As the sun rose over the Liffey River, it bathed the city of Dublin in a brilliant clarity that awakens your soul and whispers softly of the kind of day it would be. Yet it was only for us to taste and stir our desire to savor such a day. A feast lay before us as we crossed the Irish Sea from Dublin to Holyhead, Wales. It was a perfect day for sailing the open seas.
The eagerness of the kids grew as Wales came into view. After a gorgeous week in Ireland, we were off for a new adventure in Wales. Thus far we’d gathered wonderful memories from our coach driver teaching us to sing Irish Folk songs to our trip around the Ring of Kerry.. and not to mention the nights of listening to locals play a mix of traditional and modern tunes.
Driving along the coast, the landscape was dotted with sheep among a lush rugged terrain. The hills were green and the sky met the sea with seven shades of blue to which you couldn’t distinguish where one began and the other ended. Rounding the northern coast of Wales, Conwy lay before as a gift waiting to be opened.
Snowdonia. Wales
Conwy Castle is one of many castles built by Edward I in the 13th century. This castle functioned as to protect from the Celtics who’d ruled and reigned the land for over 700 years. Though the castle itself is only somewhat in-tack, the real impression is in how you approach the castle than when you enter it’s cavernous innards which leaves much to be desired.
Four years have passed since I had first explored this coastal beauty. That day had been grey and cold. We hadn’t left the castle grounds hence it left me with no impression other than I was ok if I never returned.
How glad I gave this town a second chance to explore this gorgeous part of Wales. After we savored a wonderful time in Conwy; the students having thoroughly enjoyed walking along the beach; along the castle walls and munching on fresh fish n' chips.. we were on our way.
Coast gave-way to the mountains of Snowdonia and dense forest and gushing rivers. The students delighted in this little hamlet inn with it’s hiking trails and clear clean river. It was nice to be able to let them go and just be kids.. climbing rocks and exploring the trails. By the end of the afternoon, most everyone was in the river swimming and laughing. That night we took over the local pub to watch the US-England football match. This was a site for the locals to encounter our students so absorbed by the outcome of the game. At the end of this wonderful day, I sat watching from my little hotel room bats dart across the sky, listening to the gentle rushing of the river and the sweet scent of the chimney smoke mingling with rich earth. My soul has feasted well that night. I will go to sleep to the sound of the river and the cool air wrapped in blankets…
Greece is neither Eastern, Western nor Balkan. It is a point where East and West meet in a unique way, a small spot on the map that has left an indelible mark on almost the entire world. Yet it has been argued that if Greece defined itself more clearly, it could play the role as a regional superpower rather than the poor kid on the block that it has very much continued to play in Europe especially these past few months.
In my small corner of the world, the day is bright and sunny. The birds singing a merry song, people are in their gardens planting and there is a coming and going in preparation for summer. The day is casual and unextraordinary… with the exception of the latest Apple toy being released in which people wait in lines coast to coast for their latest status upgrade. In another corner of the world, men as dark as night sit in the noonday sun exposed. They come from various countries yet here they’re all considered ‘the black man’. Most of these men come from Senegal. I had not understood why so men young men were leaving their country until I read this heart-breaking report of their reality. The European nations sail into African waters, overfishing and leaving farmers with only an empty sea. Many fishermen have sold their boat to people smugglers who use them to take migrants to Europe. Senegal being one of the poorest countries in Africa. There they stand.. or sit.. or lean.. somewhat casually and somewhat alert.. they are selling black market goods of fake Gucci pursues, Rayband and Armani sunglasses, watches and wallets.. all sold to Westerners at a special price- sucker. There are others from the Far East and Asia selling toys and lighters or squatting on the ground aimlessly throwing gel-like balls of which I never see being bought. My reality is comfortable and safe.. contained and predicable.. leisure and expected. Their reality is uncertain.. deprived. . hopeless. . unpredictable. Each morning, outside the Petrou Ralli Station, there is a line forming but not for the latest electronic gadget. Thousands wait in line as it’s the only place in the entire country they may do so with the small exception of the airport and supposedly at various border points. These men gather to wait in line to apply for an interview of which, if approved this will allow them a ‘pink card’ acknowledging them as refugees with legal rights to live/work in Greece. Amnesty International reports the percentages of those actually given asylum:
In 2007 20,684 asylum applicants 8 were granted asylum 0.04%
In 2008 29, 573 asylum applicants 14 were granted asylum 0.05%
In 2009 (first 7 months) 20,000 asylum applicants 12 were granted asylum
So where does this leave the 70,000 + asylum seekers who have not been granted approval? Backlog- Exactly. They are left to themselves. They have no place to go, no place to live, no way to get work and therefore how are they able to feed themselves? They are aware of the cost of staying in Greece is not one of a good and prosperous life. There they make attempts to continue on into EU: Italy, France, UK, Germany, Sweden, etc. The problem with their crossing into new countries is that they have not made the way legally. If they’re not given asylum and having no way to make money, the only way for them to continue on is any way they can. If they make it to another EU country can they not apply for asylum once they arrive? Sometimes. But this is up to that country if they want to accept them or not. According to the Dublin Regulations II they can send them back to the first EU country they entered which for a massive majority, this is Greece. This process is called refoulement.
