A picture of peace

The train journey into the heart of Switzerland found me once again without words. The two hour ride felt as if only moments passed as I found it hard for me to pull myself away from the view which lay outside my window seat. How quiet the car was as compared to most trains throughout Italy. Don’t get me wrong, I adore Italians.. but they are loud. You sit on a train through Italy and the phones are ringing letting you know of their importance as you hear every word of their conversations.. the hands flying.. even the announcements, which come ever so often to let you know of your arrival. But on the little William Tell Express train.. the Swiss were quiet as if too left speechless by the vistas we now traveled through.

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Gimmelwald

The views continue to get better. If you could see this view from where I find myself curled up under a blanket here on the porch, you would never want to leave. I will try and paint a picture.. all around me are snowy mountain peaks, waterfalls streams down until they become mist.. a fog is rolling in and this changes the atmosphere of this place.. chickens move out of the corner of my eye seeking food in the flower covered meadows.. birds sings and you hear the bells signaling the movemnts of the local resident cows and goats. Typical Swiss chalets dot the landscape, dark wood with beautiful designs carved into their doors and windows. Flowers, a myriad of colors spill from boxes in the windows and as you walk the little one street which runs through this little village, danndalions blows through the air as if this mountain itself is making a wish.. Laundry hands to my left and locals walk the street to my right greeting each other in dialect which is new to my ears. For a moment it began to rain, the sound adding to the symphony of sounds and soothing my soul. The temp has dropped a good 15 degrees in the past hour and the scent of wet fresh earth fills my lungs. This is a picture of peace. I am at peace here. All I need is a cup of coffee.. ;)

another trip comes to an end.

Another wonderful group has come and gone. We spent a week and a half in Italy.. traveling from Florence to hiking to Cinque Terre to ending Rome. What an amazing group of students! Saying goodbye to this group ended the four weeks of constant tours.. i felt a wave of emotions wash over me as I walked by to the airport terminal shuttle alone. Almost deflated. I felt liberated.. yet I felt as if I no longer had any purpose for my being there.

The next few weeks I will to have myself.. where I will travel up into Switzerland and back through Italy once again. More to come..

Rothenberg ober de Tor

The little room where I find myself tonight has a view that looks out over the red rooftops of Rothenberg ober de tor. Exposed wooden beams, laced curtains and a corner bed welcome my weary body. This was one of those days where I pinch myself in that I get to do this for a living!

Traveling west out of Prague, once again we made our way through the beautiful countryside. Not long after entering Germany did we made a stop in the town of Nuremberg. As Hitler put it, this was the most German of German towns. Gothic spires, cobble stone streets and flower market made this an appealing city for the kids. Little did any of us know what a treat we were in for upon entering this village set off the Romantic Road.

We had discovered prior to arriving, that it would not be possible to drive the coaches within the walled city. Therefore, we’d all prepared a night bag so that 140 people weren’t dragging massive pieces of luggage down the narrow streets. As if we could conceal ourselves! Once we arrived, I ran ahead of the group to find the hotel and calculate how long of a walk it would be. Tthe moment I stepped through the gated city.. through the small door in the wall, I felt like I’d stepped into another world.. much like when the children of CS Lewis’ The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe, stepping through into this enchanting world. I was spellbound from the first moment that I almost forgot my mission!

After gaging the distant, I ran back and rounded up the troops. What a sight to see all of us parading through the village and up the narrow streets to our hotel. The hotel itself was just as charming. The kids squealed with excited as they went to their rooms and I could hardly wait myself to get out and explore.

Wandering the streets, I got a sense of the place. I was anxious to see the small side streets, what they’d have to share with me. With Ray LaMontange as my soundtrack.. and free to wander along, how free and at peace I felt. Exploring comes natural to me and how I welcome the unknown. For some time I was the only soul in sight weaving up and down the narrow back roads. Flowers draped the walls of homes and the character of each place competed for my attention. Soon the small streets gave way to a gate tower, which led to a beautiful garden on the city walls. The view, which looked out over the river and valley, was a feast for my soul. Standing on the edge, I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, filling my lungs which such a sweet heady scent of jasmine and honeysuckle. Opening my eyes, I let myself drink in my surroundings. The only sounds came from the wind through the trees, the birds and the sound of rushing water. Occasionally, hearing the muffled conversations was I reminded this wasn’t only for me.

