected us tonight at the airport. Nerissa and the girls are at a Young Women's Camp for a couple of days so we are yet to see them. Tomorrow we have a day of absolutely nothing and will then go to the camp on Wednesday!

    It's almost 4am by our Central European body clock but we are now located in the north east of the USA and it's nearly 10pm.

    We had a free morning in Munich. Having seen the usual sights a couple of times previously we signed up for a "Third Reich and WW2 walking tour". It was fascinating - absolutely fascinating. Our guide delved into Munich’s dark past and we learnt about the birth of the Nazi ideology. We went to sites that provided backdrops to Adolf Hitler and his followers as they set about founding the Third Reich, giving Munich its title as the ‘Capital of the Nazi Movement.’ I wish I could write down all the great stories we heard but I need some sleep!    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    YW Camp.

    July 10, 2024 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 26 °C

    We spent today working in the kitchen at the Young Women's Camp that Charlotte and Josie are attending. Nerissa is also staying at the camp and works in the kitchen every day. Even though we only saw the girls briefly at meal times it was good that we did that - especially as today is Josie's 13th birthday.

    Zion's Camp is owned by the church and located in Raymond NH. Two senior couple service missionaries are assigned there from May to October. Not a mission I'd enjoy but they were happy and it's not their first summer there.

    One of Nerissa's friends is the main cook. She organises all the meals and is amazing. Preparing 3 meals and supper every day for up to 100 people is no mean feat and the meals today were far from regular camp food.

    The campsite was in a very picturesque area. The lake is pretty and as the weather has been so hot the water was warm. It's a shallow lake.

    The hot very humid weather was oppressive and sweat dripped off us. It was quite exhausting and we were only there most of one day. We will sleep really well tonight.    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    Josie's Weekend.

    July 14, 2024 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 24 °C

    Since Josie was at the YW camp on her birthday, yesterday (Saturday) was set aside as "Josie's Day". She chose for us to go to lunch at her favourite restaurant, La Carreta. It's a Mexican restaurant in nearby Manchester. Later on we drove to the Ellacoya State Park. It's a public recreation area located on the southwest shore of Lake Winnipesaukee in Gilford, New Hampshire. The state park has 600 feet (183m) of beachfront, swimming, boating, picnicking, and campground. It was a very hot day and apparently the beach area would have wall to wall people during the day, it's a very popular spot. We went in the late afternoon. The water was not cold but refreshing. Quite shallow in most of the cordoned off areas where boats etc are not allowed. The town of Laconia is also on the lake and I thought it was a really lovely town. The whole area is very pretty. In fact all of New Hampshire is very pretty.

    Today we went to church and later we had a birthday dinner for Josie. Keith's mum Dotty joined us. She is looking a little frail and hasn't been really well, but it was nice to see her again.    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    The Boston Temple.

    July 16, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    It is Tuesday in our final week in NH already. We travelled to the Boston Temple tonight and attended a baptism session. It is such a beautiful temple and it was so lovely to see Charlotte and Josie participating in this important work. It seems to be a tradition that the Weiss family stops off at Chick-fil-A in Nashua on their way home.

    Yesterday Nerissa's friends Britton visited. She is a travel agent who specialises in Italy and Europe and wanted to know all about our trip. She was the cook/meal planner at the camp and loves cooking. She had Russell show her how he could his caramel bananas. In the early evening we saw Charlotte in a practice soccer match. The coaches of both teams, Concord and Bow, were basically testing out a while pile of girls and getting then for first their respective school tryouts which are just before school returns. So it wasn't a serious game but all the same Bow (Charlotte's team) were convincing winners 8 or more to zero. High scoring for soccer. ⚽    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    Charlotte's birthday.

    July 17, 2024 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    Charlotte celebrated her 15th birthday at Hampton Beach NH. How quickly these girls are growing up. New Hampshire has the shortest coastline in the United States at roughly 18 miles or 29 kms.

    The Atlantic Ocean was freezing cold. I tested it out to about mid calf depth. It was an easy decision to abandon all thoughts of changing into my togs and going for a dip 🥶Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    A Couple of Quiet Days.

    July 19, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    It's been a lovely restful couple of days. Yesterday we went bowling but a different type of bowling to standard 10 pin bowls.

