Live the Language

EF - Live The Language - Paris from Albin Holmqvist on Vimeo.

Have you seen these incredible and gorgeous little videos from Gustav Johansson, Niklas Johansson, and Albin Holmqvist?

They warm my heart and make me squeal with delight. These are the simple pleasures of travel... seeing, learning, and doing - and so beautifully presented. Really spectacular!!

So far cities include: Beijing, Barcelona, London and Paris.

Each video brings me back to my time in each of these cities.

I can't wait for the German version. They remind me of my own language school experiences.

Don't they make you want to jump into language school as soon as possible?

Christmas Spirit

Getting into the Christmas spirit seems to take more work than it used to, although that's probably because I'm now the one responsible for creating the magic. It also takes some work to figure out ways to incorporate my traditions while living abroad, as well as learning more about the Bavarian ways of celebrating. I'm certain much of it is self induced, because I love traditions and making things just so.

We've also worked at creating our own family traditions, like simple gift giving with 4 principles: want, need, wear, and read. It's pretty incredible how encompassing those 4 things can be and how much thought goes into finding 4 gifts that suit the categories.

In the recent weeks Munich has been blanketed with snow, which helps with the Wintery feeling. We've been trying to visit as many of the Christmas markets as possible, although my favorites are at the Rindermarkt + Chinese Tower.

The smell of spiced nuts and glühwein waft through the air and the lights seem to glow while people huddle around and complain about their numb toes. This is one aspect that is quintessentially German and absolutely delightful at this time of year. I also appreciate that eating lebkuchen and pomegranates for breakfast is acceptable.

Here are a few of the pretty scenes around town:

The Chinese Tower Christmas Market

Sledding in the English Garden...

How many cities have such a charming downtown park that people can use to cross country ski or go sledding?

Rindermarkt + Haidhausen

The Krampus Run

Tollwood

Ice Skating at Karlsplatz

Hope you're also feeling the holiday glow!

The joys of my job

This summer seems to be constantly keeping me on my toes. The good news is that I've been meeting all kinds of hilarious characters from all around the world. The bad news is I haven't had too much time to write here, finishing editing photos from our trip, or have much of a life.

That being said I love my job. I know I've said it before, but the world is filled with so many amazing people. Each day I learn something new about dealing with various cultures, how they interact, and how to manage 20+ people who may speak English as a second language.

All of this has been similar to what I experienced in my German course except on a more global level. Everyone has a story and I love listening to whatever they want to tell me - whether it's their view on the state of the world or customs and their favorite things to do in their home lands.

Some days I can't believe a Midwest American girl like myself has the opportunity to chat with people from Iran, Saudi Arabia, and far away lands. I've been called naïve before, but I do believe in the kindness of strangers and that regardless of religion or political beliefs people can unite as humans. (As a result I loved the book The Kindness of Strangers by Don George. It's great to read if you're sick of doom and gloom.)

Here are some of the people I've met the past few weeks:
- A Turkish couple from Istanbul with the husband having learned his English from American police shows like NCIS and CSI. He would go through his repertoire saying, "Drop your weapon - NOW!" or "I'm going to break the door down." I love that he was trying and laughing hysterically at my reaction.

- A single mother from Brazil who kept asking her son and niece "Do you love me?" She said telling people you love them is essential, even if it meant embarrassing two teenagers.

- A wonderful Saudi family, from Jeddah, who I shared the afternoon laughing with. They also loved to give hugs. At the end of the day the father told me he felt the people we spent the day with were people that he knew better than friends he'd known for a long time. The mother then started to embarrass her teenage daughter by saying "Do you love me?"

- A Greek couple who was concerned about sustainability and believed the world will revert to going local again. They talked about wanting to grow their own food, but not having enough time to do so.

- A couple from Malta that talked about their foods and traditions. Pastizzi pastries filled with peas or ricotta are something I have to try when I visit.

