eurotrip

Thirty Days of Europe Recap and What Comes Next

/ Terry Heck / Leave a comment

I want to start off by saying I feel truly blessed to have been able to take this adventure. From the sights, to the sounds, to the food, to the personal reasons that I went. Everything turned out great.

Now I know normally when someone takes an extended life break to go somewhere else in the world they often come back with a horror story of some kind. Their camera gets stolen, they miss flights, they lose luggage; Things we all hear about and dread experiencing.

I don’t really have one of those crazy stories of hardship on the road. Part of me is thankful for that, and part of me is sad about it. I don’t have an insane one of a kind tale to tell, but what I do have are stories of personal growth, making changes, fulfilling promises and enjoying life.

I got to go to places that I’ve dreamed of for so long, I got to take my Oma home one last time. I got Cecile to drink far too much really shitty Italian liquor and walk the streets (sorry again for the day after, heh), I got to spend thirty days with my birth mother, as mentioned above, which I think brought us closer together than we were before. I experienced so many things, saw so much, and reveled in it the entire time. It taught me a lot about myself and a lot about others; Their cultures, dynamics, history, views, the list of items could go on, so I’ll stop there. I learned, through trial by fire, how to use my camera more efficiently and properly. I took something like five thousand pictures and still have ye to go through a lot of them.

If I had to have one drawback of the experience, it was that I learned that seeing ten countries in thirty days is a bit too fast for me. I would have liked to cut the country list by about two or three places. The flip-side of this statement is that after going to these places I now know the countries to cut, where I really didn’t before. So perhaps that makes my slow down point moot? Maybe, but I still think if I ever have the chance to do it again, it would be be at a slower rate.

On that point, if I ever do Europe again, it would likely contain mainly countries in the east. Not only are they easier on the wallet but also the people seems much more available. By that I mean eastern Europeans seemed way more laid back, far easier to approach and speak with about a veritable gambit of topics. The next European adventure would likely contain Croatia, Hungary and Romania. Those would be my big three.

Those that have been following me know that I was fired from my job the Friday before we were to get on the plane. They had agreed to the time off, even had me work extra days to make up for it, then let me go due to “restructuring”, whatever that means. Essentially it was the only way my boss could legally get rid of me (him and I did not see eye to eye on the way he treated people and my drivers, which I brought up on numerous occasions, guess he didn’t like that). So rather than let it get me down, well, I just didn’t. Once we got back, reality kinda set in that I have a mortgage to pay, bills, responsibilities. Even so, I kinda just said screw it the other day and have decided to go to Thailand in two to four weeks. I figure I can still do it right now, without much of a consequence, so why not? Then when I get back the intense job hunt can begin.

So going forward, should Thailand become a reality, you will hear from me while I travel the Land of Smiles! I hope you can join me on that adventure as well.

As always, keep your eyes on the horizon!

Germany – Taking Oma Home

/ Terry Heck / 4 Comments

It’s been a tough blog entry for me to write this time around. This story is primarily about my Oma (grandmother in German). It’s been difficult for me to finish because every time I start I get ultra emotional and find it difficult to formulate into words how amazing and special she was to me. I want this post to be as close to perfect that I can get it, she was and is worth every word.

omiyoung

This is Margaretha Heck, my Oma, or Omi as I called her from the time I could speak. She died suddenly, in November of 2012; It was the single hardest day of my life. This -oh so- strong, brilliant, eloquent, kind, caring and wonderful woman basically raised me from the time I was a baby until I was fourteen years old while both of my parents worked. I learned so much from her and idolized her in a way that I cannot explain. She is my heart, and always will be. I miss her terribly. Just writing this and remembering her face, her laugh, her voice….

It was very painful for me for a long time because I never really got to say goodbye. I didn’t get to say goodbye to the most important person in my life and I lost my heart that day, in more ways than one.

I decided the day she died, or very very soon after, that I wanted to do something for her that she always talked about doing but always made excuses why she shouldn’t, she was pretty stubborn like that. I was a little late but, I took her home, one last time. I wish she could have been alive to see it. I hope she still did, in some way.

I knew during this trip I had to go to Germany to accomplish what I set out to do. It ended up being our last stop before heading back home (thank you Cecile for agreeing to go there, it meant a lot to me).

I enlisted the help of my dad for driving directions from Frankfurt to Bühlerzell and he decided to print off about twenty maps, all section by section, complete with his red marker notes. Thanks dad!

