Jeanettes take on the trip

We are back!
I am so sorry I didn't get my en mass emails to you while we were away. My idea of how to get all your addresses didn't work!

We had a truely amazing time and I really wish I could share it with you. I have been sitting at my computer for sometime trying to summarise our trip into a meaningful way to send to you all. ... but I had only just got to Brendan's in Calgary and had written nearly 1000 words... and yes it was only a summary! Clearly too long for mass email for the sake of my readers!

You are currently on Steve's blog and Brendan's blog gives his point of view and updates you on what he is up to.

So what can I say??
I wish I had done a blog or could have emailed you along the way. I did take approx 4000 photos but I won't subject you to those. I plan to do a pruned down version for those who are interested. Just ask if you would like to see some of them.

We saw so much and such diverse things. we met amazing people and ate way too much food & put on too much weight as a result of great food and limited exercise.

Vancouver Island is so beautiful as it's mountains emerge from the sea. This is where Brendan was a councillor this summer and may return next summer (In Canada that means June/ july) We met many friends of his which was great.

The mountains between there and getting to Brendan were covered with beautiful forests. The bright yellows of autumn contrasted with the rich greens of the everygreen trees. Everywhere you go weather is a topic of conversation. It is not getting cold enough there in winter any more to kill the pine beetle and as a result there are so many dead pines that the damage can now be seen from space.

En route we stayed with friends of friends. Marian and Pat who now our friends! They showed us more amazing things like waterfalls and crystal clear water ways and a salmon run. We even saw a bear with her 2 cubs (not too close so the photos are so so)

Staying in Calgary around the corner from Brendan was the highlight of the trip! We discovered many new places together. Drumheller is an area rich in fossils and interesting canyons. There are also lots of pump jacks thoughout the paddocks pumping out oil. I always thought oil wells were big but these were just little things in paddocks. Small farmers pumping oil. Amazing!

During our second visit with Brendan we drove to Banff, Canmore and Jasper. The road was rated as poor and had ice on it in a few patches. Unfortunately winter does not start at the same time a summer does in the southern hemishpere and many many things were already shut for the winter. We saw lots of Caribou, a Wolf and other wild life. BUT beyong doubt the best thing was hanging out with Brendan. Our last day with him was -10 so got a little bit of a feel for what a warm winters day will be (it will get to -40 there on a cold winters day)

Between visits with Brendan we headed off the New York State to my friend Barb's. We all went to Niagara Falls together. Our very good friend Brenton Barritt from Australia was there the same day but we didn't discover that until it was too late! We had seen some beautiful falls with Pat and Marian but Niagara Falls really are very special. The Rich red orange and yellow harvest colours were the icing on the cake!

Steve went off the his Biodiesel course (which he found very valuable) while Mum and I had a great time with Barb. We went to the house of the man who started Kodak, shared fun times with her family and friends and enjoyed country life in New York State. Again the colours were amazing.

Buffalo (where we flew into and out of) Had just had a huge snow storm, so big it made news in Australia. Parts of the region were without power for 10 days. Gratefuly Barb's was back on before we arrived! I also got to go to school there and meet the teacher I exchange student emails with. That was great. The children I meet will email my class next year.

Our travelling party was then reunited in Colorado where we visited with Steve sister Julie. We saw lots and lots of snow there and also went to Colorado National Monutment Park which is like a small intermate Grand Canyon. Truely amazing! Again it was great to meet and spend time with Julie and Dan and their friends.

After our second visit with Brendan mum and I went to Paris. WOW Paris is very different to the other places we had been. Neither of us speak French so we had a little culture shock at first. We recovered in time to really enjoy Paris. It is so different and so Parisian! I took lots of photos of windows. We ate in the Eiffel Tower, cruised the Seine and even bought a little art. We stayed in a small market street which was very special in its own right.
Crepes and red wine Yum! and the bread!!!
Read steve's blog to hear about his adventures in Germany.

