Chasing Ideals

I have exciting news to share that perhaps many of you already know. My friends Taryn and Adam have had their first babs. I have yet to see any pictures of the little one but am so excited for them as the enter the joy of parenthood. I have known Taryn since 2000 and in that time her life has shown me so much about what it is to follow Christ with passion and love for people. At the time when I met her I had never really seen following Christ as a lifestyle but merely a Sunday morning ritual. I saw in her that the life of Christian was meant to be one of passion and she was someone that never hid her love and care for the people around her. I see now how necessary it was for me to know her as I was searching for something to live for and not merely believe in. Now Taryn is married to an incredible man who's heart is as large as his chest and he loves also with a passion and a humility that impacts all who come in contact with him. I had the honor of being a part of their wedding last year and now am so excited that their child Enoch will grow up surrounded by such amazing love and such devotion to Christ. I cannot wait for the day that I get to meet him or the chance to hear how he grows with such incredible parents to guide him. It's exciting stuff.

Perhaps Berlin is best explored in Spring or Autumn. The size of the downtown area requires plenty of time for exploration and the current temperatures, though nothing like Phoenix, are enough to make using public transport very uncomfortable. I have enjoyed seeing the different architectural styles in different portions of the city but overall I think that Berlin is too vast and too industrialized to be somewhere I would return to. My purpose in being here was the World Cup final and I was thrilled to be a part of that amazing occasion. There was so much excitement and such an incredible atmosphere for each minute of the game and I will never forget the rapturous response of Italian fans to their victory. To be fair to Berlin it is a city loaded with museums, history, an incredible night life, and hundreds of places to eat and drink. For any big city lover I am sure it would be marvelous but for me now all that big cities have to offer has lost any allure. And on a traveling budget I had no desire to pay the high prices for entering the museums.

If you see the pics I have added to Lovable Quirks for Berlin and the World Cup Final you will notice some strangers in the mix. I met Kate, Ashley, and Alex at the campground and got to spend my first days here hanging out with them. They are all from Adelaide (hope I spelled correctly) in Australia and were out to support the Aussie team in the Cup. I am so glad that I met them as they were a marvelous bunch. Kate and Ashley are traveling Europe as I am and we got to compare notes on where we are going and have been. Alex is Ashley's brother who was out during his summer break from school. Over the weekend we all took a look about the town and enjoyed some marvelous soccer games. It was wonderful as always to get to share my time with other people as especially in a city this size it can be a bit lonesome. We also got to share the incredible experience of seeing the final with all of the crazy fans from around the world. My new Aussie friends left Monday to head to Prague for a week and then further south. I am off to Frankfurt Oder this Friday to spend a few days with someone I have connected with there.

Take a look at the pics from Berlin and the Cup final on Lovable Quirks. Hope you also watched the videos from the post two days ago.

In between Mannheim and Berlin I spent two days in Bamberg and the surrounding area. I camped along the river that runs through the city and was impressed by the beauty in this part of Bavaria. Bamberg is tourist city but definitely worth exploring. The Churches and old style German buildings along the river are amazing to see and the city has plenty of activity around the center. I spent some of my time there eating German food at and Irish pub. The chap who owned it was from Dublin and the waitress, who had an Irish accent, was his wife from Eastern Europe. There were plenty of places in town to relax and enjoy the surroundings and on that day an Irish pub seemed my finest option for some reason. Unlike other cities in Germany that I've been in or around this was one that has yet to become overly industrialized and that made the journey there worthwhile.

At the campground in Bamberg I also witnessed Germany's loss to Italy and was surprised at the response of the German fans in attendance. When Italy scored the goal that won the game for them the reaction was minimal and it almost seemed that the German fans expected it. The only Italian fan in the mix was jumping up and down before and after Italy's goal. I cannot remember ever having such an emotionless reaction to my team's loss. When I was younger I used to throw things, curse, and be in bad humor for a day when any team I followed was to lose especially close to the final.

I have added pictures to Lovable Quirks of my time in Bamberg as well as pictures of Eddy and Roberta whom I stayed with in Mannheim.