Genius or Mad?

I am currently in my kitchen.  I am alone.  And I am amusing myself to no end by doing this over and over.  Did I mention I was alone?  Now you know.

Semifinal

I've got my fingers crossed for a Germany-Holland title game which means getting past Spain tonight.  Despite what Paul may think, the feat is very possible.  Let's hope he's wrong.  I don't know what I will do when the World Cup is over, the madness is contagious.

In May, Germany won the Eurovision Song Contest with this song here. It's catchy enough, but some students here in Münster put together their own version,'Schland O 'Schland, just for the World Cup. So I'm off to dance and get in the mood for some football.... Enjoy!



Useless fact: This video was made in Südpark, one block from my home and where I walked, picnicked, read, and napped nearly daily for over two years.  For lyrics (in German) keep reading....

Foux Da Fa Fa

The great advantage of living in Europe is the ease in which one can travel to cities and new countries.  The first weekend in June I took the high speed train from Köln to Paris in just three hours and for only 30€ each way.  I have never had a great desire to see Paris, but I thought it would be rather stupid to not jump on such an opportunity.  I am happy I did and can say I will likely not ever make a point of going again unless I have weeks to spend there. I don't see how it could be a city that one would immediately fall in love with.  It's crowded and expensive, and I believe all of it's natural charm is hidden.  There is simply too much to see and all of it is big and grand.  Sensory overload.

On the train I chatted with the German girl sitting next to me and we arranged to meet up the next day.  I was grateful for her.  She could speak French, which was beyond helpful, and it was quickly apparent that Paris is not a city to visit alone.  I wish I had had a pedometer with me.  We saw most of the major sites and did it all by foot.

My favorite time in the city was night. Once the sun goes down and many tourists are back in their hotels or in restaurants, a magic is cast over the city.  I CouchSurfed while I was there and my host, a very friendly and open French man, lent me his bicycle (the way to get around).  Friday evening he joined me on a very cool bike tour of the city.  There were so many people on this ride that we dominated the streets, cars having to wait for us to go by. In the very blurry photo above you may be able to make out Champs d'Elysees which we were riding towards. 

Saturday evening was spent picnicking on the Seine which was full of people and music.  A bit of dancing was called for of course.  My favorite bit was the Tango dancing.  For whatever reason the group didn't have permission on that evening to play loud music, so all the dancers and observers were very quiet, straining to hear the music.  The effect was magical.  The energy between partners was heightened and the only sounds to be heard was breath and the movement of feet against the cobblestone.

By the time Sunday came around I was still wanting to visit the Musee d'Orsay and was sorely dissappointed when I arrived to see the longest line I had yet encountered.  Thoroughly fed up by people I was relieved when in passing I heard "Versailles" muttered.  I was pleased to discover that it is just a short train ride from Paris.  So I escaped.

There is nothing in all that I have learned, read, or seen of the Palace in Versailles that could have prepared me for the absolute, awe inspiring immensity of the place.  Every photo I took still dwarfed the place.  There are separate fees for the gardens and each of the Palaces.  While discovering the architecture would have been nice, the weather was far too nice to spend the day indoors and the gardens deserve a minimum of 3-4 hours to wander, and that is if you just want to leisurely wander and not take breaks for ice cream or a picnic.  I must say, though Paris certainly is a master at being beautiful, it was Versailles that absolutely won me over and make my trip well worth it.

[More photos found on Flickr]

Bonjour!

Spent the a long weekend in Paris... I love trains!  Sifting through photos and I just may get inspired to finally post again on the blog.  I've been absent for a while, haven't I?

imposter

I went to a concert last night, the band is from New York. After the show I was chatting with the pianist and was complemented on the quality of my English which I, of course, had to grin at. Apparently I speak with a slight German accent that is deceiving to other Americans.

Later in the evening I spent some hours dancing and talking with some Germans. Towards the end of the evening I was interrupted mid-sentence with, "Wait! Where were you born?" Once it came out that I am, in fact, not German, I happily received the feedback that no accent had been detected for some hours.

