I Heart Zurich

I love Zurich. It is one of the most beautiful cities I've ever seen at night. When I think of Zurich, it will always conjure up warm memories for me.







As I was taking pictures, there was live music playing from downriver. It was that song, "There she goes just a walking down the street, singing 'Do wa dee dee dee dee dum dee dee do'". I burst out laughing. What are the chances you'd be hearing a song like that in Zurich? It was such an odd musical backdrop to have as you're trying to capture and soak in the grandeur of the city.

It was very peaceful and serene.














We were in Zurich to hear Bryan's cousin sing with an accapella ensemble. The concert was held in this church.













It was beautiful inside the church. I loved the high ceiling and the stone walls. It had a very midevil feel to it. When the ensemble sang, it was so ethereal.





I took a short video of one of the songs. It's a rough recording, but it will give you somewhat of an idea of what it was like.



Afterwards, we were invited for dinner at an Italian restaurant. I ordered my food in German! Wahoo. Everyone was so warm and friendly. Even though I knew very little German and their English wasn't that good, we still had great conversations. I was talking with this older woman who was telling me that she moved out of her house of 34 years and now lives in the mountains. She talked about how change can be difficult and how hard it was on her, but that she was glad for it and that change was good. She talked about how I was young and that there would be big decisions in life to make that bring changes, but it's good because change can bring growth and life.
"Life happens where you're at. " She said. "Live."

It was profound for me. I was moved and felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude...just thankful to be alive, to be living, to be experiencing things and have these unanticipated moments happen like bursts of sunshine through the clouds, bringing simple joys.

Dinner wound down quickly and time passed on. We said our goodbyes just outside the restaurant door...a normal thing to do, but I just kept thinking "I'm in Zurich!"
Since it was late and there was still an hour's drive to go....and since there was a Starbucks just one block away....Bryan and I went and got some Caramel Machiatto's. Best Caramel Machiatto I've ever had! (and I've had a lot of 'em).

Bob Marley's 'Redemption Songs' was playing quietly in the back ground:

"Won't you help to sing
These songs of freedom?
'Cause all I ever have
Redemption songs."


I guess it struck me because the evening felt redemptive somehow. I just can't articulate why.

Before we left the city I took another short video to capture everything:




"Life happens where you're at. Live."

Dream

When I was 16, I came across a large poster of Neuschwanstein Castle at a store and ended up buying it. I hung it up in my room. I used to stare at it, wishing and dreaming that one day I'd go there. Even when I moved to Portland, I took it with me and presently, it remains folded up under my bed. To be here now and to finally see the castle with my own eyes, after all the years of having the poster...I can't tell you how much it means to me.

Standing on the bridge, staring at it...it was like a dream.

Only, it was real.

:)

And that is the best part.

Bridge of Illegals

Continuing with my adventure at Neuschwanstein castle...

While we were taking a tour of the castle, we came to a window with the following view:

The question was, "How do we get over there?"

And we wondered, "Can we get there before we lose our light?" The sun had just set.

When the tour ended so abruptly, we decided we were going to find a way to get to that bridge. After reaching the outside, we noticed that access to the bridge had been fenced off with a huge DO NOT ENTER sign on the front of it. People were standing around and we debated what we should do. Eventually, we all came to the same conclusion: You only live once. So we decided we were going to scaled the fence. At first, nobody moved.

Finally I was like, "Well somebody's got to do it."

And so I scaled the fence....kind of. I had trouble getting up and nearly fell down, which resulted in some immediate assistance. I may be a rebel, but I'm a clumsy one!

After all of us were over the fence, we immediately started running like a bunch of juveniles, laughing and looking back at our amazing triumph. What an adrenaline rush. I scoff at danger! (and by danger, I mean DO NOT ENTER signs.) And just like juveniles, we did not stop to think about capturing our amazing feat by way of the camera.

After we rounded the bend and were concealed from everyone's view, we came to the back part of the castle. I took this pic:

Feeling pretty good about ourselves, we continued our hike to the bridge and then soon noticed that there were other illegals just like us that joined the rebel force. Apparently, there's another way to get to the bridge that we were unaware of. heh. :)

The light began to fade and the fog began its slow creep. We were unsure if we'd make it there in time to get some good pictures. As we neared the bridge, we came across piles of snow....which then resulted in an impromptu snowball fight...meaning, I just ran with another rebel as my evil comrades gathered snow. Her and I escaped being pelted by snowballs and as we reached the bridge, we thought we were home free since there were a bunch of other fellow rebels around us. Mistakenly, I looked back as I was running and then proceeded to lose my balance, slip and went down hard.