- An Australian woman who swore to me that Louis Vuitton stores have different prices around the globe, although they say they don't. She compares a certain purse in each country she goes to and has seen it differ up to 100€. She said the cheapest place to buy is in Frankfurt. (If you like 'luxury' items I'd recommend Deluxe by Dana Thomas, which I recently read - very fascinating.)

- A young American/Senegalese guy that now worked in Cairo as a children's advocate. He does speaking engagements around the world and had some pretty humbling facts. In 1998 the US spent $8 Billion on cosmetics + Europe spent $11 Billion on ice cream. He reasoned if people purchased from more ethical companies that money could easily give sewage sanitation and clean water to everyone in the world.

- A Canadian film maker that takes photos to create 3D images. He uses a wooden stereoscopic viewer with images he takes on his holidays to combine modern technology with some old fashioned depth perception tricks. Pretty cool!

There were plenty more that I could go on and on about.

I also had my foray into leaving tourists behind. I have honestly dreaded this day and even slightly prided myself on never having it happen. I gave everyone a marked map with the meeting location and time, I announced the meeting point when we passed it, and I waited an extra 15 minutes. Unfortunately there was no sight of the couple. I later found out they chose to stay behind, but didn't inform me, which made me feel marginally better.

The rest of the group tried to keep my spirits up. They were humorous about it too, saying 'maybe they already went to the train station'. Then it was 'maybe they are on the train'... 'maybe they are back in Munich'.

One said on another tour the guide said a 10% loss is acceptable. Then a man said I could now tell people I've left people behind to instill a bit of fear in them. With 18 other people we had to get back to Munich.

Hopefully the rest of my tours this summer will be as much fun as the past few weeks - even despite the rain.

Happy Mother's Day!

We spent Mother's Day at the biergarten once again. I guess it's becoming a bit of tradition even, since we've been every year that I've lived here.

The weather even cooperated, too! That was nice after a drizzly week. A little sunshine for the mamas - and those that are remembering theirs.

I'll get to celebrate my Mom for a full 2 weeks when I get to see her next month. I'm already looking forward to her hugs, fantastic foods, and simply spending time together. See you soon, Mom!

In other 'mom' related things, I'm really anxious to see the new documentary 'Babies'.

I'm probably one of few people that's not baby crazed (I think toddlers are more fun), but this movie looks so fascinating.

They follow 4 babies through their first year in various places around the world (Tokyo, San Francisco, Mongolia, and Namibia). Seeing the different ways of rearing children has to be interesting!

Check out the trailer - I promise you won't regret it!

Moms are amazing! Hope you had a great time remembering yours.

(Babies poster courtesy of Focus Films)

New Delhi + Old Delhi: Day 2

Our second day in India was spent touring both New Delhi and Old Delhi.

We were promptly picked up by our guide, Lalit, and our driver. Lalit thanked us for coming to New Delhi, because it's really not much of a tourist city.

The first stop we made was to visit the Parliament House / Rajpath, which reminded me of a mix of Paris, Washington DC, and India. I'm sure it was due to the regal architecture, sprawling mall area, and the red sandstone.

We stood outside of Rashtrapati Bhavan (the President's house) and suddenly realized the school children that were surrounding us were more interested in us than the President's house. Clearly Lalit was right about the city not seeing many tourists.

Other important monuments in the area are the India gate and Humayun's Tomb, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Mughal architecture of Humayun's Tomb is what the Taj Mahal was modeled after. Supposedly, when the Taj Mahal was planned to be built 2,199 architects were asked for plans. Upon seeing Humayun's Tomb, Shah Jahan decided he wanted to model the Taj after it, which was built in honor of his wife that had passed away. Humayun's Tomb, interestingly enough, was commissioned by Humayun's wife.

As we walked around the grounds of Humayun's Tomb Lalit called the stray dogs lions. They were basking in the sun and scampering around. Being someone that really loves dogs it's always interesting to me to see how people treat them around the world.

The light in India is beautiful and it's certainly a culture that loves color.

We quickly learned the school children weren't the only one that were interested in us. Lalit had no hesitations in asking us all kinds of questions - how we met, what we did for work... and then I asked if he was married. His response took me by surprise, but also summed up a bit of the Indian culture.

