2013-07 Part IV- Tubingen, Germany

the landscape changes dramatically. colours continue to inspire, they are more rich, or maybe my eyes are more open. Inside a darkened tunnel, I go inside my mind. Looking for words to describe this moment. The present hurtles along at 140 km/hr, the future just around the bend and the past seems light years behind...smells are fading, emotions dwindle, seasons change...I know this will not last and trying to hold onto it is futile. Like trying to catch the setting sun, you can only chase it for so long. And then, the sun's beauty is replaced by the rising moon...all circles moving in "time"...whatever that is :) 

Stuggart to Tubingen

I run to the train that I thought I had missed, pick a seat next to a man in very crowded car…the ticket girl comes along to take my ticket and says something to me in German in a very serious tone. I give the confused look and begin to say "Sprechen zee English?" She cuts me off and says "DO you want to upgrade to first class?" "Oh, no thank you, for it's only a 40 minute train ride to meet Simone." She says, "Then you MUST go to 2nd class through the glass doors." The man I sat next to says, "What a shame." I laugh and take my bag. Such a delightful moment, to be ousted from a crowded first class car to find the 2nd class car quiet, cool, and empty. 

Miles Davis moving through me, the sun sinking in the horizon…for every soul that's given me something, I dedicate this moment to you.

Tubingen: medieval city….picturesque, stories of poets locked in a tower…winding rivers, turning roads, the cobblestone streets. A university town, young lives among these ancient stones, such a contrast. They walk along without seeing.

The boat man was tall and leathery. With a commanding voice, it was his ship to sail and his crew to direct. We floated along the Neckar river, full of history and stories. I leave the words behind and dip my hand in the cool water. The baptism of this Canadian girl. I stand to take the pole and I drive the boat. I see all eyes on me. Easy, peasy. A diploma in boat driving and a scenic poster of the Neckar river. My nature in sync with Tubingen. Shoes fixed, blisters covered and I sit to weave a tale of my German experience. Just sitting, listening.

"Not scolding is praise enough." - German phrase