Catching Up

Well, it's been over a month since I've uploaded anything to the blog - but finally posted several entries today. This past month has been the best and worst month on the journey so far, but overall I'm grateful. I left my apartment in Florence at the end of September and unfortunately my last week in Italy was a hard one. Got tragic news from my family back home and my credit card identity was stolen. It was a lot to process and my heart was sad to leave Florence. Since then, I traveled to northern Italy, all over Switzerland and Southern Germany and have loved it. Absolutely love the mountains and it has been so great for my heart, soul, mind and spirit to be here.

I got a few emails from friends that commented they hadn't seen anything new on my blog - to be honest I was surprised and flattered that anyone is reading. This is more than you'll ever want to know about my life, travels, heart, beliefs, struggles, hopes, but read if you want to. This journey has been amazing and really good for me.

There is much more I've written and need to write and will try to update as I can. I've also been working on my EGG book as well as my Fruitfulness vs. Productivity manifesto. I've seen great places, had great experiences and most of all met great people. Just what I hoped this adventure would be - and it has been the greatest adventure of my life.

Two more months to go!

Bike Ride Around Bavaria

For more photos to enjoy of the Bavarian Region, please click on: www.share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8IbNWTJs1cMRU

I took an early train from Bregenz to Fussen, Germany – Bavarian Country – the next morning. After quickly dropping off my bags, I decided to rent a bike for the day. It was a gorgeous day – sunshine but cool air. The trees are full of color and the town is nestled in the Alps, which I love. I rode the bike around Lake Forggensee for a bit. It was a 20 mile ride around the lake with amazing views. The lake is turquoise and paths all around. I decided 20 miles the day after a half marathon was a bit much and was eager to see the castles. There was a good chance of rain the next day and I wanted to get some snaps (thinking of my Zambian boys a lot this day).

First I stopped at the Tegelberg Gondola and Luge Park. This was awesome! The gondola is near the Neuschwanstein Castle and apparently has amazing views. There were paragliders all over the place. Next to the gondola is a luge course. It’s a bobsled course made out of stainless steel. You take the lift up to the top on a sled/go cart and whip and wind your way down! It was a blast! I do wish I had someone with me to share in the fun. Also wished someone could join in my silliness and giggle when I discovered the German word for ride is FAHRT. Did I want one FAHRT or six? I just joined in with the kids and some dads. I did wonder why the moms sat back and watched? Perhaps it’s 10 minutes of quiet and they take any chance they can? I pray I do get to be a mom, but I can’t imagine showing up at a theme park or ride and not wanting to jump right in!

I hadn’t eaten all day, so I has weinerschnitzel and fries. The weinerschnitzel is like a hot dog and don’t care for it much, but I do love the bratwurst and will eat it anytime!

After the fun, I got back on my bike and rode the trails to the castles. My legs were burning and I knew that was either a very good or very bad idea to ride a bike for five hours, but I was too excited about what I was seeing. Coming up on the castles were such a sight! I wanted to come to see the castle that Walt Disney chose to replicate at Disney World and in the movie Cinderella – it did not disappoint. The hills were so steep, I had to push the bike up most of the way. I didn’t spend a lot of time since I’ll spend the day here tomorrow, but it was wonderful to get a glimpse. I pushed up further to Mary’s Bridge and rode on bike trails coming down. Flashes of the Muddy Buddy in my mind. The lake at the bottom – Alpsee - was spectacular. I rode around it and it was so peaceful. The time of day was perfect as the light created a perfect reflection of the trees and mountains on the water. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

Around 5:30 the rain started, so I biked back to town. My hotel was Altstadthotel zum Hechten and they were incredibly nice to me. They did my laundry for me and made great suggestions and took extra care. So thankful. That night I at the hotel restaurant Wirtshaus and had a traditional Bavarian fare and was stuffed and exhausted. My plan was to get my computer to email and such for a few hours. There was this guy on the computer so I decided to lay down for a 20 minute nap and come back. I did that at 7:45 and woke up at 11:30. I was pooped! I know I’m 38, but someone needs to remind me from time to time – most times I feel like I’m 18. I obviously needed the rest, but knew the next day I’ll be ready to go again!

Three Country Marathon - Germany, Austria, Switzerland

For more photos of the race, please click on: www.share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8IbNWTJs1cMR2.com.

Woke up early to an extremely cold, autumn morning in Austria. I wanted to get to the race early and check out Lindau Island when it wasn’t raining. The race organizers arranged for free travel via ferry across Lake Constance to Lindau. Showing up at the marina was exciting – standing there with hundreds of runners mentally preparing for the long race ahead. I was actually getting a bit nervous about 13 miles. I hadn’t run that far since Boston and have not been training at all. Good thing I don’t run for time anymore. The ferry was cool and it was a thrill to take a boat to the start of a race.

Standing at the start area and looking around, I found many more similarities in runners and racing over here than differences. They had a band playing 50s and 60s music in English – but would only speak to the crowd in German. While I was always able to find people to ask questions – nothing here is written or spoken in English. I would have loved to have tried some of my limited Italian, but I haven’t done anything to learn German. So, discovering where to put your bag for pick up at the end of the race, and finding the restroom and understanding the starting blocks was a bit of an adventure. I did find my German friends from the day before and wished them luck in the race, took pictures and went to the WC for the third time.

