Meg Travels the World!

SAVE OUR PUD HUGH HAFFNER!

2008-12-28T17:07:00.000-08:00

(SEATTLE, WA: OCTOBER 2008)

Tina and I left the comfort of our beds at three in the morning on a Friday. We said goodbye to the palm trees, the pleasant weather, and our animals to embark on an adventure partially paid for by our loving employers. We drove to LA, hopped on a plane, and landed in Seattle, home to the space needle, Starbucks coffee, the Mariners, Nirvana, and of course Grey’s Anatomy. We rented a car and began our drive to Olympic National Park.

The trees were red, orange, yellow, green, and the leaves were falling. It was an amazing sight I have not seen since I lived up North. The three hour drive was beautiful. While we were driving through the park, we would stop the car frequently to get pictures of the fall telling the winter, “Take care of my world while I’m away.” In response a breeze would blow into my face and chill me completely, it was winter whispering that it would be there soon.

Sole Duck falls was the hike we decided to go on. Every few steps one of us would exclaim over a color of a leaf or a plant. We would stop at each little bridge and gaze up and down the creek beds. We followed the noise of the water until we ended up on a bridge overlooking Sole Duck falls. I walked past the bridge and climbed down the little hill and stood on a rock by the falls.

All I could hear was the water falling. It took effort to even hear my own thoughts, and so after a short while I stopped fighting the noise of the falls and just let it overwhelm my ears. I felt a mist falling on my head and so I looked to the sky. It was only when I looked straight up that I could see that it was raining. It was raining only pieces of raindrops. When I looked straight ahead it would appear that the rain had disappeared. As we began our hike back the rain clouds began forming full drops of rain and releasing them onto us. All of the animals went into their hidey holes. The birds quieted down and found shelter. All I could hear was the distant falls and the rain pattering onto the trees, through the leaves, and onto the ground. It was abundantly clear to me that this was where water reigned. I was a guest in this place.

I stopped walking for fear my footsteps would offend, being the only sound aside from the water. After a minute of being still, listening to the rain, the river, and the falls, the rain lightened and some nearby birds chirped, assuring me I could continue my journey.

The city of Seattle held quite a different feeling to it than the park. Saturday morning we sat drinking Seattle’s Best coffee, reading the Seattle Times, and enjoying a quiet breakfast. Pike’s Place was an experience nearly opposite of the quiet forest. I was surrounded by multitudes of people, food, and very creative junk to fill your home with. We smiled at the cute young men chanting and throwing the fish around. I stopped and smelled the organic flowers. I tasted lemon covered hazelnuts, which, in my opinion is one of the tastiest treats in the world.

There was some work at this point, and some interesting talks (and if you are interested in small animal oncology I would be happy to share my favorite parts of the conference…) Sunday evening consisted of having dinner with the oncologist that we work for. We all enjoyed fish and chips that were air fried (?) and it was FANTASTIC! We also loved the beer sampler, after all it was Pike’s Place Brewery. We voted Pike’s Tandem as #1 beer. My close second was Pikes xxxxx Stout. After dinner we joined a very great friend of mine and his amazing wife, Mike and Suzanne. They abandoned me in Santa Barbara a few years ago and moved to Seattle. While I was in Seattle I began to see why.

The next day included some more talks and then we hopped on a ferry and went to Bainbridge island. It’s an adorable place with cute houses along the water. We walked until we found a pub, at which point it was a requirement to stop, eat, and drink (that saying always stuck in my head better than stop drop and roll). I read the paper and stared out at the still water. I watched as the multicolored leaves drifted from the trees to the ground. Each day that I was there I saw the fall packing up its’ leaves and the winter inching closer. I live where palm trees shed their fronds all year round, the grass stays green, and I can usually get away with jeans or shorts any day of the year. The season change in Seattle was almost palpable, and that had me in awe.

In the afternoon we got back onto the ferry and watched Seattle approach. After we got back I was slightly disappointed that the ferry didn’t crash, I didn’t almost drown, and Dr. Shepherd didn’t rescue me… who am I kidding? I would have settled for tripping, getting a sprained ankle and having a tall handsome Seattlite in North Face fleece help me off the ferry.

The Three Tank-a-teers

2008-10-29T23:28:00.000-07:00

(NOTE: I have not updated this blog in a while and so this post is out of order.)

It was our annual lobster diving trip with Bruce, my dad, and myself, also known as the three tankateers (pictured above). They hunted lobster and I caught one... on camera... and it was big, and they were jelous! (Lobster pictured below)

I saw a school of pacific coast barracuda (below)

I swam through beautiful kelp forests. Saw tons of fish, bat rays, neutabranchs, star fish, and so much more.

The visibility was excellent. The water temperature was in the low sixties (which is PERFECT!). All three of my dives were perfect. After diving I enjoyed a beer while sitting in the on board hot tub and looking out across the ocean at the distant Santa Rosa island (which we had dove off earlier in the day). It was a perfect day.

Dad's Birthday 2008

2008-07-31T17:24:00.001-07:00

Every July my dad comes down to Santa Barbara to explore the fantastic underworld of the Channel Islands.

This year we were privileged to not only get on a charter that was diving off of San Miguel island, but we were also lucky enough to get all the way to San Miguel. This is a rare treat because this area is weathered and often boats are unable to stay out there and dive safely. The first dive was amazing... Unfortunately I became hypothermic in the 51° water and came out of the water blue. I was unable to dive the remaining three dives. My dad got to enjoy all four and had a great time. I enjoyed my boat ride, but next time I will be thoroughly prepared with a thicker suit.

For the rest of his trip down here we enjoyed eating at a fantastic Greek restaurant in Ventura that had a belly dancer as entertainment. My love of the sea comes from my dad. So we especially had fun walking along the beach while the dog happily played and swam.

We walked around Santa Barbara enjoying the Mission and the Rose Garden. We watched movies, listened to comedians, visited some friends, and overall had a great time.