    Candlepin bowling is a variation of bowling that is played primarily in the Canadian Maritime provinces and the New England region of the United States. It is played with a handheld-sized ball and tall, narrow pins that resemble candles, hence the name. The smaller ball is obviously much lighter than the standard 10 pin ball. It only weighs 1.0-1.1kg. There are a few different rules. You get 3 balls per turn. Pins you knock down aren't swept away. If you knock all 10 pins down on the 2nd ball it is a strike but not if it happens on the 3rd. (I felt robbed when that happened!)

    We went for ice-cream after the bowling and then wandered over to the grounds of the Capital Building (officially known as The New Hampshire State House). It's a beautiful building. We have toured it previously.

    We have been playing lots of card games and board games with the family. Watched a few movies and generally had a lovely restful time.    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    A Walk in the Woods.

    July 20, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Today we drove north for an hour or so to Moultonborough. The drive to the area took us through the picturesque lakeside town of Meredith then we drove up a mountain to the Castle In The Clouds Conservation Area.

    We saw beautiful views from the top of the mountain then went for a hike through the woods. We took the Brook Walk Trail. It takes you alongside a brook or creek. It takes you alongside a brook or creek and you pass 7 waterfalls. In spring after the snow melts there is a lot of water rushing down the creek so more impressive waterfalls than we saw. Summer has been drier than usual but we still thought the waterfalls were really pretty.    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    Goodbye 🇺🇲 ... Hello 🇨🇦

    July 22, 2024 in Canada ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

    It's never easy saying goodbye to family and it doesn't get easier with practice 😥

    We left the Weiss family last night and caught the Concord Coach to Boston. We stayed at a hotel by the airport and today flew to Toronto first up then a connecting flight to Vancouver, British Columbia Canada. We have just a few days in Canada then fly home to Australia on Saturday night.

    After church yesterday Charlotte shared her Patriarchal Blessing with us. It is so beautiful with lots of great advice and potential blessings. She said she felt she wasn't from the tribe of Ephraim and she was right! I have never heard of anyone from the tribe of Gad before!!

    After lunch Charlotte got her trumpet and Josie her Bass. They played a little and then swapped to guitars. It was lovely. We will certainly miss them.

    Nadine arrived at Boston airport this morning. We didn't see her but we're both there at the same time! She was in Utah for the weekend and attended the Morgan High School Reunion. She waited until Holly left for her term in the country at the MLC campus at Marshmead near Mallacoota. All year 9 girls at MLC spend one term there. Nadine will spend a few days with Nerissa before flying home.    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    Vancouver & Grouse Mountain.

    July 23, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    We like Vancouver, it is a really nice city. We are staying in a great area only 6 km from the city. We have public transport 2 minutes away as well as good restaurants. The public transport system is really good.

    We saw around the waterfront area today but we spent most of the day on nearby Grouse Mountain. The gondola ride up, and then later on the chairlift to the peak, allowed us to see gorgeous views over Vancouver as well as into the forest and mountains. We managed to see the 2 bears that have a habitat there. There are plenty of activities to choose from. We enjoyed the light hearted lumberjack show.

    Back in the city we went to the Flyover immersive show where you feel like you are flying over parts of Canada. Not for those who get motion sickness! It was very impressive.    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    Granville Island.

    July 24, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    We had a full day exploring more of Vancouver today. One of our favourite places was Granville Island.

    According to a local tourism website: "This large sandbar and former industrial site is now a posh, artsy neighborhood filled with quaint shops, eateries, breweries, and year-round arts and cultural festivals. Located in False Creek, it’s famous for the Granville Island Public Market where you can get fresh produce, gourmet food, and artisanal handicrafts."

    The last 2 photos were of Chinatown and Gastown where there is a steam clock. It's the world's second steam powered clock and one of few in the world. It sounds the Westminster “chime” and hisses vapour every 15mins. (The clock's mechanism is actually driven by electricity; only the pipes on top are steam fuelled!)    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    Stanley Park.

    July 24, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Stanley Park was lovely. It's large and a beautiful park. At the moment the roses are gorgeous - we timed that well. There's lots of lawns, woods, an aquarium, totem poles, sports areas. A seawall where you can walk, jog, cycle etc... , lakes ... Lots more than we could see in the few hours we were there.Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    Contrasts.

    July 24, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    The last few posts showed the beauty of Vancouver. The location is so pretty, as well as the parks, buildings, artworks etc.

    However after all the beauty of Vancouver, we did see part of the ugly side of the city today. The tourist buses won't take you along a certain part of Hastings Street but a local bus we caught happened to. I was shocked at how bad things were in this part (of approximately 3 blocks) of the street. So many of the people there cannot stand but are fully bent over permanently. It was a tragically sad sight seeing so many so affected by drugs. The slum area we happened across in Romania was way better than this. The people there had make-do houses and whole families were there. They were not at all like the sad drug affected people we saw today.