Mum and I had a full day in Singapore where we made use of the 2 free tours offered into the city and their free internet.

When we arrived back in Adelaide we rushed through customs to go my Uncles funeral. A rather sad way to catch up with family.
What a trip!

I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Please let me know what you think and what you have been up to while we have been away. It is hard getting our head around being back in Australia and I have jetlag but it is good to be home.
God bless,
Jeanette

Home Again

I'm Baaack!
After a longish flight (from Nurmberg via Frankfurt & Singapore) I touched down around 10 on Monday morning. With a hint of sadness, my adventure was finally over (or maybe just about to begin!)
I was met at the airport by some of my most enduring friends Bryan, Brenton & Sharon. It was great to be greeted by friendly faces and warm hugs.
My time in Germany turned out to be a great experience. I was getting the hang of the language and would like to have stayed longer to see how much I could have picked up in say 3 months - mmmmm. (I did miss the lovely Jeanette though - she would have to come with me)
After the initial shock (thinking back, it was probably jetlag with a bit of cultural readjustment thrown in) of the first day or two, I settled down to experiencing a new and different country.

I hired a car (Audi A3 - 1.9 Litre TDi - mmmmm, I want one!) and headed off into the country. I love the Autobahns - imagine doing 150 kph in the slow lane, and being passed like you are standing still! Apparently it is not speed that kills, only when it is done by idiots. (BTW - the Audi did 500 Km on 33 litres of fuel - 43 mpg - sitting mainly on 120 to 190 kph!)
After taking a round-about route I finally made it to the company I was planning to visit latish in the afternoon. They suggested a hotel in a nearby town which was very friendly, comfortable and well priced. I returned to the company briefly the following morning and then returned to Nurmberg via Bamberg where I did the touristy thing and walked around taking in the sights.
I flew out the following day, but not until 7:00 so I got to do the touristy thing around Nurmberg as well. I had my money all worked out so that I would leave with less than a Euro in my pocket. When the entrance to castle was 6 Euro, I could not go in, until the kind man at the desk gave me a complimentry pass. It is touches like this that make travelling worthwhile.
What is next. God knows!
I am just waiting to find out.

A downer in Germany (No Alexander though)

Germany has been a major disappointment - but may work out in the end.

Tuesday
Pretty seedy from the flight and the condition of the hostel room made me less than cheerful.

Wednesday
Another bloody public holiday - everytime I try and contact Ellsbett there is a public holiday. Regardless of that I decide to embrace the challenge, get out and about, catch some trains, do some walking. I find a map at the train station and on it find Thalmassing (the town Ellsbett is in) and WieBenburger Str (the street Ellsbett is on). Ah-hah I've found them. I catch the Underground to the end, find the street and walk the entire length of it - No Ellsbett.
I ask a weary soul at a bustop if he's ever heard of Ellsbett - Blank look. I show him my piece of paper - "Oh you need Thalmassing - it's that way but I don't know how far" - I am in a subdivision where each street was named after a regional town!
Walk back to the Underground and ask a taxidriver if he knows where Thalmassing is. He doesn't, but consults his Compaq iPad and merrily informs it is about 70 Euro.
Catch the train back to the city, go to a bookshop and buy an atlas of Germany
Find a nice coffee shop and drink overpriced coffee whilst paying to surf the web, find a car for thursday & friday
Go back to my 20 euro a night flee pit.

Thursday
Checkout of Flee city
Ring up Ellsbett to confirm visit to find that the 2 people I have dealt with so far won't be there. The person on the phone is trying to tell me that maybe I should come another time. After I explain that I have come from Australia and that I am leaving on Saturday they promise that someone will talk to me.
Pick up rental car.
Nice Audi A3 1.9 litre TDi - I want one
Plan trip to Thalmassing, drive 210 km, look for WieBenburger Str and can't find it on the city map billboard, consult German atlas, discover the other Thalm'a'ssing - the one where the 'a' has umlots. That would be the one that is only 50 km from Nurmberg ( where the u has umlots!)
On the third try I finally made it to Tham'a'ssing.
The people at Ellsbett were very friendly and helpful. The 2 people I have had contact with in the past were both around (although one had to leave for a meeting - I will see him tomorrow) and to top it off they suggested a nice hotel in a nearby town - and for only 31 euro a night.
So, in the end, things worked out well.

