Stained Glass Travelers

My two days with Erica were spent shopping in Heidelberg and partaking of a very German pastime. I got to see the crumbling castle grounds and the old bridge that I have no idea the significance of, but there was a monkey statue I got to stick my head in.

But before we hit the 'street' I ran into a Starbucks *gasp* because I was needing coffee and if there's one thing I'll even appreciate about Europe is that for some inexplicable reason, their coffee is WAYWAYWAY better than any Starbucks in the US. The shops also look like mini royal palaces. On the down side I waited almost 20 minutes for a drip Pike's Place Roast coffee. The very cute German barista gave me free flavor though for the wait.

The streets were beautiful, though I was well aware this was a tourist area and a historic district so I understood that many of the shops were purposely made to look like old-timey stereotypical German shops. I didn't much mind- I was too busy enjoying the spring and the sunsets We had a great time at an Irish pub with Internet and the most delicious vegetarian pastas dish EVER!!!... and I got a free backpackers catalog that will be epic for collages, which I fully intend on doing after seeing Tara's 'ADVENTURE' sign in her blanket fort.

 

I found some great sales, for Europe, and even the classic cougar huskie rivalry made its way overseas. In this store called Mustang there was a wall of hats, scarves, and gloves all for 3 euros, which is basically 4 dollars. And there, on that wall, were matching hats and gloves that were either crimson and gray or purple and 'gold'. I freaked!....and then I bought the gloves.....but unfortunately didn't think to get the picture- I was remiss.

My last day there, Erica took me up to the castle where we toured the grounds without going inside because frankly most everywhere costs to get into and it's usually it's not worth it.

On a serious note- I really don't like museums. You're stuck inside, looking at things that you can find in most history books. Yeah, originals are cool, but there's not anything really that different. It's smaller/ bigger/ lighter/ darker than I thought. But usually it's just the same. Unless you're really into art and the techniques or colors or styles or something, then it's mostly a waste of money and time. Mostly money where you pay to simply LOOK at something. I have the same issue/ opinion of paying for national parks or anything that in reality should be free, especially for those in 'the land of the free'

The only thing free here were the ground and the hysterical laughter I had to suppress at seeing a couple walking their dogs.... that had ponytails!

However, this one was kinda sweet because it was all crumbly-like and reminded me of Jane Eyre after Rochester's estate went up in flames- I even think I recall that being the reason for the renovations, that there was a fire!

Anywho, my trip back into Paris was as much the same as all the others but this time a couple kicked me out of my NON-reserved seats halfway into the three hour ride. Did I mention I was dead asleep sprawled across the table in front of me practically drooling? Oh, I didn't? Well I WAS!!!

One thing that I loved about all my traveling is not only all the people I got to see, but all the random people I met. Even those that I only conversed with for a second were kind. If you start off smiling them they'll normally end smiling also. It's like the stained glass that is so popularly used in the cathedrals around the world- each piece is separate and unique, carefully crafted so that when all those tiny separate piece are put together that is a magnificent picture grander than any one piece alone could make. Every piece is needed, every piece is important, every piece contribute to the larger picture. I know that I'm not only the piece but also the picture. Each person I've met or know is a integral part of my stained glass that when the light shines through and I can see the whole picture, each piece castes its light of different and varied hues and shades to allow me to revel in its beauty that is my life. I continue to be grateful for the way God has blessed my me.

Americans in Denmark

My last day with Tara brought us to Holstehal for their second of their best of five playoff games against this all Danish team. We lounged a bit in the morning, watching the eerie fog retreat through their diarrhea forest, which is what the name for it translates to in English, then we put ourselves into go mode, stuffed all our bags into Donald and like a baby, we head out.

Two Minutes down the road and I was already missing my fort room. We made our way into Copenhagen none the less and met with the rest of the team for lunch and a beach park where apparently there is no fence to distinguish the regular side of the beach from the nude side. There were volleyball nets though.

While we were milling about, Tara and I had decided to ask the Danish girls about my 2:18 train out of Copenhagen when the European daylight savings was at two, thereby causing me to attempt catching a train that would never be. Their coach ended up calling the station and found my train had been changed to 3 AM or what would previously be 2. The American girls Tara shares the car with were very gracious about having to take me to the train station at 1 in the morning, especially considering they would still have an hour drive to get home after- to Schnake, Noelle, and Sage- I can't thank you girls enough for your warmth and hospitality- it was truly a great trip for me. I won't forget you anytime soon.

Well, we got to the gym that smelled like it had just been painted and I watched a poorly coach volleyball game. The mood after the loss wasn't very uplifting but there was another American's birthday to go to in Copenhagen, which helped give us something to do while waiting for my train.

I was surprised by how many American are in Denmark alone. Several of whom I was connected to in amusingly distant ways. It was a great party but also daunting after a not so great game.

We left sometime around 1230. And I made my train with the right time only to realize it wasn't a straight shot where I could sleep the whole way through, no I stopped about every two hours and had anywhere from 5 minutes to and hour and a half in between catching trains. Where I usually found either something to eat, something to look at, or somewhere to corner up and sleep.

One great thing about Europe is getting to know other peoples stories and connecting with friends world wide. I made friends with Sarah on the plane and if I'm remembering right- Christine [below] who I shared beautiful music with.

