Vagabond reunions

I wonder at the vastness of our planet -- even more so when connections are found when flung far away from wherever home happens to be. The truth is that sometimes I feel kind of sad not to have deeper roots and a community in which I am invested. Sometimes I feel kind of sad when I realize how far away and disparate my communities are. Sometimes I feel kind of sad when I don't get to spend as much time a I would like with my people as often as I would like. (Sometimes I feel sad that I do not have a dog... wink, wink.)

However, I always feel HAPPY when I meet and connect with other travelers and vagabonds. This week, Uli and I met with some of my favorite residents of Norway (and former classmates from MIIS). We also reconnected with members of the church I grew up in back in Gillette, friends of friends from Estonia, and even one of Uli's graduate school classmates from Germany. I guess our world, our communities, and our connections are stronger than we think. There is no need to be sad about that at all.

Lefse

Did I tell you that I have a bit of Norwegian heritage? I do, although it has mostly been passed down through culinary traditions that we bust out for the holidays in the form of lefse, a potato-inspired tortilla from Norway eaten with sugar and cinnamon sprinkled on the top. Oh, and, yes, there was infamous lutefisk that must have appeared at festivities in my Dad's family in the past. We were handed some pre-packaged lefse snacks leaving the university earlier this week. Not the same as the homemade variant, but still pretty tasty!

Contending Norway

Today was drippy. A sharp contrast to the bright sun and blue fjords of days past. Drippy might be a bit on the optimistic side, but, hey, weather isn't everything, is it?

We wandered into a lovely cafe in the late afternoon and picked up a book about living in Norway written by a French Canadian who has significant international experience.

It was insightful and humorous, covering familiar territory about personal space, expression, and relationships that can be difficult to navigate in any country, but apparently also in Norway. We found some truth to what the author was trying to say and so we went home and googled and watched. The author has started a consultancy in working on cross-cultural issues with Norwegian businesses called Mondå.  The book, Tedtalk, and website were reflections of the kind of academic work I have been doing at GWU over the last year, so I continued exploring and also watched a talk from an Italian-British-Norwegian guy doing similar kind of work. Maybe there is an interesting niche for me, should we choose to stay longer in Norway, in working with internationalization. At the very least, this sounds like an intriguing culture to explore in more detail.

Curious?

Ulriken

"The Only Thing That Is Constant Is Change." - Heraclitus

If this adage were set to music, it could be our theme song. We are in Norway this week not only to ponder the weather, the fjords, and the quality of coffee, we are here to interview Bergen as a potential suitor. My Uli (not Ulriken but Ulrich) is a finalist for a competitive academic position here. How in the world does that work itself into our current life rhythm? It changes the beat, the tune, and even the language of the lyrics.

It is a luxury to constantly be reconsidering our place and purpose on the planet. It is also stressful and exhausting. And we cannot seem to help ourselves. A few years ago I had to take a mandatory leadership course which relied heavily on Myers-Briggs. Although the personality types have been debunked and likened to the accuracy of a horoscope, I found myself listening and wondering if some of our inconsistency issues had to do with a personality mis-match. Like a good student, I marched home to confront my partner with these revelations, armed with discussions from class. Turns out that we have both taken this test multiple times with the same results...and we have exactly the same personality type: ENFP. Apparently ENFPs are change agents who are "keenly perceptive of possibilities." Yep. It seems we cannot help ourselves--or each other. We thrive on choice and change.

Settling down may never truly be possible when there is another option on the horizon. I guess we'll always feel compelled to check it out and really consider it carefully. That is what we are doing here in Bergen. Today, Uli had his interview (which he nailed!) and I decided to climb a mountain while he was at the university. How appropriate that one of the seven mountains surrounding Bergen is Mt. Ulriken? On another stunning day, I did what I love to do. I wandered around in nature, taking a small hike from the top and then scrambling down this 600 meter mountain overlook on what was another breath-taking day.

The gondola up to Mt. Ulriken (oh that I had bought a round-trip ticket...)

