I’ve been an independent woman the last couple of days getting around this chunk of Germany all by myself since Steve has been working nights and sleeping during the day.  I’ve made a couple mistakes but I’m here writing this post so I did something right.  I have to say that I’m glad tonight is Steve’s last night because I’m ready to do something fun again.  Tomorrow, we heading down to Interlaken and Grindlewald, Switzerland to do some hiking and climbing.  If you get a sec, check the weather for Grindlewald.  And we think Portland’s summer weather is bad.  I’m gonna be freezing my arse off! (The usage of arse is an ode to all the crossword puzzle’s I’ve been doing.  Lots of “British behind” clues.)  But I’m excited none-the-less.

I haven’t been totally filled with excitement though.  I’ve actually had some really sad moments in the last couple of days.  The saddest of moments come when Steve leaves for work at 7pm and I’m alone in a foreign village in a foreign country feeling like I’m not doing everything that I want to do while I’m here.  The biggest let down and by far the biggest source of tears on this trip was the realization that I wouldn’t be able to make it to Beaune, France in the heart of Burgundy.  That was my biggest dream coming into this trip and I thought that would be what brought the biggest breath of life to me.  I was anticipating sitting at a sunlight table on a cobblestone street with a glass of the best Burgundy and vineyards in the background.  I thought for sure that was how the Lord would awaken my heart and bless me.  This trip isn’t really looking like I thought it would and that’s really hard because it feels like He is withholding something from me, something that I want so so bad and it’s so close but I can’t get there.I’ve been asking the Lord to awaken my heart for so long and I guess I’ve put God in a box in how I think He will do that.  So I guess I need to pray that I would see outside the box and be satisfied with how He is awakening and speaking to my heart now.  I was talking to my friend Debbie yesterday via gmail chat and she pointed me to Deuteronomy 8 where God is speaking to the Israelites who have been wandering through the desert for 40 years.  His intent for us while we are in the wilderness, in the seasons of pure longing, being humbled, tested, and hungry is so that we may inherit his blessings, know what is in our heart–whether we will be faithful, to show us that we cannot live without him, and to show us his love for us as sons through his discipline.  That is SO packed and I still need to chew on that more.  But I need to stop putting God in my box and anticipating that he will show up in a specific way.  He may have me in this wilderness for 40 more years for all I know.  But I will continue to pray that he would keep me faithful and close to him when I feel like taking matters into my own hands and strive for the blessing that I want, instead of what he is trying to bless me with.

Ok, now onto the photos….

The nearest town to Steve’s villiage is called Landstuhl.  It’s not super cute but it has a couple streets to walk up and down and some cafes to sit and read and write at.  Behind me is a small castle and to the left is a cool little pub with a great patio overlooking the town.

Once an hour, a bus comes through Steve’s village and goes into Landstuhl.  I hopped on the bus a yesterday and bopped around Landstuhl for the day.  Not much to see, but at least I wasn’t stranded in the little village.

Today, I decided to take a bigger outing and head to Trier.  I took the bus into Landstuhl then caught the train there.  It was about a 2 1/2 hr (one way) trip to Trier but very cool…other than the rain that was a comin’ down this morning when I left Steve’s.  Wet feet=no fun.

Standing under the umbrella waiting for the bus to come.  I’m pretty wet already

The train ride to Trier was mostly boring except the last 20 minutes or so once we reached the Mosel Valley.  Vineyards everywhere!  And the train took us right along the Mosel River, which was unfortunately on the other side of the train so I didn’t get a photo.  But here’s a picture I found online:

There was some very cool architecture in Trier, which is right on the border of Luxembourg.

This is Market Square.  Very lively and colorful!  The pink building with the H&M used to be the palace of the Archbishop.

Love the fruit stands right in the middle of the square.  The nectarine I bought was the best piece of fruit I have ever had.  I seriously tasted like a Peachy-O!

My new friend Miguel.  He just struck up a conversation with me when I was sitting down people-watching.  Funky guy with a lot of dreams and very good English.  From the 20 minutes we chatted, I think he would fit in well in Portland. He kept on talking about wanting to live in Hamburg because of the buzz and mentality.

When  I got back to Landstuhl from Trier, none of the busses were running anymore so I took a taxi half-way to Steves.  Only half-way?  Yes, it was 11 Euro (about $15.00) for a 5 minute taxi ride!  I decided a I could walk the 4 km back home.  It actually might have been my favorite part of the day.

I finally made it back to Steve’s village, Obernheim-Kirchenarnbach.

Alright ya’ll.  I’m wiped out and need to catch some zzz’s before heading off to Switzerland in the morning.  I’ll be gone for a couple of days but I’ll write and post pictures when I get back.

Ciao!