He responded that he and a young woman, who lives in Auckland, met and they fell in love, but due to arranged marriages he wasn't able to marry her. Without skipping a beat he said, 'perhaps in a next life'.

There are so many aspects of the culture in India that I find fascinating. The Hindu faith, the arranged marriages, caste systems, the transfer of jobs and the telecom boom, and why exactly is there so much poverty. What's interesting to note is that divorce in arranged marriage is substantially lower than average.

After seeing New Delhi it was time for Old Delhi including the Raj Ghat (cremation / memorial site for Mahatma Gandhi) and the largest mosque in India - the Jama Masjid.

The best way to tour Old Delhi is by taking a ricksaw/rishka. Our driver was a frail looking older man, who frankly I hated to have drive us around in the sweltering heat. I found myself wondering if his old bike would hold our weight. Our guide told us to put our feet on a ledge and that was our seat belt. I was a bit nervous to enter traffic on the busy main roads, but I had to remind myself they are accustomed to this. He plowed through the crowds and dodged motorcycles, tuktuks, cars, and everything else as he took us through the various streets.

The ride was exhilarating. We wove through the Old Chandni Chowk market passing the themed areas: silver, wedding, paper, and sari/saree. It was certainly sensory overload. There were so many things to see and once again the people were also watching us. Funny how we are all curious about one another.

As we approached the Jama Masjid there were plenty of hawkers who wanted us to purchase so many things. Some of them were rather odd... a kama sutra book, a huge leather bull whip, bindi stickers for my forehead, and many books about the city. Everyone seems to be some kind of salesman with something for you to purchase.

We made our way up the sandstone steps and left our shoes before entering the mosque. It's customary to give the man that watches over your shoes a small donation. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw young man from America making a scene. He was actually yelling at the man and saying that he would not give him a donation, because he wasn't told this beforehand. The whole situation seemed rather ridiculous to me, because we're talking pocket change, which sadly probably means a lot more to the Indian man.

I was surprised that I didn't need to wear a head scarf, yet even despite being very conservative dressed I was given a silk gown. We tried to find a bit of shade so we could hear more of the history of the area without standing in the intense heat and burning our feet on the warm pavement. The Islamic architecture was very beautiful.

After making our way back to our driver we thanked the rishka driver and I told him that we were sorry we weighed so much, but the food here is just too good to resist.

Lalit made reservations for us for lunch. Despite serving Indian food it was clear this was a restaurant that catered to tourists and Western tastes. He declined our invitation to join us, which we weren't sure if that was looked down upon or if he simply had other guides he'd rather join.

After lunch we visited the Laxminarayan Hindu temple, which was more interesting because we heard Lalit discuss his own faith. It's nice when someone welcomes you to look at their beliefs, how they practice, and to learn what it's about. This temple was built in 1622 and unfortunately cameras weren't permitted..

We stopped to take off our shoes and walked across the cold marble floor, stopping to touch the steps as we walked in.

Next we greeted Ganeesha (the elephant God) so that our prayers would be heard by the other Gods.

We again noticed the swastikas that we've seen throughout India. It's such a heavy symbol coming from Germany, although I know it's roots go back much further. In the Indian culture it represents wealth and prosperity. Unfortunately we were not able to take photos at the temple, but the various idols and colors were really striking. We left with our own red tilaka 'third eye'.

I loved one fresco image of a man and a dog. Lalit told us the story, which was about the Final Journey of Yudhisthira, who was a brave man on his journey to paradise. Along the way he crossed paths with a dog that was said to be thin and ugly. They were companions for the journey. Finally, at the gates Yudhisthira was told his mangey friend was not allowed to enter. The man decided if the dog could not enter nor could he after all that they had been through together. Just then the dog transformed into the god Dharma. That was Yudhisthira's final test and a bit of philosophy from ancient India.

We passed through an underground walkway where several people were trying to avoid the heat. A disabled man pulled himself over to us asking for money. It's shocking and disturbing to see people not having the resources for wheelchairs or other medical devices that would greatly increase their quality of life. Unfortunately this wouldn't be the last time we saw people living like this.