My Sweet Fahda Passes Away

2008-07-30T19:34:00.000-07:00

My sweet, dear friend Fahda has passed away. Six years ago Meg and I liberated her along with two other horses from a soon to be fatal situation. It was at that time that she and I began our journey together. She was a very spirited Arabian who was petrified of swaying trees and pavement color changes. Her life had been an interesting one and she was very wary of humans.

I had to constantly reassure her through scary situations. She would always want to turn around and run back the way we had come. I would insist that she pass through/around/over what ever was frightening her. Once we were past it she would look over her shoulder at me, and say thank you. It was as though she did not feel she could have gotten through the situation without me. Over the years she came to trust me and when we would encounter a scary “demon” (as Meg and I liked to refer to them as) she would simply look over her shoulder at me asking, “Are you SURE?!?” and I would encourage her through it, after each time getting her thank you look from over her shoulder.

She was an amazing horse that was very fun to ride. Meg and I would take out Fahda and her best friend Laini for long rides and races. Fahda and Laini especially liked to race vehicles, and sometimes they even beat the cars. After a couple of years she began letting me ride her bareback, and most of the time we both preferred it. There were many times when I was kissing the ground while she looked on from afar. In fact there was one occasion when I was just beginning to bareback ride and I ended up with a concussion after my head became acquainted with the fence. But she never purposefully threw me. We had an understanding that she would throw anyone else who tried to ride her (which caused many people to call her “crazy”).

Fahda gave me solace. When my life was crazy, when a loved one died, when people angered me, I would go ride Fahda and she would calm me. She was wise. She made me happy. While riding her I could sort out my problems, most of which, in the scheme of things, were really not that important to be concerned with. She gave me perspective on life, which, over the past six years, has matured me emotionally exponentially. When I have a problem now I just think to myself, after a ride with Fahda, would I even care about the issue?

She lived a long life and the last six years with me she was spoiled and pampered. Her passing was expected but I still feel a great loss. I only wish that I could look over my shoulder at her and say Thank You, because I could not have gotten through those six years without her.

DOG ROAD TRIP 2008!

2008-07-02T16:45:00.000-07:00

Hey there everyone! My name is Talia, I am Meg’s dog. I am writing down our adventures because my mom Meg is too busy (as some of you know she tends to work a lot!) Besides she is hardly in any of the pictures.

For some reason my mom decided that we would abandon the cats and live in a car for 15 days! We would drive over 4,700 miles, we would purchase 136 gallons of gas, and we would see 12 states (although we only drove through Arizona for about an hour)!
Our adventure started with Aaron and sitting in the car. (Below is me, sitting in a car.)

We drove for a LONG time and then ended up in Truckee! We collected sticks so I could chew on them, only for some silly reason my mom and Aaron kept burning my chew sticks! My mom and Aaron got in trouble because I was off my leash and decided to go say hi to the park ranger. (Below is me and my mom on a rock in Truckee.)

Then we drove for a LONG time again and ended up in Idaho. We were met by Meg’s best friend (she’s known him for 14 years) Chris and his girlfriend Jenny. I liked Idaho. I got to go swimming in the river, I ate crumbs off the ground, I chased ducks and squirrels. One time we were in the tent and it was early in the morning and everyone was still sleeping but I saw ducks and squirrels (3 ducks and 2 squirrels) in our campsite and I knew I should get them out of our campsite. I didn’t want to wake up my mom so I decided to try and let myself out of the side of the tent. My mom was mad, but Aaron fixed it with duct tape. (Below is one night with my mom and Aaron after a long day of playing.)

After a few days in Idaho my mom and I left. She forgot Aaron, I kept trying to tell her but she wouldn’t go back and get him. We stopped and hiked around a big gorge for a while. (below is my on the edge of the gorge)

Then we drove to Wyoming. There was a lot of space to run around everywhere! We drove late into the night and we almost hit a deer! We stayed in Casper Wyoming at a hotel and I got to sleep on the bed. (below is me in Wyoming.)

Next was South Dakota. We were headed to a place where the humans felt the need to destroy the side of a massive cliff and put faces of presidents in it. Not sure why. And they wouldn’t even let me see it, I had to stay and protect the car. After we left Mount Rushmore we drove through a beautiful lightening storm for about 45 minutes. I liked this lightening storm the best because there was no thunder (I’m not a fan of thunder) and at the end there was a big rainbow. Because of the lightening storms all throughout the state we stayed in a motel instead of camping. (Below is a picture of me with the sign for Mount Rushmore.)

The next day we drove through Minnesota. The only exciting thing for me there was a really big statue of a green man. For some reason all these states we were going through really like big things in the middle of miles of nothing. (Below is a picture of me with giant green man.)

Then we arrived in Wisconsin! This was were Meg’s brother and his puppies lived. Her brother’s name was Mike, and he has a wife named Jennifer, and they have four puppies named Wesley, Ty, Benjamin, and Tucker. Tucker was my favorite because he runs around on all four paws too! They lived on a big property and we got to run around all day, every day for 6 whole days! We got to go to the strawberry patch, a dog park, and Home Depot. It was a beautiful state with NO FENCES! So sometimes I ran through the neighbors yards, I showed Tucker how. (Below is me and Tucker.)

I was very sad when we left. I really did not want to live in the car again, but we did. We went to Iowa. It was fun when we got to run around in the corn fields. There’s a lot of corn there. (Below is me in corn fields)

The next state we went to was Nebraska. We stopped in Omaha (somewhere in middle America) and a few other places just to stretch our legs and go on a hike. It was windy so I did not really like it. (Below is me in Nebraska.)

After that we went to Jennifer’s grandparent’s house in Colorado. This was a very interesting place. At night I heard lions and tigers and bears (oh my!) also wolves. They lived next to a wildlife sanctuary so it smelled very strange. I was very nervous here, although I was not afraid of the big orange cat because if any of you know Morgan (my orange cat at home) you know that she’s the scariest cat of all. When we left there we went hiking in the Rockies and swimming in the Colorado river. (Below is a picture of the big orange cat and below that is a picture of Morgan so you can see the resemblance.)