Of course this would happen to me. It was painfully funny. Laughter ensued and then the pain took over. I had skinned and cut my hands and bruised my ars. But no pain, no gain, right?

We had made it to the bridge, though! Mission accomplished! And the view was awesome! It was so worth it. Here are a couple pics:

The view.

Me with a fellow rebel and my partner in crime.

King of the world.

The Rebels and their Evil Comrades

You should of seen what the photographer was doing to make us laugh.

"Schön." as the Germans and Swiss say....

which means beautiful.

Neuschwanstein Castle

Before the cold and the fog crept in, it was a gorgeous clear fall day. I took this pic as we hiked our way up to the top. Disneyland's model of this is such a rip off! The real thing is quite something to behold.

As you reach the castle, the view from there is beautiful.

This is the very front of the castle.

As you enter, this is what you see.

I wish I would've had a little bit more time to spend taking some pictures of the outside, but our tour was just starting and we had to hurry. You can't view the inside of the castle unless you're with your assigned tour group.

After you enter and you turn around, this is what you see.

Here's the castle wall. Once again, I really wish I could've spent more time taking pics!

Yet again, we weren't allowed to take pictures inside, but were told we could take pictures from the windows. Here's a shot from the window. Inside, the details and the intricacies were astounding. In the king's bedroom, he had a four post wooden bed and a wooden chair that was so detailed, it took 4 carvers 2 years just to complete it!

Another shot from the window.

A statue just outside one of the windows.

The view just to the left of the statue. Can you imagine waking up to this every morning? Craziness!

The tour ended and it was so short! We didn't even get to see 1/3 of it. In silent protest, I snapped a quick pick of this ballroom area inside. It's blurry because I didn't use the flash or have much time. Yes, I'm a rebel. But when I looked around, I noticed a couple other fellow rebels as well. I concealed my camera and moved quickly. A couple minutes later, I heard a tour guide shouting at people to put away their cameras and how disrespectful it was for them to have them out. heh. I escaped that. I'm quick like a ninja.

A sunset view.

This is all, for now.

I will post more later.

Hohenschwangau Castle

A brief history:

Hohenschwangau was the official summer and hunting residence of King Maxmillian II of Bavaria, his wife Marie of Prussia and their two sons Otto and Ludwig (the later King Ludwig II of Bavaria) The famous Martin Luther visited this castle before he nailed a list of the 95 Theses to a church door in protest to some of the Catholic church's practices.

Later on, when Ludwig was made king, he stayed in this castle as he was having the famous Neuschwanstein castle built.

I took a tour of this and it was pretty awesome. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, which was unfortunate. The details of the paintings, ceilings and furniture were amazing. They had a billiard table in there the was made in 1886. It was very cool.

One of the many fountains.

From Hohenschwangau, you can see a view of Neuschwanstein Castle.

There was so much to see here and so many pictures to take. I've tried to narrow it down to just a few because I don't want to inundate you.

Another great view.

After the tour and taking a ton of pictures, we began our hike up to the Neuschwanstein castle.

One thing I loved about coming here was that there was such a great diversity of people here. We passed a group of nuns who were eating bavarian pretzels. It was an amusing sight.

And now on to Neuschwanstein....

Cross Country

Roadtrip time again! A couple of us decided to go see the castle in which Disneyland's castle was modeled after. It's approximately a 4 hour drive. And so the story begins:

Welcome to Austria.

What well known figure is from Austria? Why Mr. Schwartzeneger, of course.
(sorry for the lopsided video again)

We got pulled over by the Austrian police for speeding. heh.

Every moment is kodak moment.

We actually got off pretty easily with only a $35 fine. Unfortunately, we were told that we couldn't drive on the main Austrian highway and would have to take the side roads until we reached Germany. Since we didn't know exactly where we were going, you could say that we took the scenic route.

The Austrian countryside through a window.

Welcome to Germany...through a window.

We really didn't have a whole lot of time to stop at all if we wanted to have enough time to view the castles.

Destination in sight. Almost there.

On our way.

This was a hunting house back in the day.

Since I have so many different pics of the castles, I'll do separate posts for each of them.

Little Does She Know

I decided to do a little self documentary with my camera before my little excursion. I cannot believe how unsuspecting I am!

Walking into town is one thing...but driving is a completely different other thing! Try to imagine driving a stick shift by yourself in a winding road city, with extremely narrow streets, without really knowing where you're going....and welcome to my day.
I needed to go get some groceries, go to the post office and stop at a technology store. All I have to say is that I am REALLY happy I went exploring a couple days ago, otherwise I would've been dead in the water.

