Day 348 - Pool Chairs

Thought of the day: I went back to my regular routine today. I was told that Lila had missed me a lot when I was away. I could tell as she was almost giddy all day. She tired herself out so much during the day that she dropped into sleep almost instantly tonight. For me, it was good to get away and immerse in an entirely different environment once in a while. I felt that I had been gone for a long time but actually it was only a short three days. Coming back home was like stepping into a different time and space. We slip in and out of different universes all the time, within each we have a distinctive role or roles to play. This goes on for an entire life time and in some religions this goes on for many life times. Are we authentically ourselves in all the universes or are we most authentically ourselves in a specific one? I wonder about that often and I don't think I will ever find a definite answer. 

Photo of the day:

Pool chairs and swim ring.  Jasmine was taking an outdoor swim lesson while Lila played in the play pool. Now that I was back in my regular routine, it was hard to believe that I was in a very different place in the company of very different people doing very different things only yesterday.

Day 286 - Lila

Thought of the day: Our traveling got more exciting last afternoon after Jasmine found Francis - a New Zealand girl of her age - to play with and we made acquaintance with her mother and uncle who were traveling with her.  The train provided ample opportunities for people to get to know each other and socialize if they were up for it.  The small space helped.  For example, as the dining cars were packed, strangers were often seated together and were almost "forced" to socialize.  People also found company in the observation car and in the cafe.  Jasmine, Francis and Lila were never separated after they got to know each other.  They walked up and down the cars, squealed in delight, played games and had a great time together. As you can tell, we were getting used to the life on the train.  But even when we were getting used to the rhythm and breathing of the moving beast and getting used to the everchanging landscape, a travel weariness was slowly creeping into our bodies.  When we left the train at Emeryville, it felt soooo good to be standing on solid ground again.  The girls had a hard time saying goodbye to their new friends.  We left our contact information but I wonder if we would ever hear from them again...

Photo of the day:

Lila playing in grandparents' yard.  She was happy to have more space to run around again.

Day 285 - Best Friends

Thought of the day: The train is now chugging its way through the forests of California.  The landscape outside of the window is beautiful and serene, so different from the rugged Colorado mountains we rode past yesterday but they are equally striking. After getting settled in the train and having a good night of bumpy but peaceful sleep, I am starting to feel pretty comfortable on board.  Unsurprisingly, there's always an adjustment process when I try out something new.  I had expected too much of the living condition and service on the train, so I got a bit of a reality shock when I just got on board yesterday.  Now that I have had a better idea of the state of things and adjusted my expectations accordingly, I am actually pretty amazed at how well things run.  The attendant in our car has been working non-stop for days. She is apparently the only person who works in this particular car of this particular train and as long as the train doesn't take a break, she doesn't get a break either.  And the attendants in the dining car work non-stop for several hours in a row during breakfast, lunch and dinner to serve the entire train of diners and I don't see a whole lot of people tipping them.  Our room is tiny but it really has all we need. The beds are surprisingly comfortable.  During the day, they can be compacted and stowed away to make space for day time activities. As the time I spend on the train grows, my appreciation of the attendants and of our living condition grows too. Meanwhile, David has just taken the girls up to the observation car to take a better look of California, so I get to have a moment of uninterrupted peace to enjoy the experience on the train.  No matter how often I ride a train, the feeling on the train is always a bit strange and surreal.  When the train is moving, it's as if you are going through a time tunnel.  You watch the landscape roll by and there's just enough time to get a glimpse of everything but not enough time to get connected with anything.  It's a form of inconsequential existence where you float above life as a pure observer even though you are all surrounded by it.  In a way,  that gives you an opportunity to become more introspective. There's clearly a restorative power in a journey like this. If one has just gone through a tough time in life, I can imagine that a train trip like this can be calming and healing.

Photo of the day:

Jasmine, Lila and their new best friend hugging each other: another strange and surreal thing that can happen on a train is the speed in which friendships can blossom.

Day 252 - Airport

Thought of the day: It's hard to believe that our trip is almost over and we're now already on the flight back to Boulder. Sitting in a humming aircraft 30,000 feet above the ocean provides an unique opportunity for reflection.  During this trip, I have spent an unforgettable week in Greece, made a few excursions in Switzerland, got together with some people, watched sunsets, read books and kept up with the blog as the best I can.  Visiting Switzerland always does a strange thing to me - on the way back, I often feel like I want to become a better person and live my life more fully and more wisely. I don't know exactly why.  Perhaps the beauty and serenity of the landscape have a deeper impact on me than I know, perhaps living in a different culture compells me to become more thoughtful, or perhaps spending time with other people and seeing their different ways of living shed a new light on my own. Unfortunately, this feeling generally doesn't stay with me for very long so I shall appreciate it while it lasts. 

