August Adventures in Belgium, Germany and......

                  Part of the "Rocky Mountain Strings" group from Salt Lake City touring in Brussels


          This photo was taken after a concert given by the "Rocky Mountain Strings" group from Salt Lake City, who were on tour in Belgium, and then were joining with a simular group in Brussels for workshops and exchanges.  The group consisted of about 25 young musicians playing either the viola or the violin.  Their ages ranged from about eight to sixteen.  Earlier that morning in our sacrament meeting, this group was seated at the front of the chapel throughout the meeting, and then  played the closing song, "Be Still My Soul".

      Having played the violin myself as a youth for several years I was nervous, that with so many young musicians, as to how they would sound.  I know that the violin can produce either painful or pleasurable sounds! When they began the closing song, I held my breath and waited for the screeching to begin.  However, the sound that came forth from their instruments was truly celestial, and touched my soul!!

      When Dad bore his testimony that morning and introduced us on our first fast Sunday, he referred to the young musicians seated before him, and commented that they were about the same number and size of our grandchildren that we had just left behind in Florida.

      That evening this group gave a musical fireside in the Brussels 2nd ward, and the chapel was packed with members and investigators.    At this performance the group was very animated as they played songs from "West Side Story", "Sound of Music" etc., with some country thrown into the mix, and with actions to match!
It was a very delightful evening, and as they boarded their bus, they agreed to pose for this photo.

 
                          
                     

                           Our visit to the Bruxelles Royal Palace with our ward Relief Society Sisters
                                                         

Our Distinguished Escort

       Last week we enjoyed a wonderful tour of the Royal Palace with our Relief Society sisters.  We were escorted by a very dashing and distinguished gentleman in a dark blue suit and purple tie.  Evidently the Palace is opened for free tours to the public for just two weeks in August.  Otherwise you pay!

       Although our group was small, (last week we had 30 in Relief Society, and for the lesson they split for english and french speaking) they represented members from USA, Russia, France, Belgium and the Philipines.  The sister on the right is our relief society president Robin Keesling, whose husband is in Iraq for a year.  Robin assisted with picking us up at the airport along with Elder and Sister Hall.  The cars here are so small, that two cars are needed (or was it because they had heard that the Petersons would have five large suitcases)!!  My guess is that my reputation preceded us!   

      As you can see from the beautiful photos that follow, the palace decor is typical of the grandeur in which the Royalty lived in those days.  I have never seen so many huge chandeliers in one ballroom!  Having a beautiful one of my own in Virginia, my first thought was the hours and weeks it must take to clean them!!!  




                                 
                        Countries represented here are USA, Russia, France, Belgium and the Philipines

Can't you just imagine the grand balls they must have had, and the women in beautiful gowns, with skirts    swirling to the music!  It must have been magical!!!



Our EU Diplomat



                                       Dr. Peterson arrives at the European Union in Bruxelles




                          Europe Area Presidency and Legal Counsel Offices in Frankfurt Germany

 
        Our next adventure took us to Frankfurt, Germany, about a four and a half hour drive from Bruxelles, that is unless you take the wrong exit, and then you can add another hour and a half!  We finally gave up on "Gypsy", our GPS, as the directions she gave us were taking us in circles!!!  She put us back on the freeway three times, when we knew that was not right!  Although we WERE in Frankfurt, it took us that much extra time to find our hotel!!  Talk about frustrating and confusing!!!  We'll see if we can do better as we go to Frankfurt again tomorrow, the 16th of August, 2011.

        Our trip last week was to meet with the European Area Legal Counsel, to go over the agenda for meetings this week with the European Area Presidency.  You kids may remember that Elders Tobler, Rasband and Jensen were in the Area Presidency when we were in Hungary.  Kind of interesting to see where they all used to hang out!!

        As we visited the offices there, we met several folks that we knew previously only through email and phone calls.  I was able to meet our area doctor, who turned out to be the brother of our long time friend Swen Swenson, whom we knew in the singles ward in D.C. so many years ago when we were all at GW.  I believe that John dated or knew Swen's daughter in Hawaii.  Before even knowing the doctor's name...I knew that he had to be Swen's brother, because they looked so much alike!!   As a former mission president's wife whose job it was to oversee the health and well being of all our missionaries, I became very well acquainted with our doctor in the area office.