I think that at this point even mom was tired of living in the car because on that day she decided to drive all the way from Colorado home! We stopped to hike in Colorado and again we stopped to hike in Utah. She also stopped in the very hot Barstow in the middle of the night because she had to nap for a couple hours because we had been driving for over 13 hours! In Barstow I had to stay awake while she slept and guard the car. If someone parked next to us I would growl at them until they went away. I’m a good dog. (Below is me hiking in Utah.)

Finally we made it home to the kitties Morgan and Fezzik that were very happy to see us even at 3:30 in the morning! On Tuesday afternoon I found out that Aaron had sniffed his way home so we did not have to drive back to Idaho to get him. I don’t want to go for a car ride anytime soon. If you want to see a slideshow of some more pictures of the traveling dog, click the link below.

http://s205.photobucket.com/albums/bb151/megineurope/ROAD%20TRIP%202008/Road%20Trip%202008%20Slide%20Show/?albumview=slideshow&start=40

French Quarter Festival New Orleans!

2008-06-26T12:35:00.000-07:00

In April 2008 I went to New Orleans with Tina, her sister and brother in law for the French Quarter festival! We had an amazing time. The first night we drank a little...

Then we went to the Funky Pirate Blues Club and listened to the fantastic vocals of Big Al. He sang some humorous lyrics to classic children's songs along with some fun jazzy tunes and a couple of blues songs.

During the days we enjoyed the FREE jazz festival all over town. There were many different stages with live music all day long. We slept, danced, slept, ate, slept, drank, ate, drank, ate, slept...

In the mornings we ate the famous beignets and drank the yummy cafe au lait at the Cafe Du Monde. The beignets are much more filling and messy than you first think...

We explored the French Quarter and enjoyed the architecture along with the many stories about the little piece of New Orleans. We toured the creepy cemetary (while the sun was safely overhead). We encountered many friendly people who were happy to share their stories of how they ended up in New Orleans. They also shared stories of Katrina and how it affected them. We met a man on the street who shared stories with us as well as a tour of his courtyard and cute little house. I never believed in Southern Hospitality, but it really does exist. Many more pictures and stories about the trip available upon request!!

SCUBA STEVE!

2008-03-24T03:18:00.000-07:00

My good friend Tina volunteers at the Marine Mammal Center. This gave me the opportunity to help bottle feed a very young harbor seal pup that we named Scuba Steve. He had soft fuzzy fur, like a puppy. He barked very often, like a puppy. He was sweet and cuddly and gave cute kisses, like a puppy.

It was a great experience and I will try to keep you posted as to when he will be re released back into the ocean.

Why do I like Santa Barbara?

2008-02-23T07:17:00.000-08:00

I work the overnight (6pm to 6am) shift at CARE hospital. This means that I usually get out of work by 6:30 and Talia and I go somewhere to watch the sunrise. Or at least I watch the sunrise and Talia runs around like a crazy dog. These pictures are of the sunrise at the beach this morning. I feel so lucky to live in a city where I can watch the sunrise while at the beach each morning after work.

No matter how many times I watch the sun rise, I never tire of it. It is always just as amazing and inspiring as the days prior. Watching the sun rise gives me hope and fills me with comfort because I know that the next day when I look for it, it will rise for me again. My faithful sun.

Surfin' USA!

2008-02-21T04:33:00.000-08:00

January 2008

Tina and I decided to get surf lessons (to get some basics to start). It was a very cold day, as pictured we had on sweaters, beanies, and were trying to keep warm on the very windy day we had. We had a wonderful time with our very sweet, but very distracted surf instructor. I have never been called "babe" or "dude" so many times in my life! But I did manage to get up on the board! Yay!

Since the surf lesson, so far, I have only been able to surf once. I went out on a crazy day with Carrie and had a blast. I did not manage to get up on the board, but I studied the waves and their patterns. I love surfing, even though I am terrible at it!

Ugly Sweater Party

2008-02-20T04:54:00.000-08:00

UGLY SWEATER PARTY Dec of 2007

I have to admit, I had never heard of such things but they are quite popular. This was one of the most wonderful parties I have ever been to! It started with Jude, Natalie, and I getting MATCHING ugly sweaters (pictured above) along with our toddler hats (Natalie was in a hurry). We presented our matching selves at the party and sung Jingle Bells. After drinks were in hand Alberto disappeared and here came SANTA! (Below). The night was filled with warm drinks, fun karaoke, and good company.

Big Bear, Ca

2008-02-20T04:39:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday To Me!

For my birthday 2007, Aaron, Talia, and I packed up and drove to Big Bear. It was a little bit of an interesting drive, because as we headed up the mountain in the middle of the night, we realized we had no gas.... Fear not! My amazing Honda managed to go 40miles up hill after the gas light came on!

After that it was all fun. Talia had the most fun of her life. She chased squirrels all day, and, as pictured above, found all the dog toys that existed in the house!

Channel Islands Dive Trip

2008-02-20T04:29:00.000-08:00

In October, 2007, my dad, Bruce and I took our ANNUAL dive trip out to the islands. I watched every sunset and every sunrise for three days. During the days I dove, exploring and enjoying my dad's super awesome underwater camera! My dad, being a much better diver than I, dove all 6 dives every day. This year I'm hoping to match him dive for dive!

Of all the places I have been so far, the dive trip at the islands is in my top 3 favorite things to do. The vast ocean soothes me and absorbs all my fears. It lightens me. It reminds me of the beauty that exists. I feel so fortunate to be one of the few that explores the depths of the sea and its creatures. It reminds me to hope, dream, and feel. The simplicity of life on a boat helps me to go home and simplify. Those are the joys in my life.

Seattle, WA

2008-02-20T04:26:00.000-08:00

In July, 2007, Aaron and I went to Seattle! We enjoyed the beautiful wedding of Mike and Suzanne O'Brien. We enjoyed a day of sight seeing which included (but not limited to) the fantastical Sci-Fi musuem (which was suprisingly lacking) the Music Project, the Space Needle, and BEST PART OF ALL we watched the Mariner's play baseball! I love baseball!