I still have loads to learn with this ridiculous language, but it's moments like these that remind me how integrated I have become in a relatively short amount of time. Rad.

the last weekend

Tomorrow is March. Can you believe it?! Around here that means my roommate, Anne, is moving out.  I already miss her. She's only moving a ten minute walk away, but it's much more appropriate to cross the hall half dressed to visit with her than crossing Hammerstraße.

Her and I spent our last weekend together as flatmates in Köln. First hitting up a Marit Larsen concert on Friday night. Afterwards, we wandered in the direction of the Altstadt with the hopes of dancing ourselves silly. That didn't happen. But we got a refreshing mix of bars to choose from. The first being the Bier Museum. From the name and principle alone I assumed it would be a winner as they had a huge selection of beers from the world over (unusual to find in Germany). But we were bombarded with an overly packed room of 40 year old men singing, no, belting out German folk music, David Hasselhoff, and..... well, we didn't stick around to find out what else.

Just two doors down we found an equally as crowded bar featuring a rockin' jazz band.  From the moment we walked through those doors our evening just kept improving.  The bar was also heavy on older men leering at us, but the music and few people there just to have fun made up for the awkwardness.  As we got ready to look for somewhere to dance two Americans ended up talking with me and joined us for the rest of the evening.  Something I was briefly worried about as Anne really hates speaking English.  Before Friday I had heard maybe five sentences come from her mouth.  But it all turned out to be beyond enjoyable.  It was also nice to not be the one stumbling for words for a moment.  :)

The next day was set aside for pure enjoyment.  My heart never tires of the sight of the cathedral in Cologne.  It's the most impressive piece of Gothic architecture I have yet seen.  This time around I took the time to climb the south tower and it was absolutely worth it.  Graced as we were with sun and sporadic clouds, we could see for miles.  In the distance, mountains (the term being used here ever so loosely) which are missing from my everyday view.  Inside we were lucky enough to witness a service of some sort.  Aside from it being refreshing to see the place as more than a tourist trap, it was a beautiful experience to hear chanting and singing, the earthy scent of incense hanging in the air.  The atmosphere commanded more calmness than I usually experience when there.

Though it's best known for it's Cathedral and partying, that's not all Cologne is about.  Anne and I did our share of Stadtbummeln (bumming through the city) on Saturday.  It was more aimless wandering than anything, but it was nice to have a beautiful spring-like day to celebrate and a fabulous friend to share it with.  Delicious food, a small amount of shopping, and a good deal of time dedicated to strolling and resting along the Rhine were all on the agenda.  I don't feel I got any real kind of feel of the pulse of the city, but the little pockets of energy felt were different than that of my little Münster and were therefore very welcome.  Köln, I would come see you again.

Liebe Anne.... ich danke dir ganz Herzlich für deine Freundschaft und Unterstützung.  Das Leben in Deutschland werde bestimmt schwererer sein wenn du nicht dabei wurdest.  Das Wochenende war einen wunderschönen Abendteuer und ich bin so froh das ich mit dir alleine feiern könnte.

Mystic Hot Springs

1. This Way 2. Hot Tub 3. Steam 4. Triptych

Nothing washes away stress and forces me to relax like being hugged and pampered, for hours, by hot water.  Ahhhhh.  Refreshing, relaxing, rejuvenating....  In Monroe, Utah, about 30 minutes from where my dad lives are Mystic Hot Springs.  It's a bit of a dive but I prefer it that way as it keeps  out the masses.  The fact that it was a weekday, in winter, in rural Utah didn't hurt either.  My favorite part of the soaking experience:  rather than a huge pool filled with the spring water, individual claw foot tubs are spread about the hillside for a lovely view of the valley and surrounding hills.  The water is directed into each tub and the use of stones to block the flow of water is the only temperature regulator.  At the source the water comes out at 168° F/ 76° C~ Yowza!  I think this little trip to the springs saved me from a crash and burn.

