Week 24

Swieradow-Zdroj--Cure town

I write this week from Swieradow-Zdroj, Poland, where we arrived yesterday to spend a week at Kurhotel Kwisa II for relaxation and therapy for both of us, though especially to help get John’s legs, hopefully, working a little better. It is quite an experience. One we have heard about for years from German friends (who seem to go on “Kur” one or two times a year, at least) but have never experienced for ourselves.

The Chidesters once again came to our aid with their little blue car and their GPS and drove us here Saturday and dropped us off before heading south to Prague and then on to southern Germany. We are most grateful since Swieradow-Zdroj is tucked away in a mountain region that doesn’t have especially easy access.

This is a most interesting place with its huge hotel mansions and charming old town with salz grottos and Radon therapy centers here and there. Those of you who know Leavenworth, Washington, would find this place similar, but the real thing. It is nestled in a triangular corner just over the border from both Germany and the Czech Republic. I am grateful for John’s German because it is for sure nobody speaks English here! Polish is an impossibly foreign language. Nothing about it sounds like anything else we know.

It is rather interesting to feel in a sense as if we are on a cruise on land—complete with a tour director who promotes side excursions to the surrounding areas (for an extra cost), and with the majority of participants being in the geriatric age group. We had to laugh as we looked around us in the dining room about our having just registered for a vacation in an assisted living facility for a week—laughing mostly that we fit right in. John says it is about like going to Samp Park in Long Beach. Swieradow-Zdorj has a population of 5,000 but has entertained some 12 million visitors last year, most of whom come for at least two weeks. Most of those, I’m sure, are as old or considerably older than we are.

Our Kurhotel--Kwisa 2

Besides going for our interesting treatments each day we are working on our family history. We were delighted to learn that we had Internet connection which we did not plan on so we are able to work on Ancestry.com and New Family Search to our hearts content in between mud packs and massages. We were excited, yesterday to finally pinpoint the little spot in Scotland where John’s second great grandmother, whose birth isn’t in the Old Parochial Registers, was born—Redford Green (or Redfordgreen). Such fun to go hunting.

At the temple this week we have been very, very busy after having some 80+ Hungarians arrive Monday night to spend the week. We love it when they come bringing their enthusiasm and joy to be in the temple. John has been a busy camper, training new workers all week after President Husz set them apart on Tuesday. It is an adventure for him to do so when some of them don’t speak much, if any, English or German. My creating the daily work plan was a challenge as well to determine who could do what and in what language. Planning the veil with its multiple languages was fun too! We loved their being here but were glad that we have two weeks with the temple closed for maintenance so we can recuperate before going at it again.

Thursday morning I was up at 2:30 to call in and listen to our annual meeting at Trevi Tower’s homeowners’ association. I have been serving on the Committee since before we went to China and this year since we have been in Germany. Except for losing a bit of sleep as I listened in, all went smoothly and three of us on the committee were reelected for another two years. We live in an amazing time where it is completely possible to serve as secretary anywhere in the world, tuning into meetings and participating from afar.

Our big event from this week is to announce that our son Patrick and Tessha Thomas were married Saturday—appropriately on St. Patrick’s Day—just after we arrived in Poland. They called us from the airport as they left on their honeymoon to tell us all about their day. We were sorry not to be able to be with them but will look forward to being there for their sealing in the future. For now it was wonderful to talk with them and hear their happy report of their wedding, held in his home with his bishop performing their marriage. Patrick had prepared a brunch for the few who were with them to witness the ceremony. We are grateful for Tessha’s wonderful support to Patrick and to his children and are happy to welcome her to our family. We loved her 10 years ago the first time they were engaged and are happy to have them find one another again and actually get married this time! Marrying your best friend is a happy thing.

We hope your week is full of laughter and love.