Photo of the day:

In Frankfurt airport, David pulling Lila on her Trunki.  In the background is the airplane that's taking us back to Denver.

Day 234 - Oia Sunset

Thought of the day: After spending a couple of days in Santorini, I am noticing a few things here - some of them were expected and some of them came as a surprise. First of all, there is an abundance of sunlight here.  It's closer to the equator and the summer sun is very strong. I see a lot of people walking around town with sunburns - they are probably the unsuspecting first-time tourists to Greece.  Secondly, there are many painters here.  At any time of the day, I see painters working on the walls, roofs, chimneys, stones, you name it, until they are painted as white as fresh snow.  Even part of the cliff adjacent to our hotel is painted white. In any case, it's apparently a lot of work to keep up the impossibly white image of Oia. Thirdly, there are a lot of tourists from China. I used to run into more Japanese tourists than Chinese, but in the past few years, the trend seemed to have reversed. That's probably not too surprising given the rise of upper and middle class Chinese and Japan's persistent economic woes. Fourthly, the most frequently used language in hotels and restaurants is not Greek, not Spanish, not German, not French, but English in a variety of accents. Perhaps it's not too surprising for a tourist town, even if it's an European tourist town. What's a little surprising, however, was that even the hotel staff often talk to each other in English.  It turns out that they come from all over Europe to work here, not just from Greece.

Photo of the day:

Sunset in Oia is an event in its own category.  At around 8pm, the town empties out to the western tip to watch the famous Oia sunset.  People spill back into the streets and restaurants after the sun completely disappears into the ocean.  It looks as if the time is suspended during the sunset hour and everything can go back to normal again only afterward.  People claps the moment when the sun is completely gone - and you can almost hear the collective sigh "OK, it's finally over, phew!"  Or maybe it's just in my imagination?

Day 231 - Book and Tea

Thought of the day: We are on a Greek island! We have had kids for eight years and this is the first time in as many years that David and I travel together on our own. The kids are staying back in Switzerland with the grandparents - not a bad arrangement for them because there are many things they can do. When we left this afternoon, Lila took it in stride, but Jasmine had a hard time saying goodbye. We are already missing them but it's also nice to have this opportunity to travel on our own.  When we travel with the kids, naturally, much of our energy goes toward keeping them safe, happy and entertained.  Traveling on our own, we can focus more freely on what's going on around us and focus more on each other. It makes an entirely different kind of travel experience.  I think all the couples with kids ought to try this once in a while, if they can.

Photo of the day:

Enjoy a fine book with hot tea on the flight from Switzerland to Santorini. The food served on the Swiss Air flight was surprisingly good - my favorite part was the ice cream and Swiss chocolate!

Day 215 - Girls

Thought of the day: Today I met a woman who was going to spend some 2-3 years in China.  She was excited but also nervous at the same time.  It's more than a few people's dream to travel and live in a foreign culture for an extended period of time. However, when you are lucky and the dream is actually turning into the reality, it's not uncommon that you may be facing some daunting challenges and logistics and feeling some level of uncertainty and anxiety.  That's particularly true when there're children or babies involved. It takes a lot of courage to leave your comfort zone and plunge yourself into the unknown. However, if you just let yourself go and keep a keen and open mind, in return you may be rewarded with a special period of your life when you are most alert and alive, an enriching experience that will broaden your perspective, and a precious memory that will last a lifetime.  Yes, I must admit that I am a bit envious of her.  And I wish her a happy adventure.

Photo of the day:

Lila and her friend on Pearl St.  These girls are lucky to grow up in Boulder.  And I think they will be even luckier if they get a chance to experience life in a different culture at some point in the future.

Day 214 - Mossy Rock

Thought of the day: This afternoon, when I was cleaning up the aspen catkins in the backyard, suddenly I felt the familiar urge to travel.  Oh, the care-free traveling days, when you can just leave all your worries behind and enjoy new adventures every day as they come.  I am sure this over-romanticized view of traveling is somewhat faulty and there will be times when I will miss my home dearly, but at least I will no longer need to worry about those nasty catkins (aren't they pretty as they are?), dusty floors (isn't that part of the charm?) and dirty laundries (they can wait) every day.  Going to travel is like pushing a giant pause button on your real life and start a new life every day in a different place - a life that's ungrounded and without consequences as it's fleeting and temporary.  I will welcome the lightness of being for a while.  Yes, in just one more week, I'll be there.

Photo of the day:

Lila was a huge help in cleaning up the backyard today.  But of course, she mostly played.  Here she was trying to climb up a mossy rock near the play structure.