The Church in Europe

Dallan and I were blessed to spend two Sundays in Europe. Our first Sunday was in Prague. We took the bus to the building where church was held and were touched by the warm welcome of the members. They had arranged for a translator to help us understand the services, and they were so kind to us.  I loved hearing the hymns sung in Czech, and I loved watching the little boys sitting next to us with their mother. 

 That evening the girls did a fireside for the members and investigators. They sang "I know that My Redeemer Lives" and touched every heart in attendance. Then we were blessed to hear from Megan, one of the girls, and a Czech Member of the church who told us more about the history of the church in Prague.

While we were in Vienna we also had the opportunity to attend church. We were again warmly welcomed and given translator head sets so we could understand the services. The girls sang their song as a musical number and did a beautiful job. One of my favorite moments was when all of our headsets suddenly blasted static into our ears! It was so funny to watch everyone yank their head sets off in a hurry! That night we attended another fireside where a member of the stake presidency spoke about the church in Austria. I was really touched to hear the stories of the saints in this part of the world.

 Even though we were oceans away from our LDS church building, the spirit was just the same. I felt at home.

Austria: St. Stephan's Cathedral

Fascinating Facts about St. Stephan's Cathedral

1)  St. Stephan's has an ornately patterned roof covered by 230,000 tiles! 
2)  The composer Beethoven discovered the totality of his deafness when he saw birds flying out of the bell tower, but he could not hear the bells that startled them. 

3)  The massive south tower is it's highest point and a dominant feature of the Vienna skyline We climbed it!)
4)  The North tower was supposed to mirror the south tower, but it was too great an endeavor.  There were so many accidents that the people believed the devil was up there!

Our favorite part of the cathedral was actually what was underneath!  We went into the catacombs and had a fascinating glimpse of the past!  The underground burial chamber has around 10,000 bodies.  In one room there are fifty six urns containing the intestines of the Hapsburg royalty.  I asked our tour guide if they ever open them up.  He said that didn't but sometimes they leak and they have to reseal them.  He told us that a few years ago, one urn started to leak and they had to shut the whole cathedral down for weeks because the smell was so unbearable!
Also in the catacombs there are huge rooms filled floor to ceiling with thousands of bones stacked on top of each other.  There was also a huge pit where victims of the plague were victims of the plague were thrown. It was so intriguing!  I felt like Indiana Jones!

We weren't allowed to take pictures but I found some great pictures here! 

 You can see more pictures of this beautiful cathedral and can read more fascinating facts here.

Austria: Schonbrunn Palace

Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna is one of the most important cultural monuments in Austria and is one of Europe's most popular attractions.  Mozart appeared before the court here to perform at the age of six!   You can read more about it's history here.  

Dallan and I went on a tour of the palace and were in awe at the beauty and grandeur of it's interior.  We were also captivated  by the beauty of the gardens, the sculptures, fountains, and hedged mazes.  The story of Emperor Franz Joseph's wife, Elisabeth was also so intriguing!  You can read more about her here.  Her story would make a great movie!

(From newworldencylopeida.org)

Schönbrunn was built to be on a par with the palace of Versailles in terms of Baroque beauty as well as cultural and political significance, but the House of Habsburg did not have the resources to outdo its French rival. In earlier times, Schönbrunn served as the summer place of residence for the various Habsburg rulers, who used it as a base to exert their power across Europe. Emperor Franz Joseph (ruled: 1848-1916), was born there in 1830 and spent the last years of his life exclusively in Schönbrunn. In 1918, the palace became the property of the new Austrian republic.

Austria: Mozart & Strauss Concert

While we were in Vienna we attended at Mozart & Strauss concert. What an amazing experience it was to listen to the beautiful Blue Danube with the Danube River just miles away.  The orchestra was splendid and had us laughing one minute and moved to tears the next.  I could have listened all night...

