The pictures that some people are demanding I post on Picassa

For more pictures (and some duplicates from what I have already posted), please use this link:

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/bateman.sj

I am not sure why it has co.uk in the address...very odd if you ask me. But as I am not a techy-person, I will not ask any questions about it and just accept it as it is.

Enjoy.

The Trip in Review - as a list of course

(Do you see me? I am in the Reichstag)

Despite my brief updates and introspective review of my trip, here is a fun list of what I did on my travels through Europe:

20 Days of Travelling

19 Hours in flight (give or take a couple of hours)

18 Days where I consumed at least one meal of meat and bread and cheese

17 Tube or train rides

16 Czech Korunas to one Canadian dollar (there is no easy conversion formula)

15 Days of decent weather when the sun shone for at least part of the day

14 Visits to grocery stores for breakfast or snack food

13 Different beers tasted

12 Modes of transportation taken

11 Kilometres walked each day (on average - and a total guess)

10 Prints/Pictures purchased to hang on my wall (now let's see if I will get around to framing them)

Rembrandt's "Adoration of the Shepherds" - National Gallery London

9 New journals purchased (Paperchase - my idea of heaven!)

8 Churches or Synagogues visited

7 Museums wandered through

6 Different chocolate brands sampled

5 Cities seen (Berlin, Potsdam, Prague, London & Oxford)

4 New airports visited (and added to my "40 Airports by the time I am 40 list")

3 Cemeteries walked through

2 Old Friends

1 - 30th Birthday celebrated (Yeah Bobbi)

0 Postcards sent

a picture or two

There are reasons for my lack of faithful blogging while travelling around Europe. By merely listing activities done, sights seen and food eaten, only part of my trip could be conveyed. I didn't know how to use words to fully describe what I saw, felt, processed and learned during the past 3 weeks. However, on my flight home yesterday I took the time to think about it and here is what I learned:

1) Tension is necessary
2) Beauty is necessary
3) Trusting who you are is necessary

When I was in Berlin, I was tense - still stressed about things back home - job, relationships and other priorities. This tension fit with Berlin as the city itself is learning to cope with its past but finding ways to move forward.

Then onto Prague which evoked emotions I was unprepared for. In my own life, there are scars caused by past choices. I could mourn my mistakes but miss the joy of life. I must find the beauty and learn from those past errors. Prague is full of beauty amid the scars of an unpleasant past. At first the city frustrated me with its inconsistencies but during my time there, it won my heart.

Then came London. This city is full of character and just is. I spent time with old friends and came away knowing I am loved.

The realization that I am who I was at 17 or 27. Time and experience gives me depth and different perspective - yet my character remains true. London has so much history but it is still London and you can see what it was like centuries ago.

I am not sure if any of this makes sense but I am learning to live with tension, be okay & forgive my mistakes, and embrace who I am.

London Calling

We are on the final leg of our European tour. Only a few more days until we head home. Prior to London, the weather gods had been smiling on us with sunshine and warmth. However, in England, our luck ran out with some rain and clouds. But that didn't stop us. Yesterday, we started exploring Central London with the National Gallery, wandered by Buckingham Palace and watched the musical "Wicked" which is fabulous. Will fill in more details soon...I promise.

Pretty Prague

A quick update as we prepare to leave Prague for London. We spent the last 3.5 days here and that has been the perfect amount. The first day I lost my passion for Prague because it was frustrating with the metro and wrong information in our guide and the International Marathon cutting through town. But the second and third days have won mÿ heart back to the pretty place. Prague is a faïrytale place. Czech beer, gothic and baroque architecture and a surprise around every corner...that is Prague.

evil

Yesterday, Bobbi and I went to Sachenhausen, a concentration camp used by both the Nazis and Soviets for political prisoners. It was the model used for all other camps and the training grounds for the SS. The lack of humanity and the immense evil overwhelms. I have no answers, only questions.
- How do you write about this evil? Are there even words?
- How do you speak of inhumanity without wondering if you are capable of the same brutality?

Without the right words, I say today that I am a witness to this part of history. This bears a load of responsibility on my soul to speak against injustice and inhumanity wherever. As I am human so is my neighbour whether they live in Burma, China, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Palestine or Guatanemo Bay.

It has been a couple of deep days with visits to the Holocaust Memorial/Museum, The Topography of Terror and of course, Sachenhausen. I still need to process my sadness and my anger. But there is hope...there will be a day when evil will be gone and peace will come.

more and more of berlin

I don't really have anything deep to write about my trip. Staying with Wendy here has been great because she is also friends with Bobbi. I hope they continue their friendship when they are both back in Vancouver. Two phenomenal girls!