Behind the times...

2008-02-20T04:23:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since I last updated... So I attemt to catch up now... 4:25am... That's what happens when you work nights!
Enjoy.

Buy Me A Ticket...

2007-07-02T06:04:00.000-07:00

"Buy me a ticket for an airplane, ain't got time to take a fast train, lonely days are gone, I'm a goin' home... my baby she wrote me a letter... she wrote me a letter said she couldn't live with out me goin' home, listen mister can't you see I got to get back to my baby goin' home, anyway... yay"

My life is a musical. I am going to get on a train, on a plane, in a car, to go very far... I will physically leave Europe behind, but never in mind. I loved the countries, I long to explore more, (Can't wait to get to Eucador!)

"No more ryhiming, I mean it!"
"Anybody want a peanut?"

Okay it could possibly be that I am going crazy... Possibly from the lack of privacy for the last 9 weeks, or possibly from lugging around a MILLION pounds (I never Over Exaggerate) on my back, or it could be that I have drank too much beer and my liver has cracked, or it could be that I have ate so many delicious things in such a short time and the human body is not made for such things, or it could be that I am on sensory overload from seeing so many incredible places, people, things (I could have just said nouns), or it could be that half of the time I really have no idea what anyone around me is saying, or it could be those crazy night train sleeping arrangements (see photo above), or it could be that I don't really want to stop exploring so soon (except that I miss my pets and it would be rather interesting to backpack with a dog, two cats, and a horse...not to say that it could not be done. I could do it.) Or it could be that I have only slept five hours a night on average, or because my tennis shoes gave out.
Or perhaps I was crazy before I started this trip...

What I am trying to say in this long and pointless rant is that I will be back in Santa Barbara on July 4th. I had lots of amazing, life changing events happen to me while here. I am a changed person. It was dandy.

Wow, Praha, Czek Republic

2007-07-02T05:50:00.000-07:00

Churches, castles, concerts, clocks. Five story clubs, beer by the liter, a Canadian couple, dancing, bridges, statues, stained glass windows, chess with the guys that work at the front desk at three in the morning, two fun Brazilian brothers.

Watching the sunrise with Andre & Eduardo while looking onto the river, apple strudel, running after trams (3 times), getting on the wrong tram (only 1 time), green shots (no fairies seen...), pizza in the bar, swimming, sauna, park benches, wonky the hostel cat (named wonky because his head is tilted)...

Complaining because at one bar a LITER of beer is $2 and at the "expensive" bar the beer is $4, all night discussions of politics, culture, travels, putting on your jumper and then taking it off again every 12 to 27 minutes because the weather is so random, slipping on cobblestone, cartwheeling home, being caught outside in a storm...

Need I say more?

Hansel & Gretel, Freiburg, Germany

2007-07-02T05:44:00.000-07:00

Hansel & Gretel? I meant Berward & Meg... I was ever so privileged to stay with Berward (Maria's brother) who lives in the best little town next to the Black Forest, Freiburg. We spent one day hiking through the Black Forest (we only ended up in berry bushes once... pictured above). It was one of the most peaceful places that I have ever been.

I also got the V.I.P. tour of the city of Freiburg at night. It really is the perfect sized little town. It has the cozy small town feel but it has everything you could need in a town.

Brugge, Belgium

2007-07-02T05:34:00.000-07:00

Brugge, Belgium was a beautiful and romantic little city. I hung out with lots of locals who were extremely nice. Enjoyed beer at my favorite bar thus far (it has 250 kinds of beers) each night that I was there. I enjoyed waffles, fries, beer, and chocolate... (I may have gained 20lbs while in this city) Went on a tour of the brewery and the chocolate factory (wow, I may have gone to heaven).

I wandered through the streets, over the canals, (to Gramma's house I go?) and loved every minute I spent in this fabulous place. Two different days I also went on long bike rides to different towns that were at the ocean.

Crash and Burn, Blankenberge Trip, Belgium

2007-06-21T02:53:00.000-07:00

On a lovely Wednesday afternoon an Aussie (Tim), a Canadian (Eric), and an American (me), (by the way what an unusual trio... riiiight) decided to go on a leisurely bike ride through Belgium to a castle then to the coast. We enjoyed the wonderful roads and zigzagged our way through the countryside (because we got lost a few times...) The castle ended up really being a church (or we were just lost and only found a church) and the beach... was great.... although Tim and I tend to be slight beach snobs.

We sang songs, had a picnic, enjoyed beer on the pier in Blankenberge, and all in all had an amazing day. Until Tim went vicious... I was innocently riding along the designated route and he decided *OUT OF NO WHERE* to turn left, cut me off, and we crashed and I went skidding along the pavement getting a road rash up my right side and my hip is a little out of wack. Crazy Aussie.... he might tell you a differnt story which would be along the lines of the designated route actually pointed left, he said, "Do we follow 63?"I said Yes and so he turned left following the sign that I never saw... either way...

THE QUEEN IS COMING! Schiermonnikoog, Netherlands

2007-06-15T03:55:00.000-07:00

Lizzie, Clara, and I rode 50km from Groningen to the North Sea then hopped on a ferry to go to Schiermonnikoog. We stayed in the upstairs of a very nice dutch house with a very cute dutch window. The first night we were there Liz and I prepared ourselves in the cool evening for jumping into the North Sea to swim. We ran down the beach towards the water (which took a while, very large beaches) and when our feet touched the water it was warm. So we ran and ran, and ran, and ran, waiting for the water to get deeper than our knees... when it got to our waists we gave up running and swam for a while.

The next day we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast which ended around 1 in the afternoon. Rode our bikes through the island. Enjoyed a day packed full of difficult tasks. The first being creating a good print advertisement for our beer (pictured above). The second was trying to catch a messanger pigeon (he had one of those things on his legs to carry letters!) (This is also pictured above). The third was to compose a love letter (because the messanger pigeon had actually escaped from carrying messages of war because he was a lover not a fighter and would only carry heartfelt love letters). Amazingly enough the three of us romantic girls are actually terrible at writing a love letter. I admire those who can do it.