Bühlerzell is a town of approximately fifteen hundred people. This was where Omi was born and grew up. Her father was the principal of the school, which also doubled as their home. This home is now city hall, so it made it easy to find, along with dad’s maps.

My plan was for her as much as it was for me. I wanted to spread her ashes at the place she was born in order to fulfill my promise to myself of taking her home and in the process getting to say goodbye how I wanted and needed to. I originally did not plan on visiting her oldest friend from childhood, Tilly, as well as the extended family that that brought with it. I did change my mind however, as I realized that they never got to say goodbye either and for me to be selfish and only think of myself in this situation would have been exactly what Omi would have given me shit for. So, thinking of her and what she would want, I buried half of the ashes in the flower gardens at city hall (it just so happened that the flowers were her favorite ones) and took the container with the other half and ventured a block and half down the road to Tilly’s house.

I knocked on the door and the look of surprise on Tilly’s face was great. However it was because my dad told them I was going to be coming the day before I actually got there. They had invited the entire family over and everyone was gathered there to see us and we didn’t show (Thanks again, Dad :P).

See, the issue is that I do not speak German very well. I understand it and can listen but I cannot communicate back which is why having the family there the day before was important, as some can speak English. So what did Tilly do now that we were a day late? She called her grandchildren to come by as translators instead. The day went by swimmingly. A few hiccups in communication but an overall great experience. So with the day winding to a close, I presented her with the container with the last half of Omi’s ashes. Things got emotional and we shared a moment that will forever be ingrained in my head. She looked at me with teary eyes and thanked me many times. I saw it then, the same thing I felt when I buried her at the flowers. A small sense of closure, and while sad, a small happiness that she now gets to say goodbye as well.

I’ve been told since coming back home that when Tilly dies then Omi’s ashes will be buried in the coffin with her so that they can remain best friends, together in the afterlife. I found this especially heartwarming and thoughtful. Tilly gets to do what she needs to do for herself and for Omi as much as I did and I am glad that I changed my mind about going there. It was necessary and the right thing to do.

Since getting back to Winnipeg, the piece of my heart is still missing, but the rest of my heart is getting stronger and picking up the slack. I don’t know if I even want the piece back fully because I don’t want to forget. I want to always be able to remember her face and mannerisms from memory instead of pictures. This lets me do that.

Rest in Peace Omi, I’m glad we got to say goodbye. I will always miss you, love you and cherish you for the the person you were. I want to thank you for helping me so much and influencing me in all the ways you did to make me the person I am today.

Ok, well, that’s the end of Europe. I still have work to do, a recap blog, pictures to post and a couple of other goodies to deal with.

I’m thinking about going to Thailand for three weeks, pretty soon actually, perhaps within the next month or so. More on that later.

I wanted to thank all the people that took the time to read my story so far and to those that have followed me along the way. I will continue to put out content as quickly as I can.

It’s All Greek To Me

/ Terry Heck / 4 Comments

Sorry for the delayed posting of this. I’ve been back home for a few weeks now and have been dealing with a large amount of personal issues that have made it difficult to concentrate on other things.

We left Greece three days before they closed the banks this time around. I had no idea there were any further issues until we were already out and in Germany. While there however, you almost couldn’t tell there was massive debt, a high unemployment rate or that people were struggling. We spoke to a fair number of people that said the issues Greece had to face were no where near as bad as the media makes it out to be. Granted one person was a jeweler that likely was doing pretty well for himself regardless. Another was the artist that did my tattoo. He told me that the problems were essentially caused by people under twenty five to thirty years old. Basically, they want to complain about the situations but they don’t want to work. He said that there are jobs if people want them but the youth of Greece have a very large sense of entitlement and refuse work when it is presented.

We got to Frankfurt and heard about the bank closures, the limitation on ATM withdrawals as well as lack of ability to pay by credit card and how this affected travelers on holidays. I’m glad we had the time in Greece and just as happy we didn’t get stuck there due to the issues.

Despite all of the nay-saying people have been doing over the course of this whole problematic relationship between Greece and the European bank the people of Greece were awesome, friendly, accommodating and all around pleasant to meet and speak with about anything from the issues themselves to just small talk (they do it well). The Grecian people we spoke with seem to be taking be everything in stride. It’s a mantra I can relate to given the issues I’m dealing with right now myself.