1. View 2. Hot Tub 3. Fire Pit 4. Tangled

It's well worth a stop if you're in the area or for a fun weekend getaway.  You can rent a renovated pioneer cabin and in the summer there are concerts and festivals hosted on the grounds.  Two hours by car and you are in Salt Lake, Bryce Canyon National Park, and Capitol Reef.

Larger views of these, and a few other pics, can be found here.

Hometown Holiday

1. Love tree @ SL Mormon Temple, 2. School Buses @ Mystic Hot Springs, 3. Walk in Aurora 4. Ski Lift shot with Moose

I am back in Germany and made it here with relative ease.  My baggage dematerialized somewhere between Paris and Düsseldorf only to show up again later.  So rather than having to schlep through the airport, train stations, and home with my gargantuan rucksack, I was able to ease-fully make my way and have it delivered to me the following day with no hassle at all.

Slowly I am finding my way back to normalcy and routine, something that is rather refreshing for this little Taurus.  The three weeks in my hometown were a whirlwind.  Both too long in ways to be away from "normal" life and too short to spend the amount and quality time I would have liked with everyone.  My first week was so packed with events, I don't feel like I was ever fully grounded as I flitted from place to place.  It was lovely to see people and only wish that I had been a little more present.

Aside from the utter and pure joy I felt in seeing family and friends, there were so many other reasons the trip was perfect for me.  It turned out to be about, not just connection, but expectations, intention, and perspective.  I redefined some friendships and was able to put out feelers on where I stand with people.  Reconnecting, I was able to let go of the expectation of what my long distance friendships "should" look like.  It was nice to just BE.  I was reunited with people from my more distant past and even made a potential new friend or two.  All-in-all, not bad for a girl who has always considered herself shy.

A few days were spent at my dad's house in, pretty much, the middle of nowhere.  A few years ago that is something I probably would not have done and I was happy on this trip to have the ability to let go of my previous expectations of what our relationship or what he "should" be.  I feel excited to be able to move on and create something different in the future.  (are we seeing a theme here yet, people?)  Him living in a small town helped me to ground myself after a near two weeks of constant running around.  I got to roam in the snow and sit in the hot springs.  More on that later.  :)

The last BIG thing that I got from my trip was perspective on my life here in Germany.  I have often, when feeling homesick, kept Utah and my life there on a pedestal, forgetting what an amazing adventure I have taken on.  It's a bit like I have hit reset on all of this and I get to come back with a clean slate.  I get to live the life I really want and that feels thrilling.  A majority of my time on the plane, aside from bits of sleep, was spent reflecting and intention setting for the next year and I feel excited for what shape my life will be taking on.

I hope to share a few stories and photos in the coming days.

Tschüßi!

In an hour I am set to take off to the train station and on towards the Düsseldorf Airport.  I took one last jaunt around the city this evening, paying my respects to the Glühwein stands at the Christmas Markets and enjoying what is more than likely my last Christmas season living in Europe.

I have a looooong travel day ahead of me (26 hours).  I just checked the Delta website and the first leg of my trip, at this point, is cancelled, potentially making it an even longer travel day(s).  Jetzt, geht, LOS.  Happy, safe, and timely traveling thoughts sent in my direction are welcome.  I am gathering up some fun creative and very mobile projects to take with me and make it all as enjoyable as possible.

There will be no official WE tomorrow.  But if you would like, post a link to any photo of anything that is on your mind in the comments here.  I would love to check them out.

So, until..... sometime!  I can't wait to see all the people waiting for me on the other side of the sea.  But it's a sort of calm excitement happening.  Maybe because it's past my bedtime now and I am working up the energy to go, go, go.

Have a lovely day.