      As I was visiting with Dr. Swenson, someone came in to tell me that there was a sister from Hungary in the foyer with your father, who needed to leave, but wanted to see me!     I couldn't imagine who that might be.  So I hurried out, and there stood a sister missionary with her companion, doing an exchange with another companionship.  I was not sure who she was, until she told me her name was Sister Bognar, and that she was from the Kecskemet Branch.  She said that when we presided in Hungary, that she was only eleven years old, but that she had never forgotten us!!!  And then she paid us the nicest complement by saying that "all of the members in Hungary still remember and talk about you".  Ohhhh, be still my heart.  Those sweet Hungarian saints.

                                                                Our cute Sister Bognar


       Following a group luncheon at an Indian Restaurant, we left for our return to Bruxelles.  Everything was going just fine, until we came to a fork in the road at Liege, Belgium.  We went right, when we should have gone left!  We knew we were on the wrong road when we passed a sign saying........."Welcome to Nederland"!!!  OOPS!!!!  Well, we enjoyed a late afternoon drive through the beautiful and pristine Dutch countryside, looking for a way to return to the freeway and Bruxelles!!  We asked one Dutch family out for a walk, if they could help us find the road to Bruxelles.   They had a good laugh... which did not make us feel any better, and then sent us on our way to ask again.  The countryside was so peaceful and beautiful, and we soon came upon a lovely country road that was lined with tall trees.  It was so beautiful that we stopped for a photo, and all be darned, the police pulled right in front of us..... to offer their assistance, thank goodness!   They laughed too when we told them we were trying to get to Bruxelles!!!!  Well, the happy ending is, that we finally arrived home safe and sound, although exhausted!

                                                                  
 
                             We send our love to our wonderful family and all our dear friends

                                            Mom and Dad ........Darelyn and David

 

The End of Our First Week!

Dear family and friends,

    It is hard to believe that we arrived one week ago today.  It has been a week of new things and change, in everything we do.  For instance for several days now I have needed to wash some clothes, as our shipment of five boxes have not yet arrived.  But for the life of me, I could not figure out how to operate the small washing machine that is in the third bathroom, right next to the commode, of all places!!!  Honestly, for two days I could not figure out how to put the clothes in the machine.  I could see no way of opening it up!  I ran my hands up and down the sides of the machine, along the bottom, and tried liftng the top, looking for any hint of opening, but to no avail!  The second day I tried again staring at the words and buttons, pushing anything I could, but still no results!

    This morning I was starting to get desperate, but decided that I would ask Elder and Sister Hall  for help when they came by this morning.  So out of frustration I gave it one more tug on the top......and a miracle occured!   The top of that little ole machine just lifted right up, and I stared down into the machine and saw an enclosed round metal drum!    It was like a vault, and now I had to figure out how to open that!!!

    Well, the end of the story is, that with Sister Hall's translation of the meaning of the buttons, I was finally able to wash our clothes..........and now I must say.......that hanging proudly over my bathtub, on strings of long blue cords, is a complete choir of "white angels", singing praises of thanksgiving, that the wash is finally done, and proclaiming in one voice......."Clean at last...clean at last...thank goodness we are clean at last"!!!!!!   It goes without saying, that a dryer will be at the top of my shopping list, but I think it will have to go in the kitchen!  Ha ha!!!

Another Great Day in BB

     The great news is..........that while on a early morning walk yesterday, David came home with the exciting news that he had found me a GYM!!!  Hooray!  He took me promptly back to his discovery, walking on cobbled stone sidewalks about three blocks away.  They have only been open one year, and some pieces of equipment I had never seen before.  I am on a ten day pass, but will join for the year at $20 per month.  I feel so fortunate that it is within walking distance for me. 

      It is interesting that it does not get dark here until almost 10 p.m.  Consequently we have had some late dinners because at 6:00 it seems so early to start dinner. 

      Today, Wednesday, it pretty much rained all day.  Two of the Sisters that you saw on our right side in the photo, came over to help us with some computer issues, and then we all four ventured out in the rain on the metro train, to an office where we were required to register our residency within eight days of our arrival.  We also were able to pay about eight dollars each for a year of travel on the public transportation anywhere in Belgium.  This is a special perk for being a "senior", otherwise that same pass would have been $1,000! 
      
     We love you all and already miss you!!
Mom