Until the end of Italy, our trip had been non-stop intellectual stimulation. This early leg was bittersweet in that I loved the subject matter yet struggled to find time to process and recoup from the fast pace lifestyle. Periodic stints of rain were also a downer when I needed some free time.
I experienced a new kick of energy when we left Italy for a place an hour outside of Salzburg, Austria. Leaving Venice in Northern Italy, we drove through the Alps, which was perhaps one of the most beautiful tours of the countryside I had been on. The contrast between the geography of the past few weeks and what we had just drove into was vast. I had left the hectic and overcrowdedness of Italy for pure natural bliss. Sporadic villages appeared and then disappeared; rolling green hills spotted with sheep and cows led into mountains. It was incredible. Our camp ground was situated on the epitome of a perfect lake. A series of snow capped mountains as a background to the lake was a nice scene to wake up to every morning. I also found a sense of comfort in the German language, which I am much more familiar with than the earlier Spanish and Italian. Communication became less difficult and the quality of beer improved exponentially.
Austria was the first nice break for me on this trip. In Italy I was able to appreciate many of the great works and feats of humankind, but the beginning of Austria was all about an appreciation of natural beauty. I needed it.
the SSU team has travelled through Zell Am See and Vienna in Austria and through Prague in the Czech Republic and are now situated in Munich, Germany´s Bavarian capital.
In Austria, students experienced beautiful scenery, Vienna coffeehouses, and took in an oprea in the cradle of Western classical music. Some visited the burial site of great composers such as Schubert, Beethoven Brahms and a monument to Mozart. Students also had there first significant taste of football fever: Austria vs. Germany packed Vienna with supporters for both teams.
Explorations in Prague was a first taste for SSU of Eastern Europe and new territory for the Europe study term. Our time revealed a beautiful town that has been somewhat overrun with the growing tourist industry there. Nevertheless, students had some more experience of life during the the communist regime and some saw a world class production of the ballet “Swan Lake.”
Prayer concerns are happily few beyond the general weariness of reaching the trips midpoint.
There is really only one word that can describe what this trip is – whirlwind. We camp in one site for about three days, we see some of the world’s greatest art, cultural, and historical icons and then board our bus for a bus ride to yet another city or country. When we left Spain, we literally went through a mountain tunnel at one point and entered into Italy. In about five minutes we were no longer in the country that had been our travelling home. There has been more than one occassion where i have gone to sleep on the bus in one country and woken up in another. CRAZY! It really is life on the road. Every day is more challenging and more rewarding.
How do you really summarize a trip where a person sees the things that we stop to see? I mean, there are people who dedicate their whole lives to studying just one of the sites or even just one of the many pieces of art that stand in one of the many Museums. It’s incredible all of it really. Getting to see The Sistine Chapel, the David, Donatello’s Mary Magdalene, Michelangelo’s Pietas. These are the things i am seeing. Time in Venice, in Vienna, in Munich learning about history, and cultural impacts. I don’t think i can really express what or how i feel about them because the impact of seeing these things has yet to fully hit me.
There is so much i am learning as the days and time goes by. I am learning about how graceful community needs to be and how it is fully possible to have that level of grace. I am learning about being present and making the most of every moment, whether that’s sitting on the bus, or standing in front of the Dachau concentration camp. This travelling life demands a level of being in the moment and flexible (yes gregg finley you were right… flexibility) that not many other things ask.
I am enjoying europe a lot. I love the exhileration of never knowing what is coming next, i love the community that i am building, giving to and recieving from. I love the connection that i am learning about how i do not stand alone, i stand with thousands of other who have contributed to western culture in ways that i had never known. I love waking up and never knowing what i am going to learn, or whose life i am going to learn about.
It is wonderful, and terrible. It is rewarding and challenging, but it is such an incredible journey.
Its weird, the first thing that struck me about Munich was that it reminded me of home. The streets were lined with trees, and the suburbs felt eerily similar to my neighbourhood in Kanata. It was a little disconcerting. For a short while I felt like I was no longer in Germany, no longer in a large tour bus, but that I was walking down the streets back home, going to a familiar place. For the first time on this trip I felt a sense of belonging. I do have some German blood in me, but not Bavarian as far as I know. My mothers side of the family immigrated after the war, and she grew up speaking German. I however, did not. In spite of this I still feel more at home in this city then I have anywhere else, and would choose to live here over everywhere we have visited, except maybe Austria. Its not an easy choice.
