The Paint of Europe

Well it was a trip of a lifetime. My (and mom's) first trip to either the UK or Europe. In many ways it was 3 trips in one. I can't really describe how full the European experience was, but I will at least provide you with some of the highlights...

Part 1: A long overdue "Danke" in Bavaria

The journey started out in Germany, and this leg was really the driver for the whole trip - to meet a man named Oliver Bosch, who was my donor for transplant #2 in 2003 (Brandon was the hero for #1 and #3 of course), and thank him in person. Mom and I arrived in Munich July 15th and had a couple of days to shake the jet lag and get acquainted with new language, white sausages and of course beer. A very hot double-decker tour of Munich allowed us to see the City in a short time and we loved it.

A couple days later we were on the train to Donauwoerth, about and hour and a half north of Munich - Oliver was going to pick us up and drive about 20 minutes to his home in Oettingen of Bayern. When the train slowed, we passed by the people waiting and noticed a dark-haired guy with a little blond boy beside him - the boy was holding a large sunflower, and we guessed that was Oliver and his son Noah. We were correct and we stepped out to be greeted by smiling Oliver and (then) shy Noah. The emotion of the moment made me forget the German phrase I had tried to memorize on the trainride: es ist nett, sie zu kennan (it is nice to meet you).

Oli drove us to Oettingen, and we managed quite well trying to communicate - I had my "Speedy German" booklet, but mostly it was Oli's English (better than he thinks it is) that allowed us to talk. The countryside was beautiful and we arrived shortly to his home, where his wife Judith came out front holding their 10-month old son Jonah. There was a sign on their door welcoming me, decorated with Canadian flags and red and white balloons, and Judith's tears and hug was beyond my expectations. That moment and the whole weekend really was beyond my expectations, and I knew immediately it had been the right choice to make the trip.

The rest of the weekend was really a blur of conversation, laughter, tears and eating. Judith (who is so dear) made multiple meals of delicious Bavarian fare and multiple desserts - including this cake, another welcome to me! Claudia, a close friend of Judith and Oli's, arrived a few hours after we did and generously acted as a translator for us the rest of the weekend (as she had done over the past 7 years!). She runs a business "All about English" and was tremendous in making the link for us so seamlessly. We were able to talk constantly late into the night and by the next day, I felt as though I had additional friends and family that I had known for years.

I learned a bit more about Oli and how he came to donate bone marrow. There was a boy in the area who had leukemia, and a call went out the community to register. Oli of course did that, and later was informed he was a match for someone else. Later on, the boy passed away. Oli wrote his parents a letter to let them know while their son had not survived, because of their son, another life had been saved. He's just such a good guy.

On Sunday they took us to nearby Nordlingen, a Bavarian town surrounded by a stone wall built centuries ago to protect it from being attacked. Oliver did his brewery training for 4 years in Nordlingen before working at the brewery in Oettingen (yes, we drank a few beer while I was there!). It was a lovely day walking the streets of this quaint Bavarian town, stopping for coffee and later dinner, chatting like old friends. We promised to keep in touch through Skype, and planned for Brandon and Oliver to share a beer over the internet, as my 2 heroes.

When we left Oliver, Judith, Claudia, Noah and Jonah, it felt quite surreal to look back on what had transpired in the past couple days. It was such a potent weekend, and quite surreal to realize how important it was to have come and made this connection. I was finally able to communicate to Oliver and his family what he really did that day back in July 2003 - to show him the person he had saved, the life he had given, not only to me, but to my family and friends. And of course to thank him. Danke. Danke. Danke.

Part 2: The whirlwind taste of Italy and France

Flying out of Munich the next day, the tour started in Rome, and after a "welcome" dinner for the group the first night, we embarked on a action-packed day covering The Vatican, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica, the Forum, the Coliseum, the Pantheon, Spanish Steps, the "3 coins" Trevi Fountain and a pile of other amazing sights. It was incredible to hear the stories that came with these places - I suddenly realized that had I been able to see and hear the stories the people related to these places, I wouldn't have thought history - just dates and facts to memorize - was such a boring subject. Mom also commented that we really haven't come very far in the world of construction - being in the Pantheon, over 2000 years old, having survived multiple floods and earthquakes, made you think less of the towers of our "baby" country Canada!

Leaving Rome the next day we stopped at Assisi on our way to Venice and were treated to some amazing views from the church at the top of the hills. Olive trees and sunflower fields led us through the mountains and after a necessary change in our bus, we arrived in Venice that night. Venice was another amazing discovery to me - while I understood the canals and "floating city" idea, it was entirely different to see it and realize it was created by the Venetians to avoid being attacked by the Barbarians. Thousands of trees pounded into the lagoon to form the base of the city...all the canals were incredible and the tiny streets and pathways. After seeing a glassblowing demonstration, the Bridge of Sighs and Doge Palace, we took a boat to a nearby island Burano where all the buildings were pastel coloured, and we enjoyed some quaint shops and an excellent lunch.