Mittelalterlicher Weihnachtsmarkt

The holidays are in the air!!! And in Germany the festivals don't stop for the cold weather. The Christmas markets are open and people are out in droves. I spent my cold, grey, wet Saturday afternoon at the Middle Ages Christmas Market in a small town just outside of Münster. A day consisting of handmade jewelry, mead, fire, an unbelievable amount of meat and potatoes, costumes, bagpipes, and a great assortment of hot drinks, spiced and fortified with various alchohol.

This year I most enjoyed two things.

1. Mouse Roulette. Frederick was once a great wizard and after an unfortunate run in with a witch, was destined to live out his days as a mouse. He now travels with the festival and people place bets to see, when placed in a miniature courtyard, which house he will run into next. We were on the edges of our seats! Who needs Vegas?

2. Witches Brew! I love the holidays in Germany for all the hot drinks. There's Gluhwein (mulled wine), Feuerzangebowle (wine, caramalized sugar, rum) and many other variations of alchohol + flavorings + heat. I LOVE it. Witches Coffee is maybe my favorite. A big pot of coffee and rock sugar sits over the fire. A spiraled orange peel is held above as a ladel of alcohol (we're not told what) is lit on fire and poured down the peel, caramelizing and drippeing into the coffee. Topped off with whipped cream. It's not just the drink, but the whole atmosphere of sitting in a large tent around a fire and drinking from the large pot. The experience was magical.

A few more photos here.

What are you doing to keep your spirits up this winter?

Local, Handmade Holidays

Have you done your holiday shopping? Were you a part of the mad rush this weekend?

I always try to make my gifts very thoughtful and personal. This year my goal is to give 100% handmade or local goods. There are hundreds of reasons why. To name a few: gifts are unique, made with love, and you are supporting small businesses and artists. Thanks to the internet I have many gifts aside from those I find in Germany to bring home.

Some favorite spots to hit online for handmade goodness:

Etsy (duh)
DaWanda (great if you're in Europe because they accept payments in Euro)
1000 Markets
Reform School Rules
Threadless ~ rockin' artist designed T-Shirts

Looking for a sweet and unique idea for someone you love?  Artist Jess Smart Smiley is offering $20 digital portraits through Dec 11.  You send a photo and he sends you the portrait via digital file to print to your hearts content.    Check out some samples in his Facebook group. I adore all of them.

Lastly, for you Utahns... don't miss out on the Beehive Bazaar this coming weekend in Provo.  That's right.  Provo.  Loads of handmade goodness from people in the 801.

Adventskalender

I know I am supposed to be counting down to Christmas, but this year I have decided to use my advent calendar to countdown to when I get to go home for Christmas. So guess what... I get to start tomorrow! Just twenty five days before I get to board a plane and see the place and people I so love and miss. This will be the first time I am in Salt Lake as a visitor rather than resident. It's all so very strange and exciting.

This year my advent calendar is an assortment of teas. One tea for each day. There's Winter Night, Green Luck, Ginger Energy, and Good Mood to name a few. What a comforting way to countdown....

What are you looking forward to?

model citizen

Before moving to Germany I played dress up one afternoon with my friend Teresa Flowers and she took some photos with her Holga camera. She has now posted a few from that shoot on her website, Sleepictures. Just click on photographs and holga and you are sure to see them. I wish I was a more confident model to do her photographs justice.... her work is stunning and I feel honored that a few of me made it onto her site. Aside from her photography she also does dreamy paintings which she uses to create belts, necklaces, and clothing. You may remember a little adventure when my belt when to the market.

Check out her Etsy shop. If you are lucky enough to live in Utah visit her booth at the Beehive Bazaar in Provo, Dec 3-5, or at any of these boutiques/galleries in Salt Lake City:

Fresh
Fice
Frosty Darling
Blue Cockatoo
Coda Gallery (Park City)
Phillips Gallery
SLCitizen

risen from the depths

Hellooooo. My absence has been a combined result of voluntary seclusion and technical difficulties. But I am back online now... physically, socially, mentally, and technologically. I am not a fan of back tracking, catching up. But let's say that the weeks I have been amiss have been hugely transformative, though subtely so. It has been weeks full of one epiphany after another. These "aha" moments couldn't be more timely. I am loving the life I have created, love where I am at.