Sadly the similarities to home ended with the scenery. It seems to me that Germans are a fairly impatient people. Not that North Americans are not impatient ourselves, but I was surprised to find the Germans even worse. I am not a patient driver, but I still give pedestrians the right of way, to a degree, or at least wave cars through an intersection even when I arrive first. German drivers on the other hand are possessed by a type of road rage, and will honk at buses, pedestrians, or anything for that matter that gets in the way. Then they bang their fists on the steering wheel or dashboard in a fit of rage and disgust. It pains me to say this a bout a people group of which I am still so proud to be a part of. Maybe Austria looks better after all…
It maybe best to list some words to describe it:overwhelming- the places, cultures and ideas I have encountered have been so rich in history and events. We focus on many of the famous people like Michaelangelo, Gaudi, Dürer and Hitler, but these are representatives (brilliant or famous as the may be) of the people of that time. They are both shaped and shapers of that time. How does one weigh and separator the influences of the past without feeling a sense of injustice in not being able to account for so many influences. And how can we not be amazed at the paradox of feeling small, shaped by our culture or circumstance, yet at the same time have so much potential to create change.That may be one of the great aspects of this trip. Understanding the potential for influence and the creative potential for change.Shoot, that is just one word, and only one aspect of it. But like our trip there is so much in it it cannot be easily described at once.
First the bus; we life, nearly one day out of every four, together on the bus. There is no escaping the headphone dance parties nor the sleeping seat mates. We, all of us, have been on each other’s nerves at some moment. But we have had an amazing amount of grace towards each other. Greg Finley’s “f” word (flexibility) is ingrained in our minds. We learn to react slowly when we are short on temper, and we learn to tread quietly around those who need their escape. Sleep is perhaps the most efficient method of retreat and escape available on the bus. If the group attitude is to be measured by our use of this technique alone, we must have grown together already. Of course, one must also consider that the brunt of our Spanish and Italian activity packed days have begun to slow down, and we have learned to keep ourselves better rested. Beyond the scope of the bus, I believe we are beginning to understand the degree to which we are responsible to each other as a group. For many it is a slow lesson, and often bittersweet, but there is no escaping it. In each moment, I am responsible to the group, if only because the group is responsible for me.
Culture: There is no telling how many time throughout both Spain and Italy I have arrived at a store only to be disappointed because it is closed for siesta or for Sundays. Of course, my initial response is frustration, firstly because i want to be able to get what i want, and second because i found it impossible to figure out when siesta was for sure. Upon reflection, however, I think I love the idea of siesta. It reflects a cultural value that could not survive in our capitalistic North America.
It feels almost strange to sit here and purposely reflect back on the first part of trip. Wait, its even weirder to think that half of our trip is now over…it has felt like it has happened in the blink of an eye. Only, upon reopening the eye I know way more about art than I ever thought I would and I have done things that my own dreams could not produce. The trip has defintiely been a whirlwind so far. Each day that goes by feels almost like a few days jammed into one; its like the morning and evening could easily be split up into two days because we do so much in that small alotted time. Back to reflection, I dont think I can yet write about how much I have appreciated everything so far because I havent really had the time to; any moment of potential downtime is filled with opportunities of more fun things to do.. and lets face it, its hard to pass those moments up. So here I am, reflecting, if only for a short while as I hide in this internet cafe.. resisting the temptation of what the world out there has to offer.
The highlights of my trip so far have been the romantic cities.. most notably Carcasonne and Florence. Their cobblestone streets, street vendors, and tangible glimpses into the past I could not soak in enough, and prompted many whimsical thoughts. The Amalfi coast was another major highlight. I was encouraged to take a scooter along the coast (despite the fact that I had never ridden one before) and was told over and over agian that it would be totally worth it. So I ended up going and it turns out all those people did not even begin to do it justice… the whole entire drive along the coast was just incredible. If i didnt like riding the scooter so much Im not sure I would have made it to the town of Amalfi because I kept stopping to try and take in every last bit of what I was seeing. the colours of the water, the cliffs, the trees, and the flowers the covered the houses were brilliant and like nothing Ive ever seen before. The third highlight so far has in my mind been the last campground that we were at just outside of Salzburg, Austria. A campground you ask? Odd, I know, but we had just come from Italy, which is undeniably beautiful in its own right; but nothing compared to the snow capped mountains, the fresh air, and the gleaming lake that was at our fingertips at that campsite. I dont think any of us wanted to leave when the time came. It goes to show, theres something about Gods creation in nature that is irreplaceable; it runs so much deeper and seemingly on a whole other realm of understanding and appreciation. Man has created many beautiful and amazing things, but none has compared to the abundent beauty and life that is found all over the world.