After visiting the Hindu temple we went to the Sikh Temple, which was less colorful, but equally as lively. I can't say I knew much about the Sikh faith before we visited, however I recognized the men instantly. One of their five pillars requires never cutting their hair (kesh), thus they wear it wrapped up on their heads and enclosed in a turban.

While walking to the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib area a little guy approached Lalit and asked if he could join us for tea. We didn't quite know what was going on, because we didn't speak his language. Lalit told him he could join us for a meal and he declined, which I found puzzling. I quickly understood why.

We left our shoes with the shoe minder and received a head scarf before we entered the gurdwara. The area is quite enormous and houses the temple, an art gallery, a school, a kitchen, and the holy pond that is said to be blessed by one of their Gurus and cures aliments like cholera.

One of the most inspiring things that I saw was the enormous Langar (kitchen area), which is where this small boy knew we were going. In the Sikh faith they believe in equality, regardless of race, religion, caste, creed, age, gender or social status. Not only that, they believe in providing selfless service to mankind, so Sewadar (volunteers) offer their services to the community without asking for anything in return. It is very inspiring, especially when you see the scale at which they are working.

The dining area of the Langar is set up reflecting the equality - everyone sits on the floor next to one another and eats the same meal. Meals are served twice a day and amazingly 50,000 people or more are served each day. You don't even want to see the dishes. I wish I could have taken a photo of the metal plates stacked so high, but I didn't want to disturb the diners.

They definitely left me with Cherdi Kalaa (ever-rising high spirits), just knowing someone is working towards helping others.

We were understandably very tired at the end of our day. Thankfully we could settle in with room service. Things are very inexpensive in India. The most expensive item on the menu at our hotel was boneless chicken pakora for 300 rupees or roughly $6USD. We had also purchased 6 - 1 liter bottles of water and a bag of chips at a shop for only $2 USD.

The hotel also offered a day trip to the Taj Mahal for only 12€ a person. After we went to the Taj Mahal I cannot imagine going on a day trip, but the next day we were headed to Jaipur and it was one long haul.

Gesellen - auf der walz

Every year I spot these young guys around town that are doing their traditional wander. They aren't exactly hard to spot due to their distinctive costumes, but I never had a camera with me to capture them - until now. (The man in the pink is wearing his own costume of sorts --only in Salzburg I tell ya.)

They are called Gesellen and said to be auf der walz - on the road.

After they finish their carpentry apprenticeship they head off to learn about life, working, and to get a bit of free time before starting their careers. Their journey lasts 2 or 3 years and 1 day. During their journey they are not allowed to go within 50km of their hometowns / villages, nor can they stay in any one place longer than 6 weeks. Hamburg is said to be filled with them, so I might get to see more next week.

What is incredible is that they rely entirely on the hospitality and kindness of strangers, as depicted here. Evidently this is a dying tradition, so I am amazed that I see them so frequently, but it is nice to see they have the support of the community.

I also get a good laugh when I think about gesellen, because I was trying to tell some of my language school classmates about them and was met with puzzled looks. We even taught one the word hobo after drawing a bag on a stick. That was about as close as it got. My other friend from Spain thought they were from some strange religious sect when I pointed a pair out to her here in Munich.

Der Spigel has an older article about them (in English) or there is another from the German Times that is worth a read.

I love the yesteryear traditions and the helpful nature of people helping people.

camera zoom

This past week I joined one of our groups down to Neuschwanstein - the fairytale castle that Germany is so well known for. Can you believe it would have costed roughly $280 Million / 200€ Million to build now?

I was able to try out my camera's mega-zoom and was really impressed with the results. This camera is also capable of panoramas (like my Olympus stylus verve), so I included that as well. The photos are scaled down because they were too big to upload!

It appears as though Christo + Jeanne-Claude got ahold of it, but it's just undergoing renovations.

Here's another one of Hohenschwangau - the castle that was the summer home of the Wittelsbach family.