What exactly is the Dublin Regulations II?
The Dublin Regulation is a EU law for determining which Member State (the countries who are members of the European Union) is responsible for deciding an asylum application lodged within the EU and usually requires that asylum-seekers be returned to the first country they entered upon arriving in the EU.
When asylum seekers are sent back to Greece, once again they face the hopelessness that is the poorly managed system. What the Greeks tend to do is place them in detention centers and more recently, begin deporting them back to Turkey. And the Greeks do this illegally! Once these (mostly) men are sent back to Turkey, the Turks in turn will send them back to Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Syria where they were fleeing from in the first place. These men beg to not be sent back because they know what will more than likely become their fate. Read this report of an Afghan teenager's journey to England and what will be for him.
{photo by oli scarff}
This image was taken on a day when French police tore down the 'home' called The Jungle of hundreds of refugees.. without a solution.. further displacing them.
I’ve recently begun a book in which it speaks of movements across frontiers.. it is states that this is no longer about the pursuit of the right to life rather what has become the denial which has given rise to some of the worst and most vicious abuses of human rights.
This reality has a face and name, has been persecuted and whose life is in grave danger. Their flight isn’t a means only so that they may have better lives, their flight is to save their lives. There is a flip side of course. I’ve been in countless conversations with Europeans who express their frustration at the desires of these migrants/ refugees to have access to a better life within these countries yet do not adhere to local laws as the is conflict in their personal beliefs as it stand regarding Islam. This is topic for another time. My desire is here is to first address.. and make aware the crisis that is all too silent- the denial to have access to life. Amnesty International, UNHCR, Human Rights Watch and others are exposing and voicing what has been overlooked and displaced for too long. The complexities that surround the ‘next steps’ in how you begin to receive, integrate, enable, provide, assimilate these individuals is dense. Ask I continue to ask questions.. they leave me with answers and more questions. Locally I've discovered many organizations to get plugged in with that serve the resettled refugees within my own community of Dallas.. yet I know that there is a reason I continue to be pulled back to Europe. Until more is revealed to me, I continue to pursue a deeper understand and picture of what is going on and how I can walk in obedience to what I've been made aware.
Below are many forms of resources for you to discover more.
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Otis, Keaton, Flou and Collin in Athens. Otis and Flou are from Nigeria. They moved to Greece legally ten years ago but have not been able to make a 'better' life for themselves. They want to return home but because they can only make so much money as street musicians, they do not know how long it will take them to save enough money for plane tickets.
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Returning from Greece this past month, I’ve not been able to shake what I saw and experienced. My heart has been wrecked by the bigger picture - the reality that is for so many people. From the Greeks themselves who are in fear with the current economic crisis and feeling hopeless; to Roma (gypsies) children as young as 4 wandering the streets alone working to make money; to the migrants/asylum seekers alike who regardless of their circumstances and what is legal/illegal- desire not just a better life; are escaping persecution and fearing for their lives- their reality is bleak. I have had a harder time wandering through all that I took in and what it looks like to move beyond my world of comfort.
Highlighted to me this past Easter has been that of the compassion and mercy over our lives. How do I process through the names and faces.. the stories of those who have not. As I’m reminded of the grace and mercy lavished upon my life, I’m grateful that Jesus looked upon us and had compassion and He responds to the cries of our hearts. This seemed to be the vibrant theme throughout these past weeks in Greece. The names and stories of those who lives left an impact on my heart as well as the group. On the last night of our time together, I asked the group what left the biggest impact and why. Not one of them said a place or location. Each of them shared of what God had been revealing to them in regards to having compassion; His love for us and what it looks like to love others not conditionally rather because the love of Christ compels; the stories and encounters with other people and though languages could have made for difficulties, love transcended. How deeply encouraged I was to see how God had been working .. moving and opening their hearts. To watch these students not only take in what they were experiencing, but to respond and to embrace those they encountered. My prayer for them as they returned home is that God would continue to nurture their hearts what was planted in those 11 days together, continuing to revealing Himself to them.