A handful of randomness from the time of my absence:

My daily commute has been divine. I much prefer the path along the canal to the busy sidewalk along one of the main traffic arteries into/out of the city.

I am flirting with girly-ness and made a lovely new asymmetrical ruffly cloche. It's a bit over the top for my usual day to day fashion of jeans and a t-shirt, but I am slowly falling in love with it. I am determined to own more of my femininity.

Random, and hilariously clad, samba group playing as we sat for coffee one Sunday afternoon on the Harbor.

Before the leaves turned and the cold came in, I retreated to the woods, on the hunt for moss. I harvested a bit and made a few little bowls to set about the house. Surely I can keep moss alive...



What have you been up to?

First Stop: Edinburgh

Edinburgh took my breath away with it's proud, rugged, aged beauty from the moment my bus rounded the corner into the city center. Serendipitously, pipes struck in and I had the distinct feeling I was arriving HOME. I felt all warm and fuzzy, was immediately attached and in love. My stay was barely a day, hardly enough time to get to know the city at all, and before I could leave I was already feeling pulled back. Check the [Flickr set] If you are curious, there are some more images after the jump.

The buildings seem to bleed with Scottish pride although, with the exception of this one scribbling on the wall, the link with England is hardly alluded too.  

My short peek into the grounds of the Hollyrood House, the royal residence for the Queen in Edinburgh.  Truthfully, I was more interested in Arthur's Seat, an ancient volcano and lovely hike for beautiful views of the city and outlying areas.

And really, can you blame me?  I have been living in the flatlands for far too long and a gain of just a few meters elevation makes me swoon, darling.  The moment I looked up as alighting the bus  (alighting~you like that?)I was looking forward to this walk up the hill.  

The views and wild flowers were beautiful and I was thrilled as I climbed some of the rocks.  Climbing.  Rocks.  Oh, how I have missed that.  That's all I need for my birthday, people.  To climb.  Rocks.  Nature.  It doesn't take much.

At the bottom of Arthur's Seat, and directly across from Hollyrood House is the Scottish Parliament Building.  It looks more like an upscale, green apartment complex than the seat of government, but there you have it.  Google some more images of the place, it's rather interesting.

The rest of my time was spent wandering, rather aimlessly, through the cities streets and alleyways.  A stop into The Writers Museum was lovely and this scribbled on the wall caught my eye: To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive.  ~Robert Louis Stevenson

Despite the smell of urine in some of these alleys, I couldn't help but romanticize them a great deal.

An exhibit of funny (and real) signs were on display in a plaza.  The Barf B&B was, by far, a favorite.

Free hugs were offered in abundance on the street during the Fringe Fest.  And yes, I got me some of that.

More photos will be posted, eventually, on my flickr account.  But darlings, I am snap happy, and it will take me some time to get through it all.  

Welcome Mat

Oh me, oh my, how I have missed my little home on the web.  I do have a million and then some stories to tell, pictures to share.  Oh, the catch up that lies ahead.  My two weeks went like this:  Edinburgh-Sterling-Glasgow-Dublin-Kinsale-Dingle-Kinsale-Cork-Dublin.  Whew.  With family, of course, and it was about the best time I could have imagined.  I am not sure how I will ever sift through all my photos without taking another week off, but I will surely do my best.

Any Irish I would chat with were appalled at the idea of me choosing to live in Germany, a place and people they view as cold, boring, and systematic.  This idea was on display as I walked home tonight past a previously abandoned restaurant which has in (nearly) two weeks been rented out, remodeled, and opened for business under a new name.

I feel excited to get back to blogging, sharing stories and whatnot, but for now it is time for sleep. Why is a recovery period always needed after a holiday?

Hellooooo.