Beautiful Vienna

After we arrived in Vienna we immediately went to a schnitzel restaurant then spent the evening strolling through the city.  The historic center is filled with baroque beauty including castles and gardens, grand historical buildings, sculptures, cathedrals and monuments.  It was simply stunning~ 

Eating in Austria

efore Dallan and I left on our trip we vowed to eat as much of the local cuisine as we could!  There were so many things that we enjoyed:

We loved gelato! It seemed like there were gelato stands on every corner in Prague and Vienna, and we made sure we tried almost every flavor! 

When we arrived in Vienna we all went to a Schnitzel restaurant so we could  try the traditional dish! It was delicious and filled our bellies to the brim!  

I loved all of the corner cafes and the bratwurst stands!  

The bakeries were delightful.  The bread was delicious, 

and the chocolate was melt-in-your-mouth amazing!

We didn't bring home a lot of souvenirs, but we brought home loads of chocolate!  

Austria: Mauthausen Concentration Camp

When we finished our time in Prague, we boarded a tour bus and headed to Austria!  Our tour Guide, Fritz, was delightful, and he even turned on the Sound of Music for us to watch as we drove through the country side!  The rolling hills were beautiful and little towns that dotted the countryside were so charming. It was everything I imagine it would be.  I wanted to jump off of the bus and sing The Hills are Alive...!  

When we arrived in Austria, our first stop was Mauthausen, a concentration camp that grew to be one of the largest labor camps in German controlled Europe.  Mauthausen was mostly used for extermination through labor and the death toll is remains unknown though most sources estimate 320,000 for the entire complex.

Walking though the camp was a sobering and humbling experience.  The barbed wire and barred windows were in stark contrast to the rolling hills and wildflowers just outside the gates.  I was moved to tears as we walked by the fences where many were electrocuted. We walked along a wall where hundreds of prisoners were lined up and executed.  We walked down into the gas chamber and passed the incinerators where the bodies were burned.  We passed by countless photographs of victims and smelled the flowers that were still being placed there for loved ones.  

We looked through barbed wire fences saw watch towers and an ash dump.  We walked down to the quarry and saw the "Stairs of Death" Where Prisoners were forced to carry  blocks of stone weighing as much as 110 pounds up the 186 stairs.  We learned that the exhausted prisoners would often  collapse and fall on top of each other creating a horrific domino effect domino effect down the stairs.  We also learned that often the SS guards would force prisoners to race to the top of the stairs only to line up those who survived giving them the option of being shot or pushing the prisoner in front of him off the cliff.

As we walked through photographs that depicted the horrible events that took place here, I also saw quiet courage, and faith.  I was filled with pride as I watched the American soldiers liberate the camp, and I was touched as I read through the many monuments placed here by countries around the world.  I will never forget the quiet and tender feelings of my heart as I walked through this place and I promised myself that I would never forget.  

You can read more about Mauthausen here and here. You can see a map with a descriptions of each area and photographs here.

Prague: Pankrac Prison

While we were in Prague Dallan and I had a unique glimpse of our family history.  Seventy three years ago Dallan's grandpa served an LDS mission in Czechoslovakia.  It was a neat experience to know that Grandpa had walked many of the same streets that we were walking.  In 1939 Dallan's grandpa was put into Pankrac Prison, a large prison on the outskirts of Prague.  Dallan and I spent an afternoon using the metro and maps to find the prison where Grandpa was held.  You can read more about the prison here and here.

While Grandpa was serving his mission tensions began to heat up between Germany and the rest of Europe.  Soon the Nazis took over Czechoslovakia, and Grandpa was in the city of Brno when Hitler came in as part of a military parade.  He took several pictures and was so close that Hitler's mustache is easily visible in the photographs.  

Because tensions were so high, many of the Jewish people were trying to flee the country.  They commonly asked the missionaries to change their Czech money for American money because American money would help them to flee the country easier.  This practice was eventually declared illegal by the German government.  However, a lady who the missionaries thought was a sincere investigator of the church asked the missionaries if they would make a money exchange for her.  When the missionaries went to meet her to see if there were other ways they could help, the women turned out to be a Gestapo informant.  The missionaries were met by Gestapo agents and their room was ransacked and searched.  They were detained for hours while they were interrogated because the Germans assumed they were helping the Jewish people to escape.  Grandpa and 3 other missionaries were incarcerated  while the Germans tried to find evidence and extort the church for money.  

