jeremiah i left you something at the concierge desk of the hotel hilton colon on avenida rio amazonas in quito. all the cab drivers know the hotel. it'll be an envelope with your name on it. they said just tell them your name and then say it's something from me, and that you'll need an ID. i hope you find it!
off to chile!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
there are hummingbirds all around
lily, thank you for your compliments, and thank you for reading! how are things for you at home? i don´t think i ever told you how much i enjoyed those cds you made for me. thank you! did you find my mix?
jeremiah, thank you for the stories, and the photos! they are so interesting. i especially liked what you wrote of your experience with your friend, dave. of course we will have tea in august! i am looking forward to hearing more about your adventures, too. actually my australia plans are looking as though they will be changing quite a bit, and i may find myself back in maine sooner than i thought. i´ll keep you guys updated.
i feel very glad to have you all in my life. you´re quite incredible people. (you too matt- but where have you gone?)
jeremiah, thank you for the stories, and the photos! they are so interesting. i especially liked what you wrote of your experience with your friend, dave. of course we will have tea in august! i am looking forward to hearing more about your adventures, too. actually my australia plans are looking as though they will be changing quite a bit, and i may find myself back in maine sooner than i thought. i´ll keep you guys updated.
i feel very glad to have you all in my life. you´re quite incredible people. (you too matt- but where have you gone?)
east west
i once asked dave to tell me about the austro-hungarian empire. i would never call it a mistake, but i think one must be fully prepared for a lengthy answer when asking such a question -- to a hungarian, nonetheless. the sparrows were feasting upon bugs that were calling the mighty danube home. its banks were breached and the large amounts of rain received thus far didnt help. evidently, in austria, a soviet tank was washed out of the danube due to the heavy rains and flooding. i sat perched on an ancient stone wall and looked over the danube to slovakia. following the bridge that lead from hungary i noticed the small, telephone booth like houses that once made up the boundary between these nations. letting my gaze wander i noticed the communist-block flats, they look retro now (in different shades of lime green!) but still carried the reminder of a not-too-distant past. "thats funny" i remarked "to think those small, empty booths are all that make up the border now." we stood looking out over the river, david broke the silence, "jay, let me remind you that 50 years ago that was our land." i didnt reply, how could i? a few short hours ago we wandered the streets of some small slovkian town. i played the tourist, listening to a language vastly different from hungarian and admiring yet another culture... but david saw something else entirely -- he even remarked that all the street names were hungarian. from our look-out we watched the sun set. the sky changed and quickly became a dark crimson that bled into an inky black... we watched as the sun closed the gap on the horizon and set on both slovakia and hungary and, farther afield, a western world that seemed quite far away. earlier that day we hiked some 6km to a hill top castle in esztergom. it started to drizzle as we reached the ancient structure that was slowly seeing some sort of reconstruction. david scurried up a exposed section of the walls outside the main entrance and spread his arms to the view of danube and the sprawling hungarian country-side -- his land. "david, does this make you proud to be hungarian?" i asked, bracing myself for a response similar to that he delivered when asked about the austro-hungarian empire, i was surprised and moved when he replied -- "yes jay, quite fucking much."
Sunday, June 28, 2009
papallacta
i´m writing to you from the thermal springs of papallacta, east of quito, in the mountains. on the drive here we reached an elevation of 14,000 feet. the air is cooler here, and the clouds are closer. the next few days will be quiet ones, spent in the warm waters and writing.
last night i had my first experience with a shaman in cuenca. i am still working through it and am not yet ready to type it out here, but it was an experience that changed me deeply.
last night i had my first experience with a shaman in cuenca. i am still working through it and am not yet ready to type it out here, but it was an experience that changed me deeply.
thank you
I am so impressed by your travels. Although I have not been writing I have been following along almost religiously. Have either of you ever thought of travel writing? The descriptions and emotions you have given help me to imagine myself in your shoes.
So, thank you for sharing these moments with me. Safe travels amigos!
So, thank you for sharing these moments with me. Safe travels amigos!