Even though I had a map, I still took a wrong turn and got lost. I ended up on the other side of town near an elementary school. When I couldn't go any further, I had to turn around...which blocked oncoming traffic. In my hurried state, I nearly ran over some school children which resulted in angry parents shooting daggers with their eyes, boring holes in my head. I got out of there as quick as I can. Finally, I made it to the city center. Unfortunately, when I reached where I was supposed to park, there were no available spaces....which sent me hunting for ones through the narrow streets. I parked and then realized I had to pay and naturally, I didn't have any change on me. Noticing a small corner store, I went in to buy a chocolate bar and got some change. I then paid for parking, but unknowingly paid for the wrong spot.

Grocery shopping took me a while since I was shopping for a big brunch meeting. Everything here comes in smaller portions and it's much more expensive! Bacon was nearly $8! I had no idea how to differentiate between the different types of cheese, so I eenie, meenie, monnie, mo'd it and just took a couple. When you check out at the cashier, you're responsible for bagging your own items in these really small plastic bags. I had a ton of stuff. If you want bigger bags, you have to pay for them! And I had no idea about that. As I was bagging, the cilantro I purchased fell out of it's packaging and went all over the floor. So I'm gathering that and all the while, have six other people behind me who are trying to purchase items. They were getting a bit annoyed but were also amused with how much I was trying to stuff in these little tiny plastic bags. When I finally left there, I was carrying 10 bags of stuff and my circulation was completely cut off by the time I got to the car. Since I had to go a couple more errands to run, I put more change in the parking meter...for the wrong spot AGAIN! (sigh)

After making a quick stop to the technology store, I had to go to the post office to mail off my postcards. That took a while and the lady there wasn't very friendly or helpful. Hopefully my postcards will make it to the U.S. ok. I do have to say that I have a new respect and compassion for people who live in the U.S. and their first language is not English. It isn't easy at all being in a country that doesn't speak your own native tongue as their first language. It's been a pretty humbling experience and I've had to learn to rely on the kindness of people. Most people have been pretty helpful, but there have been others who've been rude and given me attitude about it. So next time, when the tables are turned, I'll be sure to remember kindness first.

When I made it back to the car, I checked the time on the meter and then realized I had been paying for the wrong spot. Luckily, I never got a ticket.

Getting into the car, I then figured my way out of the city center and was on my way home. There are some pretty crazy drivers around here and naturally, my road rage kicked in and I raised my voice with a few choice words for some individuals. They were asking for it! Honestly!

Finally, I made it home....all in one piece and my wavering sanity was completely restored.

I did it. Wahoo.

Baden

Last night, I got to see my first castle! We went to Baden, Switzerland...which is about 45 minutes away from Liestal. After hiking up for about 20 minutes, this is what I saw:

From what I could tell, the name of this castle is 'Stein' which means stone.

I'm sure this would be great to view during the day, but it was pretty spectacular to view in the evening.

There was hardly anyone around. It felt a bit haunting.

A picture of me in the doorway. The blur adds to it....at least that's what I tell myself.

A view of the castle wall and stairs without me in the way.

Once you start descending the castle stairs, it leads into a little village area with narrow alleys and cobblestone walkways. It was so cool! These pictures hardly do it justice. Wish you could see it for yourself.

Afterwards, I ate at a very modern bar/restaurant called 'Paparazzi'. I found the name to be quite amusing. Inside, they have a wall full of pictures of different celebrities that were obviously taken by the paparazzi. I saw Clooney!

The food was great. I haven't had chicken since I've been here, so I had some. I also tried this special chocolatey drink that had a hint of orange and cinammon to it. It had the same consistency as pudding, but it wasn't quite as thick. IT WAS SO GOOD!

This One's For You, Dad

As I was walking in the marketplace of downtown Liestal, I came across a Salvation Army booth. There was a brass quartet playing. It made me think of my dad and my grandparents. My grandparents were apart of the Salvation Army for over 20 years. Shortly after my father was born in England, the family moved to South Africa and served in the community there by feeding the hungry, helping the poor and so much more.
As I stood there watching and listening, I felt so proud. Proud to have that be apart of my family's heritage and legacy. Proud of my own parents contribution and their parents contribution to this world.
So, this video clip is dedicated to them.
May we all learn to live our lives in ways that are greater than ourselves.

A Sorta Video

I took this short video so all of you could get a feel for the marketplace. A small, but notable disclaimer: I suck as a director/cinematographer/documentarist or whatever you want to call it. First of all, I went way too fast in filming...so catch what you can. Second, I filmed it vertically, but apparently my camera doesn't film vertically and I can't figure how to make the picture go right side up because I'm not that technicalogically advance...and come to think of it, I don't even think technicalogically is a word......technologically maybe? Anyways, you have to watch this video with your head sideways to the left. You'll get the gist, though. Have fun! Whoever lists the most things they see in this video, I will award you with a souvenir and a congratulatory pat on the back. Isn't that such great incentive?