The most exciting part was still to come though... the next day we went to the ferry to get back to the mainland (after a nice morning on the beach of course) and we discovered that the Queen of The Netherlands, Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard, was due to arrive as we were leaving. She has been the Queen of The Netherlands since 1980! Her private boat came very close to our ferry and so we got to see her (pictured above, although you can only really see her green hat and her dress...) The last picture is of course Liz and I being excited that we saw the queen (even though I never even knew who she was until that moment...)

Animals in the Netherlands

2007-06-14T07:05:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I met up with Liz (Maria's twin sister) in Groningen, The Netherlands. Liz, Clara, and I decided to go on a trip to an island on Monday. We rode our bikes 50km to the North Sea. Then we got on a ferry and went to the island Schiermonnikoog.

The bike ride was really amazing. We followed a certain route for most of the time... I say most of the time because we lost it a few times, which was great because we got to see so much that way.

There were beautiful horses, ponies, baby horses and ponies, sheep (adorable black babies too), cows (the picture of the cow above is only 1 week old and he licked my hand), buffalo, pheasants, rabbits, ducks, swans, crows, pigeons, lots of other birds, deer, butterflies of many differnt colors, and so on. I even climbed into a field that had a Friesian horse along with lots of ponies and baby ponies. A little black pony was my good friend, he followed me around the field and had me scratch him.

I really was in heaven with all of the animals everywhere!

Germans CAN drink, Berlin, Germany

2007-06-14T05:17:00.000-07:00

I was greeted on Thursday June 7th at the amazing Berlin train station by Maria's older brother Gregor. He was so wonderful to let me stay at his flat for the weekend. On Thursday night we enjoyed wine, chocolate, and playing darts. On Friday his friend Andi and Christian showed me around the town a bit.

We saw the Brandenburger Tor, The Sony Center, Checkpoint Charlie, the Jewish Memorial, and many other amazing sites throughout Berlin. In the evening Gregor and I enjoyed dinner at an Austrailian restaurant (where they really served crocodile and kangaroo...) we drank German beer (of course!) and then went to the river and drank mojitos while looking at the extremely impressive train station.

The next day we walked through the (unusual for this time of the year) heat to see the park, the Russian memorial, the ruins of the east German chateau, the memorial where the Nazi's burnt all of the books, Reichstag, the President's house (which I am going to own someday), and tons of other great things.

Really what struck me the entire time I was in Berlin was all of the memorials. It really is a very beautiful but sad city to me. The Berlin wall is now represented by stones that are in the ground where the wall used to be. We were constantly crossing over it, sometimes I noticed it and sometimes I didn't. When I noticed it really was so special to have the privlege to do that when so many didn't a short 20 years ago.

On to the reason for the title of this... We went to a party for Gregor's friend on Saturday night. When we got there of course there was lots of beer, wine, champagne and so on. In parties in the States people bring 6 packs, or possibly 12 packs... At this party they brought CASES of beer. Not just a case, but several! It was amazing how much they can drink! We had a really awesome time.

Salzburg, Austria

2007-06-04T08:27:00.000-07:00

I went to Salzburg and enjozed drinking beer in a Biergarten with some new-found-stray-backpackers. I went to the fortress (with the first made cable car! It used to run using horses), Mozart's birthplace and house he lived in when he was older, and enjoyed the church and the park. It was lots of fun!

SKYDIVING!! Interlaken, Switzerland

2007-06-04T08:03:00.000-07:00

Yes... I did it... I jumped out of an airplane over the Alps (someone please help my mom up, I think she probably just fainted)

It was amazing...

Party Down, Interlaken, Switzerland

2007-06-04T07:51:00.001-07:00

This is really just to thank all those great people that I had fun with in Interlaken. It really made it such a memorable time. So let's never forget the waterfall, questions (hey Justin, how was your day?), Hey Aussie, we're in the Alps!, dancing, singing, Prost!, Kyle stories (the ones about him AND the ones he tried to tell), the imfamous wall of drinks, and so on. You all are wonderful people and I hope to meet up with you all again in different parts of the world!

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!
Oy, Oy, Oy!
Beaver, Beaver, Beaver!
Ay, Ay, Ay!

Snowball Fights, Grimmelwald, Switzerland

2007-06-04T07:44:00.000-07:00

I took a train, a bus, and a cable car to get to Grimmelwald with several of my new found friends (I'm always picking up stray backpackers...hehhe). It was a glorious day, the sun was out and the mountains were covered in snow.

It took us a while to get there due to there being so many people and so many switches of transportation (and we HAD to stop for beer of course). By the time we got there we were very hungry. We asked someone where the closest store or restaurant was and we were told it was the next village up. When they said up, they really meant up.

We enjoyed a nice hike, a picnic and drinks, snowball fighting, tubbing (a new Canadian sport where you throw snowballs into bath tubs...) and watching Kyle roll down hills. All in all it was a great day!

Zurich, Switzerland

2007-06-04T07:41:00.001-07:00

I spent a day in Zurich. It was a little rainy outside but I still enjoyed the town and the boat ride around the lake Zurichsee.

The Moment, Berg, Switzerland

2007-06-04T07:34:00.000-07:00

It is 5am in the morning. I awoke because the train was stopped. I am always concerned with missing my stop so I got up to make sure that we weren't there several hours early. I quietly left my compartment closing the door behind me. When I turned around to look outside the view overwhelmed me. We were stopped in the Alps. All I could see was snow covered mountains that looked as white and as soft as bunny fur.

It was silent. The train was off and everyone was asleep in their compartments. I was the only person. I walked to the door at the end of the train car and the door to outside was open. I sat on the step. The wind was so cold it penetrated my hair and chilled my head. It penetrated my clothes, my skin, and chilled my bones. I have never felt such a precious cold. (This was real cold, not just meg-cold) I could even smell the cold. It was refreshing.

My senses were overloaded.
My mind was clear. I thought not of the past or the future, only the present.