Then came my very American moment on the next leg of my journey where I got kicked out of a first class compartment and shluffed into what I like to call the 'Cargo Class' Here is where I was sandwiched between the window and the mother/ wife of the family of three with their 5 year old son- ok he was cute, but I was trying to crash and I didn't think it polite to sprawl across the table we shared.

I felt that after that trip I can handle traveling just about anywhere in the world now. So much so, I got into Frankfurt and had to buy yet another ticket to Leimen where I was thankfully picked up and saved from having to navigate to the gym.

Erica's last game ended in a loss. But the dinner afterward with her past and present teammates was mouthwatering...Baked potato with spinach and this cream sauce with baked cheese over the top. If nothin else I leave Europe with great cooking ideas, phenomenal walking legs, and an intimate knowledge of inner and outer city travel.

Chalk, Crack, and Fog

Waking up in Praesto was like waking up from the perfect dream. The night before was so much fun, and to wake up surrounded by blankets- literally, except this one window that had been decorated with beautiful green wine bottles and a magazine collage and the sun was trickling through the surrounding forest encasing me. It was a perfect moment. But there was a day of adventure ahead so it was no time to lollygag around, no matter how comfortable the double blow-up mattress was.

For my first full day in Vordingborg Tara and her teammate Schnake took me to Mons Klint and the island's chalk cliffs with it's 497 steps down to sea level of the Baltic. The day was perfect and sunny and the hour drive was filled with chatter and laughter. I didn't care what we did at this point- I was already loving Denmark.

During a quick stop for gas I also learned that the dollar/ Danish king krone conversion is easiest when you divide the DKK price by 5. This made more sense when seeing shirts for 200 DKK.

Once we got to the cliffs I wasn't sure what I wanted to look at more- the massive, glaring white chalk cliffs, the near undisturbed Baltic Sea, or scavenge the beach for chalk pieces and shards of natural glass that would sometimes be formed into fossil prints.

    

In between walking, tanning, breaking for lunch, and picking up random objects, we did a little photo shoot. I also decided to scale a chalk cliff. In theory this was a great idea, considering I didn't actually expect to get that far, but since the moisture of the sea mixed with the chalk...dust?... it basically was a hill of more like a dry-ish clay consistency. However, once I was up, I realized how far I got because of how steep it was and because of the whole center of gravity thing while climbing forward and the not wanting to lean forward and tumble down the crumbling cliff thing, the only way I was getting down was by scooting down on my butt. Apparently the chalk/ clayish mixture when packed down and smoothed out make a formidable slide, which I so learned in accumulating a nice layer of it on my backside. Whatever- it was fun!

Our time on the ocean ended with that lovely German lady sharing her beach combing finds, another couple's gorgeous yellow lab chasing chalk chunks, swans, hummingbird sized bees, color accenting our outrageously accented personalities, climbing a tree, being chased by fog and hiking back up the 497 steps that originally took us down seaside, and three words that made me the funniest person ever.

The first moment was when I started using the chalk pieces to re-whiten my shoes that had picked up a few stains. Through commentary with Schnaki and Tara and proving that this method was working, I used that awesomely pathetic pun, "I'm just CHALK full of ideas!" This guaranteed a mildly amused giggle from both girls. Shortly thereafter, Tara and Schnaki was cracking each others back using their own hilarious puns so I threw in my own, "You two CRACK me up." Both of these retorts were followed with the classic knee-slapper but they were still funny in their own right. At this point we were all fairly amused at the terrible puns, mostly because they were terrible, but that is half the fin of them. Until... and we're all still a bit FOGGING on the last pun, but I'm pretty sure it was during the fog chasing sequence, where we finally reached the top- out of breathe... at least on my part- and I was feeling a little lighted headed after the climb where I aptly applied, "I'm feeling a bit FOGGY!" BUAHhahahahahaha (insert more knee-slapping here).

In a quick succession of events, we stopped in one of the mile long towns to look at the stores and grab some snacks. I also bought my Danish souvenir of yarn [shocking-I know] in bright orange, in an attempt to find a similar color to that of the many farm houses was passed.

We returned home in time for the girls to head to volleyball practice, while I wiled away my time back at the apartment. Later in the afternoon I took a very chilly walk down the trail through the woods to enjoy the sunset. And once the girls were back, enjoyed Sage's entertainment with all the things she could use the head massager for.

   

In ending the perfect day, Tara, myself and a couple more teammates went out to dinner at a local cafe- which is not at all like our cafes- and after the most delicious salad I've ever had, went to walk out on the pier... in the dark... with no one else around...

While documenting with some of the coolest shots I've taken in a  long time, Tara and I were left to walk back by ourselves. We were joking around about how this scenario is how horror movies start; with two unassuming girls laughing, right before a walrus jumps out of the water to break the dock and eat us alive... when suddenly we heard this load splashing in the water under the dock, where we had just walked from. Needless to say, we freaked out a bit. We quickly, but as carefully as possible in the dark made our way off the dock, onto the pier and back to the solid land where the car and her teammates were waiting.

We couldn't perfectly describe the sound, but I'd say it was a cross between a bird beating the water with its wings, a fish fin hitting water before diving back underneath, and some nefarious creature lurking underneath, about to strike. But it was still a pretty good day, regardless.