Friday, June 26, 2009
chola cuencana
cuenca is the place to be.
this city is beautiful! it´s green, the tomebamba river runs through the city, and the air smells so good. i took the shortest flight of my life to get here from quito yesterday (45 mins) and we were checked into hotel oro verde and out wandering in the city by 10 AM. i´m jealous that you got to live here, jeremiah. it is so colorful.
last night we went to la iglesia de san francisco in the center of town and had met with padre rigoberto, who also runs the homeless shelter at the church. the main reason for the choir´s trip here was to raise money for the shelter. we ate dinner there, with the homeless. my mom and i sat with a group of 6 or 7 men from the ages of 20 to 85. they were very inquisitive. first just the normal questions "how long are you in cuenca?" "your first time in ecuador?" but then turned to "how do you treat your poor in the united states?" "why is it so easy for north americans to come to ecuador but so hard for us to come to your country?" one man said that he had been living there for 2 years and had never seen someone from the united states visit the shelter. he said he was beginning to lose faith in the goodness of people and that our visit meant a lot to him. the group brought many things for the shelter, and has raised a lot of money.
after dinner i met a woman in her seventies,named maria,who slept at the shelter often. she was still working, selling cigars and newspapers on the street, to support her two mentally challenged sons who live with her in the country. she is not able to go home because it is so far out in el campo and she works in cuenca 7 days a week, so she sleeps and eats at the shelter. she began to cry, saying she had nothing and that she was so tired. i held her and told her that she had music, and that she had people who cared about her, and the sun. she began to feel better and she sat next to me during the concert singing along with many of the ecuadorian songs. the whole audience chimed in for certain songs like vasija de barro and leña verde. padre rigoberto called me up in front of the audience of 100 or more to do some impromptu translating for him on the microphone.
at the end all of the ecuadorians sang "chola cuencana" to us and most of the people who came up to me afterwards said that they hoped i´d return to cuenca, and also that i´d learn the song so that we could sing it together.
the whole evening was quite an incredible experience.
this city is beautiful! it´s green, the tomebamba river runs through the city, and the air smells so good. i took the shortest flight of my life to get here from quito yesterday (45 mins) and we were checked into hotel oro verde and out wandering in the city by 10 AM. i´m jealous that you got to live here, jeremiah. it is so colorful.
last night we went to la iglesia de san francisco in the center of town and had met with padre rigoberto, who also runs the homeless shelter at the church. the main reason for the choir´s trip here was to raise money for the shelter. we ate dinner there, with the homeless. my mom and i sat with a group of 6 or 7 men from the ages of 20 to 85. they were very inquisitive. first just the normal questions "how long are you in cuenca?" "your first time in ecuador?" but then turned to "how do you treat your poor in the united states?" "why is it so easy for north americans to come to ecuador but so hard for us to come to your country?" one man said that he had been living there for 2 years and had never seen someone from the united states visit the shelter. he said he was beginning to lose faith in the goodness of people and that our visit meant a lot to him. the group brought many things for the shelter, and has raised a lot of money.
after dinner i met a woman in her seventies,named maria,who slept at the shelter often. she was still working, selling cigars and newspapers on the street, to support her two mentally challenged sons who live with her in the country. she is not able to go home because it is so far out in el campo and she works in cuenca 7 days a week, so she sleeps and eats at the shelter. she began to cry, saying she had nothing and that she was so tired. i held her and told her that she had music, and that she had people who cared about her, and the sun. she began to feel better and she sat next to me during the concert singing along with many of the ecuadorian songs. the whole audience chimed in for certain songs like vasija de barro and leña verde. padre rigoberto called me up in front of the audience of 100 or more to do some impromptu translating for him on the microphone.
at the end all of the ecuadorians sang "chola cuencana" to us and most of the people who came up to me afterwards said that they hoped i´d return to cuenca, and also that i´d learn the song so that we could sing it together.
the whole evening was quite an incredible experience.
