The office shuts down for the Easter season. Marilynn and I took a trip across Germany (just 3 hours from Frankfurt) to the east side of the country--close to Poland. Our first stop was the Goebel (Hummel) Factory outlet. Here is David in front.

Then we went to Kulmbach. This is the house where I lived when I was a young 
missionary there. That would have been in 1963.

As we were traveling through the countryside, Marilynn stopped and took a picture of the Easter decorations.

This is the Hotel we stayed in. It is in a dorf named Zell. It was in a very old building (1831) and the room was real old, but the people were really nice. The name of the place was the Rotes Ross (Red Horse).

For dinner David had this Schnitzel and onions.

We went to the Rosenthal outlet and Marilynn took a picture of some the plates.

This the view out of the window at the Rosenthal outlet.

We tried to go to Church in Bayreuth, but could not find it. We will have to figure out what happened. But here is David standing in front of the Opera House. As a young missionary he lived in the house to the right. The room is on the third floor at the left-next to the opera house!

This is the back of Wahnfried, the home of Richard Wagner. His grave is the stone in the foreground.

Not far away, is the New Castle park. This is the pond reflecting the trees

This is a bust of Ludwig II, the so called "crazy king of Bavaria." He is best known for his castles--of which Neuschwanstein is the most famous. Disney used it to inspire the Disney castles. Ludwig and Wagner were friends and a bust of Ludwig is in front of Wagner's home.

Across the street from Wagner's home is the home of Franz Liszt. Liszt was also well known and married Wagner's daughter.

Here is the entrance to Liszt's home It is now a museum.

Here is a statue on a fountain that David remembers from 50 years ago.

This is the county office building

This animal is part of a lost world. The little girl doesn't seem to be afraid.

This is Richard Wagner's Festspiel Haus. He built it with special acoustics
 for his operas. It allows the orchestra to play triple fortissimo and the tiny soprano to still be heard.

This is a road sign in the middle of nowhere. You can try to figure out where we were if you are so inclined.

This is a village nestled in the rock formations.

Finally this old wood frame house with a Crucifix reminds one and all that the day was in fact Easter, and we should never forget the life, teachings, sacrifice, and atonement of the one who overcame death for everyone.

These are a few pictures from Cyprus. We started in Paphos. There were a bunch of ancient grave sites by our hotel that we had to explore when we got there. This is Easter when we remember the Savior's rise from the tomb. Paphos is full of this kind of grave sites from the early Christian period.

 From the bottom of the tomb, you can look up the stairs cut from stone to see the light. I think this picture represents the hope we have to ascend above the mortal aspects of life and into the light.

This is an Odeon or Greek theater. Here we have a lighthouse in the background and  Marilynn with her back to us. (I never let her know when I will take a picture) 

This is the Harbor at Old Paphos. I was surprised to see that Captain Nemo comes here to rest and recuperate. I am not sure what lies 20,000 leagues under the see from here...

This area is know as the Tombs of the Kings--also near Paphos. These tombs are cut out of the stone and very impressive. However, they say the people buried here were not kings, but just wealthy people. There are ancient things all around here. 

We thought this was both attractive and symbolic. Among the ruins of the past clings a fragile, but attractive flower. Life, death, and beautiful renewed life. 

 Here we have Marilynn down in the tombs. This place would make a good set for an Indiana Jones sequel.

 These markers were placed in front of the graves. I don't know the whole story but they remind me of the Egyptian sunrise and sunset hieroglyphs. Think "transformation", "hprw", and "it came to pass". They also resemble the Minoan "horns of consecration".  Check with Uncle Ron.

 Here is David standing at the entrance to one of the tombs. Note the carving above the door that has been preserved for centuries.

 Some may recall that the Apostle Paul and Barnabas began their first Mission in Cyprus. They left from Paphos. This stone pillar is called the Pillar of Paul. Here the apostle was tied to the pillar and beaten for preaching the gospel.

This poor guy is a red snapper. However, he has snapped his last snap. He became our dinner one evening in Paphos. 

One last look at the Harbor in Paphos where Paul began his first mission. 

 This is the beach in Limassol, Cyprus. Although the banks had all been closed when we were there, the real reason the beach was empty is that the tourist season has not quite begun.

 Here you see Marilynn on the pier in Larnaca, Cyprus. You can see the beach, the medieval castle/fortress and a Muslim Minaret.

 Here we are having Sunday dinner with the Christensen's. They are great senior missionaries that invite the missionaries, some members, and friends to their apartment for a meal. There were two people waiting for baptism when we started. By the time we left, another investigator had committed to baptism. They all are good friends and had a good time.

 While Frankfurt is still trying to switch from winter to spring, Cyprus is like the Garden of Eden. This is the parking lot in Nicosia, Cyprus. It is a beautiful land and it is so sad that they have such a problem with the government and banks.

This is a photo of our room in Paphos. It had Roman artwork everywhere. It was exciting to see--but the bed was awful! 

 This is an action mosaic from the Paphos Roman ruins. These floors are quite decorative and it is amazing that they date back to just after the time of Christ.

 This is the Church of Lazerus in Larnaca, Cyprus. The story is that after Lazerus was raised from the dead by Jesus, Lazerus fled from Judea to Cyprus to avoid being slain by the Jews that did not like have a living witness walking around. However, although there is a tomb beneath this Church, Lazerus is no longer here. He was sold to a church in France so they could have a relic.

We traveled south to perform the audits of all church units in Greece and Cyprus. First in Greece. This is a picture of the Acropolis that shows part of the Parthenon. This is in the center of Athens which is one of the oldest cities in the world. In the foreground you can see Hadrian's arch. Two branches of the church meet across the street from Hadrian's arch.

This another shot of the Acropolis from the new museum. Our hotel was close to the museum. The weather was great and when we were not auditing, we took some pictures.

Here is Marilynn on top of Mars Hill. From here the apostle Paul preached of the unknown  God to the people of ancient Athens. Now it seems to be a favorite hang-out for the young people of Athens.

This is David and Marilynn at the temple of Zeus in Athens. In the background you can see the Acropolis. Everywhere there are ruins of the Greek golden age. Myth and legend spring to life all around.

From Athens we flew north to the Biblical town that received exhortations from Paul while he was in Athens. Below is an Orthodox Church in Thessalonica. Actually, he wrote twice to them!

This is along the shore line of Thessalonica. In the background is the White Tower. It is a landmark.

This is a little closer to the White Tower. It has been used for various purposes over the years, but today it is mostly a landmark

This young man was confirmed a member of the Church on November 27, 1968 by Allan F. Packer in Venezuela. His name is Theadoro Fuchs. It turns out we have been working with his son Henry in the office in Bad Homburg (Henry is in the MSR Department). Henry is German, but his family lived for years in South America. They have returned to their roots and hope to stay in Germany.

Henry invited us to dinner this week. Here is my plate of food. The red potato salad was really good. The red color comes from beets. The round corn bread, chicken, and eggs completed the meal.

 Here are Elder and Sister Madsen on Henry's deck. He lives in a beautiful house in Neu Anspach.

 This is the Senior Missionaries meeting for lunch during Zone Conference. Elder Kearon from the Area Presidency was there. President Teixeira and his wife spoke to us in the morning and then all the senior missionaries attended the temple together with the whole area presidency; it was a great day!

This is a picture of the Senior Missionaries at the conclusion of the Zone conference. We are next to the Frankfurt Temple.