Most of our time was spent in Athens proper. Our hotel (Hotel Attalos) was small but nice and the hotel staff was great. The shining jewel of this establishment was that the roof top bar they have gave a direct view of the Acropolis on the hillside. Speaking of which, guess where we went? That’s right, the Acropolis. The attraction was busy but I didn’t feel crowded like it was in Rome. Once again, however, the other attractions that were associated with the ticket price seemed to have been overlooked by the general public. There were a total of ten or so attractions you could see and most of them had just a handful of people partaking. It reminds me of the people that go to the Louvre only to see the Mona Lisa, which is a shame and does not make a lot of sense to me. There is so much more to see and do outside of the “top” attractions in each city you visit.

We did end up taking a single day island trip to Hydra. This place was a gem, so let me tell you about it. You see, there are only two motorized vehicles on the island. One is the Ford F150 with a small water tank on the back that serves as their fire truck and the other is the garbage truck. Other than that there are boats but nothing else on land. The silence was astounding. You can hear yourself think there, which was quite refreshing.

Hyrda is filled, and I do mean filled, with roaming cats. No one owns them and everyone owns them all at once. The town as a whole takes responsibility for these animals. They are allowed in all the shops that line the coast. It was pretty nice to see something like that. Unfortunately I did not get to my camera in time to take a photograph of a man, bags in hand, calling out to the cats and the cats running to him from every direction. Out of houses, shops, alleys, bushes or whatever else they were in/on/around. Seeing a dozen cats all running at him from different directions then following him home was pretty great although for a moment I had horror movie speculations about what would happen to him as they were lunging at the bags he was carrying to get at the food.

Our seven hours in Hydra were over after a small meal at one of the many restaurants then we were back on the hydrofoil jetting back to Athens.

We only had three days or so in Greece but I would like to go back. Perhaps more island hopping or staying the entire time on Crete (which is ultra cheap by the way). I don’t know if it was because the end of the trip was fast approaching or if it was just because Greece is well, Greece, but I really liked the country as a whole. Laid back, fun, inexpensive, impressive and friendly among other things would be words to describe the form and function of Greece and how I felt while there. There are other places I need to see in my life, but Greece is on the short list of spots to revisit.

I’ll be writing about Germany next, our last stop in Europe, which had an intensely personal meaning for me to go there. It will be a very emotional post for me and likely the longest one I will write. I should have it out within the next five days or so. Bear with me, will ya? Thanks, I appreciate it.

Until next time, keep your eyes on the horizon.

When in Rome?

/ Terry Heck / 3 Comments

This is an open letter to Rome, Italy.

Dear Rome,

Why have you fallen so far from what I remember as an eleven year old kid?
I remember you being spectacular, wonderful, exciting and bigger than life. I came to see you again recently and noticed how little you care about yourself anymore. I remember being able to walk around without hordes of people coming up to me trying to sell me selfie sticks, umbrellas and light up toys you throw in the air. Not to mention the massive amount of other tourists, many more than when I was there last. I remember being at the Colosseum courtyard and actually having to walk up to vendors to purchase things and having to haggle with them and enjoying the experience. When did you get so expensive? Was it the Euro that did this to you? Nearly thirty Euros for two bowls of soup, bread and water? This is ridiculous to me! Also, we should talk about the rampant commercialism of places like the Vatican. I realize that there has always been money involved but do you really have to shove two thousand people at once into the Sistine Chapel? We used to have to be silent and respectful in there, now it’s pretty much a farce. The one thing I still found amazing was your Colosseum. It is one of the most impressive structures I’ve ever been in. This is the image of you that I will keep, the one where I still remember you as wonderful and awe inspiring.

How did you fall so far? Maybe it’s because of a wider spread ability to travel globally, perhaps it’s just that you no longer care about anything but the almighty dollar. I found you dirty, rude, obnoxious and disappointing overall. Definitely not the way I remember you. I’m sorry Rome, you and I can no longer be friends. I won’t be coming around again, unless it is during a layover at your airport. I can’t see you the way I used to. Don’t get me wrong, I know you have had a long life and have an impressive history, but you’ve lost my respect. I enjoyed our time together twenty years ago and will always cherish those memories. Take care of yourself, I hope you can remember who you used to be and get back to that point.

Best wishes for the future,

Terry