a walk in the woods
we had everything - food, water, rain gear, maps and charts and beer... we just didn't have a compass! we soon realized that our map was outdated and some of the logging roads were created within the last year -- our tattered map was from the 90's! no matter, we were ready for a wandering adventure in the woods -- a bit of back to (hungarian) nature. during our trek we spooked a herd of deer who, for some reason, were unsure of our whereabouts and started charging up the hill upon which we were wandering. unlike the reindeer of the north, who sometimes let you get within arms length for a nice photo, these deer didn't much like the proximity in which they found themselves!
greener grass
the vast majority of reindeer in lapland belong to the Sámi people, many still live a nomadic existence in the norhtern parts of finland, sweden, norway and parts of russia. they are one of the largest indigenous ethnic groups in europe. these beautiful reindeer graze freely along the road leading to the northkapp and certainly have the right-of-way! i often had to slam on my breaks as they wandered into the road in search of greener grass on the other side! (maybe for these majestic creatures the grass is always greener!)
top of europe. although the clouds were murky and thick, this is about as dark as it will get for the next several weeks. at the info center they had a time-lapse photo of the midnight sun right off this point, it never even touched the horizon! behind me are the cliffs (hundreds of meters high) that plunge into the arctic ocean.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
destination: reached. its weird to be back in 'southern' europe. odd to see the sun touch the horizon AND sink below it. its funny how we have ideas that we hold so true and theories we raise above all others... then they are changed or altered or shattered and we are left thinking... 'ok...' we say ok because not much else would do justice; its lacks all poetic beauty and power yet it works. even something as simple as the sun dancing in the sky is enough to rattle the known and shift the foundations upon which we tread so assuredly.
mostaza mishap
well i have been bamboozled by the best of them!
today al, my theater project buddy, and i were walking near la plaza de independencia when we felt something wet hit us on our backs. we stopped and looked up, thinking it had fallen from the sky, or a window. i saw that al had something yellow all down his back, and i had it on my jeans. then, quickly a man approached us and said in spanish "i saw it. it was paint. here take this napkin to clean yourselves off." we started to do that but then he said, "here that is not working. come over across the street to this fountain that will clean you off better." i tried to ask him who had done it and why, but he didn't answer me. across the street someone else approached us and said "i'm so sorry, i saw that happen. here, there is a fountain in here." we stepped off of the street a little bit into a hall towards a big room. one of the men began to help al while someone else completely different showed me into the room where a very very bizarre circus demonstration was taking place, and there was no fountain to be seen. i stood there just long enough to think "what the hell is this?" and when i turned around, al was looking at the ground, then at me. "they took my camera."
he had taken his camera off from around his neck to pull his jacket over his head...set it down on the ground next to him just as i was being distracted by the circus..and when he pulled his jacket off, it was gone. there were at least 3 or 4 people involved..and it was so quick! i think the circus was fake too, a planned distraction.
we also realized soon after that it was not paint at all, but mustard.
my mom also lost $200 to an ATM that never gave her the money and the bank won't do anything to help.
QUITE a day.
but on we go.
cuenca tomorrow.
today al, my theater project buddy, and i were walking near la plaza de independencia when we felt something wet hit us on our backs. we stopped and looked up, thinking it had fallen from the sky, or a window. i saw that al had something yellow all down his back, and i had it on my jeans. then, quickly a man approached us and said in spanish "i saw it. it was paint. here take this napkin to clean yourselves off." we started to do that but then he said, "here that is not working. come over across the street to this fountain that will clean you off better." i tried to ask him who had done it and why, but he didn't answer me. across the street someone else approached us and said "i'm so sorry, i saw that happen. here, there is a fountain in here." we stepped off of the street a little bit into a hall towards a big room. one of the men began to help al while someone else completely different showed me into the room where a very very bizarre circus demonstration was taking place, and there was no fountain to be seen. i stood there just long enough to think "what the hell is this?" and when i turned around, al was looking at the ground, then at me. "they took my camera."
he had taken his camera off from around his neck to pull his jacket over his head...set it down on the ground next to him just as i was being distracted by the circus..and when he pulled his jacket off, it was gone. there were at least 3 or 4 people involved..and it was so quick! i think the circus was fake too, a planned distraction.
we also realized soon after that it was not paint at all, but mustard.
my mom also lost $200 to an ATM that never gave her the money and the bank won't do anything to help.