I wanted to get my camera but I did not want to wake anyone in my compartment, I also did not want to leave the steps, the view, the cold. I will never forget those minutes. I will never forget what I saw, smelt, felt, or heard.

It was a rare moment of pure happiness.

It's raining men!

2007-05-28T07:50:00.001-07:00

This is actually about two different things, rain and men.

1. rain: I am currently in Firenze and it is pouring down rain and my train is not for another five hours. That makes me a little bit less excited about life than I usually am.

2. men: This of course is a generalization, and as generalizations go there are of course always exceptions to the rule... that being said... Italian men win first prize for, Most Obvious Oggling (oggling definition-staring at a woman with there mouths dropped open to the floor, sometimes there is drool involved). Most Frequent Oggling and of course Oggling In Groups.

Julie and I had a difficult time relaxing in some situations because the Italian men would stare so blatently, then talk to us briefly, sometimes attempt taking pictures of us, sometimes following us, on one particular train ride our presense was announced throughout the train car so men would come look at us like animals in a zoo...

It was a tad annoying.
That's my rant for the day.

Siena, Italy

2007-05-28T07:43:00.000-07:00

Julie and I made a day trip from Castelfiorentino to Siena Italy on Sunday. It was an amazing town. We sat in Piaza de Campo (sp?) and listened to some italian men who were having lunch and singing the afternoon away. We went to the Duomo which on the inside was absolutly amazing (I really need to get some more descriptive words to use for this vacation!).

We of course got lost on the way back to the train station, but it would not be a fun day unless we get lost!

Cinque Terre, Italy

2007-05-28T07:40:00.000-07:00

There really are no words that would justify the beauty that Julie and I experienced at Cinque Terre Italy. All I can say is that the pictures do not do it justice and everyone should go there!

We hiked from the lowest town up through the five towns to the highest (11km of very steep climbing). At the fourth little town we were very hot so we walked down to the pier and jumped into the ocean. The water consumed me. It was the most incredible experience.

Terrible Dinner, Castelfiorntino, Italy

2007-05-28T07:35:00.001-07:00

After a stunning day in Firenze Julie and I make our way to Castelfiorntino to discover that the hostel we are staying in has no kitchen, no internet, lockout for most of the day, and curfew at midnight... no worries, we go to the store to find something cold to eat that does not need refrigeration.

Julie got some cooked pasta (that she is prepared to eat cold) and I get a salad. Turns out her cooked pasta is not actually cooked all the way. My salad has no dressing and tastes a little like chemicals... We open our water to wash down the terrible taste and we had mistakenly got frizzante water (carbonated, also known as curly water)

It was terrible!

Castelfiorentino was beautiful though!

Best Coffee Ever, Firenze, Italy

2007-05-26T03:08:00.000-07:00

After a very close, cuddley night with five people in a very small train compartment, the AC broken, the window broken, and all of us sweating as though we are in the desert, Julie (Canada) and I decide to explore Firenze!

First thing is first, coffee, cafe machiato (sp?) is what the Frenchman who lives in Italy told me on the train. So I order one, it really was the best coffee ever in the entire world known to my tastebuds.

We explore and walk the 427 steps up the Duomo to get a stunning view of Firenze. We walked the entire city in search of a particular restaurant (Marios) and discover to our dismay that it was approx. twenty feet from where we had origionally started. We enjoy a spectacular lunch and wine and then search the city some more.

(above photo is sideways because I don't know how to fix it... but that is the BEST coffee that I am drinking in that pic!)

Rocky Beach in Nice, France

2007-05-26T03:02:00.000-07:00

I was standing on the ruins of a chateau. It was the stronghold of Nice in the 18th century. Now no buildings remain, only ruins of a church and some towers. It has been changed into a pleasant park. It occurs to me at that time that anything I may create will be irrelevant in two centuries, or even one, or even less.

The beach is made up of rocks. As the waves crash onto shore they roar, as the tumble back to the sea they crackle. The water is 14 shades of blue.

Life should be treasured, loved, but above all enjoyed, for if we do not enjoy it, what is the point?

Castle in Carcassonne, France

2007-05-26T02:59:00.000-07:00

On Monday May 21 I met up with Matt (New Zealand) that I had met in Paris because he is working in the south of France for a few months. We met in Carcassonne where there is a beautiful castle. (Which of course we decided was ours...I will come back to the States leaving it in the hands of trusty administrative assistants).

Carcassonne was very relaxing. We ate in a nice restaurant, copped a squat on lush grass in an island, and walked around the lovely town.

It was very nice.

How My Life Changed in Renque, Espana

2007-05-23T06:40:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Brent, Lino, Tom, and I decided to go wine tasting in Renque Spain. It is an hour and half train ride to the west from Valencia. There were tales of great wine and beautiful sights. So after a night out and nearly no sleep we hopped on a train and away we went.

The train ride was amazing (although Tom and Brent were asleep the entire ride... so they cannot confirm or deny this fact). We got to Renque which was a stop we nearly missed because it was so small. We walked to what looked to be a main street and followed it until we got to a giant purple bridge that really did not go anywhere. We then reversed our direction. After a enough complaining of my hunger they agreed to stop in a grocery store. We got sausage and beer and sat at the park getting tipsy and eating too much of one thing. Then we ate icecream and asked the nice lady if she knew where the wine caves where that we kept hearing of. She gave us a strange look and then pointed back to the road we were on and told us to go right.

We did as she said. As soon as we got back to the road we were on and walked about 15 feet we then saw the large castle/chateau/winery on our right. We followed the streets around gazing at the neat alleyways and churches. We ran into a tour group of elderly women that thought the boys were just the cutest things ever so they had us in their group photo in front of the church. We found these gorgeous grayhound type looking dogs that were stray but let me pet them.

Then after we finally got directions to where there was wine tasting (which was not the same as the wine caves) and headed on our way. Then we encountered a parade of beautiful young Spanish women (and being with three boys) we of course had to follow the parade of women. It ended up being to a bull fight.