You never get a second chance

However fragile, first impressions are emotionally powerful. Before making the trek to Western Norway, we had read in travel guides and heard from friends about the infamously rainy climate in Bergen. I am a sunshine person. For this Wyoming native, there is nothing that evokes a better feeling in the gut than a crisp, blue, bright, eye-squinting sky. It's even better when dotted with a few puffy clouds and a view for miles across the horizon. This narrative just shows you that yes, the land is around and within. The dirt of my upbringing must somehow be in my genetic disposition for sky and sun. A diatribe about weather may seem extreme for those of you who did not have the wind-swept skies of the American West forming your perspective and putting oxygen in your lungs, but I assure you that it is important. Although my weather sensitivity might be extreme, my perspective is not quite the outlier assumed and you will find many a folk in my hometown complaining and grumping around after a day or two (yes, just one or two days!) of overcast weather. The sky is important and connected to my mood, outlook, and energy. 

A long way to say, that I wasn't sure I would be enamored with Bergen, however beautiful the fjords and landscape, if the skyscape was a constant gray drizzle. Good thing the universe had something else planned.

Out comes the sun! Can you believe that our first day in Bergen was spectacularly clear and sunny, sparkling and fresh? I am completely charmed by the mountains surrounding the city and accessible hiking from the city center. The wooden Hansa-inspired architecture is playfully mixed with modern Scandinavian design. Coffee and cinnamon buns (the local skillingsbolle are apparently Bergen originals). Light-filled afternoon. What a great first day!

A new adventure begins... Norwegian style

Uff da! Today we are still in the making of our cross-Atlantic journey from DC to Brussels to Oslo to Bergen. It's back to the land of ancestors, the gateway of the fjords, and a quiet, week-long respite from the everyday. We haven't been here together since a memorable skiing trip to Trysil with Estonian friends circa 2008. I'm very tired and excited. More impressions as the week goes on, I promise!

Sleep: Nature's elixir

During our reprieve in Europe, I luxuriated in late morning awakenings and afternoon catnaps, something I haven't had the quiet centering to enjoy for a while. We hear again and again that sleep is the secret key to being healthy, keeping smart, and living long. Recent practice reinforced this message for me. Putting in 9-10 hours nightly (with an occasional relapse mid-afternoon), waking up without an alarm, and disposing my wristwatch for the last month may have just been the best cure imagined. It's pretty amazing - I feel rested, my head feels less foggy and brain a bit brighter, my skin is clearer, my weight seems healthier. Who knew that such restoration was right at hand and provided freely by mother nature?

So, one of my goals in returning back to "society" in the next weeks is to remain relaxed and low-key so that I can get the regular Zzzzzs needed. I'll let you know how that goes.

In the meantime, I wanted to share today's podcast from Invisibilia about sleep as inspiration for all of you out there who might also need inspiration.

Vocation

Strolling through the center of Munich, I heard a melodious calling winding through the cobblestones and echoing among the buildings... Whispering inspiration into my ears the wind murmured not about teaching, scholarship, or diplomacy. Come, frolic, and smile to the clacking of keys and whirring of bellows by a street musician and his accordion!

On a seriously punny note (doh!), I adore the accordion and would love to learn someday to play. On an even more serious tone (doh!), vacation provides space and perspective for pondering one's place in this universe. I wonder what really matters the most... People? Passion? Persistence? Challenge? Balance? And I keep thinking I will figure this out. Perhaps the most important part is to keep asking the question -- and to enjoy the music.

Ain't Nobody Got Time for That

Being a trailing spouse has kept me busy... too busy to blog as I intended. So, here's a recap.

Relatives from Berlin arrived on Midsummer and we celebrated properly over a beer and

GrüVe gespritzt (Grüner Vetliner wine mixed with sparkling water) or two, including an excellent local meal at Wirt am Graben in Linz. 

Dining with Uli's Aunt and Uncle

Then, we headed to Wachau, the gorgeous wine region along the Danube that is south of Linz for the day. We stopped in Melk to have a look at the monastery there before finding a proper wine seller and sampling together with some jause. As an aside, jause (pronounced YOWSA) is my favorite Austrian word so far. It is generally a plate of various pork products as a snack eaten together with beer or wine. Jause.