QUITE a day.
but on we go.
cuenca tomorrow.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
oye
last night the choir sang in la iglesia de la compania in the old city - the inside is all gold plated - a very beautiful place. the u.s. ambassador came to hear the concert, as well as many ecuadorians.
today we got up early and drove to otavalo. on the way we stopped at a rose plantation to see the different varieties of roses (one of ecuador's top exports). while others were wandering around the inside of the old plantation home, i explored outside. i walked through some woods and found a young boy who was climbing a tree and seemed to be stuck. i helped him down and he led me into a clearing where 10 or 12 other kids were running around in their school uniforms. they told me they were on vacation and were waiting for the coconuts to fall from the trees so they could bring them home to eat. they showed me their backpacks which were overflowing with them. some of them were only 2, the oldest was 13.
we then went to the markets in otavalo. so many colors! went to a weaver's workshop and while the others were buying blankets and wall-hangings i wandered outside again and met a woman and her daughter who were sitting on their step. while i was speaking to them i peered into their home and saw at least 20 guinea pigs (cuy) running around on the floor. the mother told me they raise them until they are eight months, then kill them and eat them. until they are of age she feeds them as much corn and grasses as they want and let them have free range around the house.
we then went and watched a man construct a pan pipe - testing the pitch and cutting the reeds with a knife. then he and his sisters and brother played and sang for us. i'm one of the few who know spanish in the group and have been designated the role of interpreter - so that has been fun. they spoke in spanish to me, but conversed in quechua with each other- so the choir i'm with sang a song in quechua for them that they have learned- acapella.
fruits i've tried so far: guanabana, naranjilla, uvilla and granadilla.
one more day in quito, then on to cuenca where i'll meet up with a friend from chile. then to papallacta, quito again, then to santiago!
jeremiah my dream for leaving something here for you is this: go down this alley, you will find a bicycle, ride it north for 1.3 miles, stop when you see a green painted store front. go inside and ask the woman you find there to give you a key. take this key to a safe deposit box in such and such bank, inside you will find a map, follow the map out into the countryside....you see where i'm going?
i really wish i could do that but i think i might have to wuss out and leave you a little something at the desk of the hotel i'm staying at in quito - just to make sure you get it (and also because being with a tour group with very full days isn't so condusive to creating elaborate plans.) i hope you'll forgive me.
i'm so glad you made it to the nordkapp! great line: " i stood on the end of europe and tried to imagine the arctic just beyond the horizon." how funny that the midnight sun was not there, but farther south! i love reading about your wanderings as well, so please keep writing!
today we got up early and drove to otavalo. on the way we stopped at a rose plantation to see the different varieties of roses (one of ecuador's top exports). while others were wandering around the inside of the old plantation home, i explored outside. i walked through some woods and found a young boy who was climbing a tree and seemed to be stuck. i helped him down and he led me into a clearing where 10 or 12 other kids were running around in their school uniforms. they told me they were on vacation and were waiting for the coconuts to fall from the trees so they could bring them home to eat. they showed me their backpacks which were overflowing with them. some of them were only 2, the oldest was 13.
we then went to the markets in otavalo. so many colors! went to a weaver's workshop and while the others were buying blankets and wall-hangings i wandered outside again and met a woman and her daughter who were sitting on their step. while i was speaking to them i peered into their home and saw at least 20 guinea pigs (cuy) running around on the floor. the mother told me they raise them until they are eight months, then kill them and eat them. until they are of age she feeds them as much corn and grasses as they want and let them have free range around the house.
we then went and watched a man construct a pan pipe - testing the pitch and cutting the reeds with a knife. then he and his sisters and brother played and sang for us. i'm one of the few who know spanish in the group and have been designated the role of interpreter - so that has been fun. they spoke in spanish to me, but conversed in quechua with each other- so the choir i'm with sang a song in quechua for them that they have learned- acapella.
fruits i've tried so far: guanabana, naranjilla, uvilla and granadilla.
one more day in quito, then on to cuenca where i'll meet up with a friend from chile. then to papallacta, quito again, then to santiago!
