I've spent the last two nights camping along the Rhein in a beautiful campground near Lorch. The scenary there was beautiful but suprisingly there weren't many other campers. My first night camping was grand however last night was a bit soggy. I made the mistake of leaving my tent open a little and I think the rain somehow made it in. As I said though the area was amazing and very peaceful. Maria has given me many things to make camping more pleasant and I'm really grateful for that because already it has been more pleasant. I think she would have filled my cars with goodies but I need some space when people from Phoenix start visiting (hint, hint, nudge, nudge). During the day I got to spend time in Rudesheim which is a very quaint little town with mostly cobblestone streets and old houses. There were tourists there from all over the world including many Americans and English people. Next time I will try to load some pictures so you all can see what it is like. I head to Frankfurt today to hopefully meet Floyd's cousin and also watch the quarter finals with some crazy fans. I'll post again soon hopefully.

I'm leaving here today glad to be continuing my adventure but sad to be leaving more incredible people behind. I know that I will be back here at some point and have been assured that I'm always welcome. Maria has given me some food and supplies that will make camping much easier and much more enjoyable. Tonight I plan to be somewhere near Assmannschausen along the Rhine. I found a campground not to far from there and there are plenty of others if necessary. I don't know how soon I will have access to the internet again so it may be some days before I can respond to emails. Hopefully it won't be long this time before I find somewhere for that. I thank each of you that has kept me in your prayers. Each step in the journey is easier knowing that I have so much love and support in my life and God has already shown that he is taking care of me even if I can't see it in the moment.

I have added a poem and a new link to some pictures (in the sidebar). There is also a new album in Lovable Quirks from my time here. Go to www.lovablequirks.org to see it. The pictures are mostly of me with Cathrin, Maria, and Andre and the rest are of where I've been staying with them.

It has been interesting for me attempting to learn some basics of the German language. At first I felt that because of similarities in the sound to English and because many words are the same that I would have an easy time picking it up. This has not been the case. Much of the pronounciation of words is very different and though some words are the same it seems most others aren't even kissing cousins. Apart from learning to count to one hundred (which one person here pointed out won't do much for me) I don't think that I have learned very much at all. Something to know is that when counting you say the number 23 in German as three and twenty. This can lead to some confusion when a German person who has learned English accidently reverses numbers for instance telling you the price of something as 92 euros instead of 29 euros. I would recommend that anyone planning a move to the land of bratwurst and biergartens seriously plan on taking German courses on arrival unless of course you move to Koln where many I've met get by hardly speaking a word of German.

Some of the few and the proud words and phrases I have picked up are as follows:
badehose-- swim trunks for men (euro style of course so not recommended for anyone wishing to maintain their decency.)
das schmeckt gut-- that tastes good
ich bin am hacken-- i am chopping/hacking
verrückt-- crazy
nein-- no (indepensible for any and all situations)
natürlich-- naturally

One thing that makes it more difficult to learn is that Cathrin and fam have a reason now to practice their English so I haven't needed to learn much. It is funny that many times a German will tell me they don't speak English well but when they try to they speak it better than some high school grads in the USA.

Tomorrow or Wednesday I shall be hitting the road again and driving south east along the Rhine. The plan is to be in Berlin for the final of the World Cup but I have until July 9th so will take my time and see more of Germany in the mean time. Part of me hates to leave here as I have had such a wonderful time with Cathrin, Maria, and Andre and all those I have met through them. Being here has given me the opportunity to settle in to the fact that I have really left home and allowed me to prepare emotionally for what lies ahead. It has also reminded me of the grace of God in my life that I got the support I needed in my time here.

I know also that my road will not end so soon and so I must press on and continue the journey I have set out for. After Berlin my plan is to travel on to Poland, to Russia if possible, and then on down through Eastern Europe towards Greece and Turkey. I don't know yet that I will make it that far before I get tired of being on the road. Whenever I see a world map I realize how much of the world I have yet to see, perhaps places more suited to the life I want to lead in the future. I am excited to be searching for the place that I want to settle down for my future.