Tales of the Canuckistan Explorer, Part 2

Continuing my trek from the previous post...

I love the this picture. A knight and his maiden.

Once I reached this clock tower, I realized that I had come through the back entrance of the city center. This is the front entrance.

I laughed out loud when I saw this! Gotta love it! Are you too sexy for your shirt that you'd opt for this fashionable tie instead?

This one's for you, Ms. Mullet. Would you ever wear it?

I found this music store and stopped to check out a couple of their pianos and guitars. Apparently there is a Swiss Edition Epiphone electric guitar. It was very cool. Most of their acoustic guitars were european brands I had never heard of. The Epiphone guitar was the only brand name I recognized. I played a couple of the pianos too.

The thing I love about Europe is how much effort is put into the details. Even something as a simple as a door has its own intricacies.

Since the day was grey and cold, this splash of color jumped out at me and naturally, I took a picture of it.

I randomly stumbled upon a drum school. They have this life size drum kit sitting right outside.

I love ivy and thought this was really pretty. Can you imagine coming home to this everyday?!

I left the city center and took a walk through a park and down a path.

A self-taken pic of the great canuckistan explorer.

A pic under the bridge. No trolls here.

I started to head back to the city center.

By one of the many fountains.

When I was almost home, a group of soldiers randomly came out of no where and passed by me. They yelled something at me and I laughed in their faces......okay, no, I didn't laugh in their faces...because they probably had their guns hidden underneath their jackets. I have no idea what they yelled to me, but I just ignored them and then took a picture of them when they weren't looking. Ha!

Then....home at last.

Thanks for comin' along.

Tales of the Canuckistan Explorer, Part 1

Today, I decided to walk down into the city center and do some exploring on my own. I photographed my journey.

First of all, I have to say that Fall is definitely here! There's been a little bit of sun here and there, but it's been pretty dang cold! I heard that before I got here, the weather had been really warm, sunny and nice. Argh. And now I hear that it's warm, sunny and nice in Portland. What the hec?

Anyways, on to the exploration...here is my step by step trek:

Forget Waldo! Where's Wellard? Can you see me?

I saw this sign along the way and it made me laugh. I guess you need to look out for bears around here and make sure you don't hit them when they're trying to cross the street. No one wants Yogi to die....or somethin'. It was a bit random and since I don't understand German all to well, I'm left to my own interpretation. A little dangerous, I know.

Where are we going? We're going to downtown Liestal, but it's no where on this signpost. Good to know where the gymnasium is though.

Some German woman stopped me and asked me for directions. I guess I totally fit in and don't look like a tourist. Wahoo.

Almost to the City Center.

Have you ever heard of Carlsbag beer?

This slogan made me laugh. It's probably the best beer in the world...but maybe not. Doesn't seem very convincing does it?

I found out later that the Swiss here are not really arrogant. They don't go around saying they are #1 or that they're the best. They're

very self critical....which explains the slogan.



Saw a creek...took a picture of it. Fall is probably my favorite season. I love the colors.

This is a sports bar. I know...who cares? I just really like the architecture here.

I stumbled upon a street market. It had the same feel that Saturday Market has in Portland. There were some pretty cool things to look at there. I bought a couple souvenirs. Some guy tried to totally rip me off, but when he noticed I wasn't going anywhere until he gave me the correct change, he gave me my 5$ worth of swiss francs. $5 is $5 people. Every little bit counts especially when you're unemployed.

;)~

There were a bunch of little alleyways that led onto the next streets. Who takes pictures of alleys? I DO!

What can I say? I'm trigger happy with the camera and I'm in Europe for crying out loud!

This is the church right at the city center. It was so quiet there and hardly anyone was around. Some parts of the city center were chaotic and others were simply serene and peaceful. The church bells ring hourly. Even though I'm not staying in the city center, I can still hear them when they ring. I love it. It makes me smile.

This sculpture is right out in front of the church. Quite a stark contrast between the two. A little disturbing. There was no sign or anything around the sculpture giving any indication as to the meaning of it. I'm interested to know what the thought was behind the creation or what it represents.

There are more pics to post...but I think this particular post is long enough. I will post the rest tomorrow.

To Be Continued.....

What's So Funny?

When you visit another country, it's always a discovery to see what the cultural differences are. I'm intrigued and at times bewildered with how people's sense of humor can differ.
When I played at the acoustic lounge the other night, there were things I said that I know people in Oregon would laugh at, but in this case, sometimes the only sound I heard was crickets.

