Beautiful

So, there is a post already in progress, but right now I am working on a presentation on memory and I came across this quotation that I thought was so lovely and wonderful and worth sharing. So here you go!

Own only what you can carry with you; know language, know countries, know people. Let your memory be your travel bag.

This is from Alexander Solzhenitsyn, author and long time political prisoner in the gulag system in Stalin's Russa.

Study break over! ~love~

Weather

Well folks, as I settle into the routine of daily classes and appointments, there is one unpredictable force that is continually interfering with my plans: weather. I know Colorado has crazy weather, but I am coming to realize that Colorado weather is a predictable crazy. In Colorado, I can usually depend on a lovely sunny morning, to soften the blow of wildly unpredictable afternoons. Here, every day is a gamble. I wake up and think, oh what a lovely day, sunny, light breeze...I think I shall wear short sleeves and a light jacket. Lo and behold, I walk out of the building and look in the other direction only to be confronted with a near dead-on re-creation of the scene from the Wizard of Oz right before a cow flies by and the witch rides by in the air on her bicycle. Suddenly my light jacket feels paper thin and I despair that I once again forgot my umbrella. These sorts of days generally end in me walking back inside at the end of the day sopping wet. On the other hand, sometimes I look outside, see the dark clouds and think...ok we're in for another rainy day. I open my window, feel the cool temperatures and responsibly don long sleeves, a jacket and my vest. 2 hours later, as I leave my class, I encounter a hot blast of air as I exit the building. Within minutes I am shedding layers and sweating like its going out of style. What is equally baffling is that the Germans are all just as confused and unprepared as I am! 

Well, all of this came to a hilarous head last weekend at a birthday celebration for one of my good friends here, Marcel. We decided to have a lovely little grill party outside. We borrowed tables from the landlord, set up our grill and had a great feast spread before us. From my side of the table, I praised the beautiful weather, blue skies and sunshine. The person sitting across from me suggested that I look a little more thoroughly into the weather in the whole sky before making that glowing prognosis. Upon turning around, the aforementioned Wizard of Oz scene dampened my spirits a bit. A few minutes later, we heard thunder in the distance. Then the wind picked up. We started packing up just as the heavens opened up and began dumping buckets of rain. Being fairly well-sheltered under a thick canopy of trees, we decided to wait it out and move the party inside after the flash downpour was over. Simultaneously eating and packing up, our attention was abruptly called to a lound "thump" on the table. An ominous icy-orb lay in the midst of our food. It quickly became apparent that we had no chance of making it inside in this hail storm. Most of us headed as fast as we could to the base of a large tree nearby. Huddled all together, we hoped to mostly escape bodily harm. At this point, I was laughing hysterically  (perhaps due to the large hailstone that had thunked me on the head as I fled towards the tree). This laughing was only exacerbated when I noticed that 3 people had taken shelter under the picnic table and that one of those three, Sophie, was calmly sitting on the ground with a fork and a huge salad bowl, eating.

The outside portion of the party ended in a hasty cleanup and soggy walk back to our building, but we continuted the celebration indoors late into the night. More good memories and fun times with friends. How thankful I am for my life here (even in spite of the fickle weather!)

Photo Summary part 5 aka, finale

SOOOOO excited to have my Mama with me in this country that I love so much! It meant more than I can say to be able to share everything with her. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful mother!

Thomas and I in front of the cathedral at his old school. We traveled to Thomas' family with my mom so she could enjoy a bit of the black forest and meet Thomas' family. It was a beautiful trip!

Oficially my favorite picture of the trip...My mom, Thomas' mom and Thomas posing with this interesting statue in St. Blasien. They definitely keep me laughing!

Mom conquered her fear of hights to climb this tower overlooking Freiburg. What a brave adventurer!

There was much silliness and many self-portraits...I am so blessed by my friends and family!

All in all break was a great time filled with great memories that I will truly treasure forever. I am overwhelmingly blessed by the vast number of opportunities that I have, and more so by the people that I have walking alongside me on this great adventure of life. I hope this small photo journey helps to convey a bit of the last few months here and hopefully it is also the kick in the pants that I need to keep me blogging! Loving and missing you all!

