I've always had a bit of a thing for numbers, so here are some numbers from this trip.
2 months
8 countries, 3 of them unplanned (Morocco and day trips to Egypt and Singapore)
3 lost beanies (all of them Jason within a 2 week period)
1 wedding
0 episodes of food poisoning thanks to 73 bottles of fresh water
2 very weary travellers who just want to go climbing, but our car won't start!
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Languages
In both my visits to Germany this trip I have felt completely inept, reduced to pointing and pleading with my eyes to be understood. Or more commonly after opening my mouth to say 'Guten morgen' had the other person respond in English. Considering the length of time I studied German at school I found this frustrating to say the least.
But then it came back. It didn't come in dribs and drabs, but rather in one rush of knowledge. One day I was pointing at the bread roll I wanted for lunch, the next day asking in complete sentences. I am no longer searching my brain to translate each word and then cobbling together a poorly structured sentence, I just know what I want to say. I'm not saying I'm fluent, but then I never was. But checking into the hotel the staff responded in German and in restaurants I am given the German menu, when the English one is posted outside. I had assumed all my German had left, atrophied from lack of use. Yet it was obviously stored somewhere, my brain just took a while to be convinced I needed it.
But then it came back. It didn't come in dribs and drabs, but rather in one rush of knowledge. One day I was pointing at the bread roll I wanted for lunch, the next day asking in complete sentences. I am no longer searching my brain to translate each word and then cobbling together a poorly structured sentence, I just know what I want to say. I'm not saying I'm fluent, but then I never was. But checking into the hotel the staff responded in German and in restaurants I am given the German menu, when the English one is posted outside. I had assumed all my German had left, atrophied from lack of use. Yet it was obviously stored somewhere, my brain just took a while to be convinced I needed it.
The reason for the trip
This whole adventure started because Clare and Guntram were getting married, so from London we headed back to Berlin. The wedding was in two parts. On the Saturday we were given a dance lesson to prepare us for the requisite dancing at the reception. After a quick rundown on three different dances we felt ready to party.
The wedding itself included a beautiful church service, with much of it luckily translated into English. At the start of the reception we were all given helium balloons to which we attached a card. The card was basically a post card on which we wrote what we would give the couple if the card was found and posted back. On their arrival nearly a hundred balloons were released into the air, with about half getting caught in the trees! I would love to know how many of the ones that made it into the air get returned. There followed a sumptuous banquet, lively conversation and of course, dancing. I feel very lucky to have been a part of their wedding, and I'm sure they will have a fabulous life together.
This marked the end of our trip with just a few days to see Munich and Neushwanstein before the mammoth trip back home. We were lucky enough to arrive in Munich on May 1st, a public holiday to promote worker's rights. The main square was hosting free concerts, jumping castles, face painters and general good cheer. It almost made up for the miserable weather that has followed us wherever we've gone in Germany.
The wedding itself included a beautiful church service, with much of it luckily translated into English. At the start of the reception we were all given helium balloons to which we attached a card. The card was basically a post card on which we wrote what we would give the couple if the card was found and posted back. On their arrival nearly a hundred balloons were released into the air, with about half getting caught in the trees! I would love to know how many of the ones that made it into the air get returned. There followed a sumptuous banquet, lively conversation and of course, dancing. I feel very lucky to have been a part of their wedding, and I'm sure they will have a fabulous life together.
This marked the end of our trip with just a few days to see Munich and Neushwanstein before the mammoth trip back home. We were lucky enough to arrive in Munich on May 1st, a public holiday to promote worker's rights. The main square was hosting free concerts, jumping castles, face painters and general good cheer. It almost made up for the miserable weather that has followed us wherever we've gone in Germany.
48 hours
We had what definitely counts as a flying visit to London, Morocco on Wednesday, England on Thursday and Germany on Friday!
Wednesday
5:00pm: landed at Heathrow
6:30pm: stationary on the tube being told in detail about the person who had jumped in front of the train (he lived).
7:30pm: having dinner with my other newly discovered aunt, Sue and her partner Joe.
Thursday
9:00am: having a nice breakfast with my great aunt Monica who we stayed with.
11:30am: spending the day with my brother, his wife and my gorgeous nephew.
7:30pm: at the Apollo Theatre watching Wicked.
Friday
11:00am: having lunch with my great aunt Norah, still looking great at 95.
3:00pm: sitting at Gatwick airport waiting for our flight to Berlin.
Short, but very sweet.
Wednesday
5:00pm: landed at Heathrow
6:30pm: stationary on the tube being told in detail about the person who had jumped in front of the train (he lived).
7:30pm: having dinner with my other newly discovered aunt, Sue and her partner Joe.
Thursday
9:00am: having a nice breakfast with my great aunt Monica who we stayed with.
11:30am: spending the day with my brother, his wife and my gorgeous nephew.
7:30pm: at the Apollo Theatre watching Wicked.
Friday
11:00am: having lunch with my great aunt Norah, still looking great at 95.
3:00pm: sitting at Gatwick airport waiting for our flight to Berlin.
Short, but very sweet.
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