Months ago I wrote a post, Ghosts of Patras. This post made aware the plight of refugees and migrants who lived in limbo in Greece. The New York Times posted an article the other morning speaking on this very topic. How grateful I was to see more light shed on the conditions that these men and women live in. More than the story are the images. The photograph shot in black and white relay the emotion, their stark reality.
{photo by the NY Times}
{Photo by the NY Times}
I've also discovered another emotionally stirring article and well as this heart-breaking report which addresses the Iraqis refugee stuck in a sort of revolving door between Turkey and Greece, seeing no hope in sight. This latter report addresses the same issue the NY Times reported on which was that of the Afghan youth in Greece. You can also watch this clip. Another powerful that tells the jounrey of an Iraqi refugee who has made it through Greece and on to France, now attempting to cross from France to England, which this clip titled After Sangatte: Europe's untold Refugee Crisis.
Years ago, I had just returned from my time living abroad in Italy. I was struggling to understand why God had me live in Italy.. here I was back in Franklin working the same job at Starbucks as I had been prior to leaving. Those first few months home, I went through a wave of emotions in seeking to understand the 'why'. A visiting pastor at my church was gifted in counseling, was offering his time to to meet with us over a two day period. On a whim, I decided to meet with him. When I think back on this meeting, I remember that I had not shared much- rather he was sensitive to where I was at. He told me that it was ok that I wasn't at peace with just 'staying in Franklin'. God has put big visions in my heart for many nations and He was going to do something with that. I wasn't meant to stay. At this, I felt relief and terrified at the same time. What did this mean? Many nations? I only was familiar with a small corner of the globe. Months later, I was hired to work for Joshua Expeditions. And as I sit here, having come into my 5 season with JE, having witnesses much- I recognize my heart for many nations.. they are all pouring into one continent: Europe. I've seen this on massive levels. In Florence, I've heard the stories of young Cameroonians while selling watches; in Paris I've met and seen their hurt in the eyes of Algerians while bartering pursues; In Rome I've encountered Bangladeshi who've crossed an ocean to sell toys in from of the Trevi Fountain; in Patras I've watched as the Afghan lines the streets in Patras attempting to run and hide under a semi-truck as it travels to Italy; In Athens I've witnesses Albanian couples come together for a night of worship, in Albania, a safe place for them to feel home; in London the Pakistani and Iraqis; in Munich the Turkish.. the list is endless. Many nations. So many are left without hope.
For so many of us here in American, we live in incredible luxury. We have the luxury to choose to live a simple life. Yet the majority of the world does not have that luxury. We are called to love because the love of Christ compels us. To not segregate but embrace those, bring them into our lives; we are to show active compassion and affirm those who've lost that hope of their dignity and give them a voice. Through that active compassion, it transforms lives.
Greece is only one corner of the globe. What is happening in this part of Europe, is happening in thousands of other locations. Here are a few other resources to make yourself more aware of these crimes against humanity and how you can help:
Occasionally I lead trips to places I’ve yet to visit myself! I know you ask: How can you lead people to a place you’ve never been? You get a really good map, memorize landmarks and praise God for Google Street View!! ;) On this past trip, we spent several days in a gorgeous valley nestles between the Austria Alps. What a stunning place! I fear my photos do not begin to capture the beautiful and grandeur of this place. Waking each morning to a postcard view and each night, falling asleep to the sound of mountain water gushing through the creek below my window and the soft silhouette of the mountains in the distance. This was a piece of heaven on earth.
For three days the kids got to ski and snowboard up on the Stubaital glacier and the afternoons were spent hiking up the many trails into the mountains, running around the alpine meadow, walking into the little village of Neustif or just enjoying the wonderful hotel where we were staying. Typically my tours take me through major cities, so when I am able to venture outside major cities, it is sweet music to my heart.
This trip also marked the end of my travel for the season. Originally, I was scheduled for several more tours but came down with pneumonia once again. It was bittersweet in that I wasn't ready for this to be my last tour for the season yet at the same, I was grateful to not be crossing an ocean again for awhile. Often I am asked when speaking of my job, “ do you ever get tired of it”? If you ask me this after I’ve come off a 13+ hour flight, several airports, crossing time zones, my body aching and 30 hours of no sleep.. then yes, I do get tired- of traveling. {To the left: London's Heathrow Airport Terminal 5} Ask me when I’m sitting at dinner surrounded by several precious students sharing with me about their lives, laughing while eating in Rome.. then, no- I never tire of it! This past trip had a mix of those moments- those things which I’m happy to never have to do again- 13+ hour flights and London’s Heathrow airport at 5am to tender moments while a student open their heart to me, and in turn I’m able to love them in that place, I pray that God speaks through me and that I don’t just leave them with empty words.