Photo Summary part 4

I think it is safe to say that this is part 4 of 5, for those of you who are worried that its getting a bit long (although, if such people are out there, they should perhaps consider not reading my blog anymore as I have never, ever, ever, been known as someone who is concise and to the point...) This exciting part 4 begins the section of the summary that chronicles the visits of Gillan and my mom. Sharing my home here with the two of them was such a highlight and privilige!We sure do love jumping pictures. Unfortunately the weather decided to be gross and mean while Gillian was here, so we had a lot of rainy, chilly walks, but enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. A walk along the Rhine River is always a great way to enjoy the day!

If you were wondering what heaven looks like, and where it is located, I can give you a heads up...its in Heidelburg and it looks exactly like this bookstore. Literally filled to overflowing with books, Gillian and I could barely contain our excitement. Seriously. I am in love with this place

I do so love Heidelburg, and was glad that Gillian was equally captivated by this beautiful, romantic, historic city.

We went on a grand adventure in search of a monestary in Maulbraun by way of train and a 3 kilomenter hike through the woods. When we arrived at the deserted train station in the middle of nowhere, we were understandibly a little nervous. Luckily for us, we found our way without incident and enjoyed a very interesting audio tour of the beautiful (if freezing cold) monestary there.

I think it was by far the coldest audio tour I have ever been on, but it was truly beautiful and incredible. I could not have asked for better company either!

Photo Summary part 3

Here is another picture from St. Andrews...note the Scottish Highlands in the background, pretty castle ruins in the center and the North Sea all around. I was speechless.

Good friends are priceless. It was really fun to be able to see Isabelle in a different setting and meet her friends in this place that is so close to her heart. Plus, their sarcasm and Scottish senses of humor kept me doubled over in laughter for the entirety of our 3 days there!

Travelling on a student budget makes for some interesting stories. For example, in order to keep under the 10 kg limit for hand luggage enforced by RyanAir, we devised a solution of putting on as many articles of clothing as possible/necessary. Because of this, Izzy found that she could no longer close her jacket! Worth it? Absolutely!

Amy and I in the courtyard of Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, historic university and home to the Book of Kells. While expensive, Dublin was also a good time (but my least favorite of our destinations on our whirlwind tour)

What is a trip to Dublin without a visit to the Guiness Brewery? Arthur Guiness signed a 9,000 year lease on this property...if that's not confidence, I don't know what is! In case you can't tell, I am here holding my imaginary pint of Guiness beer (and in my imaginary world, it is also gluten free) 

Photo Summary part 2

After Warsaw, we made our way by plane to Scotland. We landed in Edinburgh and enjoyed the city for about 4 hours before we caught a bus to Inverness. I have to say that I had no real expectations for Scotland and I was absolutely blown away by this beautiful land. Everywhere we went was breathtakingly beautiful and filled with friendly and entertaining people. 

Edinburgh was lovely. I could have easily enjoyed a few more days there taking in the landscape, castles, culture and history. 

I was surprised with how much I really fell in love with Inverness. I have to admit that seeing Loch Ness was not very high on my life to do list, I took the chance because the opportunity arose, not because I necessarily orchestrated it that way. As soon as we arrived in Inverness, I understood why it should have been much higher on my list! Not only is Loch Ness beautiful and mysterious, the whole region is incredibly rich with culture and Clan history. Above is a picture of the ruins of Urquhart Castle with Loch Ness in the background. This castle was blown up by the last inhabitants in order to prevent it from being used as a base for Jacobite forces in the British struggle for the throne in the late 1600s that ended the Glorious Revolution. I would recommend a stop here to anyone who has a chance, it was well worth the 4 hour bus ride to get there! 

Having a Hootananny in front of Hootananny's, Inverness' most popular pub-home to a lively live-music scene and popular destination for tourists and natives alike!

St. Andrews, hometown of the game of golf, was a lovely day-trip away from Dundee, where Isabelle studied for a year. Above is a poor pictoral representation of the incredible ruins of an old cathedral turned graveyard located directly on the North Sea. This place was beauiful in a way that I cannot describe with words and could not capture in a picture. The sheer size and openness of this cathedral lent it an air of holiness that I have not felt even in the most decorative and lovely cathedrals of Europe. 

There was a whole lot of silliness on our whirlwind adventure and for that I am so grateful. Here I share a kiss with one of my favorite animals!