The monastery in Melk

Wachau wine and jause

Then we spent part of a day in Hagenberg, where Uli teaches. We ate lunch and then split up for afternoon adventures. I took a two-hour hike in the hills and enjoyed a pretty path. We met up again in the evening for a hefty Austrian meal at a typical beer garden. The meal was memorable (I had some tasty "rustic" spätzle and we finished with some local schnapps) but even more so was the cute Jack Russel sitting across from our table. One of my ongoing debates with Uli is whether or not we can have a dog someday. I would have loved to take this one home.

Forest everywhere on my walk around Hagenberg

Beer Garden schnapps with Wolf and Gisela

Such a good dog!

Breakfast with our guests before they departed and we headed into the city for some additional exploring... Coffee and cake, of course. We also took the historic city train to the highest point overlooking Linz, the Pöstlingberg. What did we do from the top? Why, we took the dragon express in the Grottenbahn, a sort of throwback train through a village of elves that was first imagined and built over 100 years ago! We met up later with friends in town and took a long, meandering walk back home through music festivals and beer gardens.

The Grottenbahn entrance

Postlingsberg at night over the city

And then? We enjoyed brunch of arepas with a Venezuelan-Austrian couple in Linz before taking off on a lake tour of upper Austria. We drove into the mountains and saw three gorgeous lakes (too cold for me to swim, but the Austrians took a dip!) and ended up in Salzburg for a brewery visit.

With Jeremiah and Noah at Traunsee

The beer garden at Mondsee

The historic brewery where we stopped for dinner (and some "liquid bread")

Yesterday, we spent the day in Vienna to meet up with friends from our time in Indonesia (it is a small world, isn't it?). We meandered the city, stopping at cafes, and enjoying conversation with like minds. Such a beautiful city, we caught some tourist points along the way and even made a dancing video for a friend's DC Fringe Festival play.

With our friends Joy and Andreas in Vienna

So that brings us up-to-date more or less. Yesterday, I did some shopping in town at a new local shop and enjoyed my first pumpkin seed oil ice cream cone (pumpkin seed oil is really a thing here and the ice cream was much yummier than it sounds. Today we took one of the Stadtwanderweg tours (Number 6) along the Traun river and Weikerlsee, which was hot but pretty. Then, off to the city to sample some ice cream.

Pumpkin seed icecream

Tonight meeting up for dinner with friends after a refreshing swim at the local lake (the best cooling off strategy I've found during our stay). I would write more, but... ain't nobody got time for that!

The Year's Longest Day

Midsummer. The Solstice. What better time to relish in the long stretch of sunlit days and languor of vacation than today? I plan to bike out to the lake to read a novel and take a dip, celebrating the sunshine and heat of this first summer day. Happy Summer!

Pleschinger See

Rite of Passage

When catching up with a friend, we learned that her fourth-grade daughter just passed a consequential test in school. After hard study of a manual and passing both theoretical and practical tests, she received a license to ride her bicycle on the streets alone (see picture, below). There is even a practice training area with lanes marked in the park I walk along almost daily here in Linz. Bicycles are everywhere here, so it makes absolute sense. You probably should have a license to ride. I was impressed by the depth of information and pictures of signaling, car lanes, and bike safety in the manual and slightly unsure that our driver's licenses are quite so thorough. More than that, I was struck by how proud Sarah was of her license. You see, a bike license to be in the city on her own signifies a bit more freedom and being a bit more grown up. It is something every fourth grader here takes seriously and a matter of pride for kids and parents alike.

Congratulations, Sarah!

It got me thinking about rites of passage in different places. What were key moments when I was a kid in elementary school? Certainly some of those had to be the first unchaperoned times - riding bike to the library? going to the cinema without parents? getting ears pierced? What are those moments for kids nowadays? I would be curious to know (probably a good research project with my niece and nephews!).

Fireworks

There is nothing quite so magical as fireworks in the summer sky, is there? We took a cruise down the Danube to enjoy 'Donau in Flammen.' The four-hour boat ride included enough time to gaze at the setting sun from the deck, a meal and wine, dancing to Austrian and 1980s musical hits to a live band, and the explosion of fireworks over Linz. Cheesy? Yes. Magical? Definitely.

