Last Stop - Ireland

I've had an absolutely gorgeous (an Irish use of the word) time here in Tulla, Clare County, Republic of Ireland. I was hosted by my Irish friends, Joan and Margaret, whom I met outside the Musee de Orsay in Paris (check out my April post). Just a chance meeting that has turned into true friendship. What a gift!
I'm headed back to the States in about 12 hours. I fly from Shannon to Los Angeles via Chicago. I am mourning the end of my time abroad and yet excited to be back in my home country for the first time in four months. I have so much to share with you. Thanks for your patience in waiting for more stories.

Day o' Flowers and Churches

Romania. Welcome to the European Union! To inform visitors that this really IS part of the EU, they have a sign posted. Pretty clever, I thought.I am here visiting my friend, Diane. Remember when I went to Cambodia a few years back? Diane was the one who worked with girls rescued out of prostitution and ran a hospice for those with AIDS. She recently moved to Iasi to lead a team that works among the Romanian youth and orphans. It is a much different culture, climate and language (obviously). The theme (a theme!) of my first day in Romania was flowers and churches. We started the day in search of sunflowers for their photogenic nature. We didn't have to go far. Sunflowers are a major crop here. They are used for their seeds and oil. I was reminded of the last sunflower field I walked in, which was next to our house in Minnesota over 25 years ago. We then popped by Flora Holland, a nursery with an amazing selection of cut flowers in a gigantic refrigerator. It felt wonderful to get out of the 98 degree heat. Plus, it reminded me of my last weekend spent in Amsterdam, where these flowers came from.Some typical Romanian scenes included: horse-drawn wagons, . . .older Romanian ladies wearing scarves (who reminded me of my dear Romanian residents at Covenant Manor: Constantina who insisted on speaking Romanian to everyone, Verginia who was the resident photographer, Lina who called me Draga and Lucy who claimed God is power), . . .. . . and, of course, gypsies.
Orthodoxy is the prevalent religion in Romania. 85 to 90 percent of the population are Orthodox, the 2nd largest percentage in the Orthodox religion (1st is Russia). Going to church is an integral part of the culture. People come to the church to cross themselves (they do it the opposite way from the Catholics, left to right), kiss the relics of the saints, confess, pray and pay to receive a blessing from the priest.
In fact, every time they pass a church, they are supposed to cross themselves. They must practice A LOT because of the large number of Orthodox churches. We visited just a small handful. They are quite ornate and beautiful, with frescoes painted on the interior and exterior.This 17th century church is currently under renovation. It reminded me of the Italian churches (Catholic, of course) that I saw over a month ago. Speaking of which, I still need to tell you about THOSE adventures. . .

Next door to the Orthodox churches are the old and new Catholic churches.

And down the road is the former palace and current cultural center of Iasi.I guess today could also be themed "Day o' Reflection" because of all the reminders I keep talking about. As previously mentioned, I'm in the throes of processing my trip and thinking about heading back to the States. One of the nice ladies I met asked me about what I will do when I return. The fact that the answer to that question is still unclear causes me to change the subject. I'm just living the present moment, knowing that the answer to that question will come.

My Tartan LeSportsac

Jamie reminded me about something I've been meaning to tell you all. My LeSportsac bag has been my faithful companion on virtually every leg of my trip. In fact, I've made it my sole piece of luggage these past couple of weeks. The fact that I chose the tartan pattern years ago is just another testimony of my Scottish heritage (hee, hee).

P.S. I made it safely to Iasi (pronounced "Yash"), Romania, via Vienna. The airport has a two-way runway: land on one side, taxi on the other.

I HEART SCOTLAND

I just returned from discovering Scotland by VW Golf. Tons o' fun! I'm on my way to Romania in the morning, but wanted to give a quick update that I l-o-v-e Scotland: the accent, the beauty, the friendly people, the lochs, the castles, the history. I felt quite at home (probably the most since my trip began), even driving on the left with a stick-shift (or gear lever I guess they call it). It must be my Scottish blood.

Let the Recap Begin (Almost)

As you may have noticed, I have used my blog primarily to report what I’ve seen and experienced. What I haven’t included as much are my thoughts (thanks, Beatri!) on all that I have learned in my time abroad. Because I have squeezed so much out of my four months away, I haven’t had a whole lot of downtime to put my thoughts in order (shocking, I know). I’ve found that I will begin processing about one month AFTER I’ve been in a certain place. In China, for instance, I talked quite a bit about Africa because it was on my mind. Just a little insight into who I am.

I still have some reporting to do before you will see my thoughts, but never fear. I will continue blogging in the States. I think that will be when I FEEL what I’ve learned the most. Stay tuned. The interesting stories will not end with my journey on July 25th.

Heritage Tour Stop #1 - Amsterdam

After a quick one-day turnaround in Paris, I flew to Amsterdam for the weekend. Crazy, you say? Well, after tanking just a bit, I would agree. I was rested with time on my hands when I made my travel itinerary. The outcome was a plan for Wonder Woman. I discovered I am not.

