Sheep Thrills
It’s Fussball-Weltmeister time…. That’s right folks, the World Cup. In a country where nationalism has been generally frowned upon for the last, oh, 60 years or so, it is an interesting time to be here. The German flags are flying, and crowds will spontaneously erupt into songs where “Deutschland” is the predominant, if not only, lyric. Of course, there are footy fans from the world over, all with their own flags, songs, and women donning (or conspicuously missing) varying degrees of dress in feeble attempts to distract their football-crazed counterparts from the issues at hand. The women, by the way, seem to do the most cheering after the game is over, when the footballers remove their jerseys on the field. A little something for everyone, I suppose. I figure Todd and I are pretty much broken up until the festivities are over.
I did go to see the US get knocked out of the cup by Ghana. The game was in Nuremberg, and I have to admit that it was really fun being there. There were a ton of Americans, also waving flags and showing their colors. So Sarah and Mas, if you happen to be reading this, I titled this series of photographs on your behalf… “America! Fuck Yeah!”
What is there to say about this one, really?
Again?
Todd's Shades....
American Legs....
American Baby....
A tense moment....
Fuck Yeah!
I guess we're just sheep after all....
Speaking of sheep…as you may or may not know, I recently spent some time in Scotland on a very long walk. By very long, I mean 73 miles in 4.5 days from Fort William to the heart of the Highlands in Inverness. It rained every single day of our walk, and one day, it even hailed. I felt a true sense of relief to be walking in May, Scotland’s driest month.
Monika, my walking partner, champed it out, in spite of the blisters on her feet, which reached double digits. At one point, we had been walking for hours on a country farm road, in the rain, when a tour bus driver pulled over and offered us a ride. I assure you, we looked that sad and pathetic. Still, we limped on (OK, Monika limped and I just walked along beside her moaning… Uhhhhhhhhhh…. Uhhhhhhhhhhhh. You have to fill the time somehow).
One aspect of this trip that will stay with me forever is the sense I got of being a traveler. As we walked in these remote areas of Scotland, we could go sometimes hours without seeing another living soul. The folks we did see often reappeared several times throughout the walk, as they were also stupid enough to bypass a car rental. People worried about other walkers when a day went by without seeing them. We shared dinners and drinks in tiny villages with people we met along the way. We developed a taste for single malt scotch. I learned to appreciate American songs as sung by a tone-deaf German girl with a low aptitude for retaining lyrics. I nearly perfected the fine art of sheep photography. And, I got to remove a tick from my hand and then continue on my journey waiting for the onset of Lyme disease or encephalitis.
After our walk, we stayed in Inverness for a few days, where we did get smart and rent a car. We got a good feel for the Highlands, and saw lots of ruins, castles, distilleries, and even a pre-historic gravesite.
From Inverness, we parted ways, and I ventured on to Edinburgh. There, I was finally greeted with some sun, and spent a few days exploring the city. Here are some photos from my adventure.
Exhibit A: Sheep...and there are more where this came from....
A cool old boat by Loch Lochy....
This was a fovorite moment from the hike. After a day of rain and hail, and challenging mountain hikes, we walked down into this lovely farm area, and the sun magically appeared!
One of many long, wet, roads....
A short break overlooking the Loch Ness. No monster, just another lake, really....
Loch Lochy....
The ruins of Urquart Castle....
The Elgin Cathedral ruins....
At the Glen Fiddich distillery....
Finally, as you might know by now, Todd and I (plus fish and jojo) will be back in the states toward the end of August. So I ask you now, if you ever, EVER see me wearing an American flag again, please exercise your god-given right to bear arms, and shoot me. America! Fuck Yeah!
Kisses….
I did go to see the US get knocked out of the cup by Ghana. The game was in Nuremberg, and I have to admit that it was really fun being there. There were a ton of Americans, also waving flags and showing their colors. So Sarah and Mas, if you happen to be reading this, I titled this series of photographs on your behalf… “America! Fuck Yeah!”
What is there to say about this one, really?
Again?
Todd's Shades....
American Legs....
American Baby....
A tense moment....
Fuck Yeah!
I guess we're just sheep after all....
Speaking of sheep…as you may or may not know, I recently spent some time in Scotland on a very long walk. By very long, I mean 73 miles in 4.5 days from Fort William to the heart of the Highlands in Inverness. It rained every single day of our walk, and one day, it even hailed. I felt a true sense of relief to be walking in May, Scotland’s driest month.
Monika, my walking partner, champed it out, in spite of the blisters on her feet, which reached double digits. At one point, we had been walking for hours on a country farm road, in the rain, when a tour bus driver pulled over and offered us a ride. I assure you, we looked that sad and pathetic. Still, we limped on (OK, Monika limped and I just walked along beside her moaning… Uhhhhhhhhhh…. Uhhhhhhhhhhhh. You have to fill the time somehow).
One aspect of this trip that will stay with me forever is the sense I got of being a traveler. As we walked in these remote areas of Scotland, we could go sometimes hours without seeing another living soul. The folks we did see often reappeared several times throughout the walk, as they were also stupid enough to bypass a car rental. People worried about other walkers when a day went by without seeing them. We shared dinners and drinks in tiny villages with people we met along the way. We developed a taste for single malt scotch. I learned to appreciate American songs as sung by a tone-deaf German girl with a low aptitude for retaining lyrics. I nearly perfected the fine art of sheep photography. And, I got to remove a tick from my hand and then continue on my journey waiting for the onset of Lyme disease or encephalitis.
After our walk, we stayed in Inverness for a few days, where we did get smart and rent a car. We got a good feel for the Highlands, and saw lots of ruins, castles, distilleries, and even a pre-historic gravesite.
From Inverness, we parted ways, and I ventured on to Edinburgh. There, I was finally greeted with some sun, and spent a few days exploring the city. Here are some photos from my adventure.
Exhibit A: Sheep...and there are more where this came from....
A cool old boat by Loch Lochy....
This was a fovorite moment from the hike. After a day of rain and hail, and challenging mountain hikes, we walked down into this lovely farm area, and the sun magically appeared!
One of many long, wet, roads....
A short break overlooking the Loch Ness. No monster, just another lake, really....
Loch Lochy....
The ruins of Urquart Castle....
The Elgin Cathedral ruins....
At the Glen Fiddich distillery....
Finally, as you might know by now, Todd and I (plus fish and jojo) will be back in the states toward the end of August. So I ask you now, if you ever, EVER see me wearing an American flag again, please exercise your god-given right to bear arms, and shoot me. America! Fuck Yeah!
Kisses….
posted by mel at 7:43 PM
3 Comments:
Can't wait for your return and eminent trip to Fountain Valley!!
Dude. How are we gonna find the time to come see you before August? I can't believe that we'd miss out on doing Germany with you guys.
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