random day-after-europe thoughts.

it is a truly bizarre feeling to be running one morning in victoria park, london and the next morning running in keller, texas. slightly depressing.  but thanks to jet lag, being up at 4:45 let me see a beautiful sunrise on my run.

i heart traveling with my sisters.

i am once again struck at the width of texas streets, the number of SUV's, air conditioning, and the glorious taste of american diet coke.

the world is full of really, really, REALLY interesting people.

i never would have pegged berlin as a city where people tan nude in the central park.

there is something refreshingly simplistic about living with the things you can only carry in your backpack. after you get over the feeling of vulnerability, it's quite a nice way to go.  good prep for the appalachian trail.

i am struggling with the lack of physical movement. for almost 6 weeks it was new places and new cities every few days with different things to do and see.  and i was never inside for longer than a museum visit, a stop at the grocery store or café, or to sleep.  time to apply that to my current living situation.

feet are amazing.  they can take us incredible places.  and chacos on those feet?  even better.

i am truly grateful i had the chance to experience more of this glorious earth in which we live. traveling can foster adaptability, passion, independence, curiosity, learning, spontaneity, and an appreciation for different cultures (just to name a few). it reminds me that i am not only capable of living these qualities, but i am happiest when i do. the trick is to apply these traits into the everyday and to let them seep so deep into you that they become who you are no matter where you are.  

"adventure is a path.  real adventure-- self-determined, self-motivated, often risky-- forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world.  the world the way it is, not the way you imagine it.  your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness.  in this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind-- and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both.  this will change you." -mark jenkins

so there you have it.  the sun has officially set on european summer 2013.

luckily there are always more adventures to be had.  care to join?

deutschland, danmark, norge

truthfully, each of these countries deserve their own post, but here's the abbreviated version in photographical bullet points.

deutschland:

frauenkirche, dresden.  (dark brick, before WWII.  light brick, built post WWII bombing)

swiss saxon national park.  8 hours of hiking bliss.

annaberg buchholz.  felt like mulan paying homage to the ancestors.

leipzig, thomaskirche.  part of the bach pilgrimage.

berlin, brandenberger tor.

spandau, berlin

potsdam, germany

danmark:  wish i could have spent more time here.  the danes truly are some of the friendliest people i've ever encountered. 

crossing baltic sea to copenhagen

copenhagen (heart all the cyclists!)

copenhagen

hirtshals (north sea)

coastline

perhaps the most perfectly coiffed horses in denmark.

best sunset ever.

lighthouse in hirtshals

norge: o.m.norway.  must go back. for a long, long time.   

way up to preikestolen (pulpit rock)

pulpit rock. 

the fjord.

elevated view of the rock.

the north sea.

1st cousins once removed.  

monafossen

fjord cruise

fjord cruise.

old town stavanger.

Česká republika.

the old town, castle district, and jewish quarter in prague could be the most architecturally beautiful places i've ever ever been to.  vienna and paris are pretty fantastic... but daaaaa-yum. so is prague.  absolutely loved it. i spent hours just wandering around the little cobblestone streets, which was perfect because heaven knows i couldn't talk to anyone.  by the time i left, i think i managed one correct good morning and thank you.  czech is ridiculous!

since i did a lot of writing in the last post, i'll spare you words and include more pictures.  and just so you know, i became obsessed with the clocks around the city, so there are loads of pictures of different clocks. consider it a study.

after 3 days in prague, i spent another 1.5 down in cesky krumlov-- also an architectural delight.  plus, the surrounding southern bohemian hills proved an excellent escape from the tour bus crowds.

charles bridge.

our lady before tyn

astronomical clock

old town hall

couldn't help it.  his pose was just too good.

old-new synagogue

names of czechs killed during the holocaust.

jewish cemetery

st. nicholas cathedral

cute little door.

clock(s)

clock

clock

wenceslas square

cesy krumlov.  even the man-hole covers are delightful.

wanna buy a sundial?

part of the castle.

view of the country from klet, highest peak in southern bohemia.

the vltava running through town.

walking to the bus station at 4:30am. not a bad parting gift.

österreich.

the trip from paris to austria started off with an undesired bang, but quickly improved from there.  here's what happened.  

our train was scheduled to leave paris-gare de lyon station at 6:15 am.  all fine and dandy, but at about 6:11am, i was deep underground preparing myself for a flat out sprint up to the train platforms as soon as the doors of my metro car opened.  i had caught the earliest possible metro from where i was staying  and as i planned the previous night, i figured i would have about 10 minutes to make it from the metro to the train.  a little close for comfort, but doable. however, as soon as all the drunk 20-somethings descended onto the metro at the first stop on their way home from their friday night exploits, i knew it was going to be a rough ride.  there i was, smashed against the door of the metro, huge backpack in tow making maneuvering impossible, surrounded by sweaty, stinky frenchies, alcohol leaking from their pores, slurred speech and song spewing (loudly) from their lips, and not a thing i could do about it.  to make matters worse, because the drunk 20-somethings took longer than normal to get on and off the train, we were running a few precious minutes behind schedule, which meant i just missed my connecting metro, which meant i would have to wait 4 minutes for the next one to come.  it's an interesting place to be in, really-- knowing you are 100% out of control of a situation.  no amount of foot twitching or watch checking could make time slow down or make the metro come early so that i would be able to catch my train.  there was absolutely nothing i could do... except prepare myself for the flat out sprint that was about to happen as soon as my metro doors opened.  and sprint i did.  given the huge backpack on my back, it probably wasn't my fastest ever, but effort wise, it was definitely up near the top.  i chugged up the flights of stairs (don't worry, sara.  didn't forget the mouthguard), around the corner, and into the hall of trains. i knew my train would be on platform #?, but i entered into the platform with letters (damn train station.  two halls of platforms?  REALLY?) so after somehow asking a kind french man where the other platforms were, i sprinted down the corrider and around another corner into the correct hall.

pause here.  should i ever get to heaven, i really hope to re-watch this scene of my life again.  and then i'll put it in slow-mo for added effect. i swear... straight from a movie. 

just as i was about to enter the hall, i heard a whistle blow and right as i turned the corner, i saw my train start to pull away, friend and sister on it, and all dreams of sound of music reenacting flying out the window.  to say i was bummed is an understatement.  i was sick to my stomach. i couldn't believe it.... and you shouldn't either, because that last part wasn't true.

here's what really happened: i rounded the corner, saw sara and sophie standing at our pre-determined meeting point and as soon as they saw me, they started running down the train platform to let the conductor know we were going to be getting on.  i caught up to them (couldn't stop the sprint now) and not 30 seconds after we got on the train, the whistle blew and our train started to move.  all this before 6:30 am.  a little too much excitement so early in the morning, don't you think? my mother must have prayed extra hard that day because i still have no idea how i made that train.  truly a miracle.

to sum up the rest of the trip (because this post is long enough): o.m.austria, i heart you. i want to live within your borders. and o.m.s and s.  i heart you, too.

innsbruck

hallstatt.

no sun needed when you're recreating the sound of music.

view from fortress in salzburg

salzburg

vienna

vienna

  lainz tiergarten, vienna.