I only speak a little German. I've had a couple awkward moments of standing with a smile frozen on my face as the rest of the room resounds with German speaking voices.

"Do you speak any German at all?" One woman asked me.

"Just a little." I replied.

"Say something." she said.

"Bitte schreiben Sie es auf." (pronounced bitt-er shriy-ben zee ess owf for 'please write it down')

"HA HAH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH ha ha ha hahahahahahahahahahah ha ha ha!" she roared.

I was pretty sure I had said it right. Maybe I had said it wrong. It could've been funny, but was it really THAT funny?

I sat there with my perma grin. I looked at her.

She looked at me again and busted up again, "HA HA AHAHAHHAAHHAHAAHHAHAHAHA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!"

I'm a comedian without trying. Pure genius, huh?

That's the way I'll look at it at least.
I think I now fully understand the term: Ignorance is bliss.

Though, I suppose, in the end, I'd rather make someone laugh than cry...even if it is at my own expense.

Top O' The Morning To Ye

I spoke with an Irishman this morning and I had a cup of coffee for the first time in years.

It's kinda funny to be talking to an Irishman who lives in Switzerland...but I suppose it's no more irregular to be talking to one here than it would be in Oregon. Maybe it's just different this time around since I'm surrounded by the majority of german speaking people.

I love those kind of conversations with strangers that end up being the kind of conversations you'd find occuring between friends as opposed to the usual first-time conversations that begin with, "How's it going? Where do you come from? What do you do? Do you like it?", etc.

We dove right into politics, the state of Ireland and the U.S., President Bush, war, drugs, conspiracy theories (such as Did the U.S. really land on the moon? and Was the U.S. behind the 9/11 attacks?), Can we really believe the media?, what it's like to be in a different country other than your own, and does everything really happen for a reason or do things happen because of the choices you make?

Pretty lightweight stuff. ;) It's always provoking to hear another's world view and discover the differences and similarities that are in step or misstep with your own.

It's the kind of interesting conversation that happens in the space of about 45 minutes but leaves you thinking about it for the rest of the day.

The coffee made me sick, though. I'll stick with tea the next time around.

Helping Is Not Always Helpful

Today, I decided to be helpful to someone by dressing their 9 month old little girl.

I mistakenly put her clothes on backwards.

Poor kid.

Up To No Good

There's nothing to see here. Nothing to see.

Harmonics

Also happening during Saturday night's festivities, was an acoustic lounge. I was asked to play for some of it. My favortie part of the evening was the acoustic lounge, actually. 3 other people performed there and they were incredible. The pictures hardly do it justice, but the atmosphere and mood was stellar. It was all about the music. The audience was great.

I love music. I love what it does. How it can transcend culture, location, age, language and bring everyone together...and for a moment there are no differences...we're all the same...we've found a common ground.

The Swiss people received me so warmly and I was moved by their response. Originally I was supposed to play only 20 minutes, but I ended up playing for around 45 minutes to an hour because they kept encoring me over and over. I've never had so many encores in my entire life! It was crazy, but awesome! They paid attention. They listened. They totally got it. And that's all that I could ask for, really.

One woman came up to me afterwards and said, "Listening to you was like coming into a garden. It was beautiful. It was healing to the soul."

It was also said by some people that even though they didn't really speak English, they still understood the music because they felt what I was saying.

The comments and feedback were so encouraging. I have to admit that I was a little nervous going into this particular gig because it was my first international audience and I really didn't know what to expect. But if this is the kind of audience I can be expecting, then bring it!

Bad Hair Has Never Looked This Good

Blue streaks and black lights make for a totally tubular night. (yes....I did just type that.)

I went to a European Artist party on Saturday night. It was a crazy night that went until the wee hours of the morning. Several people were sportin' some creative hairdo's. Sorry for the poor picture quality but here are a couple more pics:

There was dancing, a disco ball, great music and a rockin' band, spontaneous painting, dramatic presentations, great food and drink. The Swiss know how to party!

My CMS moment of the night was accidentally locking myself in a freight elevator. There was a specific process I was supposed to follow that somehow got lost in translation. As I'm sure, this comes as no surprise. It was almost like a new year's deja vu.

Wunderbar!

Welcome to Switzerland. :)

Random fact of the day: The Swiss greet you with 3 kisses as opposed to the 2 kisses like the French do.

Sounds

There is so much character to this city. I've really enjoyed listening to the street musicians here. Here is a short video of this man on the corner playing his accordian. Hopefully, you can hear him just above the roar of the car engines.

More

Here are couple more pics:




The infamous Notre Dame. The architecture is amazing. You can literally stare at this place for hours. The details are so meticulous.