Now, I did not want to go in, but decided to since they were all going. I lasted for about five mintues before I ended up sobbing and running out of the colosseum. Those that have been around most of my life probably remember when I was a vegetarian because I felt that if I could not hunt it myself then I did not deserve to eat it. After that barbaric display of animal cruelty I am back to my original philosophy which is that unless I am able to hunt it myself I do not deserve to eat it. As a matter of fact for the hour I waited until it was over I contemplated why I had ever strayed from that thought. I cannot recall.

It was good that I experienced such an emotional situation because it really has changed me, hopefully for the better.

A Night Out in Valencia, Espana

2007-05-23T06:26:00.000-07:00

Those who have been following might recall a certain comment regarding not having a place to sleep last Friday night. I rounded up five other people who found themselves in the same prediciment as I (Lino-Austria/Florida, Tom-Japan/Utah, Brent-Oregan/Utah, Kate and Erin-Alaska) and we decided to have a night on the town.

We found a park (I like this park-Tom, The dirt one?-Brent) and we climbed up upon a pillar of sorts and discussed our useless talents. Mine of course is knowing the words to cheesy old school rap songs. We sang and talked until we decided to move on. It was then decided that we would build a human pyramid, since there were only six of us we had to set the camera on a timer on a pillar. (although as you can see from the picture it turned out well)

Then we all stood upon pillars acting like statues. The grand finale of the evening was Brent monkey-ing his way up an extremely tall pillar where he posed like the karate kid. He made it down with only one arm gashed up.

All in all it was an amazing night and I thank the five participants in Valencia's homeless backpacker's night out!

Adventures In Valencia

2007-05-16T06:39:00.002-07:00

I love Valencia. Yesterday Matt (from England, not to be confused with Matt from New Zealand that I hung out with in Paris) and I walked all of Valencia. We took the dried river bed down until we came to a museum. Then we found an elevator in a cone and took it up to the street because it looked like fun. We continued walking on the street in the direction we thought the port should be.

The reason that we were doing this is because right now America's Cup (named after the boat "America" not the country) semi-finals are here in Valencia. I wanted to watch, hence the reason we were looking for the port.

Anyhow we then proceded to find our way eventually back to the river bed but at this point it was the wrong side of the river bed. We made several attempts to get to the correct side of the river bed, which at this point is actually a river with water in it. We encountered many very tall fences and walls and construction objects. We finally found a way via a roadway that we definitly should have been killed when we walked on it. We made it safely to the other side and we found a little cafe that all the locals were at. It was delicious. The best part was a soup that had chorizo and bread (side note to Aaron, thanks for increasing my spicy food tolerance!)

We eventually did make it to the port and watched the race. (I of course was on the grass copping a squat and watching the race) It was amazing. The Kiwi's (New Zealand) beat Spain and USA beat Italy. The race between USA and Italy was extremely close and therefore VERY exciting the whole time.

After the race we were very close to the beach so I jumped in the ocean with all of my clothes on and swam around for a while. Then we walked the whole way back.

It was fun.
(the above pic is me about to swim in the ocean)

Copping a Squat, But No Place To Sleep

2007-05-16T06:39:00.001-07:00

I am currently copping a squat (sitting on grass with no shoes or socks) in Valencia, Spain. I am sitting in what used to be a great river but now it's a dried up river bed that has been turned into a fabulous park. It's a very relaxing place to sit or to walk. (I think that Talia would have a blast here!) I'm having a picnic and getting a tan in the great Spanish sun.

Sunday I am venturing to Carcassonne France to visit a friend. Currently there are no places to stay in France or Spain within 9 hours of Carcassonne on Friday night.

*Slight detour on topic-I decided to take this trip not only for the value of seeing other countries and enjoying other cultures, but also a journey of self discovery. Those of you that know me understand that I tend to take on as much responsibility as possible and when it begins to lighten I find a sick animal or a fourth job or something along those lines. The two months on this journey I have zero responsibility except getting to Munchen on July 4th to catch a plane home... this allows for great amounts of time to figure out how I want to live and what I want to do with my life. I purposefully have not been planning ahead on this trip because I tend to plan everything in my life so I have taken this time to try life without a plan.

*Back to me having no where to sleep for 2 nights.... It shall be a fun adventure to find out what happens. I could worry and become agitated or upset but as my dad always told me (and he's pretty smart) "If there's a problem you find a solution or you don't. If you do then fix the problem, if you don't then don't worry about it." So if I have no where to sleep I'll have a great story instead. In fact a fellow traveller that just got to Valencia had this happen to him in Barcelona and he now has a great story to tell.

So probably next week I'll have a great story!
(The above picture is something that would never have happened if I had followed my original plan. It was veturing through the gardens in Versailles through a gate that we weren't supposed to go past... but alas what an adventure...)

A Piegeon's Tale

2007-05-16T06:39:00.000-07:00

The small things in life are unplanned and seemingly insignificant. Yet those are the things that I love most and remember well.

While sitting in front of Notre Dame in Paris Matt (New Zealand) was looking at the map and I was looking at the ground. What had drawn my attention to the ground was a singing pigeon. There was a male who was poofed out about twice his normal size. He was elongating his neck and flapping his feathers and singing a song. I realized after a moment that there was a female piegeon that he was trying to court. He would walk in front of her then do his little spin dance, sing his song, and make his neck long.

"Look at me, I've got a big neck, eh?" Is what I imagined him saying. Of course since we were in France he was probably saying that in French. And since he's French he probably would not have the Canadian "eh?"

Anyway he was so cute and this snotty French female pigeon kept looking at him then turning the exact opposite direction and tired to walk away quickly. He tried to impress her for a good five to ten minutes then gave up sadly unpoofing himself and sulking away.

*FYI-When I tell this story in person I demonstrate the little dance he did*
(The above picture is of the Chateaux in Versailles and completely unrelated to the pigeon story)

Meg´s Foiled Attempts to Get to Lisboa

2007-05-14T03:32:00.000-07:00

It is Saturday 5/12, Paris France: Dan (Ireland) and I decided we were going to Lisboa Portugal. So we went to the train station and tried to get tickets. The man told us that we could get tickets to Irun (Southern France) then when we got there to get tickets to Lisboa. Ok. We hoppped on the TGV and go REALLY FAST. We get to Irun.

