Back at Villa Athena...

Happy Laura (above) and John at the office (below)...

Our only concern at this point: desensitization. John said it best this morning... We don't EVER want to get used to this! 

Monaco Sunday

   
   

We took a little day-trip to Monaco yesterday...What an immensely lavish and luxurious little country it is! We hopped of our bus at the "Casino" (pictured above) and were immediately face-to-face with the most extravagant display of luxury vehicles we had ever seen. Picture a single file line of Aston Martin, Bentley, Rolls Royce, Lamborghini, Mercedes, etc....I get the feeling we aren't in Kansas anymore! Between the amazing cars, Yacht show happening in the Harbor, and, oh yeah, the Mediterranean, John was in heaven! Below are some of the photos of the Yachts we spied on

   

We were exhausted from the rough day so stopped to rest at this fine little establishment...

Oooops. Then we missed our bus back to Villefranche (the last one of the day, no doubt) and got lost... This is John no longer in heaven:

C'est la Vie! That's what we said as we hiked on foot most of the way home...and, en route, happened upon a fantastic little "Mom and Pop" pizza joint which we fell in love with and will definitely visit again soon! They spoke English which was also nice. All-in-all, it was another fabulous day in the life of the Hotchies! 

Photo Update

A beautiful view outside our Villa from the Moyenne Coriniche (our street)

                         

John taking the first of 832 stairs down to Villefranche...Sic'em! Descending is feasible; it's the post-pasta ascending hike that's killer. Regarding picture on the right... I think I was "aerating." If you don't know, you probably don't want to ask :)

Germany....

       

The war-torn Kaiser Wilhelm Church and the statue of Christ left standing after the war...stone tablet at His feet reads "Forgive as I have forgiven you." Wow.

         

Sweet, sweet time with Stephanie :) 

         

Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Church in Berlin...Bonhoeffer was a German Theologian and activist in the Anti-Nazi movement. "The Cost Of Discipleship" is most likely his most popular writing. "Cheap grace is the mortal enemy of our church. Our struggle today is for costly grace." All his literary works took place with the background the rise of Naziism and it's corruption within the Church. Oh and in addition to being an renowned theologian, one of the founding fathers of the Lutheran church, and a significant political advocate, he was the father to many orphans during his lifetime living out the gospel in addition to contemplating it. I'd say that's challending!! Bonhoeffer was eventually executed by hanging for his Anti-nazi activism 3 weeks prior to the liberation of Berlin.  This was the church where he worshipped. It was bare (to say the least) and there is no heating/cooling system. A lovely woman was there practicing on the organ. beautiful...

   

The Berlin Wall + graffiti art... I don't know why there were swings at the wall, but I couldn't resist.

  

Sweet John met me in Berlin and got to spend some time with Stephanie! This is us at the train station on another beautiful, sunny German day!

 

Here's a pictoral briefing of our most recent adventures..note: more extensive photo update on shutterfly at: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AYtmzVy2atGL-Q

German Fun!

Let me first of all give MAJOR props, and thanks, to my amazing German host/tour guide/restauranteur, Steph Johnson! I have had an incredibly enjoyable and educational week in Berlin while getting to spend time with one of my dearest friends...what a blessing! John and I arrived back in Villefranche tonight to regroup and recover from the past week of being apart
:( We enjoyed a fabulous seafood dinner on our terrace while catching up and relaxing in the chilly night air as the beautiful sailboats and yachts glided across out horizon. John has been on the road all over Europe this past week traveling to and from meetings with 2 of his MediaExcel coworkers. He has some great pictures of the Eiffel Tower and an ancient pub (been serving beer there since 1300!) that I hope to post soon. While John was traveling for work, I shot up to Berlin to visit Stephanie and have my first experience of German life. And the conclusion is...I LOVE Germany! Although largely enriched by the company and conversation of Stephanie, I thoroughly enjoyed the rich culture of Berlin. We spent nearly 3 full days power-walking Berlin in the perfectly chilly, sun-soaked weather as I tried to absorb all the German history and knowledge I could throughout the city...the historic vibe of the city is so fresh with war-torn buildings around every corner and remembrances of people groups and past leaders strewn throughout. Not to mention the amazing food and energetic Germans fluttering about Berlin as the city seemed to be full of energy and life at all times. My culturally challenging moments (aside from the language barrier which Stephanie gracefully remediated) came mostly in the form of the 'bike lane." Apparently, throughout Berlin, there is one section of the sidewalk reserved solely for bikers. This rule is NOT to be loosely interpreted despite the fact that it is not posted via sign anywhere... Pedestrians are the lowest on the heirarchy of street travel. Observance of the "bike lane"is not just a social suggestion in Berlin, such as eye contact during a toast, but more of an issue of common law enforceable by all citizens. A single mindless momentary meander into the bike lane can land a poor, unsuspecting American girl (such as I) in the hospital...or, more likely, in long-term counseling resulting from trauma caused by elderly German women shouting profanities and/or bike bells ringing incessantly in your sleep. Thus are the said consequencs of intrusion into the bike lane which Steph graciously prevented me from incurring on multiple occasions by shoving me into the street even to spare my life from the bikers. What would I have done without her? I have posted pictures of my Germany trip as well as some additional photos of John and I at our Villa/village on Shutterfly. Click on: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AYtmzVy2atGL-Q to view them. We love and miss you all!

A Few of My Favorite Things...

1) The candy store!


It is BEAUTIFUL... this one's for you, Mom :)

- the chocolate section

2) The fact that this is our bus stop...



3) The port where all the incredible yachts park for the night.





4) The single best salad I have ever had in my LIFE! And you know I've had my fair share of salads... In case you can't tell what's happening on top there, it's 4 slices of toasted baguette topped with fresh, warm goat cheese drizzled with honey and herbs. Not to mention the beautiful presentation!!


There is SO much more I could add to this list! Many more pictures to come upon my return to France. Peace...

Bonjour!!

Wow!! What an amazing opportunity we have been given!...Our quaint, little French village, Villefranche, in all it's charm could not be more simply and intriguingly beautiful! Picturesque to say the least. Despite having blurted out, "Si Senor" (rather than "Oui Monsieur)" multiple times in the last 24 hours, the French have appeared more graceful than expected with the language barrier and more than willing to be of service when needed. We have spent our last few days exploring the city of Nice, which is about a 10 minute bus ride from our villa, as well as Villefranche, itself. Both are extremely endearing but vastly different as Nice is much more metropolitan by far. The most noticeable quality of the French culture that has been apparent to John and I is their purity of culture which comes across as simplicity. The culture, as a whole, feels easily comfortable with itself...and is possesses an abundance of beauty and quality despite not striving for it. It is quite refreshing to observe a frenchman and his wife perched fountain-side quietly savoring their single scoops of gelato...no where to rush off to, they appear content to be completely unproductive without any apparent thought for an agenda or schedule. What a challenge! My hope is that as we become more acclimated to the French language and culture, we will be willing and humble recipients of having our horizons broadened daily. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. We love and miss you all!

Let the Adventure Begin!!

The house has been sold and our belongings stored... Our much anticipated journey began today as John jetted off to Amsterdam en route to the 

not-so-shabby (see photo) French Riviera where I will be joining him next week for an indeterminate "holiday," as the French say. We created this blog to keep our family and friends updated on our lives and adventures while we are away.  We will miss you all dearly!! Much love,