jeremiah my dream for leaving something here for you is this: go down this alley, you will find a bicycle, ride it north for 1.3 miles, stop when you see a green painted store front. go inside and ask the woman you find there to give you a key. take this key to a safe deposit box in such and such bank, inside you will find a map, follow the map out into the countryside....you see where i'm going?
i really wish i could do that but i think i might have to wuss out and leave you a little something at the desk of the hotel i'm staying at in quito - just to make sure you get it (and also because being with a tour group with very full days isn't so condusive to creating elaborate plans.) i hope you'll forgive me.
i'm so glad you made it to the nordkapp! great line: " i stood on the end of europe and tried to imagine the arctic just beyond the horizon." how funny that the midnight sun was not there, but farther south! i love reading about your wanderings as well, so please keep writing!
Monday, June 22, 2009
luleå & umeå
molly, quito sounds lovely! i can totally picture an ecuadorian policeman looking at the map upside down and trying to figure out his whereabouts!
so, i made it to the nordkapp (post card awaits you upon your return). freezing, acritc air, crips and biting. i stood on the end of europe and tried to imagine the arctic just beyond the horizon. the road up was winding. reindeer have the right-of-way as do large, gas guzzling german tour buses. made my way from the nordkapp to alta and almost drove off the cliffs admiring the fjords! the northern norwegian landscape is amazing and breathtaking, barren and harsh. southward through the remainder of norway and straight down through the 'arm' of finland to the finnish-swedish town of tornio/torniå. there, at last, i caught the midnight sun! i stood in the street at midnight and watched it burn in the sky just above the horizon. i laughed! it wasn't in the far north (where it was murky with clouds) but rather south of the artic circle on the border of two of the worlds most beautiful countries. took a bus to luleå and am now in umeå. heading southward to stockholm. eating old bread and passing up the beer (barely 3.5%!!! wtf?) as i am counting the coins. clothes need washing, beard needs-a-trimming and my back needs a re-alignment after hauling my pack around for over 3 weeks. catching a cheap flight out of stockholm for a bit of a hungarian reunion. mr. david fülöp (my room-mate whilst in belgium) awaits me in veszprem. not ready to head back to switzerland and await my departure, so i will make a bit of a detour to the east until i fly back homeward.
keep us updated molly! i love reading about your wanderings!
sorry if this is a bit jumbled, an overnight train ride didn't allow for much shut eye. i am not sure if it was the constant day light or the snoring swedes... :)
so, i made it to the nordkapp (post card awaits you upon your return). freezing, acritc air, crips and biting. i stood on the end of europe and tried to imagine the arctic just beyond the horizon. the road up was winding. reindeer have the right-of-way as do large, gas guzzling german tour buses. made my way from the nordkapp to alta and almost drove off the cliffs admiring the fjords! the northern norwegian landscape is amazing and breathtaking, barren and harsh. southward through the remainder of norway and straight down through the 'arm' of finland to the finnish-swedish town of tornio/torniå. there, at last, i caught the midnight sun! i stood in the street at midnight and watched it burn in the sky just above the horizon. i laughed! it wasn't in the far north (where it was murky with clouds) but rather south of the artic circle on the border of two of the worlds most beautiful countries. took a bus to luleå and am now in umeå. heading southward to stockholm. eating old bread and passing up the beer (barely 3.5%!!! wtf?) as i am counting the coins. clothes need washing, beard needs-a-trimming and my back needs a re-alignment after hauling my pack around for over 3 weeks. catching a cheap flight out of stockholm for a bit of a hungarian reunion. mr. david fülöp (my room-mate whilst in belgium) awaits me in veszprem. not ready to head back to switzerland and await my departure, so i will make a bit of a detour to the east until i fly back homeward.
keep us updated molly! i love reading about your wanderings!