It looks like I'll be able to take a lot of fun photos during our trip.

Visas

Last week I paid a visit to the US Consulate to get pages added to my passport. I'll take it as a good sign that I am running out of space and that our trip is quickly approaching. The consulate is such an interesting place. Believe it or not there weren't too many Americans there. The waiting room was filled with nervous energy of people who wanted visas to enter America for various reasons.

I eavesdropped on the conversation of two young German women as they discussed their interviews. While I know getting a visa into the US is no walk in the park, the interview was a lot of nervousness for nothing, which I realized after also overhearing that. Both of the women were going to work as au pairs. I could sense the excitement and only hope their fascination with America didn't quickly end with whiney over indulged kids. I'd really love to know what aspects of American culture will shock and intrigue them.

Of course no trip to the consulate is complete without checking out the nearby Eisbach surfers.

Soon I too will be waiting for visas for various countries. I also have a bit of nervous energy and excitement in not knowing what we will encounter.

I've been researching the different visa requirements for Germans and Americans to enter various countries. Next is getting to the doctor's office for the numerous vaccines we'll need. Hopefully we can finalize our route within the next week or two. We know where we'd like to go - both dates and routes, but we need the go ahead from the airlines. These are the somewhat straight forward issues.

I'm trying, in every way possible, to be educated on a variety of situations. For some reason I cannot stop watching 'I Shouldn't be Alive' on the Discovery channel. I'm sure there is a part of me that thinks if I were to end up in a situation like this, I want to know how people made it out.

Just the other night I was lying in bed and said to Stefan, "You know what else I should pack for our trip? A belt, because it could be used as a tourniquet if need be." There's nothing worse than not being prepared - although I hope there never is a need for a tourniquet or learning about another country's medical system.

Brandhorst

Munich has done it again. For being such a glorified village of a city we really have some incredible cultural opportunities here. Now there's another option on the block - Museum Brandhorst.

While it was under construction I always called it the 'colored pencil museum', because the exterior is an interesting array of colored ceramic pieces. There's no doubt that it's a place of creativity. Inside the collection you can see pieces ranging from some of my favorites including Basquiat, Andy Warhol, and Damien Hirst.

There is evidently a lot of excitement, because you had to sign up for a time slot for free admission through Sunday and it's fully booked. Within a few hours time the online time slots were triple the capacity. I prefer to visit museums without being herded through, so my tip is to check it out for the normal 7€ or on a Sunday for only 1€.

If you're not in the Munich area, you can check out some of the pieces here and read more about the museum here.

Locked Up Abroad

Sometimes I feel like I live under a rock, because I'm not as up to date with pop culture (let's face it - German TV is nothing special... even the Germans agree).

I just learned about a new (at least to me) TV show called 'Locked Up Abroad', and I can't get enough of it. (In foreign markets it's called 'Banged Up Abroad'.

If you don't live in the US or you're not the proud owner of a sling box (we have one, but I still had never heard of the show), you can watch the it via YouTube.

It features true stories of people that barely make it home alive from their international adventures. Some have been abducted, some have made careless choices and end up in jail, but their stories are incredible and harrowing.

Don't even watch the ones about the Philippines without having tissues nearby.

Another series that I really enjoy is Morgan Spurlock's 30 Days. Each episode is an educational, challenging, and controversial look into the lives of others. These episodes can be watched via his website regardless of where in the world you live - (Thank you to whomever made that decision at FX!).

I also learned he'll be doing a movie adaptation of the popular Freakonomics book. I'm looking forward to seeing what that will be about.

Finally I can watch informative documentaries as opposed to Galileo, Germany's sorry attempt to being investigative, as they have 'Jumbo Schreiner' gorge himself on one more 'world's largest (insert type of food)'. I wish I was joking.