Sorry, no tickets to Lisboa... It is now 10pm on Saturday. Hmmmm... what to do... then we see Canadians! woohoo! We find out that they are taking a 10:15 train to Madrid, we check out book and we can hop a train to Lisboa from Madrid. Sweet. We run to get tickets and hop on the night train. (Side note about the night train: all the trains I have ridden in Europe have been comfortable enough to sleep on. You can pull up the divider between the seats if there is no one next to you and there are usually feet rests. However on the train designed to SLEEP ON the dividers cannot be moved, there are no feet rests, and so my friends Dan and I had extremely fitfull rest)

Sunday 630am, wake up, we´re in Madrid, Spain! Alright now we´re talking. The day has to be off to a good start because we arrove in Madrid an hour early. So we lock away our luggage in storage, use the bathrooms to try and clean up, and go to the ticket office. Does not open until 8:30. Coffee and pastries for us. (Side note about the coffee: In Spain when you order a cafe con leche, it is 2 shots of espresso and steamed milk, holy cow it is amazing!)

8:30, we go to get our tickets to Lisboa. The train does not leave until 10pm that night. Ok, we decide we will spend a lovely day in Madrid. Then the man tells us, ahh but the train is booked. Oh my. This is now the third foiled attempt at getting to Lisboa. We decide the higher powers are telling us not to go. So, me, already having my eurail pass stamped for Sunday, decide it would be a good idea to find a train somewhere so i don´t waste my day of travel.

Alacante looked good. So that´s where I went...
(Above picture is at the Louve, Paris, France)

Meg in France!

2007-05-12T01:48:00.000-07:00

I arrove in Paris on Wednesday 5/9. I would like to thank all the people that convinced me that I should at least stop in Paris. I was not going to go to Paris at all... It turns out that I love Paris!! It is now Saturday and I am still here.

Of course the first day since I thought I was only staying one day so my new friend Matt from New Zealand showed me all the big sights. We wandedered through the Louve, which really is enormous (and the large pyramid is harder to find than you may think, or it is when you are standing directly below it anyway). Then we went to Notre Dame, I was speachless for 20 minutes. (ME, MEG, DID NOT SPEAK FOR 20 MINS!) There really were no words that would justify talking in such an amazing place. (For Celeste and Susie: There are no words to describe...)

We walked for hours craning our necks and looking up at the beautiful monuments, churchs ("small rocks" for Monty Python fans)Then we enjoyed copping a squat (sat on grass without shoes or socks) looking up at the Eiffel Tower. When I first saw it I thought it was very unattractive, but after gazing at it for a long time it grew on me. We ate icecream and people watched.

The Arc de Triomphe was awesome. We went to the top and you could see all of Paris. That was beautiful. Although my favorite part was gazing down at the cray Paris drivers (the Arc de Triomph is a giant round a bout).

The next day Matt (New Zealand) and Dan (Ireland) and I went to Versailles. Matt and I enjoyed a row boat ride in the lake in the gardens of the Chateaux (while singing of course). Then Dan picked us up in a golf cart (Jason, Jesse, Donovan....hehehe) and we cruised around the gardens. We raced some Spaniards in their golf cart but since Matt and I jumped out and pushed we won the race...

We then sat upon the steps of the Chateux looking out at the Garden and eating icecream. It was truly enjoyable. Then Matt and I danced on the steps, the Can-Can, the Cha-Cha and some made up line dancing.

Then last night Jen (New York) and Matt and I went and had Fondu (I've never had it) and we drank wine out of baby bottles (as in what little babies drink milk from) Then we met some French men on the street and they showed us where the real French bars are not the tourist place. It was great.

I have done much more but my time is running out on my internet card.
I leave today for Lisboa (Lisbon) Portugal with Dan (Ireland).

I love it here!
j'adore on la France!!

Veste Oberhaus

2007-05-08T08:45:00.000-07:00

Today I hiked up to the castle in Passau called Veste Oberhaus. People that used to have to hike to the castles must have been in good shape... There was a very nice museum there that had beautiful artifacts. There were paintings, statues, swords, suits of armor, a cannon, and tiles that used to be used in the castle.

After that I enjoyed a tasty kaffe and sacha (a chocolate torte from Austria) while looking out over Passau. I met a Hungarian waitor who was very sweet and spoke English very well (as well as German and Hungarian).

Now I must go because Maria and I are going to enjoy Bavarian beer tasting and a Weißwürstchen dinner.
Prost!

Meg is in Passau Germany

2007-05-07T12:42:00.000-07:00

The long flight over to Germany would not have been bad if not for the language barriers. You may wonder what I mean, well I suggested some options for the parent of screaming children Acepromazine (sedative) or perhaps duct tape, but alas they let their kids scream for 10 hours...

I arrove in Münich at 2pm on Monday (Germany time). The firsts thing I noticed when I flew in was that all of the roofs were red! Maria greeted me with smiles and we took a two hour train ride together through the country side of Germany to Passau where Maria lives. I am already having a great time, although since I did not sleep on the plane I have not slept since Saturday night and I am about to crash on Maria's very comfortable couch!

Love to you all,
Prost!
Meg
ps. the picture above is of a friend I made (since i miss my kitties dearly) I named her Passau kitty (don't worry I'm not bringing her home)

10 Days and Counting!

2007-04-27T16:11:00.000-07:00

I leave for Europe on Sunday May 6th and I will be returning July 4th. With only 10 days left I have not yet begun to pack! Fezzik is trying to encourage me by sleeping in the laundry basket. Two months will be a very short time to explore all the places that I am going, but it will be a long time away from my furry children. I know they are all going to be in great hands but I will miss waking up to the sound of Fezzik attacking Morgan and Talia chasing them both down the hall... Or will I?

Thank you all who are excited for me and have been helping me along the way. I will post as often as I can so you all know where I am!