sorry if this is a bit jumbled, an overnight train ride didn't allow for much shut eye. i am not sure if it was the constant day light or the snoring swedes... :)
Sunday, June 21, 2009
quito
hello from quito! after a breakfast of fresh squeezed orange juice, an omelette with mushrooms and tomato and a taste of the local guanabana fruit, my mom and i ventured off to find the nearby market. i spoke to a little girl who was washing her face at a fountain. she was 7 and getting ready for work. i walked down an aisle and met her again at the opposite end, wearing an apron and selling watermelon gum for fifty cents. she was on her own, but her mother was nearby, with her youngest on her back, pleading the tourists to buy their dulces.
we then caught a taxi up into quito´s old city. walked up calle olmedo- so many colors, very few tourists. i spoke to a policeman, asking for directions....after much confusion and jokes he realized that he was looking at the map upside-down. my mom and her friend left later to venture back to the hotel to get ready for their concert, and i was on my own. i walked into the center of the old city only for it to begin to thunder and downpour. i ran across the square and up the steps of a cathedral where a group of people were gathered. a man, dressed in clothes of many fabrics and colors was playing the sax and others were knelt on the stone floor painting. i learned, from talking to a man, oscar (who somewhat reminded me of jim) that the group met every sunday to celebrate the earth. that the group did not believe in god, but instead they believed in the sun, and pacha mama. we stood there, the rain coming down harder and harder, and the rest of the people in the city vanished - gone to drier places. we huddled together and sheltered each other from the rain.
jeremiah, where are you now? i am beginning to formulate plans for your scavenger hunt. matt, where are you?
i hope that you both are well and enjoying your adventures!
que les vaya bien.
we then caught a taxi up into quito´s old city. walked up calle olmedo- so many colors, very few tourists. i spoke to a policeman, asking for directions....after much confusion and jokes he realized that he was looking at the map upside-down. my mom and her friend left later to venture back to the hotel to get ready for their concert, and i was on my own. i walked into the center of the old city only for it to begin to thunder and downpour. i ran across the square and up the steps of a cathedral where a group of people were gathered. a man, dressed in clothes of many fabrics and colors was playing the sax and others were knelt on the stone floor painting. i learned, from talking to a man, oscar (who somewhat reminded me of jim) that the group met every sunday to celebrate the earth. that the group did not believe in god, but instead they believed in the sun, and pacha mama. we stood there, the rain coming down harder and harder, and the rest of the people in the city vanished - gone to drier places. we huddled together and sheltered each other from the rain.
jeremiah, where are you now? i am beginning to formulate plans for your scavenger hunt. matt, where are you?
i hope that you both are well and enjoying your adventures!
que les vaya bien.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
adieu
molly, in case i don't log in before you depart, i wish you an amazing journey -- one full of exploration of the world and self! i look forward to having tea and hearing all about your discoveries!
below are some quotes that i read from time-to-time; sometimes when i need a little inspiration, sometimes when i ask myself what the F i'm doing, and sometimes to remind myself that no matter how many flights i take, or cars i hire, or bags i pack, or trains i catch, or horizons i stumble towards... i'll never truly arrive -- and this is totally cool with me! :)
be well my friend!
"A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving." -- Lao Tzu
“Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” - Jack Kerouac
“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” - Henry Miller
“To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” - Aldous Huxley
below are some quotes that i read from time-to-time; sometimes when i need a little inspiration, sometimes when i ask myself what the F i'm doing, and sometimes to remind myself that no matter how many flights i take, or cars i hire, or bags i pack, or trains i catch, or horizons i stumble towards... i'll never truly arrive -- and this is totally cool with me! :)
be well my friend!
"A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving." -- Lao Tzu
“Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” - Jack Kerouac
“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” - Henry Miller
“To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” - Aldous Huxley
Sunday, June 14, 2009
duty free, northward, endless.
sun burns. setting past midnight, rising again shortly thereafter. endless days. turku on the coast, north to tampere and onward (night train) to rovaniemi -- the official home of santa. tallinn was dreamy and ancient. 2 hours on the gulf waters with tallink. finns, russians and estonians drinking beers on the deck of a massive cargo-cruise ship soaking up all the sun and duty free booze they could. endless days!