(photo courtesy of National Geographic)

New Day in America

This morning I headed to my German class with a red cardigan and a blue and white scarf for some understated American spirit. It's incredibly difficult living far away today. Not because I feel some dire urge to be standing on the Washington Mall with few toilets available (according to the news, if 2 million arrive, there is one porto potty for every 400 people). There are also freezing cold temperatures, and a very minimal view of anything other than the back of people's heads for hours on end. It's difficult because I truly miss the camaraderie. I'm certain I would be watching the events on TV, just as I will be today, but it doesn't make up for the American spirit that I dearly miss.

German spirit, and more specifically Bavarian pride, come in very different forms. There is the constant deferral of patriotism for reasons stemming from the dark past. If you spend enough time here you will soon see the pride is still alive and well. Some may even say it has ethnocentric tendencies, especially the foreigners who are constantly being reminded that they even though the law welcomes them, they will more than likely remain oppressed for several generations.

Something I truly love about America, 'the country that always lands on its feet', is that despite being a mix of cultures, nationalities, and races, there are some days and events where people unite. I realize it's not always been that way. Progress does take time, but it's nice to see that it happens.

I also realize not everyone is an Obama supporter, but to me the Americanness is something beyond him or his capabilities. I appreciate that he's a bit of a rabble-rouser and able to inspire so many, because I think Americans can be fairly passive when it comes to politics. It's also possible that it only appears that way considering how much coverage he had and how much money was invested into his campaign, but people definitely look for a positive change.

I'd rather see it as a fire lit from within and hopefully people see that they can make an impact and they are capable of more than they ever thought possible. There's a hope for something different and more freedoms for the people that make the US such a unique and special place.

I'm back in German class and it always shakes me to my core, but not because the grammar is brutal or because every noun has an assigned article. I think I learn more and question more about the social issues and struggles facing people from various cultures, nationalities, and races while I am there. I am constantly analyzing the place of a foreigner in the German world, obviously because that is something I identify with.

That is one aspect that my slightly sheltered American upbringing that I've really been able to come to terms with. Each day while I sit among classmates from places like Iran, Syria, Bulgaria, Australia, Spain, the UK, Kosovo, Brazil, Turkey, Russia, and a multitude of other cultures, I realize how fortunate I am. I am not fighting to survive. Life has been relatively easy and I know that I have two perfectly good homes. There isn't anything I am fleeing.

I realize just how blessed I am due to forces of fate, to feel safe, to have the support of my family, to receive a wonderful education and to have the ability to graduate from a university that focused on service work. It makes me feel very responsible for helping those that aren't afforded the privileges that I have.

Something Germany is severely lacking, is the inclusion of the foreigners. It's a much colder place than what I am familiar with. Here I notice so many politically incorrect things that make me cringe and an overall critical attitude towards each other. I attribute that to the fight to get ahead, or the feeling that they are being taken advantage of due to their liberal social systems. I realize in the US I have a slight bias. My social and economic circle doesn't often cross with people who don't come from similar means, which is one of the reasons I am forever grateful for this experience.

Life here can be so bureaucratic that even volunteering or being compassionate towards others isn't easy, which is difficult. Somedays I feel like I am fighting to belong and yearning for community and connections that are thousands of miles away. Here that is entirely a foreign concept. Since they had such far right leanings during the early part of the 20th century, at times I think they have tried to make amends by opening their borders even if they are resentful. I'm sure they get even more angered by the fact that Germans are not repopulating their country and fewer and fewer people are having children.

So... if you got this far, I'm hopeful that it is a year of change. Not simply for a change in politics, but a change in people realizing how much we can learn from each other and that a little compassion goes a long way.

As said in the Declaration of Independence 233 years ago:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." 

Child Life in all Lands

While I was home, I stumbled across this antique book from 1906 about 'true stories of boys and girls in every land: their sports and games and how they live'.

I haven't read the entire book yet, but I immediately flipped to the section on Germany, and got a good laugh out of the description and drawing.

It says:

"This mode of swaddling has its advantages. Baby's limbs are in no danger of being broken by an accidental fall; he cannot scratch his little face to pieces with his sharp, rosy nails, after the manner of American babies; and he may be placed on a table, a shelf, or the counter of a shop, like a plate of soup, or a loaf of bread, or a parcel of goods, or anything else which cannot move."