I have added some new pictures to Lovable Quirks here

Apart from my philosophical ideas some of you might be wondering what I am doing while I'm staying here. As I have said in other posts I have spent most of my time in meeting people through Cathrin and also through those I have met at the Church. On Friday I watched a soccer game at one of the castles near Michael's house in Bergheim (Michael had us over for most of that day) and it was interesting to see that the German people there were all hoping that the Netherlands would lose even though the match was not against Germany. I was told that this sentiment goes both ways and that there has been a bitter rivalry between these teams for many decades. That was Friday and then Saturday I spent the day relaxing and watching more of the soccer at my home here (it is nice to be able to write that). The games go on for most of the second half of the day every day and I like it when I get the chance to watch them as it is something I loved to do when I was younger living in Ireland (as well as play soccer of course). On Sunday after Church I went swimming with Cathrin, Michael and some other friends of theirs. It has been a long time since I have gone swimming in a lake but I thoroughly enjoyed myself as the water was warm (I thought anyway) and I got to meet new people. This week I have done some preparing for my journeys ahead buying things that I need for the car and deciding where I will go. I also set up my computer to use Skype which is a free internet phone when calling another person who has Skype set up. I can also buy credit from them to call someone's home or mobile phone for a very small rate per minute. Any of you who have a microphone and can download Skype can talk with me. You would just have to tell me when although I am limited to about 10pm Phoenix time and after or in the morning time in Phoenix when it is evening here. Later today I am going to watch the United States play against Ghana. I'm not so interested in the game as Ireland is really the only team for me but I have been invited to go and will enjoy the company and the atmosphere for the games is really cool to see. The other night I got to see hundreds of Swedish and British fans here for their game in Koln and many were shouting team chants and were dressed in team colors. I really enjoyed seeing all of their preparation and excitement for the event. Well that gives some idea I hope of how I am spending my days. Love to all who read this and to those who don't a soiled hankerchief (not really but I like the word soiled as many of you know).

What an incredible gift it is to experience family. In the time that I have spent here with Cathrin, her mother Maria, and brother Andre I have never once felt like an unwelcome stranger. Rather, I have been welcomed as though a member of their family and they have shown consistent interest in knowing about my friends and family in Phoenix. Last night the four of us ate dinner together as we have many times since my arrival and I was reminded of the joy of that experience. It is such a wonderful way to end the day to be able to sit with others who care about you and share about your life and to hear about their lives also.

It is so easy the way societies operate today to neglect this type of connection with others. Families around the world now have traded intimacy for television, or a microwaveable dinner, or staying busy around the clock, or sometimes people have so little interest in the lives of others that this type of interaction sounds like torture. It is no wonder now that millions of young people, single adults, and even married people now have no idea how to really connect with other people. Many have never had the opportunity to share a meal and truly connect with those around them. They are instead limited to trying to connect by talking about the weather, or movies they recently watched, or the size of their car's chassis, or a whole host of other essentially meaningless topics. Long term connnections are not built on conversations about such things but only when the truth of people's hearts and lives are shared.

I am blessed that in my life I have experienced this joy in sharing myself with others and so whenever I have the opportunity I relish it. I would not trade precious moments of intimacy for any material thing this world has on offer. My family in Phoenix has been such an incredible influence on my life through the love and encouragement I have been given. In the last years I have spent so much time together with them and that impacted in so many ways my desire to start my own family in the future. Some may think that because they have never learned to do this or never experienced this that it is not possible for them. The truth is that all it really takes is first of all making time for it (the most difficult step in modern society) and secondly being open to both give and receive in your time with others. Not every person I have met desires this but I have found that as I am diligent in searching (I won't give up looking because it means so much) I will find others with the same desire for intimacy. When I leave here next week I know that I now have made friends for life and that reminds me just how important it is that I did not miss this opportunity by letting other "things" get in the way. The pictures are from dinner last night. I got to make dinner for them which is something I had missed doing since I left Phoenix.