On my way through London, I had purchased an Amsterdam guidebook (in English, which isn’t easy to find in a French-speaking country) that I studied on the short flight from Paris. I arrived at Schipol Airport with a plan. It went something like this:

DAY 1

• Go to Amsterdam's Historisch Museum
• Take walking tour of Central Amsterdam
• Take walking tour of the Jordaan District
• Shop at Sissy-Boy, a popular Dutch clothing chain
• Check into hotel

DAY 2

• Take train to Delft where blue and white pottery is made
• See windmills
  

DAY 3

• Go to Van Gogh Museum
• Go to Anne Frank's Huis
• Take canal tour
• Shop at Albert Cuypmarkt, Amsterdam's biggest general market
• Shop at high-fashion stores for brother-in-law

My ACTUAL schedule went like this:

DAY 1

• Take train from Schipol Airport (15 minutes outside Amsterdam) to Centraal Station
• Take pictures of the Nationaal Monument (contains soil from 11 Dutch provinces),

the Koninklijk Paleis (Royal Palace), the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church that is no longer a church, but a concert and exhibition hall), and the mall where Sissy-Boy is located.

• Shop at Sissy-boy
• Go into shutdown
• Take train back to Schipol Airport
• Take shuttle to hotel and totally crash

DAY 2

• REST
• Take bus to Amstelpark
• Walk to De Rieker Windmill, one of Rembrandt's painting locations


• Walk through Amstelpark

• Take tram to train station at Schipol (which contained a food market with quite a selection)
• Return to hotel

DAY 3

• Take train to Centraal Amsterdam
• Take Canal Bus to Van Gogh Museum
• Walk through Albert Cuypmarkt (typical outdoor flea market)
• Shop at high-fashion store for brother-in-law
• Take Canal Bus to Anne Frank's Huis
• Take train back to Schipol (both major train station and mall within its structure – the smart Dutch!)
• Return to Paris
  

A few random thoughts:

• The canal bus is my favorite mode of public transport.

• Anne Frank's Huis was the most moving experience – to be where she and her family hid for two years!

• The beautiful churches are places of commerce and concerts, no longer used for worship. It made me sad to hear that told time and again.
• You can go to a “cafe” to do ‘shrooms and weed. Hmmmm. . . (no, of COURSE I didn’t)
• Heineken is on tap in Amsterdam.
  
• Van Gogh had much self-doubt regarding his art. Another story of an imperfect human changing the course of history. I felt a kinship with him – who knew!
• My favorite purchase was my Van Gogh Museum umbrella.
  

I guess I accomplished quite a bit during my first visit to Amsterdam. It gave me a small taste of my Dutch ancestry, with opportunity to explore more next time.

Goodbye to Asia

I'm sitting in the Hong Kong Airport with free wi-fi and a grande mocha, getting ready to head back to Paris. I'm a little sad to leave China. This past month has exceeded my expectations. In fact, I'm considering taking Mandarin classes. I can't wait to return when my friends adopt their second little girl.

The Path to Wisdom

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. . ." Proverbs 9:10Today I celebrated the 4th of July atop Ngong Ping plateau on the Hong Kong island of Lantau. It is where the largest Buddha statue in the world sits.It was something else. Two questions: "Why?" and "Why does he have a swastika on his chest?"I quickly moved on to the "Wisdom Path", which is a replica of the Heart Sutra displayed on wooden pillars placed in the form of the sign for eternity. The Heart Sutra is a prayer revered by Confucians, Buddhists and Taoists (I copied this part from a brochure - it wasn't my knowledge). It is written in Chinese, so I'm not sure what it says. What I did appreciate is the awesome creation that surrounds it.I'd like to think the eternity symbol represents God's eternal presence with us which never changes. That part of God's character actually came to mind as I walked up the path.I could have spent hours enjoying the beauty, praising God for His amazing creativity. . .. . . as I sat upon a rock, but it started raining.

In the distance, I could see the world's largest Buddha looking rather small.
Happy 4th of July!

Africa Flashback - The Jungle Cruise

My trip to Africa would not have been complete without a safari. It took place in the Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP), located in western Uganda. There were two parts: the sunset cruise and the sunrise bus tour (I'll get to that one later).

We merrily rode the bus from the Colline Hotel in Mukono to QENP in 8 short hours. As you can see, we enjoyed one another's company and vistas of the countryside after spending an intense week together.
We were welcomed to the park by its beauty and . . .. . . some baboons with their babies! The bluish hue of the photo was an enhancement caused by the bus window tinting. We made it just in time (actually, a little late) for our safari cruise. There was a patient British family scheduled for the same boat waiting for us. They were gracious and didn't even cast a glare our way. We hopped on the boat and awaited the animals' arrival (or they awaited ours, I guess).The first animals to be spotted were hippos. It was exciting to see them in their natural habitat with their babies and at close range. The other animals out in abundance were the birds. There were king fishers, . . .. . . some kind of stork, . . . . . . canaries with their ball-shaped nests and . . .. . . Uganda's national bird, which is some kind of eagle. Oops. I can't remember all the names of the birds. Anyone? Anyone?The fishermen were out gathering their early evening catches. Notice their homes off in the distance. It's as if time stands still in some parts of the world. I like the simplicity and serenity that is captured here. I remember needing to take a breath at that point and just be in the moment. We then had our first glimpse of water buffalo. Actually, they were just regular buffalo near water. Outcasts, as a matter of fact. Any buffalo found in three or less have been rejected by the herd. Sad, huh? I think it's nice how they're keeping one another company. It's like they're saying, "I got your back, man."One of the highlights of the jungle cruise was catching a glimpse of this elephant. He was on a mission going somewhere, so we had to be quick with our cameras.

The one incognito animal was the crocodile. He escaped my view, but Monique caught him on film. It's like those Magic Eye pictures where you have to see the picture in the dots. I just couldn't find him, but he was there. A little menacing, actually. The sun was setting and we had to get checked in to the hotel, so thus ended my first real jungle cruise.