I'm sure those were the days, when you could put your child on a shelf.

Here's another great excerpt:

"A party of peasants once had to carry their child some distance before they came to the church in which it was to be christened. It was winter, and the snow lay thick on the ground. After the christening ceremony, the parents, the sponsors, and the friends took something to eat at a near-by inn, to prepare themselves for the return journey.

They then set out in great good humor, and reached home safely with the pillow, but there was no baby in it. Perhaps they had by mistake held the pillow upside down; perhaps the blue bows had become loose; at any rate the baby had slipped out, and was found lying on the snow, half-way between the church and the village. Fortunately, he was a sturdy young peasant-child, and escaped with a cold in his head, which the fond parents tried to cure on reaching home by popping him, pillow and all, into the oven, that was still warm from the baking of the christening-cake!"

This book is certainly going to be filled with other gems. I can't believe how times have changed in just over 100 years!

Parisian Munich

Yes, life has gone on since our trip. For some reason I am so seriously happy that I can't even contain myself. I have no good reason why, but I will take it.

The weather has cooled off substantially and autumn is really making it's presence felt. I love the brisk wind - and even the occasional rain.

Right before our trip, Stefan and I ran a lot of errands. We were in the Isarvorstadt neighborhood, which is traditionally the gay area of town, when we stumbled upon an adorable little French café called Rive Gauche.

It was as if we had been transplanted to Paris - complete with pain au chocolat and a yummy goat cheese salad. The owner's cute little son also set the tone as he was chatting with them in French.

It was so delightful.

Along with the French theme, this morning I made crêpes and Stefan went into work late. It was such a great start to the week, since he will be away, and a fun breakfast. I always love the little things.

Tasiilaq

Since we went on a boat trip right after we arrived we weren't able to experience Tasiilaq until the next morning. Morning came quite early. It probably didn't help too much that I woke up several times through the night hoping to catch the aurora borealis. Then came the early sunrise and the whine of the sledge dogs. I was happy to have brought a sleep mask.

The breakfast room of our hotel was filled with interesting characters. There was a loud know it all professor type, who of course came from America. It reminded me that off beat destinations do seem to attract pompous characters.

At breakfast we saw a man we met on our iceberg cruise named Ching. He was from Singapore, but now lives in Qatar. The night before, after our visit to Ikateq, he had a whale dinner at The Red House, another hotel in town. He was excited to sample whale because it would be illegal in his country, although he didn't sound so excited when he compared the look and taste to beef. Neither Stefan nor I had much of an interest in eating exotic animals, although we probably should have sampled the dried fish.

Ching invited us to visit in Qatar, where it sounds like they are trying to buy a culture. Now that they have made riches off of oil, it's the land of excessive wealth, but without much of a culture. (Coincidentally enough I am reading a book called the Geography of Bliss and it has chapters of Qatar and Iceland, which seemed so fitting.) It's nice that living there affords him to take vacations over a month long - his next stop was Europe.

After saying goodbye we set off to walk around town and through the Valley of Flowers. That's when the bugs started. We were swarmed with little gnats that were just annoying enough to distract us from the views. The bug spray we had brought along was jammed, so we decided to purchase some in town, which lead us to the new grocery.

Seeing the loads of shipping containers didn't prepare us for how modern this grocery is. It had conveyor belts, many products that we recognized, and a large hunting department. Upstairs was a department store that even sold things like flat screen televisions. We were quite surprised. We purchased bug repellant and went back to the Valley of Flowers.

At the laundry and bathing facilities, for those that do not have them in their home, there were two adorable little boys rolling down the hill and having a great time.

As we walked further we passed the sledge dogs that undoubtedly were the ones causing a ruckus in the morning. It looked as though the valley was filled with dogs. There were also a few puppies that I tried to beckon over. You have to look very close because they blend in with the rocks.