On our way to Florence the following day we stopped briefly in Ferrara, where we had the best coffee (cafe) and explored a local Italian market. That night we took a short ride up the Tuscan countryside to a lovely property where we enjoyed a wonderful and delicious Tuscan dinner under the trees. I definitely felt drawn to Florence and wondered what a return trip for a month to learn Italian might be like? The following day we were mesmerized by Michelangelo's David...again, I had seen pictures but never understood what the sculpture really was about. After Florence we headed toward the Mediterranean, with a stop in Pisa for a look at the leaning tower. The coast made a beautiful drive through Genoa, a stop at a perfume factory in Eze, through Monaco and eventually to Nice. Our hotel room in Nice overlooked palm trees and the Mediterranean and really it was beautiful and calm. Mom and I had a lovely meal on a patio that night and chatted and laughed with an Australian couple who gave us excellent advice on menu choices!

Speaking of Australian couples, we had a very nice one on in our tour group, as well as a number of very friendly people from the U.S. and Canada. Alongside the various monuments, churches and museums, the people on the tour made the trip interesting as well - lots of new faces and stories added to the potency of the trip. We have already been in touch with some of our "Globus friends" since we arrived home.

The second night in Nice we drove into Monaco and after visiting the church where Princess Grace is buried and having an incredible dinner, we spent a little time in Monte Carlo. The cars that pulled up to the casino were a sight in themselves, and we sipped an (expensive) drink in the Hotel de Paris next to the casino, taking in the loveliness. On our ride back into Nice, I couldn't take my eyes off the full moon reflecting on the Mediterranean. I loved Nice.

A high-speed train took us very comfortably through France to Paris, the last stop of the tour. That night we took in a boat cruise up and back the Seine, as well as a tour around the core area, allowing us a view of many of the major sight of the city. The evening ended with a perfect viewpoint of the Eiffel Tower, sparkles and all, which prompted me to delete the 30-some pictures of the tower I took earlier on the river and replace them with the best one! The following day, after a visit to the 2nd level of the tower, mom and I walked the streets of Paris, stopping at the Musee Dorsay to take in the largest impressionist and post-impressionist display existing. We had coffee and crepes at a cafe outside the Louvre and a wonderful dinner outside near our hotel. Paris was calmer and cleaner than I had expected, and I can see that it would require a return visit to really explore what it has to offer. Ah, Paris.

And while all of the above sounds and was fantastic, you might gather that it was a bit "full" and slightly exhausting. The heat was incredible and I sweated more in those 10 days than in the past 3 years! With the limitations of 1 suitcase on the trip, mom and I were beginning to run out of options for clothes - had mom not found a laundromat in Florence (an entire story in itself) to "refresh" our packed wardrobe, we never would have made it through France! So when we flew into a much cooler Scotland the next afternoon, we were ready to shift gears (and wear pants).

Part 3: St. Andrews - Family and Friends

It was so great to be welcomed at the Edinburgh airport by Dave and Louise - after all the wonderful new things and people we had been seeing, familiar faces were also welcome. And as we drove across the countryside in Scotland we chatted away about our trip and visited freely before enjoying a home-cooked meal that night! The following morning we slept in (what a treat) and slowly took in the morning with coffee on their patio overlooking a beautiful garden. Their house is right off of the East Sands and it was so easy to be there. Over the next few days, we enjoyed celebrating Louise's birthday, their 40th anniversary (with a lovely lunch at the St. Andrews golf club) and life in general. It was a true visit - we learned more about each other and for me, it was a chance to spend time with some of my biggest supporters over the past 13 years. We had lots of fun with their neighbours at a barbeque, and with their friends Norm and Linda who were also visiting. I finally met their friend Margaret who I had received so many nice cards from over the years. Mom, Louise and I climbed the 154 stone steps up the old St. Andrews tower and I even got to have lunch with Claire Labelle, an old friend from high school and university, who travelled from Edinburgh with her husband Stuart and adorable daughter Amelie. We explored the wonder of St. Andrews and towns close by, and knew we had to come back, with Dad.

That was further confirmed when I had the honour of playing the Old Course at St. Andrews the day before we left for Calgary. With the Royal & Ancient looming behind me, using the clubs my uncle had so generously provided, I made my golfing debut for 2010 on the world's most historic golf course....and I can tell you my drive was not great. But the weather was beautiful (remarkably no rain!) and the course was something, and I was golfing in excellent company, so my attraction to the crazy insane bunkers (they really are like walls) and thick rough couldn't take away from the experience. My last hole was actually decent and my drive popped over the Swilcan bridge so that I could cross it with my head held high! Having a drink in the "members only" club wasn't bad either (okay I'll stop the bragging now).

Quite a day. Quite a week. Quite a trip. An enormous amount of paint left on my canvas from the European experience.