Keeping Track: 27,212 Steps

The fitbit phenomenon is "so 2011" and I thought I was "so over" the fitness tracking device fad. Rebelling against the plethora of bracelets, watches, and pedometers adorning the wrists and waistbands of my office mates and friends, I purposefully avoided re-entering that territory. I did so in part because I was terrified at how little I actually moved in my diplomatic jobs overseas. I felt constricted by the limited choices I had over my over-scheduled work travel, and I didn't want a step counter shouting in my face every night when I did not have as much choice as I would like (yes, there were gyms in many of the hotels where I stayed, although more often than not they were not, humid sweat boxes without proper ventilation and predominantly full of men). Excuses aside, I have not been tracking my steps until I recently installed an app on my phone. And I am so addicted.

Yesterday, we put in over 27,000 steps! The leisurely city-country walk around Linz was enjoyable in and of itself, but it was even more satisfying to know that we pounded out a record number of steps (almost 18 km and just over 11 miles). It's easy to be obsessed when a map is generated and you can read your own stats for speed, duration, and total activity time for the day/week/month... It got me thinking.

 It's true that my devices sometimes control me (rather than vice versa). Compulsive email reading, news feed checking, or tracking -- and I am not alone -- must be part of how we are wired. I did some googling and browsing and finally settled on reading an Atlantic article about health halos and fitness tracking:

It seems to start with the idea that fitness-tracking devices carry what’s known as a health halo. Wearing fitness trackers gives people a sense that they are doing something good for themselves, even if only subconsciously, by the very act of owning and wearing it.

Then comes bargaining. Someone who has credit for wearing the device might afford themselves more cake. There is even data to support the food decision. One might say, I moved 8,000 steps today, so I’ll have a grilled cheese and an entire bottle of wine.

Yup. That pretty much explains why 27,000 steps gave me permission to eat several pieces of cake, ice cream, schnitzel, and cider without feeling overly guilty!

Slowing Down

There is just something about being away from home that enables better observation and noticing  and thinking. There are endless miles of paths along the Danube here to walk, run, bike, and just breathe. It's interesting that there are also tons of paths at home along the Potomac (which I also enjoy but don't always take full advantage of). The last three evenings, we've caught the sunset at the shoreline while on a walk. Yesterday, I attempted a short jog. And today I zipped up and down and around on a borrowed bike. I was not thinking too much but I did have the realization that this is what I like to do on vacation -- to be outside and moving about -- and not much of what I manage to fit into the busy-ness of my daily routine. That is probably something I should work on.

And, mind you, to not put on rose colored glasses, among the green hills and old cobbled squares here are huge industrial complexes...

And, to not give you a false impression of my sportiness, I was overtaken (twice) on my 30 km bike ride by an older, heavyset man with a deep tan/sunburn wearing only a Speedo and flip flops (regrettably, no picture).

Poppyseed Icecream

There is nothing that says vacation like a daily dose of frozen dairy, especially yummy kinds you do not find at home. Passing by this stand on a hot Budapest morning, I could not resist a scoop of poppy seed and a second of cinnamon. Heavenly! I'm so grateful that our planet has all kinds of different flavors of food and people and languages and landscapes. I'm equally grateful to experience them in good company!

Inspired. Perplexed. Amused. Curious.

Inspired by Uli's recent blogging. Perplexed by the complexities of day-to-day life as a (ahem) forty-year-old "adult." Amused by the incredibly whimsical spirit of cultures and peoples. Curious enough to still be asking why and how. And full of desire to be in touch with you who are so precious to me more often and in more ways.

After a long reprieve on this medium and after rescinding my online presence during the political cacophony of the last year on social media, I still have a desire to be in touch, to know the world, and to share and learn from friends and family. Rather than start up a new mode (although I was rather inspired by a friend's experience on Instagram recently), I think I'll just pick up where I left of here on this blog. After all, it has more than ten years of personal history embedded.

However, there are a few changes. To share a moment or opinion with an entire public of unknowns was never my desire in posting, and it seems more and more important to me to know my audience in life. For that reason, I've changed the privacy settings to include friends and family (please let me know if someone we know might like a link -- I'm happy to share). I hope this will create a space for more unfettered communication with all the people I care a lot about and who will share back with comments, reactions, or corrections if need be! I've grown tired of wandering and become more interested in examining and delighting. It seems apropos that this blog grow into something less like a travel log and more like newsletter of amusements directly from me, wherever that might be.

"From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere." ~ Dr. Suess