Sorry sweet friends. I dropped off the map for a minute there, eh? Well, I won't be back for another week. Remember how I talked about my awesome brother and our trip to the Bagpipe World Championships? Well, I have grand stories to tell, but for now will just send you here to see how amazing my brother's band played. It has been an even more emotional and beautiful trip than I anticipated. Many stories will be told. All in due time, dear friends. I have lost, temporarily, the charger for my phone and camera, as well as the cables to transfer photos. But for now I have another week to spend with my sweet family in Ireland. I will get to the internet cafe on Friday to post a WE topic and will get back to regular blogging next week. I hope you all have a lovely week and look forward to a very detailed show and tell.

Summer Work Update

This time last week I was dead.  Or nearly dead.  I don't much remember.  Each day was a bit of one, big, chaotic mess.   The kids were loud.  They were cheeky.  Older than I preferred.  One gave me a bit of the creeps.  They refused to do anything that remotely resembled writing or crafting.  The thought of sitting in a chair for longer than ten minutes terrified them.  At least, that's the only logical explanation I can think of as to why we played football for what seemed like five straight hours every day.  Did I mention they were loud?  Even after spending a weekend doing what really qualifies as nothing, I was still not recovered.  

Okay, okay.  They weren't so bad.  It's only in retrospect and comparing them to this week that I see little devils running around in my recollection.  They were mostly very sweet.  They were, occasionally, willing to please.  They laughed at my jokes.  They understood my jokes.  They spoke in English.  They asked me for my phone number.  About 90% of the grief I was caused came from one boy in particular.

Can I tell you, though, what a difference the group makes?  The dynamic this week is completely different.  I am in heaven.  The work day is over, and I can still walk, talk, and I remember how to feed myself.  I think I have the sweetest group EVER.  They come in when asked, sit quietly for crafts and beg for more time when I ask them to clean up, they are nice to each other and include everyone in all the games, work hard, play hard, and they crack me up.  Seriously, I may be adopting twelve little German children.  I am having smashing time and am in shock that there are only two more days left (usually I am just begging for Friday afternoon to come around).  

Hopefully I will get a few photos up from the last two weeks.  Until then you will just have to deal with words, words, words.

basteln ~ to craft

Lärm ~ noise

suß ~ sweet, cute

gemein ~ mean, nasty

the heebie-jeebies

One of my boys was late this morning. Really late. I got quite worried and called my boss so she could track him down. Not ten minutes later he waltzed into the building with his dad. Thank goodness. He was only late on account of a doctor appointment. For lice.

I'm sorry, do I need to say that louder? For lice. LICE! Blech.

I am all clear, I can't stop scratching myself nevertheless.

Geburtstag Party

Yeah, so I often go on and on here about creating a community and making friends and I get myself all inspired. Then I curl up in bed with a book and am not to be seen for days. Yesterday, however, I walked the walk and went out to celebrate a friends birthday. It was my favorite kind of gathering, starting off quietly around the grill and slowly building with energy throughout the night, moving back indoors for a dance party then reconvening in the garden for a sing-a-long. At about 1:00 a.m. Luis (birthday boy, pictured above) decided that it was time to take the party public and we ended up in a bar in the old city.



Can I tell you all a little story? It's about the music. And Germans. And what is apparently cool. It has been my experience so far that a successfulness of a night out dancing is directly related to the number of songs everyone can sing along to. No, scratch that. Jump, thrash and shout along to. Which means: all the greatest hits of yesterday and today.... Top 40 stations are something I avoid like the plague, so in the name of dance, I have had to adjust my preferences a bit since moving here. What exactly does adjust mean here? Let's just say I was glad there were no hidden cameras to document me enthusiastically joining in with the jumping and singing to this and this. Also, to play right into the hand of German stereotypes, there was a very excited response to this one.




Geburtstag ~ birthday
feiern ~ to celebrate
tanzen ~ to dance
peinlich ~ embarrassing, awkward, uncomfortable
schrecklich ~ awful, dreadful, terrible