Celle Vie!

We had a couple of hours drive this morning from Kiel to Celle. Ed found out how to fuel up a car, and that it takes about 75 Euros for a tankful! Fortunately, we appear to be getting good mileage.

We met the missionaries for a visit to the concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen. Amanda enjoyed seeing Sister Thornton again, along with her new companion, Sister McCappen. The concentration camp was well documented, but somber, as one might expect. It had a lot of videos from survivors that were interesting to watch.

Eight other missionaries also went to see the camp. We met an Elder that was in the MTC with Amanda. He didn't complain that she gets to go home 6 months earlier, but I wonder how his mother feels. I'm glad I'm the mother of girls! Eighteen months is a long time to miss your daughter!

We had dinner with the Grieves family. They have been such an important part of Amanda's mission--a family she really has grown to love. It was fun seeing her through their eyes. It was also fun having Vanessa explain some of the finer points of the Bavarian menu. Four of us had the schnitzel. You just can't go wrong with schnitzel! It turns out that Nathaniel, their 8-year old son is a vegetarian! He had a pile of french fries!

Vanessa is German and Phil is English, but they all speak English, so that was fun for us all to speak the same language for a change! This was the first really truly beautiful day we've had. Blue skies all day! We took one last picture in the French Garden, then wandered back home past the Rathaus and along the pretty half-timbered streets. On a a great day like today one can only think, "This is living!" (Celle Vie!)