One of the many statues. There are plenty of them everywhere and it's hard not to get so trigger happy with the camera.

While I took this picture, there was a street musician across the river playing his accordian. It was such great ambience to the moment.

Bry & I

A well manicured tree. Isn't that exciting? heh. For some reason, it made me smile when I saw it...so I took a picture.

A drive through the French countryside. This was near Dijon, France.

I know some of you are probably wondering, "Where in the world are pictures of the Eiffel Tower?"

On my way there, the camera batteries died! Guess you could chalk that up to my Coincidental Misfortune (CMS) moment of the day. There wasn't a chance I was about to go there without a camera to use. I'll be back in Paris the last couple days before I leave Europe. My Eiffel Tower picture WILL happen.

Fulfilled

"The border means more than a customs house, a passport officer, a man with a gun. Over there everything is going to be different; life is never going to be quite the same again after your passport has been stamped." -Graham Greened, 1904, English Writer

" Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul..." - Proverbs 13


I have a stamp in my passport and I am finally in Europe. Wahoo.

Day 1 - Who cares about Jet Lag?

Hello! I've made it to Paris safe and sound. Thank you everyone for your kind emails and for commenting on here too!

The last couple hours leading up to my departure were crazy. But what else is new? I ended up pulling an all nighter and finished packing and cleaning. My lil' sis gave me a ride to PDX airport at 5:30am on Wednesday. She officially declared me an unseasoned travel....which was true. I was pretty flustered. Naturally, my Coincidental Misfortune Syndrome (CMS) kicked in which resulted in me leaving my carry-on bag in the backseat of my sister's car...which had me frantically calling her from a pay phone to have her come back to the airport to give it to me. It all worked out just fine in the end...it usually does, yet I never seem to remember this when I'm having a CMS moment.

My travel time went a lot faster than I thought it would. The one thing I wasn't prepared for was getting fat feet. I guess when you're on a plane for a lengthy period of time...such as 8 hours, your body can swell due to the altitude and dehydration....hence the fat feet...or swollen feet. Had no idea. So for a while, it felt like my shoes were too small.

I didn't really get a lot of sleep on the plane. By the time I reached Paris at 7:15 am, I had been up for nearly 48 hours straight. Surprisingly enough, jet lag hasn't been that bad. I guess that I could credit that to my own excitement for being here....that or it's just too soon to tell.

I love Paris! I love the history that's here and how old everything feels. On every corner is some cute cafe compelling you to go and check it out. So far, the French have been really nice. The thing that's taken me aback the most is how crazy the motorcyclists are here! They zip in and out, around and about traffic all at a breakneck speed. It's freaked me out a couple of times. There is a transportation strike happening here...but walking never hurts. Traffic here is insane and I'll take Portland's rush hour any day!

There's more I want to say, but I have to get going. Here are a couple pics to tie you over with:

There's something so sacred and reverent about the churches here.

This is what hot looks like up close.

Like something out of a movie.

It was a gorgeous day!

I ran into some hot European man who insisted on kissing me.

Objective Point on Predictability

Early this morning, she said to me,

"Life has been too predictable for you lately. 9-5, 40 hour weeks with all your usual commitments. You need this change. You need an adventure."


Sometimes you don't realize how much you need something until you finally get it.

Hats On/Off

Once a trip to Paris was established, I had this crazy need to get a hat to wear for when I get there. Usually, a beret is the type of hat that you think of when you think Paris.
A couple weeks ago, I was talking with my next door neighbor and I was telling her about my trip.

And she said to me, "Would you like to borrow my hat? I have a beret that I got from Paris."

"No way! I've totally been wanting one!" I said.

Tonight, I went to their house for dinner. I had a blast, as usual. She gave me her beret to borrow and we took a pic of it right after I tried it on:



What do you think? I love it. It'll be fun to wear.

She also brought me another hat to try:




In which laughter then ensued.

"Um...yeah." I said. "I think the French are really going to love this one. I might as well just wear a t-shirt to go with it that says 'Give Me My Freedom Fries'."

Sacre bleu!
I declined the invitation to borrow this particular hat.

I don't feel like getting the crap kicked out of me in Paris.

I Envy You

Packing hasn't even started. I'm still in the laundry stages. :) Even though I was unable to get into the studio this past weekend, I've been really grateful for the additional time...it's allowed me to catch up on some much needed sleep as well as catching my breath. I seriously cannot believe the last month and a half!

Less than 2 days to go. It has yet to sink in!

I've had the travel bug gnawing at me incessantly for years! It feels so good to finally be doing this. Sometimes it's seemed like I've been the last one I know to finally travel and go to a different continent.

There have been a couple older people who have flat out said to me, "I envy you. I wish I would've travelled when I was younger. That's the time to be doing it."

