This is likely the last post I write from Europa. And this is the bittersweet conclusion of our two year stint on this marvelous continent. I counted that I have visited 10 countries in the past two years, and lived in two. The last few months I have been feeling like I am walking towards a massive and dark thunderstorm, a few gusts of wild winds blowing as a warning ahead.
I am feeling trepidatious about returning to the States in the current State as seen from over here. I am also completely excited to reunite with my friends, animals, the blue skies and mesa. I know there is a fight ahead, to face this new era and I am ready. As I saw so well written on the Berlin Wall.
We did a lot right in these adventures over here, and we did a lot wrong.
It takes time to settle into somewhere, and every month, every year unfolds more layers of depth to a place and ones perspective of that place. One notable mistake was leaving each place after only one year. We did not get the benefits of our hard work figuring the cities out. What neighbourhoods to live in, what school Kodiak could go to, work spaces, where to get your groceries, favorite spots for sunset, new people you like. This takes time, about a year it turns out, and just as the pieces started falling in to place, we decided to keep moving.
It has been a grand experiment, and I do think all three of us are better for it. Especially Kodiak. He will never believe the world is too small for big ideas.
My last few pictures of Berlin include the "Ampelman", whose swagger and hat always made me smile and one of the many posters from one of the coolest clubs there- Urban Spree. I also have a plethora of monochromatic tall gothic church steeple pictures, which represent the austere part of Germany. No humor there. I will save those for another time.
I definitely have a push pull relationship with Berlin, and it's fair to say that it was more push than pull in the last few months.
And within that experience was also inspiring nights watching aerial performer Laura Stokes be fabulous at Nirgendwo, and welding, festivaling and hanging out with fellow metalworker and great friend, Terril.
It was a big push to help complete and ship off "With Open Arms" to Burning Man as well as decouple from German bureaucracy. It's really impressive how difficult the latter was, silly things like rental agreements, health insurance, electricity, school catering services, more required insurance, telecom services, internet providers, even more obtuse insurance. I have not written this many paper letters since 1989!
Working on With Open Arms with Christian has been a very rewarding experience, and we managed to show it for one evening in Berlin at KAOS, which was a major highlight for me. Many of our Berlin based friends came to see WOA that night, and witnessed a slice of what Christian and I do in our world of festival sculpture creation. I felt that we were seen and understood that night possibly for the first time. I can't wait to see this beautiful piece at BM, and in the great company of an almost exclusive European crew!
After we loaded the container for shipping, we had two weeks to pack up our lives in Berlin. Every minute was busy. When we left for Sweden, the entire family took a big sigh of relief. **aaahhhh****
As it has been for most of my life, going back to Stockholm is a sweet homecoming. We stayed in an idyllic Swedish summer cottage, and did what all the Swedes do in the archipelago, relax.
Between enjoying a trip to the Stockholm city on a commuter boat, eating salt licorice ice cream, swimming in a peaceful lake (no fishing, no motorboats) and taking long walks in the woods(in cloggs of course), it was a perfect wind-down from the months prior.
We did play frisbee too. And read books.
Stockholm was overrun by tourists in the old city but I turned around on a whim and took this picture, which for that second had no people in the streets! Other than the bicycle this vista could be timeless, as Gamla Stan has not changed much since the middle ages.
You can feel the history under your feet.
Now we are in Reykjavik, Iceland on our last leg before crossing the ocean wide. This volcanic, raw, ragged paradise happens to be Christian's favorite place on the planet. The three colors of Iceland are Black(lava rock), white(turbulent skies), and a flourescent green(moss and grass). It's such a stark and striking landscape, it's almost surreal. I have been here a few times and it's usually on a return leg of a flight back to the States, so it has a bit of a melancholy feel to it. I admit that hiking up a terrific mountainside with the weather alternating between rain, wind and fog to a spectacular hot spring river makes me quite giddy, and I always enjoy my time here.
Tomorrow we end the many rich chapters of our Europa experience to start anew in a familiar place we call home. Home is but a word though, as I hold my open heart to the many places I belong.
Thanks for adventuring with me through this blog over the past two years.
With immense gratitude,
Christina
I am feeling trepidatious about returning to the States in the current State as seen from over here. I am also completely excited to reunite with my friends, animals, the blue skies and mesa. I know there is a fight ahead, to face this new era and I am ready. As I saw so well written on the Berlin Wall.
We did a lot right in these adventures over here, and we did a lot wrong.
It takes time to settle into somewhere, and every month, every year unfolds more layers of depth to a place and ones perspective of that place. One notable mistake was leaving each place after only one year. We did not get the benefits of our hard work figuring the cities out. What neighbourhoods to live in, what school Kodiak could go to, work spaces, where to get your groceries, favorite spots for sunset, new people you like. This takes time, about a year it turns out, and just as the pieces started falling in to place, we decided to keep moving.
It has been a grand experiment, and I do think all three of us are better for it. Especially Kodiak. He will never believe the world is too small for big ideas.
I definitely have a push pull relationship with Berlin, and it's fair to say that it was more push than pull in the last few months.
And within that experience was also inspiring nights watching aerial performer Laura Stokes be fabulous at Nirgendwo, and welding, festivaling and hanging out with fellow metalworker and great friend, Terril.
It was a big push to help complete and ship off "With Open Arms" to Burning Man as well as decouple from German bureaucracy. It's really impressive how difficult the latter was, silly things like rental agreements, health insurance, electricity, school catering services, more required insurance, telecom services, internet providers, even more obtuse insurance. I have not written this many paper letters since 1989!
After we loaded the container for shipping, we had two weeks to pack up our lives in Berlin. Every minute was busy. When we left for Sweden, the entire family took a big sigh of relief. **aaahhhh****
As it has been for most of my life, going back to Stockholm is a sweet homecoming. We stayed in an idyllic Swedish summer cottage, and did what all the Swedes do in the archipelago, relax.
Between enjoying a trip to the Stockholm city on a commuter boat, eating salt licorice ice cream, swimming in a peaceful lake (no fishing, no motorboats) and taking long walks in the woods(in cloggs of course), it was a perfect wind-down from the months prior.
We did play frisbee too. And read books.
Stockholm was overrun by tourists in the old city but I turned around on a whim and took this picture, which for that second had no people in the streets! Other than the bicycle this vista could be timeless, as Gamla Stan has not changed much since the middle ages.
You can feel the history under your feet.
...one of my favorite moments.
Now we are in Reykjavik, Iceland on our last leg before crossing the ocean wide. This volcanic, raw, ragged paradise happens to be Christian's favorite place on the planet. The three colors of Iceland are Black(lava rock), white(turbulent skies), and a flourescent green(moss and grass). It's such a stark and striking landscape, it's almost surreal. I have been here a few times and it's usually on a return leg of a flight back to the States, so it has a bit of a melancholy feel to it. I admit that hiking up a terrific mountainside with the weather alternating between rain, wind and fog to a spectacular hot spring river makes me quite giddy, and I always enjoy my time here.
Happy boys!
Thanks for adventuring with me through this blog over the past two years.
With immense gratitude,
Christina
