even before breaking my arm i had several conversations with people on my journey about whether things happen for a reason. with all the oddities that came together on my trip i have to believe it's true. it was as small a moment as having a cycling tour group of four (plus two tour guides) when the usual size is twenty, or that perfect timing where i was with someone at just the right time to help me out.
in fact, i've joked that i had guardian angels throughout my journey: doctors on my cycling trip (i should have brought them to berlin), making a new friend just as i got on an overnight train in italy (only to hear horror stories after), being able to stop making so many decisions when i got to munich (plus a long hot bath), breaking my arm while staying with best friends (also, translators and fabulous caretakers), given warm grandma-knitted socks and a fancy designer sling from my german family (oh, and all the yummy food!), and then the new friends in amsterdam that magically appeared (seriously) at just the right time to keep me company, pepper my meal, and whisk me off to the airport. even my last stop before home showered me with good friends who took care of me when my arm swelled up and carried my backpack (which started light in berlin and somehow got heavy again).
it's like the butterfly effect where one change makes new elements fall into place. it's all very unpredictable and i can't say i really know every moment of change nor every reason. especially when it comes to my arm. some say it was to slow me down, but i was already doing that on my own. this whole trip was about learning from other people's eye opening moments and taking a chance to travel while i could. others say it was to force me to let someone else take care of me, but i'm still not doing a good job of that. yes, yes, i'm still stubborn. but i'm getting better!
i do believe one reason has been to have a chance to look at life another way. this is my designers brain at work. i have a whole new appreciation for my limbs and for those who take on the daily tasks of life without all of them. perhaps someday all my knowledge from this experience will work itself into my design projects.
in the meantime, i'm back in san francisco staying with one of my
guardian angels while i resettle into the city. there are many posts i
didn't get to make along the way but i'm sure most of you will hear
about them at somepoint. plus, photos will emerge eventually and tell a
whole nother tale.
it's official, the rain was not the main reason i didn't like Florence. i spent two and a half rainy days in amsterdam and loved the entire experience. well, maybe not the hotel room that wanted to be hip and looked more like a hostel. but i fixed that by getting a free upgrade to a slightly better room (thank you, broken arm). the hotel itself (hotel arena) was quite cool. historic on the outside, mod on the inside.
i even enjoyed all the times i got lost. i would walk with confidence about the direction i was going and then find myself on the same corner again. and before you jump to conclusions my lack of direction was not due to visiting what Amsterdam calls "coffeeshops".
it was inspirational museum week for me -- anne frank house, van gogh museum and the rembrandt house. then there was the novel sex museum. more porn than i've seen in my life but i also saw it as a great photograhic exhibit showing a wide span of history.
next time round i'll get out of the city and visit some of the green countryside i saw from the train.
movie theatres in berlin give you assigned seating based on whether you want to sit back, middle or front. i went to see a film and had the best seat ever in the dead center of the theatre.
to top things off i sat there with my half litre of beer, a pretzel and ben and jerry's cookie dough ice cream.
what else could i ask for?
i´m on the move again. i left my sweet, wonderful, extremely patient friends in Berlin this morning. i couldn´t have asked for a better place on this trip to get tied up for a few extra days. outside of the help from my friends, it was great to see them longer and get a feel for Berlin. a really great city that i will try to write more about another day.
tonight i am outside cologne/köln visiting my german exchange sister from high school. we haven´t seen each other in 15 years! she´s married now to a man as generous as she is and they have an adorable 11 month old. today we went to Bonn which I will also write about another day. i can smell the dinner cooking down the hall and so i must go!
i´ve shipped most of my heavy bag home so i can travel light with my
backpack. seems to be working so far, so tomorrow to amsterdam. if u
have suggestions let me know. i´m there until friday!
this is a post to comment on the city i saw before breaking my arm in münich.
it´s a very beautiful city. and oktöberfest is worth experiencing, although i could think of better things to do with my time. back in the states it would be like a large state fair mixed with the ten different weddings celebrations going on in ten different large tents. each blaring loud music, pouring alchohol and dancing on table tops. oh, and singing. it was good fun to observe and the giant bratwürsts that sit in small bread rolls are delicious!
but, back to the beautiful city. the buildings and streets are quite lovely. nothing too tall and cobblestone sidewalks, which appear to be all over this country. my friend karen suggested i go to the public gardens, so i did. i had heard from others it was worth seeing. none of them mentioned i might find lawns and park benches filled with naked men. karen says she hadn´t seen them but i have a photo, so i know i didn´t imagine it. i found the spots of pink on the lawn quite artsy and was highly amused by the man on the bench, completely naked, with his fully clothed girlfriend´s head resting on his lap.
after further research i was informed this was the norm. a classic münich lunchtime in the park.