Now is the time to do it. I'm going to do it.

Finally. It took a while to get here.

A Party Extension

After having a great last day at work, a bunch of co-workers and friends joined me at the Gilt Club downtown Portland for the final work farewell. It was such a blast! About 20+ people came for the festivities and I had a fabulous time. Here are more pictures of the Friday fun:





Thanks to everyone who came out! :)

Loss

My producer's mom passed away on Friday. If you think of it, please keep him and his family in your prayers.
Thanks!

Hard at Work

It's my last day at work today. I'm making the most of it.

I'm not bitter. Really. ;)

I played my very own impromptu (and poorly pronounced)
version of "La Cucaracha" for my co-worker Javier. I don't think I've ever heard an entire department burst into laughter all at once. T'was a hoot and a holla.

Songs in the Key of Life

About a month ago, I played at a festival at the Mt. Hood Village Resort in Welches, Oregon.

I did a set both days. These pictures are from the second day in the indoor acoustic room. (thank you Mark!)
I didn't realize how emotional I look when I sing....come to think of it, it was a gig that spanned a range of different emotions. People laughed, people cried, people reflected. There were times where I lost myself in the music and just forgot about everything.

The most beautiful sound I hear whenever playing to a crowd, is the sound of silence. It's in that moment you know you're connecting with people and that
they're listening. Silence always gives me the impression that something is resonating. As an artist, that is truly one of the most rewarding things.

Some songs I played for the first time....including my happy song "On a Good Day" and the very first political song I've ever written, "This Isn't My War". I wasn't
too sure how well received either would be,
but it turned out just fine. (phew!)

"Leaving a Memory" turned out to be the tearjerker of
the day.

Overall, it was a great gig and I had the best
crowd of listeners.

T'was a good time.

I had to put in a picture of me smiling because
there were plenty of moments where laughter
occurred.

It isn't always so serious. Seriously.

:)

Pending Inevitable Termination Looming Along the Horizon

I've been terminated....just about at least.

I had visions of Arnold Schwartzeneger pop into my head when I saw that an email of my termination was sent out at work today:

TERMINATION

Name : WELLARD

Dept.: Housing Position: Administrative Specialist-Housing

Last Day of Employment: 10/12/07 Phone: x_____

Supervisor: B___________

Workspace: 4th floor, workspace 4-09

Logistics:

Email: Please disable the email box and have internal and external emails sent to this mailbox auto-reply with the following message: "Wellard is no longer with ____. Please contact C__________ at 503_______. This individual will direct your request to the appropriate personnel." There are no pertinent emails or files to retain.

Phone: This phone will be used in the near future. Therefore, do not remove the phone or disable the phone extension.

Electronic Files: No action required regarding moving or copying electronic files.

(I've made obvious edits as to maintain privacy)

"It seems so final!" one of my co-workers said as soon as it was sent out.

It does seem final and even kind of awkward.

But when you're about to go to Europe, who really cares?

One Week Away

Tonight - dinner with friends
Thursday night - getting together with a cellist
Friday night - work farewell party
Saturday, Sunday, Monday - in the studio
Tuesday night - German class
Wednesday @ 5:45am - go to the airport and leave!

Craziness! I have a jam packed schedule until I leave a week from today.
Somewhere in all of that, I need to do laundry, get my hair cut, clean my place, do some shopping, pack, etc. All the exciting stuff.

By the time next week comes around, I'm really going to need a vacation!

Lengthened Conversations

"A travel adventure has no substitute. It is the ultimate experience, your one big opportunity for flair." -- Rosalind Massow

I think one thing I've enjoyed in telling people I'm going to Europe for a month, is how much it has opened up a series of different conversations. People start sharing with me their adventures from when they went...what they saw, what they learned and what was meaningful. It's been really great to listen to. Every story and adventure is different and everyone has their own opinions of each country as well as what they recommend.

But the one common thread woven through each individual has been,
" You will never forget it. You are going to have a blast!"

Let it be so!

Coincidental Misfortune Syndrome

A friend in Seattle saw this, took a picture of it and sent it to me.

Why?

I seem to have acquired the motto "Never a dull moment".

I think I can pretty much attribute that to my Coincidental Misfortune Syndrome... a label that was bestowed on me after my friend, Josh, saw the movie "Pure Luck", which is about a woman who's diagnosed with Coincidental Misfortune Syndrome (CMS) because the craziest things happen to her in the simplest of situations.

To prove him wrong, I watched the movie with Josh and told him, "You're crazy! I do not have CMS. None of that stuff happens to me." In which I then proceeded to get up and knock over my plate of food everywhere.