:)
:)
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Touring
Difficulty staying clean, unsmelly, not dirty; well slept? hotel, doods on valium, floors, whisky evenings, ample couches; food in various flavors and shapes of abound; shows loud, soft, surreal, brand new nude gnu, hilarious, always surprising; money-- to be worried about later; weather looks deliciously warm this morning
(eyes used for tooth support)
(eyes used for tooth support)
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
old port fest
A photo from the album 'Old Port Festival' | MaineToday.com
Shared via AddThis
a photo taken of chelsea, courtney and i at the old port fest on sunday- in the maine switch magazine!
Shared via AddThis
a photo taken of chelsea, courtney and i at the old port fest on sunday- in the maine switch magazine!
TalLiNn
plastic bag with chocolate, finnish cookies, bread, cheese and finnish chips. one pen, paper and a passport. setting sail at 730AM to estonia.
something to think about
"As many as 200 species of trees may be found in a single acre of tropical rain forest. In contrast, only about 400 species of trees occur in all of temperate North America. A single square mile of Amazonian Ecuador or Brazil may be home to more than 1,500 kinds of butterflies; only about 750 occur in all of the United States and Canada."
- The Emerald Realm, National Geographic
(thanks to alvaro herreras for his photo from flickr)
Monday, June 8, 2009
Longingly yet...
Ahh, good you've arrived, Jeremiah!
I'm off for minor miles (but no less major fun) very soon for a putter in and amongst New England. It's funny: while I leave in a month for the EU, I have oodles of excitement for tomorrow... two very good friends from very different locations are flying into Portland to join in on the tour-- one from Montana, the other from Ljubjana, Slovenia--- talk about East meets West! Should be glorious, strange, and bizarre in hopefully all the best ways... keeps the motors going, if just to keep going--- the sense of motion and recollecting oneself with dear old pals-- Europe and HERE get somewhat closer, if just by action alone. Can't wait!!!
(eyes used for tooth support)
I'm off for minor miles (but no less major fun) very soon for a putter in and amongst New England. It's funny: while I leave in a month for the EU, I have oodles of excitement for tomorrow... two very good friends from very different locations are flying into Portland to join in on the tour-- one from Montana, the other from Ljubjana, Slovenia--- talk about East meets West! Should be glorious, strange, and bizarre in hopefully all the best ways... keeps the motors going, if just to keep going--- the sense of motion and recollecting oneself with dear old pals-- Europe and HERE get somewhat closer, if just by action alone. Can't wait!!!
(eyes used for tooth support)
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Nord
rambling in the hills. switzerland is high. winded and sunburned i came to the lake and sat with fresh bread, cheese and an apple. i watched the geese and ducks and children enjoying the fresh water and sun. during my wandering i saw sign posts for the swiss section of the jakosbweg (el camino de santiago). i smiled and wandered a bit of it. to think that in 2006 i was heading westward on the same path a thousand miles away. that night there was an epic house party. 4 people living in one house each invited 10 (or so) friends. it was wild. prefessionals and punks, old and young, red wine and cheap beer. grand! 13:00 flight to helsinki! an invitation from the lovely finn heli to crash on her floor! we last saw each other on a nasty march ('03) day in liege - amidst beers and tears. a lovely reunion it shall be! today i begin my hunt for the midnight sun and jims bottle of artic berry cloud liquor.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
countdown: 13 days
apartment is great. bright colors on the walls, not one but TWO porches, cozy bedrooms, dining room, kitchen and big pantry, breakfast nook, living room with fireplace, warm sunlight through the many windows. it's a go.
jeremiah what a beautiful welcome back zurich gave you! biking along the rainbow painted zürisee? that day sounded incredible. keep writing!
matt- if you're reading this...te echo de menos.
jeremiah what a beautiful welcome back zurich gave you! biking along the rainbow painted zürisee? that day sounded incredible. keep writing!
matt- if you're reading this...te echo de menos.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
zürich
no sleep for the excited! bloodshot eyes, passport stamped. 6 years since my feet graced the cobblestones along the niederdorf. free bikes to promote health - rode along zürisee (lake zürich). sipped a beer, watched a rainbow cross the lake -- colors one could taste, intensity! crashed for 11 hours. rinsed, ready to repeat!
Monday, June 1, 2009
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