Monday Transport

I've decided to write about places I have been and transport you fine readers as you start your week.

So, bear with me...it will be a little long but enjoy the journey. I enjoy reliving the places through the writing and I enjoy writing so...it's a win win :-). oh and i get to exit thoughts from my ever thinking brain...did i mention i enjoy writing?

---October 2007, Munich, Germany (yes I entertained myself at Oktoberfest...Go if you can)

There was a day during my trip where I adventured down to this amazing, peaceful river. You walk through the neighborhood into the woods, down this dirt, weaving hill path through the woods (no not to grandmothers house we go...there's no horse or sleigh to take you there) and as you get to the bottom there is this a very, very old cemetery and I mean old...like the little church has 1842 inscribed on it. There are only 8 or 10 graves here. You know it's there but don't take any notice to it. You don't truly see it unless you are actually looking for it because there are joggers, people on bikes, a sign for horse riders, stuff that actually catches your eye. Maybe it's one of those places you've seen before and just know it's there. What if it vanished? What if one day, it just wasn't there? Would anyone notice?

The river...

You get to the bottom of the hill and you are gifted this amazing, pristine river and come to cross a bridge. A solid bridge; nothing rickety; nothing scary. When I say this river is pristine and supreme, I mean it. The water comes straight from the Alps. You stand just some feet above the river. It is so peaceful. As you walk across the bridge and look to your right you see the city that is Munich. You can faintly hear the noise, you see the historical buildings, the bridges, and you can picture Marienplatz  and all of the city happenings. But then you look left and your mind stops. There are no cars, no buildings, just trees, birds, and the river that seems endless curving around the bends. Dogs playing in the water, birds flying and soaring, just peaceful nothingness.

I walked left. I tend to walk left, park left, put on my clothes with my left side first. So I went left. People pass me on their bikes, jogging, walking their dogs, playing with their kids, everyone passes. Everyone is happy, laughing, enjoying life. You can come down to this river and just "be". 

Now I will interrupt your serene Monday morning with what I saw that day. Imagine walking along this river. Headphones in. Music transporting yourself to your own slice of zen. And then you see 2 cars drive down to the river. So of course I'm nosey but I wasn't the only person. 6 or 7 guys get out of the car with water and animals in kind of a tub thing. The second car was kind of a truck. So they start transferring them from the tub to the river. So I think, ok maybe their "populating" the river. (Honestly, I never found out what they were doing so if this sounds familiar to anyone be intrigued to let me know.) On that note, since no one through a fit or started a riot, I turned around and headed towards the bridge. I stopped in the middle and stared. 2 geese flying into the nothingness as the sun set. It looked like a fairy tale. So pretty and peaceful.

Let me tell you one thing. Walking down the zig zag, weaving dirt hill was much easier and more exciting when I was going down. This is a butt toner hill going up. You get to the top and take a deep breathe. Walk over to the sidewalk and back through the Munich neighborhood back to your house. While on your way home, the streets are filled with commuters and students going home. But no one has that "man, I'm tired and can't wait to get home" look. Everyone is chatty, everyone has a destination, and everyone is happy. I get home and the house is filled with great conversation with after work coffee because the Kindergarten's that my step-mom owns are in the neighborhood. Homes converted into Montessori Kindergarten's. They're amazing schools and the kids and staff are just unbelievable. Everyone heads home a bit after I get back from my journey and then it's dinner time. Perfect timing, huh?

 

Albert Camus said it best...To be happy, we must not be too concerned with others....

Maybe we'll transport to Stockholm...or Rome...or maybe somewhere local like Coronado...until next Monday.