They were each placed in different cells.  In Grandpa's cell there was Englishman and a member of the Austrian underground resistance.  They were not allowed to shower or shave.  The food was terrible, and they even made chess pieces out of their bread because it was so hard and impossible to eat.  They had one small window in their cell that they weren't supposed to look out, but they were still able to sneak  an occasional glimpse.  

Grandpa was in prison for 6 weeks before the church was able to negotiate the release of the 4 missionaries.  They were evacuated with the rest of the missionaries and traveled through Germany on their way home.  They were in Berlin on September 1, 1939- the day World War 2 was officially declared. 

They continued to travel through Denmark and embarked across the Atlantic with 200 other passengers on a boat meant for 12.

The prison experience was difficult and Grandpa suffered the effects of malnutrition for the rest of his life. However, his testimony of the gospel was always strong.  He served twice as a bishop and was in the stake presidency for almost 20 years.  He even went on another mission with Grandma Bishop where he continued to share his love of the Gospel.  

What a wonderful example he is of remaining faithful even in difficult circumstances.

(Pictures taken by grandpa in Brno) 

Prague International Dance Festival

hile we were in Prague we spent several evenings watching the BYU Cougarettes compete in an international dance festival. It was quite a treat to watch them perform with companies from all over the world! The Cougarettes were stunning and won the grand prize of the competition!  Their competitors gave them a standing ovation and held their hands over their hearts to express their love and admiration. The girls were also voted as the most friendly team and really touched the hearts of the girls they interacted with.

Prague: The Jewish Quarter

One of our favorite days in Prague was spent in the Jewish Quarter.  I was especially touched by the Pinkas Synagogue where the walls are inscribed with 80,000 names of Jewish holocaust victims. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, but we were able to take pictures outside the synagogues. 

(Text from aviewoncities.com)
 The Jewish Ghetto was created when the Jewish community in the city of Prague was ordered to leave their homes in various parts of town and settle in one single area. As centuries past, the area grew and grew and became more crowded as Prague continued to impose laws that forbid the Jews to live anywhere else in the city.

 There were also restrictions placed on the movement of the Jews that settled in this community as well as on trades they were allowed to conduct. These restrictions changed every now and then but greatly affected the lifestyle of the Jewish settlers here. The Jewish Quarter in Prague contains the most well-preserved Jewish historical monuments in Europe.

Six synagogues still stand in this region in addition to the historic Jewish Town Hall and the Old Jewish Cemetery, considered one of the most remarkable burial grounds of its kind in Europe. Several of the synagogues feature museum-like Spanish Synagogue exhibits outlining the history of the Jews in this region of Europe.

After World War II, the Pinkas Synagogue was turned into a Memorial to the Jews of Bohemia and Moravia who were murdered by the Nazis and its walls are inscribed with 80,000 names of Jewish victims.Josefov's Old-New Synagogue is the oldest preserved synagogue in Central Europe. Built in the late 13th century, it is of early Gothic style and features marvelous intricate stonework. All interior furnishings are originals. This synagogue now serves as the main house of prayer for Prague's Jewish community.

Prague Castle

(You can see the compound with the cathedral at the top of the picture above)
The Prague Castle compound contains  the largest ancient castle in the world!  Constructed in the 9th century by Prince Bořivoj, the castle transformed itself from a wooden fortress surrounded by earthen bulwarks to the imposing form it has today. Rulers made their own additions so there is a mixture of styles. Prague castle has had four major reconstructions, but it keeps its classical face lift it took on in the 18 century during the reign of Maria Theresa. The castle has three courtyards and it has always been the seat of Czech rulers as well as the official residence.
When we left for our trip, the only thing Mitchell asked for was a map of a castle, and this compound was the perfect place to get one! (and he loved it!)

