Backlog: Girona

I'm back, once again, and full of energy after a great nights sleep without any roommates. The trip was a great success with no mishaps and filled with many opportunities to see some wonderful sights. I have one week left before classes start again, so I hope to sort through my many, many pictures! I'm not expecting much in the way of excitement in the next few weeks as I'll be back into a routine with classes, this time knowing the language and how everything works. In the meantime, I'll be backlogging my trip. Enjoy!

My plane flew out of Luebeck, in Northern Germany, so I left early so I could have time to walk the town. Unfortunately the weather was bad and I wasn't used to carrying my pack, so my interest in walking around was quite minimal and I forgot to try the famous marzipan.

I flew into Girona, Spain which is a little over an hour outside of Barcelona by train. My first hostel experience wasn't too bad. I shared a room with two girls from Germany, also on their way towards Barcelona and their company was nice.

We spent most of the morning walking the streets of Girona, which is a lovely town with lots of narrow alleyways. There's a wall that surrounds the city and the houses are built right into it. It certainly made for a nice stopover before arriving in the big city.

Layover

For those who have sent messages of concern, I am alive and well! Once leaving Spain, internet was hard to come by and the keyboards were backwards... so I apologize for the "radio silence". I am writing from my very own room in Goettingen, but will only be here for one night, doing a bit of laundry (believe me, my fellow train travelors will be very grateful!), recharging my camera batteries, renewing my student ID so I can keep cashing in on the student discounts, catching up on emails, preparing to register for Candler classes for the Fall semester (yikes!) and picking up my reading packet for my course that starts next week. My homestay is quite short as tomorrow I'm off again, Day 22- Destination: Vienna.

The trip has been wonderful so far. I loved Barcelona. Paris was nice. The Louve is as big as they say it is, maybe even bigger. Chartres Cathedral was beautiful and the town quaint. The French countryside is gorgeous, and Holy Week in Taize was meaningful (and snowy). I've taken 681 photos so far, so there will be plenty of pictures and stories to come!!!

Back in the Big City

I love big cities! I forget how much I love them until I start walking down the streets and am surrounded by tall buildings, streets upon streets, shop windows galore, street entertainers, Hard Rock Cafeś, Kentucky Fried Chickens - neither of which I would visit, especially when in a European city, but the mere fact that they are there brings a certain excitement about being back in the city. I have made it to Barcelona, and am absolutely in love with the city and all that it has to offer. I've taken loads of pictures, but I can´t upload them at my current location, and have a feeling that it won't be possible to do so until I get home. So please, be patient!

In the meantime, I'm thoroughly enjoying my in the heart of the city, right of the main street, hostel location and have taken to just walking the streets of Barcelona. I was out yesterday from 9 - 9, and returned exhausted. I began as one should, when 12 minutes from the beach with a stroll down to the ocean. Then took to walking around my neighborhood, just enjoying the many, many narrow allys lined with art galleries, shops selling all sorts of trinquits and of course gelatto on every corner. The afternoon was spent in search of Gaudi architecture, of which I have fallen in love with.

Today, I made an excusion to the mountainous monastary Monserrat, which was far less impressive than the city. Perhaps, I've just been big city deprived and the monestary didn't stand a chance with such competition. Or perhaps because the weather was cold and overcast, and the boy's choir didn´t sing, which was in large part of my reason for going to visit the monestary, it wasn't all that the advertising made it out to be. Oh well....

Tomorrow I travel to Terragona, hopeful for sunny weather as I will finally really be on the beach! Then it´s on to Paris.

Hopefully I´ll be able to continue with internet access, just enough for brief reports before I can get pictures uploaded and share the better stories!

Until next post...

Lenten Journey

As you can probably tell from my plethora of blog posts just dealing with Bosnia-Herzegovina, it left an impression and will certainly be a highlight of my year here in Germany. I leave today in a different direction, heading towards the musuems of Picasso, the architecture of Gaudi, the hidden mountainous monestaries, and the beaches of Spain.

I make this trip alone and while there are cetainly elements of vacation within it, I will be traveling toward Jerusalem and the passion of the Christ as my journey culminates in Taize, France where I will be in intentional community during Holy Week.

I've got a train to catch!

More posts from the road...

Sarajevo Streets

In walking the streets of Sarajevo, there is the contrast between the Austrian influenced architecture and Turkish markets. Here are the Viennese influenced buildings in the newer part of town. And in typical Viennese fashion, cafes abounded.














If I could add sound to this picture I would. This was my favorite street in the old town. Each shop was filled with copperwork and as I made my way down the row I strolled to the beat of the tink, tink, tink of copper being engraved. This street has traditionally sold copper handicrafts since 1528.



















As you stroll through the old town, each shop proudly displays its goods, hoping to catch your eye and make a sale. The shop owners were eager to invite you in and proud to share their merchandise with you.




















There's something more desirable about the goods when you can see them being made and when they're so attractively set out for display. If I was in need of an oven, I would have bought one.

Sarajevo Snapshots

One of my favorite things about my time in Sarajevo was just being able to stroll the streets, to take in the sights, sounds, and smells. Each time I walked through the old town I was able to take in something different. I can only hope that I strolled the streets enough so that it's impression will remain with me for a while. It's always disappointing to realize that I've forgotten something that at one time was a memory that was so vivid and clear. I know that pictures will help, but it's impossible to take pictures of everything, not to mention there are times when pictures do no justice to the actual experience.

It was here on this bridge WWI began when Archduke Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were assassinated.


A view of the Bosnian Parliament building

These cemeteries are scattered throughout the city. Some are small, but many are quite large with most gravemarkers indicating that its residence died during the recent war.

Absolutely reliable was this group of men gathered around an invigorating game of chess. When walking through the old town, I would intentionally stop by, sit and listen for a while. I have no idea what was being said, but it always sounded intense and exciting.

Our last outing was to the source of the River Bosna, which is surrounded by a beautiful park. It's pretty amazing to see water just coming out of the ground. This ended up being just one of three river sources that I saw when I was in Bosnia. Fresh water abounded!

Bosnian Hiking

I am back in Germany processing the latest trip and preparing for the next one. Being in Bosnia-Herzegovina was truly a unique experience as it differs from Western Europe. I truly feel as if I got a good taste of it all, being able to just stroll the streets of the old town of Sarajevo, driving through the country side, visiting the local parks, and even a hike in the mountains. Hiking here must be done with caution as the countryside is still scattered with landmines. It is possible to join up with an organization Green Visions which provides trips through safe areas and is an active voice for the preservation of Bosnian and Herzegovinian ecology. Or you can travel with someone who has already made the trek and is certain that it is a clear zone. So off we headed into the mountains for a hike to the Skakavac waterfall.

View from the trailhead, looking back towards Sarajevo

Hiking through the forest- it was a beautiful day!

The hike didn't go exactly as we had planned. Upon arriving at a meadow we lost the trail and improvised. It was at this point, where the picture was taken that we got ourselves back on track. When driving through the countryside, and even in the city, it is not uncommon to come upon such houses that were clearly burned out and abandoned from the war.

Once we got back on the trail we weren't too far off from the waterfall. At 98 meters high it is the tallest waterfall in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

When we arrived we discovered the bridge was out. Since the weather was warm, much of the ice was melting which was evident with the occasional drop of a boulder of ice from somewhere up above. We decided not to cross and remain in safely protected and out of harms way.