Over the years, working with students, I’ve grown more and more perceptive to what resonates within them verse where I see the eyes rolls and a shutting down of their hearts. I see that more than ever their biggest struggle is trying to figure out who the heck they are let alone what a relationship with God looks like. You speak to their hearts by loving them where they are at, allowing them to just be and love them in that place.. not focusing on who they can be in the future but seeing them as they are, just as God sees us. He doesn’t look at us and say ‘I see potential in you kid’ but He loves us exactly as we are: fallen, broken, stubborn, prideful, confused.. I can go on as the list is endless! Rather He looks at us with compassion. He pleads for our hearts and He will go after them! So when I spend time with these precious students.. My desire is for them to not feel like they aren’t good kids, or the ‘beware of walking this path’ talk rather by sharing my heart, my struggles, being authentic with them- and that my life is walking in grace.. seeing the gifts God has given me to serve others, not to look to just serve myself. You invite them into this walk. It's a special moment to share in. This is why i do what I do. Not to just travel, see amazing places, etc.. but to be a part of sharing in this incredible life God has given us, to walk in grace and love with compassion.
A wonderful ministry that does this well- loving students exactly where they are and breathing life into them- Daystar Ministries in Nashville TN. I'm beyond grateful for how they loved me all those years in which I was a part of a girls group that met once a week. For the first time, I felt not only accepted but embraced in my brokenness. They loved me for me. And they were a safe place to share in this. I can't tell you how that kind of love changed me. Of course my parents did this as well- but as a pre-teen/teenage girl, the last thing you want is advice from your parents. ;) So it is for them that my heart beats for these students.. because I was so loved, I hope that God directs me in bringing encouragement and comfort. This scripture is a reminder to me: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4.
Twice now I've been incredibly blessed to witness this gorgeous sunset over the Bay of Corinth from the modern city of Delphi. This was from the balcony off my hotel room. The apostle Paul once sailed across this bay. It's moments like this I am in such awe that I get to be a part of all this!
The view looking back towards the popular skiing town of Arahova. It is not only popular with people who are skiing on Mt Parnasos but known for it's woven rugs and clothing. Great little village!
Students from Wheaton Academy as we walked through the lower city of ancient Delphi. It was a gorgeous morning watching the sunrise over the Ionian Sea as we made our way up the mountain.
Looking down one of the main roads leading to the Pantheon in Rome. Notice the full moon overhead and one of the best little cafe's to get coffee in the city: Il Caffe Tazza D'oro.
Another incredible group of students, this time from Wheaton Academy. Here are all the girls on their first day in Florence, Italy.
Sitting in a little restaurant just outside the Ancient Agora.. it was an unusually warm day for early Jan. People were out walking around in the markets and in the midst of the seas of people, I heard this strange singing.. almost chanting coming from somewhere. As the sound came closer, I saw that it was a man who pushed a sort of .. musical box.. icon.. in a moment he looked at me as I photographed him. Part of me wished I had understood what he was singing and what his cart represented.. yet i'm glad its left to my always wondering..
A few of the students from Houston Christian School which took us from Rome Italy across the Adriatic Sea to Athens Greece. Here they are at top the Acropolis in Athens.
The view looking down on Ancient Delphi. This is an incredible site to visit with an even more fascinating history. Understanding what the ancient Greeks believed really helps to better understand the language used in scripture when speaking to the Greeks. So incredibly interesting and what a breath-taking place!
As the last remaining embers of my time in Greece begin to fade, the few things remain deny me sleep. My body continues to keep in rhyme of Athens time and I find myself drinking Greek filtered coffee and enjoy a pear I happened to stuff in my bag from breakfast that last morning.. making the long journey with me. But it’s not so much the fact that I’m waking at 4am wide eyed and ready for the day rather its all that I am attempting to process through, sifting through the images my mind’s eye has captured in time.. trying to make sense of it all, see the bigger picture. Yet this big picture isn’t a beautiful one, in fact.. its crushing. The more I seek to know, to understand, to make some sense of.. the more I’m convinced that the real problem in this world is not the economic crisis.. rather it is that of the human condition.. the cries of humanity is on its knees.
The face of Europe is changing.. and faster than many are willing to admit. In almost every, if not all countries in Europe, the death rate is higher than the birth rate. It’s a dying continent. This creates big problems for countries that are very depend on the social welfare of their government. You have smaller younger generations having to support a rapidly aging population. The problem there is that this younger generation is not finding work not are they having children. I’ve come to learn that there is a village in France, the mayor of the town is paying the women to encourage them to have babies and to commit to keep them in school in town until a certain age in order to ‘guarantee’ the survival of the community. That’s incredible!
