Peapod on Purpose

The Intro

I am going to describe our trips to India, Rome, and Prague.  All three are vastly different places.  With so much to get into, and considering the length of my previous posts, I figured that this would help keep it concise.  Excluding this introductory and concluding, paragraphs, I will attempt the following: “Three paragraphs of three”.  Meaning, each leg of our journey (India, Rome, and Prague), will consist of three paragraphs each.  Where each individual paragraph contains three key points or ideas, essentially creating a concise structure with a clear beginning, middle, and end within each paragraph.  The purpose: keep it simple.  Focus on the high points by utilizing the “rule of three” concept.  Here goes…

The Subcontinent of India

Flying into India there were a lot of uncertain feelings about what we were about to experience.  We were expecting lots of people and a culture like we’d not encountered before, and, that’s exactly what we got.  Traffic jams that would make even the most patient driver lose their mind, messy eats, food made with different cool and spicy flavors that played with our tongues, and a 50/50 chance that the people that we interact with will speak English.  Like most places, we got along great, and even the kids were able to stomach some of the foreign food (after a few days, once they really started to get hungry).  We settled in nicely for our short stay, during the daylight hours at least…

Enter onto the scene, Diwali!  We have heard of Diwali before, I have even have said “Happy Diwali” to some of my Indian coworkers.  But, have you ever experienced Diwali?  We stayed in a sky rise apartment building, with a dead end street right across from us which happened to be a perfect launching pad for a light show that would last all night.  Friday and Saturday night, our first two nights in India, were filled with wonderous colors from the explosives.  Have you ever been in a skyrise where fireworks were going off at apartment level?  One of our friends that we visited with described them best as “building rockers”, and having these “building rockers” go off at 4am meant not much sleeping for Mamma and Daddy Pea (the littles slept through the show, amazingly).  The random 6am works were a nice touch as well.

So with little sleep and bloodshot eyes, Mamma and Daddy Pea, with littles in tow, headed into a remote village to share God’s word.  Mamma Pea gave a nice recount of the paralytic to be healed that was lowered in front of Jesus from a roof.  And Daddy Pea spoke a message highlighting Jesus’s call to community.  I’ve spoken in front of executive teams in the past, many times, however I’m not sure that I’ve ever felt as unsure as I did that day in the small Indian village.  I can only pray that our time in the subcontinent of India was impactful not only to these new believers, but to our family as well.  Experiencing the wonderful people, food, and yes, culture, was something we will not forget.

The Ancient City of Rome

From chaos to conformity, third world to first world, potholed streets to cobblestone roads, welcome to Rome!  A break from the spices of Asia, the kids were excited to try Italian food in Italy.  You cannot walk more than three blocks in Rome without finding a slice of pizza, a panini, or a croissant to satisfy your hunger.  Supli was a fan favorite, which is basically an oversized arancini filled with red sauce and mozzarella.  Exquisite coffee on every corner, and a new found love for cappuccinos for Daddy Pea.  My only gripe comes from the local deli, which had amazing fresh bread and meats, with porchetta sandwiches made to order.  However, the deli staff was not too fond of us who don’t speak the local language.  And, although not intentional, the porchetta sandwich that I ate had a hard piece of bone or meat crust, which fractured one of my molars.  A dentist would soon be in my future, OUCH!

With Roman culture comes Roman architecture.  You know, Rome wasn’t built in a day! And we would spend a full 10 days exploring the city.  Would struggling to get tickets exactly 30 days to the hour from our planned Coliseum tour be worth it?  Of course it would, how amazing to see this stadium that most modern large arenas were modeled after, 2000 years after the making!  The Pantheon, the Forum, cobblestone streets, and the crowds, an overload of human history that can only be experienced firsthand.

Speaking of crowds, we found ourselves in transit to Vatican City in the midst of the morning commute.  Not knowing where to go, and with construction all around us as the city prepares for the 2025 jubilee, we were helped by a nice elderly woman who clearly knew the area, and saw that we were lost.  She reminded me of my grandmother, a nice touch considering I would have loved to have toured this city with my Irish Catholic grandmother.  Absolutely stunning to see it all, especially the Sistine Chapel; it really brings to light what the original commissioners of the work saw when Michelangelo revealed it all those years ago.  From visiting the resting place of Peter and Paul, to the grand artwork, it really was a Godly experience. 

A couple of notes to close.  The kids did amazing!  There are only so many basilicas a 6 year old can see before she starts to lose her mind, but for the most part all the littles held it together.  Finally, although they are amazing works of art, you can see that lots of resources were put into the construction of these buildings.  I do not mean to diminish any of the beauty, however it makes me wonder what Jesus would have thought of all of this. 

In Matthew 23:27-31, Jesus says, “27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.  29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30 saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.

The Old Country: Prague

Out of the cool temperatures of Rome, and into the frigid cold temperatures of Prague, Czechia!  Upon landing it felt to us like we’d arrived in Russia.  It certainly is a Slavic country by the look and feel of things.  This old city is a unique flavor of Eastern Europe, which included the likes of schnitzel and goulash, yum!  These hearty meals help to keep the stomachs full and the bodies feeling warm, plus the kids loved them!  Although, we had to purchase gloves for the Peapod Squad immediately upon arrival.

Speaking of the littles, Little, Middle, and Big Pea really enjoyed this city.  It was, by far, the most kid friendly of the bunch that we’ve visited.  There is a park on almost every block, with playground structures that were both fun and challenging.  Near the central station in Prague, there was a park with a zip line, the kids were in heaven!  Walking from place to place was a little less painful when stopping at a playground is on the agenda!

Speaking of walking, it was time for us to walk to the most anticipated place in Europe for this Christmas season, a Christmas Market!  Prague’s market opened early compared to others, which typically open 30 days before Christmas.  While walking to the market it started to snow, for just a brief moment. What a treat!  We took it all in, enjoyed some sweet snacks, and the grownups tried some of the hot mulled wine.  Even though Thanksgiving hasn’t been celebrated yet in this timeline, it was nice to get a taste of the Christmas holiday here in Prague!

Sneak Preview: Germany

As we transition from Czechia to Germany, where we will get to spend Thanksgiving, it’s back to train travel for us.  The kids are helping to navigate along the way, with Middle Pea always being mindful of short transfers.  It nice to view the countryside as we travel through Europe.  I am  thankful for my Peapod Squad.  However, we are also thankful for all of the friends and family that support us from afar, who continue to talk, email, and text with us, and pray for our travels and our well-being.  In this time of thanks, thank you!  Next stop, Wittenberg, Germany!