Friday (planned)
Visit Ellsbett again,
return to Nurmberg
return car
stay in a more salubrious motel

Saturday (planned)
do some sightseeing
catch train to airport
fly home


It is amazing that so often when I do stuff toward the Biofuels, I meet all sorts of intangible problems, as if there is some sort of opposition from somewhere. I really believe that what I am doing has a long term significance and that I am looking after GOD's creation. (either that or I am dillusional - your choice)

Our last day in Calgary - Get a coffee!

Breakfast was a little earlier this morning because Jeanette and her mum were flying out to Paris.

Breakfast was pretty subdued with our impending departure and separation, but Jim (B&B Host) was his normal animated self. The main course for breakfast was scrambled eggs with ham..

After breakfast we collected Brendan on the way to the airport. Checking in was uneventful.After much angst about the weight of individual bags, at the moment of truth the Ticketing person lifted the up and said 'yep they are ok - I'll just put an HEAVY label on that one'

Calgary is by far the best airport we have encountered on this trip. The airport is well laid out with ample shops and coffee/food places outside of security so that passengers can be seen off comfortably. The shops are friendly and a condition of their lease prohibits price gouging of the captive market. Security is thorough without the paranoia and hype of their southern neighbours.

We had an hour or so to kill before Jeanette and her mum had to go through security. Part of this time Jeanette and I walked around the airport, taking in the spectacular views of Calgary downtown and the Rocky Mountains in the distance. This also allowed Brendan and his Nana to spend some time together.
Jeanette was also able to spend some time with Brendan.

We all felt a certain lethargy today, the kind that comes when you know that something unpleasant has to be done. We have all felt a greater sorrow than we originally felt when he first left because this time the sense of unreality has passed.

With a look of profound sadness Jeanette (and her mother) disappeared into the secure area of Gate Section A (after a few glances back from within).

I had the privilege of another 5 hours with Brendan. What we did was less important than that we did it together. We tried to track down an eBay purchase (looks like B will get to test out the dispute resolution process!), returned a DVD and had lunch at Lou's (16th Street Calgary, the spicy fries are sensational and if you ask nicely, they will even put an egg in the burger for you). The server (waitress) at Lou's was the same one we had last visit and Brendan engaged her at length talking about music, gigs and tattoos. (A Very Smooth - he makes everybody feel special).

From Lou's, a leisurely sojourn down 14th to Nose Hill Park. Climbing Nose Hill was about the only suggestion that Brendan made for an activity in Calgary, and so far we had not been able to make it.

This oversight was quickly redressed by an athletic sprint to the summit by 2 superb specimens, despite the sub-zero (-8C) temperatures. At he summit there was a rather lame attempt at a snow fight, and although one party conceded defeat they then launched an underhanded attempt at victory, after the clock had stopped.

With snow on the ground, brilliant sunlight, no wind and an air temperature of -8C, the scene was awesome. It has been good to share and see some of what Brendan will be facing in coming months (but we only saw -11C. -40C is something again!)

When Brendan left Adelaide in may, the impact was not really appreciated because it all seemed so unreal. Now - having been separated, reunited and facing separation again the sense of loss is so much greater.

We have always had a great relationship, but I am now even more keenly aware of the bond between us.

Jeanette & I had stated objectives to raise all of our children to be independent fully functional adults and they have both exceeded all of our expectations and dreams. Brendan is on a journey into the unknown which is both exhilarating and terrifying.

His GOD goes with him.

He and I are both learning more about the true cost of sending the son.

See lots.
Do lots
Learn lots
Be lots