So how are these countries to live on..? Or maybe the first question to address is why are the Europeans not having children or only one child? There is so much to speak on this issue, which I will save for another entry. Yet there are those who are having children, and lots of them: Immigrants.
This is a massive issue to tackle in even being able to speak about, understand and comprehend. I’ve not only experienced first hand this reality throughout Europe, but I’ve spent time speaking to various immigrants over the years, spent endless hours pouring over articles, news reports and reading first hand accounts. It’s amazing to study migration of people. Look at the end of the 19th century. Europeans were moving out of this continent in droves. A hundred years later, droves are pouring into Europe from all over.
NPR recently did a weekly series on morning edition called: Racism in Europe (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99220519) and MSNBC has put together a wonderful website addressing the changes facing Europe through the eyes of immigrants:( http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19227137 ) Please take the time to watch the story on Kingsley from Africa.
God has done something incredible within me these past 7 months of tours.. it's like He has breathed new life into me and I feel like i've stepped into this whole new place and I'm seeing with scales removed from my eyes.. and through His lens. It's pretty incredible. I understand more and more that we can't 'save everyone' but we can move.. love.. embrace.. because it doesn't stop with us. it starts with us. every little bit helps. the world would not be spinning otherwise.. Can you imagine if everyone had the attitude: who am i? i can't do anything so why try..? That's just the way the world is. Then again.. why do you see people who seem to 'have it all' continue to seek.. search..? because we've been reconciling our soul back to the beginning.. because we were created for much greatness.. not for our own glories.. no. because it doesn't stop with us ;) ..
I've witnessed things that I never ever thought.. or could comprehend. And to think.. so much worse is there. I pray I never witness.. When I am in Europe for long periods of time.. alone.. it's a battlefield on my soul as March and June seemed to be. Because.. I know. The war waging within at times becomes so overwhelming that I have to remember where my comfort and strength lies.
Remembering that first moment .. when something within me recognized darkness beyond what lay in me.. I was in my freshman year of college. Having just come back from watching a movie with my roommate, we settled into our dorm room for the night. This was in the fall of 98. The tv was on and Dateline began a segment... 'The Trial of Tears'. Sitting on the floor, I watched images of mostly women and children walking great distance in a land foreign to me.. the bare landscape and balding mountains, snow capped. The look in their eyes.. This was in Kosova. It was the first time it clicked within me. I sat there with tears streaming down my face.. not able to comprehend what was happening. After all we were on the cusp of the new millennium and this was Europe.. yet these faces told a different desolate story. In those moments, I felt something surge deep deep inside of me.. I felt empowered and powerless all at the same time..
It started there... like i said.. no longer did it stop with me, but this is where it started. I understand more how much my life since then has been a bit of a patchwork quilt.. made up of experiences.. moments.. people and places.. held together by the stories. And it has been the same Spirit which has moved me..
This past year while in Greece, I met with a ministry called Porta (means door in Greek.. Albanian and Italian). They work with Albanians who live in Greece (mostly in Athens) in helping them learn anything from life skills to english, building community and fellowship.. and just loving them. I spent two nights with this group of sweet beautiful people.. and as they sang in Albanian.. praising God in their language.. It was everything in me to not weep from joy.. but so humbled.. Ten years ago.. I sat on the floor of my dorm room feeling helpless yet with every ounce of my being wanting to reach across the vastness of this lonely world and give them something.. anything.. hope. What had been given to me in an inward place of such darkness, i know experience hope in my own life. Walking back to my temporary 'home' for a moment.. I felt the realness of God. I wanted to tell someone about this.. but wasn't sure who I could say as who could I begin to explain this journey? But God knew... He knows my heart.
it's a choice you make.. you choose how to live your life, to make manifest each day as it is the only guarantee you get! As I am sure you look back at your own life and think.. how have I come through all this? how is this my life..?
The more I travel.. i understand that travel for me isn't about collecting postcards or checking off a list of places i've been.. for me, it is about the people. For me it has been about not acquiring good experiences.. as they have been.. but God experiences. All these moments.. people.. experiences.. places.. form a constellation in the sky of God.. It's not a institution.. a word.. not something i do.. but it is a revolution that changes you.. moves you.. And I haven't stopped.. ;) I no longer feel helpless.. hopeless.. powerless.. but empowered to be a part of something much great than me. As we are each called to such greatness.
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 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..
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…
The River Liffey. Dublin
Conwy. Wales
Snowdonia. Wales