Since my last post, many more things have been seen and experienced. Still no photos due to a shared computer situation so just deal with it. Imagine my face next to some really old European architecture or a statue of some German dude or a picture of random quotes/words. That is what I have been taking pictures of (all 298 of them so far). I promise to share them once edited upon my return.

Here is another list of thrilling action in the life of Sara whilst in Berlin:
- Climb the dome at the Reichstag and saw Berlin by early morning light
- Experienced the coffee/cafe CARAS (my fav)
- Went shopping at H&M (I know we have it at home but how could I say no when there were 5 on one street in West Berlin)
- Explored a home/decor shopping mall (this could have been dangerous if my suitcases could fit armchairs - thank goodness for airline weight restrictions)
- Had Vietnamese at Mr Hai & Friends
- Watched the sunset with Bobbi, Wendy & Ben from Victoria Park
- Have had 5 different experiences of people coming up to me thinking I was German and asking me questions or starting conversations on the street.
- Pushed open gates and wandered in hofs
- Had Currywurst at Curry 36
- Trained it to Potsdam - a small city to the SW of Berlin
- Wandered the gardens of Sans Souci Palace in Potsdam
- Sat by a creek and journaled
- Picnicked in TierGarten with cheese/meat/bread/wine
- Had Wayne Gretzky pizza at Ron Telesky's Canadian Pizza
- Rented hot orange bikes and rode all around central Berlin
- Viewed the East Side Gallery (a major portion of the Berlin Wall still standing and used a canvas by various artists)
- Saw the Victory Tower

Am currently reading "Four Loves" by C.S. Lewis. It is a timely read for me as this trip is definitely a soul-searching time for me. The ideas around giving and needing love, as simple as they are on the surface, seem to be stopping me in my tracks.

Bye for now. Time is flying quickly but yet it is a good pace. Tomorrow we are exploring various aspects of the darker side of Germany and the Holocaust. Remembering my last time in Europe, coming face to face with that evil drained me. It will be a tough day.

berlin, berlin

Okay, it is decided I love Berlin. It is a truly amazing city, full of life and history. Spring is all around us here. I don't have any pictures to show you because I am borrowing a computer. But lilacs and blossoms are out and it smells beautiful.
Here is a quick summary of what we have done/accomplished since we arrived:
- had "Couch Potato" pizza from Ron Telesky's Canadian Pizza
- Attended May Day protests/riots/festival
- drank beer on the streets of Berlin
- slept for more than 12 hours
- rode a double decker bus
- consumed more than 10 cappuccinos at last count.
- strolled through Berlin neighborhoods
- had great conversations with Wendy and Bobbi
- sat by a canal and drank beer
- celebrated Bobbi's birthday in style and with a variety of fun beverages. (it was a late night!)
- wandered through a graveyard
- went to a flea market and a farmers market
- gawked a beautiful architecture
- attempted to speak some German (used the word "purpurfarbig" twice so far)
- ate a traditional German breakfast - meat, cheese, bread, fruit, hardboiled egg and Nutella
- discovered hidden courtyards
- rode the U-Bahn
- sat in cafes and journalled
- saw the following landmarks: Berlin Wall, Brandenburg Gate, TV Tower, Museum Island, numerous embassies, Water Tower, Victory Tower, and more

We have a few more days in Berlin and there is so much still to see. But most importantly, I need to remind myself to just be and enjoy where I am. We are definitely going at a leisurely pace. Tonight we are going out for a nice dinner to celebrate Bobbi's 30th birthday. Last night, we celebrated like we were 18...tonight, we will try to class it up a bit and act our age (a bit).

so we are here finally

After an interesting mechanical issue in Calgary and spending 2+ hours in the plane on the Calgary tarmac, Bobbi and I took off for Germany. The consequence of a delayed departure was a missed connecting flight to Berlin but we were able to get the next flight in and were only 3 hours behind schedule. All is good...we called Wendy and she waited at the airport for us. Thank goodness for cell phones.
I haven't been to bed yet. It is 7:40 p.m. Berlin time which is almost noon in Calgary which means we have been up for more than 28 hours. It is almost time for bed. I hope to stay awake until at least 8:30 p.m.
Will fill in the details later about the May Day carnival/festival we attended and the pizza from Ron Telesky's Canadian Pizza place.
Auf Wiedersehn.