We have arrived in a smallish city (250,000 people) on the northern cost of Germany on the Baltic Sea; a place called Kiel and we are settled in for Christmas, a white one at that. As I write it is snowing outside and we have had a lot of snow since we arrived in Germany about 6 days ago. We spent 4 nights in Nurenberg, Nurnberg or Nuremberg (all depending on which way language you spell it in)! It was a wonderful time with friends and we were treated like royalty. We spent a day skiing at the top of Germany on a mountain called Zugspitze; nearly 3000m high so a good visualisation of Mt Hammel and the like at the Death Race. At least my breathing was ok, so I don't think it will take that long to acclimatise to the altitude when it comes to July.
We arrived in Kiel last night and spent a lovely day wandering around a neighbouring town called Lübeck, dating from the late 1400's. This is what I love about Europe, the history, the age of the place. I feel inspired and in awe of a place when I walk into it and realise that people have lived and died, celebrated and mourned, loved and cried and in this space... kind of surreal! Ironically, much of the day was spent wandering the streets and then ducking into stores to avoid the cold for awhile and ending up shopping! And tomorrow was to be our 'shopping' day....
MGirl and I have felt a bit slack having not run since we left London. Paris was (wonderful) and anywhere between 0 and 5 degrees and it seemed so, so cold to us. We've arrived in Germany and it is even colder!! Nurnberg was about -2 to 2 degrees (it snowed 2 out of 4 days), and Kiel is even colder; today was about -4!!! We are determined to run in the snow, and on the chance that the USA isn't under snow where we are going... we have to committ and cover up and just run for the sheer joy of running in the snow, and doing something we wouldn't ordinarily do. That's what life is about, isn't it? Taking advantage of opportunities, making firsts in your life...I think so. Do not put off until tomorrow, that which you can do today...I think this is good advice I got from someone much older and wiser than me.
So until next time, whenever it may sporadically be on this trip, I hope to report that we went running in the snow through a northern German forest when it was -5 degrees at 9am in the morning....don't they say feel the fear and do it anyway? What have we to fear other than freezing our bums off??!!!!
Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year! I trust you are surrounded by those you love and have a week filled with love, good food, fine alcohol, laughter and surprise, contentment and joy... and that your new year brings new challenges and goals for you to set and conquer! My hard work and goal setting really comes to fruition after January 20th...for the moment the smile can not be wiped from my face... I feel so blessed to be where I am and with those I love! Love to my family and to you mum, you are tucked safely away in my passport, travelling with us every step of the way!
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