Im being kicked out of the internet cafe… back to the whirlwind that is my life right now.
Things have been much more relaxing lately after leaving the business of Florence and Rome behind us. We spend a few relaxing days on the Amalfi coast of Italy. Highlights from there included swimming in the Mediterranean, touring the ruins of Pompeii (an ancient Roman city preserved by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE) and riding around on the back of a friend´s scooter for awhile at sunset. After leaving the coast we headed Northwest for Assisi, home of St. Francis and the slow pace continued from there to Venice. We were given a free day to wander through the city and although I didn´t ride on the gondolas (a definite tourist trap at 80 Euros a ride) we did see the canals from the water taxi and had our last taste of gelato before leaving Italy and entering Austria. We spend the last couple days camping on the shore of one of the cleanest lakes in Europe, just outside Salzburg. Our campsite had views of the Austrian mountains (though we learned the Von Trapp family didn´t actually hike through the mountains – they pretended to go for a mountain hike and then hid on a train to Switzerland). I spent most of the day feeding leftover bread to the ducks, which were so tame they would eat from your hand and kayaking on the lake. We´ve been brushing up on German and getting ready for the big football match between Austria and Germany tomorrow night.
We also visited Hitler´s Eagle´s Nest, a secret location in the mountains on the border of Austria and Germany where he dug a bunker and it is believed he and Eva died there, two weeks before the end of the war. It was very difficult to wander through the place listening to information on the development of the Nazi´s power and the effect it had on the people. 50 million people are believed to have died in WWII and 28 million of those were civilians. As I´m sure everyone knows, millions of Jews were targeted and exterminated, but so were gypsies, elderly people, disabled people, soviets, and those with (or perceived to have) hereditary diseases, as well as any who showed opposition or resistance. Being there was odd in that I have always wondered how such an atrocity could occur and the information presented to us gave me both an understanding of how Hitler rose to such power through the manipulation of the masses and yet I left feeling more overwhelmed at how this could have happened. In a way I both understand more and less at the same time. The evil was more systematic then I ever thought possible. I am both anxiously anticipating our visit to the Dachau concentration camp next week and I hope these thoughts can become clearer as our class discusses the impact of WWII on Western Europe.
Students learned yesterday about Venice and the many treasures and historic pieces stolen over the years of the Renaissance by the climbing city state. This morning was an experience also in kind: Trip leaders Dr. Peter Fitch and Mary Ellen Fitch awoke to find that Mary Ellen’s bag had been stolen in the night from their tent while they slept. Her bag contained all of her valuables, including her camera, mp3 player, gifts she had bought, and a large sum of money. Other students also reported have their tents opened in the night.
While the Fitches travelled to the local police station, SSU students searched the campsite for any possible clues or remains of the bag. Students eventually discovered a small hole in the outer perimeter fence and were able to crawl through, finding almost everything covered up with grass in various smaller piles. The money was gone, but all of the Fitches other possessions were recovered. Mary-Ellen is delighted to get her camera with all of its Europe photos and her iPod especially. Please continue to pray for our safety as we journey through these campsites that are not always as secure as we would like them to be.
Today, we head for Salzburg Austia, echoes of the theme from Sound of Music already beginning to build.
Yesterday, the group had a great day exploring Asissi under hot sunny skies. The students were asked to find out two things: 1. the significance of the Tau cross often associated with Francis, and 2. something interesting about Francis that they did not know before. The winners for best answer by group vote would get a free pizza per question. The group discussion that ensued went long into the evening and ended with a short time of worship singing and arrangement of St. Francis’ prayer ”Lord make me an instrument of your Peace” by Holli Durost.
Today we made our way to Venice and sett up our tents just in time to be deluged with some of the heaviest rain we have experienced on the trip. After huddling under shelter to eat supper most retreated to their tents our the campsite pub. The inside of our tents mostly managed to stay more wet than dry.
Tomorrow The SSU team will explore the waterways of the floating city of Venice, taking in piazza San Marco with its Duomo, art galleries such as the Fuori, and the beauty that is present everywhere in the city.
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