There were only 4000 runners and only 1000 of them doing the full marathon. I discovered this race through my amazing sister-in-law whose friend Ed had told her about it. When she shared it with me I knew I wanted to do it. The race starts in Lindau Island, Germany and you run along this huge lake (Lake Constance) into Austria and onto Switzerland and circle back to the finish in Bregenz, Austria. It looked beautiful and cool to hit three countries in one run and it was awesome! They had a marathon, a half marathon, a relay and Nordic walkers – obviously one of the few differences than what we have in the US.

It was freezing cold at the start – we took off at 11:11 - but the sun started to break through and it ended up being a gorgeous day. The scenery was beautiful as we rang along the lake, and the trees were full of color and the cool air felt great. I kept running off to the side to take pictures. The first 2-3 miles are always hard for me, but I got into a groove and felt fine. I still haven’t mastered the conversion of Imperial and Metric and could not remember how many kilometers we had to run – I knew it was about 22 km. I ran past my German friends but didn’t stop because I had to go to the bathroom. I stopped a few times, but I didn’t bring change and forgot the European WC’s require money – that made it interesting. But it all worked out. I actually stopped twice. Our numbers had our names on them, so people would call out my name and I would just smile as they would yell something like “HOP, HOP, HOP! Jennifer! HOP, HOP, HOP!” They would do this over and over. Not quite sure what the HOP HOP is all about – perhaps GO GO GO! but I loved it! It gave me a giggle every time I heard it. The last four miles were really hard and have no idea how I made it. It’s amazing how quickly you can loose strength when you stop training, but equally amazing how your body muscle has memory. Loved that feeling when you get into overdrive and just enjoy the ride. It also gave me a boost to see my German friends again. This time I stopped and took some photos. Coming into the finish was exciting. We wound around the outside of this stadium, entered and finished on the track. What a day! An awesome race! Grateful.

I was surprised when I came through the finish that there wasn’t a clock at the finish – in fact, there weren’t clocks along the course at all. I loved that – this didn’t occur to me until the end. I later saw a clock on the stage, but what a dramatic difference from races in the US. These people seemed to be here to run a race, but it wasn’t about the outcome or how well they performed. Maybe I’m wrong, but it seemed that way. I can say these were all pretty seasoned runners. In the US the 4 hour mark of a marathon is the biggest pack. Most of these marathoners came in around 3 to 3.5 hours. It was really impressive.

During the race the water stops were the same, but different. First, the water is sparkling water. It was fine, but quite different. They also offer Iso, which is their Gatorade, but they also offer tea. What? Tea? OK. That was interesting.

The finish area was awesome. They served up much healthier snacks at the end and no bread. I suppose they got their reload of carbs from the beer, which was the busiest tent at the finish area. The funniest part was the massage area. I decided – it’s free – I might as well get a little rub down for 10 minutes so I got in line. As I got to the front of the line looking at all the tables I realized that people would take off their running tights to get their massage. Yep – men and women – right there in front of everyone stripping down to their skivvies. Awkward, but I just jumped right in. When in ROME right? I suppose it’s no different than being in a bathing suit, but a little random. Now that was way different, but I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I have to say it was really fun to see this community of runners and loved it that it was so similar to what I had at home. My German friends were so nice and talking to them it seems they have what I had in Dallas and my brother and sister in law have in Tulsa. It was a nice feeling.

After the race I walked around the lake again and it got very cold. I went back to the hotel and crashed hard – after treating myself to a yummy cheeseburger!

The Glacier Express

For more photos of the Glacier Express, please click here: www.share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8IbNWTJs1cMSY.com.

I woke up in the middle of the night and hurt all over. I felt like I do the day after a marathon. I completely underestimated how a run and a seven hour hike would impact my body. Thankfully, I was going to get to spend the day resting on the Glacier Express as this slow train takes us across Switzerland. Taking off from Zermatt on the Glacier Express was a thrill! It started to snow that morning! How fortunate I am to have had such a beautiful day yesterday and leave in a snowstorm on a train through the mountains! I wish my stepfather, Ed, was here since he loves trains. The only downfall to the snow was not being able to see the full view of the mountaintops, but it was glorious to see the snow coming down for the first time this season. The snow would stick to the tops of the trees like a blanket as we moved along. Beautiful.

There is also an audio tour with the Glacier Express that provides a little history and context as we made our way across the country. As we reached Visp, the sun started to break through and we h ad great views. Then in Munster there was snow all over and we were surrounded by the fall colors – gold, red, brown, green and now white. The train ride was fabulous and a wonderful way to see the country. I’ve discovered I love to ride on trains – especially in Switzerland. I’d love for my mom and Ed to come here. Did I say that already? During the train ride, they served a swanky three-course meal – all family style. The train is designed with glass all around so you have a panoramic view of the mountains and towns and rivers and sights all around you.

There was a darling couple sitting next to me, Axel and Tanya, who were enjoying the ride as much as me. They apparently talked about me for some time and Tanya finally got the courage to ask me where I was from. They had a bet. He thought I was either American or Australian and she thought I was from Scandinavia. I have actually gotten that a lot, which always surprises me. I couldn’t be more American – good or bad. We got to visit the rest of the trip about where we are from and our stories. They seemed to be taken by an American girl traveling alone. Tanya is from Russia, but has been living in Germany with her family for some time. Axel is German and seems German – in the best of ways. It was real fun to watch them together – she is really playful and you can tell she is the delight of his life. They were so kind and gave me their contact information hoping I might come to Dusseldorf and let them take me around. So generous.

I had to get off the train in Chur and make my way to Bregenz, Austria. It would have been great to stay on the Glacier Express to St. Moritz and see the other side of the Swiss Alps. But this was fantastic and something I would absolutely do again.