(all historical text was taken from www.prague.cz) 

St Vitus Cathedral (Katedrála Sv. Víta)

The Castle compound also contains St. Vitus Cathedral.  The cathedral's foundation stone was laid in 1344 by Emperor Charles IV. The first architect was Matthias of Arras, after his death Petr Parler took over and completed much of the structure in late-Gothic style. Over the following centuries renaissance and baroque details were added and the job was completed in 1929. The most beautiful of numerous side chapels, Parler's Chapel of St Wenceslas, houses the crown jewels and the tomb of “Good King” Wenceslas. 

There are many superb examples of 20th century Czech stained glass and marvellous pieces of art, for example a wooden relief by Caspar Bechterle that shows the escape of Frederik of the Palatinate from Prague in 1621, and wooden Crucifixion by František Bílek 

The Royal Crypt contains the remains of Charles IV, Wenceslas IV, George of Poděbrady and Rudolf II. 

Golden Lane (Zlatá ulička)

Named after the goldsmiths who lived here in the 17th century, Golden Lane is popular with its tiny colourful houses built right into the arches of the Castle walls. In the 18th and 19th centuries they were occupied by squatters, later it was the home of the writer France Kafka (house 22) and the Nobel-laureate poet Jaroslaf Seifert. Most of them are souvenir shops today. 

Dallan and I loved browsing each of the little houses and getting a feel for what life on the castle grounds was like.  Our boys would have loved the long hallways of armor and weapons! At one of the little shops we purchased a little knight figures for each of them!

Prague: Windows and Flowers

While we were in Prague and Austria I was completely charmed by windows. Windows everywhere were adorned with flower boxes that were so cheerful.  Even in the barest apartment building you could find windows with flowers draping the sills.  Whenever I saw a happy window I'd try to imagine the person who lived there.  It made me want to find more ways to make the world more beautiful. 

This window made me smile. 

 I loved the flower baskets and the laundry hanging together.  

Someone delightful lives there, I just know it!   

Prague: River Cruise

While we were in Prague we were able to go on a river cruise down the Vltava river! The view of the city was spectacular!

Prague: The Astronomical Clock

Prague absolutely took my breath away!  Even the street lamps, the old doors, and cobblestone roads were oozing with History.  Everywhere I looked there was a story to be told.  

The medieval astronomical clock adorns the southern wall of the Old Town City Hall in Old Town square. It announces every hour with 12 apostles passing by the window above the astronomical dial and with symbolic sculptures moving aside. 

The wooden figures of apostles with their attributes appear in the windows every hour, while at the same time some of the sculptures begin to move: the Death holds its hourglass and beckons to the Turkish man sculpture, which shakes its head in response. There is Vanity portrayed as a man with a mirror and Miserliness as a man with a moneybag, shaking a stick. The other statues, that don´t move, are an Astronomer, a Chronicler, a Philosopher and an Angel. When the apostles finish their journey, the golden cockerel at the top crows and quivers its wings, the bell rings and the clock chimes the hour.

The astronomical dial shows the medieval perception of the Universe: the Earth is the center. The blue part of the dial represents the sky above the horizon, the brown part the sky below it. 

(Text from www.prague.cz)

I wish the clock could have made time pass more slowly while we were in this beautiful city!

Prague: Charles Bridge

One of the first places we visited in Prague was Charles Bridge. It is an amazing stone Gothic Bridge that was commissioned by the Czech King and Holy Roman Emperor Charles the IV and began in 1357! It is even said that egg yolks were mixed into the mortar to strengthen the construction of the bridge.

Along both sides of the bridge there are many Baroque statues. The most popular statue is probably the one of St. John of Nepomuk, a Czech martyr saint who was executed during the reign of Wenceslas IV by being  thrown into the Vltava from the bridge. The plaque on the statue has been polished to a shine by countless people having touched it over the centuries. Touching the statue is supposed to bring good luck and ensure your return to Prague! (text from myczechrepublic.com)