Taking my shoes off, my tired feet and the fresh carpet of grass made a happy union. Lying on my back with my arms behind my head, I lay there watching the clouds lumber over me, the trees in movement. The village bells stroke 7pm marking my time to go. How reluctant I was to move from my spot there under the trees. But I’ll be back. We have all day here tomorrow to enjoy and I know where I’m going to spend it! These are the moments that stay with me. Those single moments I find within an otherwise crazy schedule that help keep me going…

Over the bridges and through the crowds we go!

The group of 140 students (and teachers) have arrived.. and we are off! I feel funny realizing that so many people are following my lead.. finding your way through Venice is a task.. let alone leading 140!! There were a few moments when I thought I may have taken a wrong turn.. you don't want to take a wrong turn with so many people! This would lead to a very humbling experience. Ahh but to sweet relief I never led us astray.

We had a wonderful time.. that first day in Venice. Half of it was spent at a local school there in the floating city. Those precious kids were loving every moment of attention our group would lavish on them. I felt myself come alive being able to use my italian to translate.. communicating ... connecting our world with theirs. Just to simply love on them.

Back to Italy.

The moment I enter Italy.. I feel as if I can breathe again. A place that was home for sometime, still pulls on my heartstrings. Regardless of what goes on here. I am always excited to be back. After a session of flights, I had arrived in Milano. Upon hearing Italian, my heart was swollen..

Walking off my last flight, I felt relief to be out of the air on just moments away from being liberated from airports. One hurdle left: customs. Several flights at arrived at once, creating massive lines to get through customs. There was one line for EU/CH members which moved fast.. and another 5 lines for everyone else. Choosing a line, I succumbed to waiting in yet again.. the only problem I discovered as did many others- it didn’t seem to be moving. Looking ahead, what was stopping us..? At two desks where families from Africa.. another two lines were stopped as there were families from the Middle East. Only the last line moved.. as they were Americans mostly.. while people.

As I moved to the line which seemed to be making progress I couldn’t think about the image taken by Stieglitz at the turn of the 20th century.. people disembarking a ship. From atop where white wealthy class.. the bottom was noted as ‘sterrage’. Another photographer, Lewis Hine photographed the conditions in New York City during the height of immigration into America. He published a moving body of work: How the Other Half Live. That’s what I thought about as I moved effortlessly through the line.. the customers officer hardly blinked while stamping my passport.. yet these families, stopped because of their social and economical class.. race.

An hour later, I was in Milano. Exited the train onto the platform, I found my way through the on going station works towards a taxi. It was raining.. how I could just go to sleep..

The hotel where I find myself isn’t far from the main train station. In all the times I’ve come through Milano and stayed the night, I’ve yet to see the Duomo or the Galleria Vittorio Emmanuel II. Cleaning up and resisting sleep, I set out to finally see this famed cathedral. As the esculator brought me from underground, it was not the site of the Duomo that caught my attention but the.. crowds of people yelling and waving flags. I had no idea what I just came into them again.. you never do in Italy! The Duomo took second chair tonight as the festi (party) was at the center of everyone’s attention. Mostly young men wandered in groups yelling and singing.. waving flags and throwing bottles.. blowing hours and kisses.. I wasn’t sure what to make of all this. Honestly, I’m always a little over stimulated my first day back in Europe. In Dallas, there is little space to interact with people.. but in Europe, that’s all you do! Stopping to ask a man ‘cosa facendo?’ what’s going on? He mentioned the league, Inter Milan soccer team. Ahh. I should of known. The Euro Cup begins in a few weeks as well.. and it’s Sunday. They always play on Sundays.

But the most memorable moment of the evening was watching the waxing full moon rise over the Duomo.. those are the moments when everyone at once seems to be silenced around you and you tell yourself ‘remember this moment..’.

Finding a little pizzeria to take cover from the drunken Italian men (I was grossly out numbers AND alone..) I sent in to enjoy some real Italian food ☺ My first night back in a city, I always treat myself to a nicer meal.. taking my time and savoring the wonderful meal. I can’t do this while guiding as kids eat so fast and are ready to go on to the next thing! Lucky for me, I had six different Italian men waiting on me. At first, they went to speak english.. but only after I refused to break from Italian did they so speak with me. Oh what events lay ahead these next few months, too soon will I find out!