    The first photo is of the very impressive library building. The last photo shows the 2010 Olympic Torch lit during those Olympic Games. We saw the torch today but it was not lit.    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    The Butchart Gardens.

    July 25, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    We arose early on Thursday as we needed to be at the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal early for an 8am sailing to Victoria on Vancouver Island. It was a lovely trip passing several islands.

    John and Jan Sobkowicz picked us up and spent the day sharing some of their beautiful island with us. Jan and John were Self Reliance Missionaries in Melbourne around 2016-2018. We got to know them and have kept in occasional contact.

    They took us to the world famous Butchart Gardens. The floral displays there were magnificent. We were in awe of the beauty.    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    More of Vancouver Island.

    July 25, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    This entry shows more of the beautiful Butchart Gardens. After spending time in this gorgeous place Jan and John took us to the waterfront in Victoria, the island's capital. We saw the impressive Parliament Building. The city seemed really nice.

    On the way to their home in Nanaimo we stopped off for a short time at a park (Goldstream?) just a bit north of Victoria. It was dinner time by the time we got to Nanaimo so we stopped at a restaurant there for dinner. Jan and John we remembered as advised games fans - card games and board games. They still are, particularly Jan, so once back at their home we played a game unknown to us called Wizard. They have a lovely home but are thinking they may sell and move to Victoria once they know the location of the newly announced (April '24) temple.

    We had a fabulous day and we're grateful we have kept in contact with this good couple.    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    Back to Vancouver.

    July 26, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    We slept well in the Sobkowicz home! Jan made waffles for breakfast and we then played Five Crowns until it was time to leave for the ferry from Duke Point Nanaimo to Tsawwassen near Vancouver.

    We had forgotten, prior to the trip, that Jan and John are birdwatchers. They have bird feeders outside their lounge room and a large variety of birds cane early to eat. I saw 2 types of woodpeckers, various finches and other birds I can't recall the names of!

    The ferry trip back was again a great trip. Jan and John came with us as they were working in the temple in the evening then starting with their daughter nearby. The Sobkowicz's dropped us at a SkyTrain station and we were able to get home easily without taking them out of their way and making them late. We'd have liked to have gone to the Vancouver Temple but discovered it is a long way out of town and not in Vancouver at all. To get home we'd have needed a reasonable walk, a bus, a train, another bus and a short walk. So were headed back to our flat to pack or bags! We did have a great time on Vancouver Island.

    The last photo was from Goldstream Park yesterday.    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    Capilano Suspension Bridge.

    July 27, 2024 in Canada ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    For our last day in Vancouver we visited the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. We walked across the bridge, completed the Treetops Walk and the Cliff Walk. The set up there is really well done and we enjoyed our visit.Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    More at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park.

    July 27, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    More photos from our day at the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. The bridge was very high up but not scary - well not for us.

    The dry summer has meant the creek in the gorge is not very big. The bottom of the last collage shows a photo I found that gives an idea of how it looks with much more water.Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    Home in Melbourne.

    July 29, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    We are home in Melbourne. Tonight we get to sleep in our own bed!

    After our day at the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park in Vancouver on Saturday (27/7) we caught the train to the airport. Our flight left about 9.20pm (2:20pm Sunday in Melbourne) and we arrived ahead of schedule in Sydney at 5:15am this morning (Monday). A long flight. Being so early meant we were extremely quick through immigration and customs. Our flight to Melbourne however kept being delayed and didn't leave until about 9:10am today. By the time we reached home it was a bit after 12:30pm so we are rather tired. These long flights are pretty brutal regardless of the class of travel when you don't get much sleep. They are getting tougher as we age.
    I have decided long flights are a bit like childbirth. Not fun to go through but you tend to forget how bad the pain was and go ahead and plan more if you want to go overseas again (or have another baby)!

    Qantas has not been (and still isn't) my favourite airline but the service this trip was very impressive I must admit. We have had a mix of airlines on this Round the World trip. Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, Canada Air and Qantas.

    It's always nice to arrive home after being away. We have been incredibly fortunate to see so many amazing places. It took a lot of planning but was certainly worth it. Our epic adventure has finished and so this is the last entry of this travel log.

    The big question now: Where will we plan to go next??    Read more

    Trip end
    July 29, 2024
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