Quest #6: Europe Summary

The month-long vacation is over - back to work and back to blogging!

At the risk of sounding trite, traveling abroad has given me an entirely new world view. Prior to this trip, I couldn't imagine traveling abroad without someone essentially holding my hand; now, I'm trying to decide whether to re-visit the countries I've already been to or to book a flight to Asia!

Regarding the quest...

1. Joystealers. I shed a few tears here and there for Grandma, but family and friends supported me and by the grace of God, I got through it.

On the way home, I did sit on a plane that waited on the runway for over an hour before taking off... I may have allowed my joy to be stolen in that instance. It was so horribly hot, and the voices of the teenagers next to me were growing louder and louder, and the little plane was getting smaller and smaller... and then the pilot tells us it will be at least another 20 minutes... I had enough! I would not be bound by this seat belt any longer! I stood up to stretch. I was told to sit down. My seat mate wanted something from the overhead compartment, so I grabbed her backpack. As I stood up to put it away, the stewardess said over the mike,

"Please remain in your seats. We ARE in line for take-off. Ma'am. MA'AM!!"

And I didn't speed up an ounce. Call it my personal form of protest to the horrid conditions I was suffering through at the hand of the airline. (The pilot just said we weren't taking off for 20 minutes, I think I'll risk my life and stand for a minute). Despite being caged in a sweltering enclosed space, I was doing far better than the group scheduled to take the second flight out of New York to Minneapolis - they found themselves heading to Atlanta since their direct flight to Minneapolis was canceled! Sadly, the Atlanta group would not reach Minneapolis until the following day.

2. Laugh Out Loud. The kid loves weapons. In Rotenburg, Germany, we went into a medieval weapon store. We thought he had reached maximum euphoria... until the shop owner came by to tell us nonchalantly that "if you want to sword fight, you go to the back and fight for free." The kid's eyes just about rolled out of his head. The shop owner and the kid sparred, and then I had a chance to try my sword-fighting skills! I did more screaming than sparring, but it was definitely fun.

Overall, while I had a fabulous experience in Europe, I wouldn't describe it as the happiest vacation of my life. Instead, it was a major growing season for me. It was a time of transition. For example, I bragged that I was going to Europe with high school kids and was going to be "16 for 16 days!" Instead, I learned that I am more like 66 - what with my back pain, my inability to adjust quickly to the 7 hour time difference, sub-par stamina when walking long distances and particularly when walking uphill in the mountains, and my fear of breaking my leg on the cobblestones. :-) In all seriousness, I did become aware of my physical limitations - some which I plan to address, but some which I accept are part of being the big three-o!

I also adjusted to the kid's independence. At first, he barely acknowledged I was on the trip with him. I was surprised at how maturely he interacted with adults, peers, and his girlfriend. But I gave him space, and by the end of the trip he was seeking me out (at times other than lunch!). He doesn't need me anymore... so it's nice to know he likes me.

3. Photos. I took 236 pictures. I should have only 192 according to my goal, meaning I took 20% more pictures than allotted. Switzerland and France pushed me over the edge - the mountains and the beautiful historical landmarks...(see above!) The kid took 480 pictures! Between our two cameras, I cut down to 416 and am printing 339.

This Europe trip came at a great time in my life - unlike my high-school counterparts, I really appreciated each tour, museum and landmark. I wanted to take in as much as humanly possible. It was liberating to see how many more options are available in life - I mean, I could move to Zermatt, where gas-powered vehicles are banned and the only (convenient) way up is via the sunnega! The Europe Quest was definitely influential in my Free To Be Me Mission.

Quest #6: How To Get a Date In London

Bonjour! I am borrowing a computer and sitting in my bathroom, truly nothing more than a toilet in a closet, trying to maintain this tenuous internet connection.

I will start by saying I have taken 94 pictures in 7 days; by my math I should be at 84. It might be cheating because I rely on the kid to take pictures of things in an effort to keep my numbers down, but I have had the chance to REALLY see London and Paris, instead of seeing it through the lens of my camera.

Joystealers so far have been my back pain (that dang herniated disc flares up), having no cold water in my shower in London (besides being hot, with no air conditioning, the scalding water forced me to fill my tub and counter the heat with cold water from the sink that I was transferring via a small glass cup), being yelled at by a London cab driver (yes, I was trying to get into the front where I was not allowed to ride, but still) and the worst, my Grandma passing away on Saturday (I anticipated it might happen while I was gone, but it is little consolation). Related to my Grandma, I did cry today while singing, of all songs, Danny Boy... I hope you're laughing with me, it was the second verse where we sing of visiting the grave... and I lit a candle for her at Notre Dame, and while I'm sure she's not overly excited the candle is in a Catholic Church, from my perspective my Mennonite Grandma is highly qualified to be represented in that stunning chapel for a day.

And now the best parts - the laugh out loud moments!

A story well-suited for the blog is the day I decided to go out on my own to Westminster Abbey. It was an adventure getting there, including not having enough pounds and having to walk about an hour with my "mean" face to deter trouble as I walked alone through London. It was a great experience and my hippy world-traveling law school friend will be quite impressed with my adventurous spirit. I went through the church - it was awesome! But on to my story.

I needed to use the restroom. Fun fact: In many places in Europe, you pay to use public restrooms. The restroom I chose was being cleaned by a guy. Whatever, I had to go to the bathroom. So I paid my 50 pence, picked a stall, and prepared to get my money's worth. I realize the toilet paper roll is empty, so I pull it out and the full one falls down... and down... and bounces off my knees... and rolls away under the door!

So here I am, in a foreign bathroom stall in a compromised position, holding one end of the toilet paper and imagining how awkward this must look from the outside. Eventually, the bathroom attendant notices the predicament and hands me the roll under the door. Whew! I finish up and walk out. And the most random thing happens.

The bathroom attendant hits on me. The usual - what's your name, my name is Marcel, you look very nice, how long are you staying in London, etc.

Is it nice to know you've still got it? Rephrased slightly differently, is it nice to know you're getting hit on by a bathroom attendant just moments after getting your 50 pence worth of toilet time, not to mention you can't control bathroom tissue dispensation? I'm not sure what the answer is. After getting over the initial shock that yes, this was actually happening to me, I basically ran out of the bathroom.

And that's how you pick up a date in London.

Quest #6: Europe

Our bags are packed, we're ready to go... (as you can see, we are big proponents of travel Space Bags)

The Europe Trip begins tomorrow! I am now at Day 10 of my 30-Day Vacation. The house is a disaster as I unpack from the family vacation to Missouri and Choir Camp, and repack everyone for the next 16 days. Teenager and I are being picked up tomorrow at 6 a.m.; daughter is hanging out with her PCA, SpahrMom; her sister, EBunny; my sister, FamousDiva; my other sister, AngelOwner; and my mom, with help from my little brother GolfRat (who interestingly, is one year younger than my teenager) and my speech-therapist sister-in-law, SweetTalker. Husband and the dog are spending the next few weeks alone - feel free to check up on them!

I can receive text messages free of charge in Europe, but I get charged to reply, so don't be offended :-) I will try and post when I can.

The Europe-Quest Goals:

1. No joy-stealers allowed. What instantly comes to mind? Back pain, blisters, heat, sitting next to a screaming child on the eight hour flight overseas... I will persevere, I will take note to tell you about it, and then I will let it go...

2. I will laugh hard at least once a day, and hopefully laugh to tears at least once every other day.

3. I will not be a captive to my camera. My goal is to take no more than 12 pictures each day. And unused pictures DO NOT roll over.

We'll see how it goes :-)