We were in stitches. I haven't been the same since.

Crazy things happen to me in what you would think are the simplest of situations.

Things like getting my hair caught as I rolled up the window....or getting locked in a dingy stairwell at some restaurant during New Year's when I was looking for the bathroom.

Last night was no exception.

I met up with my friend, Nicole, at her mom's apartment in Vancouver. We all wanted to see eachother before Nicole went to Hawaii and I went to Europe. So we hung out for a couple hours and it was fun as usual. Before I knew it, it was 11pm. Nicole and I left at the same time. I was ahead of her in my car and came to a fork in the parking lot. Instead of taking the way I came, which was speed bump ridden, I opted for going the other way which was speed bump free. Unfortunately, but naturally, it led me immediately to a dead end. I burst out laughing and had to back up my car. I noticed Nicole had stopped her car and I pulled up alongside.

"Guess you thought you'd leave me with one last CMS moment, huh, Wellard?" she said laughing.

"Well, since I won't be seeing you for a while...." I said.

Graciously, she let me go ahead of her and soon I was about to turn out of the apartment complex and on to St. John's avenue.

All of a sudden HONK!

It was Nicole...honking a warning to remind me that St. John's was a one way street and I was about to turn the wrong way.

What are the chances? Pretty high, in my case. I can't even leave an apartment complex normally!

Nonetheless, I laughed all the way home and I'm sure Nicole did too.

Never a dull moment.

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

Today is the day.

Wahoo.

I Get By, Part Deux

I get by with a little help from my friends.

The last couple months have been pretty crazy. Life's been going full speed ahead and I've been hanging on to its coattails trying to make sure I don't get left behind. The older you get and the more chaotic things seem to be, life happens and time flies. Before you know it, it's been months since you've seen people.

Having great friends always seems to make life a little lighter and easier.....it does for me, at least. I get a little more breathing room. It's helped me slow down. I love those kind of friendships where time never seems to be an affecting factor or bear any sort of significant impact. The kind of friendships where you can just pick up where you left off...even if it was months ago. Relationships that are timeless are ones that are hard to come by. The beautiful thing that I've discovered this year though, is that I seem to have several of those. And I love it. I'm so thankful for it. Usually, after I hang out with those kind of friends...I leave there thinking, "Why in the world has it been months since I last spent time with them? Why did I let so much of life get in the way?" Unfortunately, that's the way it happens sometimes and it's no one's fault, really. That's how life goes somewhere along the way.

But I am incredibly spoiled by the company I keep.
My birthday's come a little early this year. Since I won't be on this continent to celebrate it, my friends have gone out of their way to make it happen now. It's worked out quite nicely, actually. People have been giving me things that I need for my trip and for when I come back too...some of it's even been independant of my birthday.

I get by with a little help from my friends. :)

You all know who you are.

Thanks!

I Get By

I get by with a little help from my friends.

Not only is it true, but it's also a great song by the Beatles. Joe Cocker does a great rendition of it too and it was the theme song to that old tv show "The Wonder Years" that I used to watch all the time when I was younger. Have you ever heard a song for most of your life but never really stopped to actually listen to what it was saying? It's happened to me a couple of times.

Not So Soup-er

I’ve had a love/hate relationship with soup the last couple years.

I used to think, “Why would anyone eat out at a restaurant and order soup?” That never made sense to me. You can always have soup at home. Then I had a couple different soups at the Portland City Grill and was changed forever. Their Chicken Tortilla soup, Cream of Mushroom soup and Ginger Sesame Beef soup is great and tasty.
So why am I posting about soup?
Ever since I decided to go to Europe, I’ve had to do some serious penny pinching. So for the last couple weeks, I’ve been bringing Campbell’s soup to work for my lunch. There’s been a variety of them.
However, that has done nothing except to awaken my deep seeded hatred of soup which I thought was lost forever. I’m sick of soup! Day in and day out…it’s driving me nuts!

You know how Campbell’s commercials are always “Mm-hmm good” ?

It’s more like, “Mm-hmm blech!”

Alas, that is the sacrifice I make to save some $$.
The great thing about ending a job is that everyone wants to treat you to a goodbye lunch….providing that you’re liked by your co-workers… Either my co-workers like me or they just feel really sorry for my job situation. Starting tomorrow and into next week, I will be treated to several free lunches. This puts a smile on my face because I get to be soup free again and more importantly, I can return to my natural carnivore state and indulge myself in gargantuan amounts of meat while someone else is footing the bill.

More and more, I realize that my happy place seems to be located within close proximity of a dead cow, pig, lamb and chicken.
Mm-hmm good.

Take that, Campbell’s.

QFT

I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within. ~Lillian Smith