After walking past the dogs we came to the cemetery. It was slightly different than in Kulusuk, because people were buried in one area. There were several Danish names, typically with nicer headstones, and all of the graves were decorated with plastic flowers. There was one grave in particular that caught my attention because it had so many flowers that they had constructed a cage around them. The young girl was only 14. I was curious what happened to her, although I will never know.

We really weren't prepared for all of the beauty and mystery of the Valley of Flowers. The bright colors seemed to carpet the hills and I was fascinated to see small flowers growing out of dirt and rocks. We continued on the path, which followed the stream and then saw a larger lake and small waterfall. We stood in awe of everything around us and the fact that we were completely alone. There were no sounds made by people and everywhere we turned it was something new and beautiful.

It was a lot to take in. For lack of better explaining we really felt rejuvenated and just complete reverence for nature. It was truly unforgettable and very inspiring.

We spent the greater part of the day climbing the mountains and wandering around the area. It was quite devoid of life besides the occasional small bird or the plants that would soon vanish with the summer.

Along our walk we followed the stream and quickly learned why Tasiilaq means 'Like a Lake'. We spotted a small waterfall and stood in awe. After coming to another, even more beautiful waterfall we climbed to the top of the highest mountain that was near to us.

The views were spectacular. The trail seemed to be reclaimed by nature, so we decided to go back into town.

Unfortunately these images really don't do the area justice. Being enveloped in mountains with the sounds of blowing winds and trickling water really awakens your senses.

Tasiilaq sat in the background very quietly and was only visible from the very highest peaks. For typically taking city trips Stefan and I agreed that we should visit natural places more often as well. Both Greenland and Iceland have nature at it's finest.

Even remote little East Greenland wasn't remote enough not to have a bookstore.

From what I have read, Neriusaaq (Greenlandic name for 'rainbow') is the furthest North bookstore in the world. I was delighted to find a children's book for my ever expanding collection. It is even written in Tunumiit oraasiat - also called Tunu (the dialect of East Greenland). The bookstore was located inside a convenience store that sells ice cream and newspapers.

It is, like most other things in this area, very small. I learned from this article a bit more about the transgender Danish man that runs the shop.

Tasiilaq, which is the big city of the East, also has a hospital, public library, internet café, two kindergartens, a primary school, and Princess Margrethe orphanage.

It really kind of broke my heart that there was an orphanage there, considering the community is so small as it is and living in harsh conditions is already a struggle.

It appears that drinking is a serious issue. We were there on pay day when the streets were filled with people drinking. As we went to the combination bank post office, to mail postcards, I noticed a young mother drinking a beer while she gave her baby a bottle. I'm also not sure how much Westerners are really helping the culture. Many of the jobs seemed to be given to Danish people, including all of the police that we saw. One of their biggest employers is Filatelia, which produces stamps, but unemployment is high.

Close to the post office / bank is Skæen and the Tourist Information office. Here they rent equipment and sell seal skin clothing, which is traditional to the area. They had some beautiful jewelry, but since it was made of bones we were not able to bring it back.

Also near by is Brættet, where the sealers, whalers, and fishermen sell their catch of the day. There is an oily smell in the air in this area.

We roamed through town and past the school, which happened to be at recess. There were a couple children with blonde hair that stuck out and were undeniably Danish.

There were also some newer and very nice homes at the back of the bay, which we assumed belonged to the Danish police.

At night we were given a slight sunset, while the rest was blocked by the mountains. I found the pink glow on the mountain tops quite neat.

On our last day before our helicopter took us back to Kulusuk we decided to go down the harbor and say goodbye to the beautiful iceberg that we'll be dreaming about.

There was more whimpering from the dogs, who I imagine will have a long winter ahead of them.

We really had a hard time leaving. We had no idea what Tasiilaq and Greenland had in store for us, but it's definitely been a monumental experience thus far in my life. I realize there aren't very many places with such an abundance of untouched nature.

As always, I left with a lot of questions. I'm curious about the transition periods, when the people of these communities were first learning about the Western world. I really hope they are able to retain a lot of semblance to their past.

Then it's back to Kulusuk before we explore more of Iceland.