Goodness gracious, this third month of travel tried and tested me in more ways than one. Never have I experienced such a dramatic upheaval than this month. My relationship ended and I moved from chaotic Kathmandu to the idyllic countryside of Eastern Germany. As I packed my bags in Kathmandu I felt sad leaving the country. I felt cheated that I hadn’t done all the things that I had wanted to do, like river rafting and paragliding, but I had an overwhelming sense that I would be back. I am not done with you Nepal!
I was a bit of a wreck when I arrived in Germany. A sniffling, bleary eyed shell of a person. Not only was I miserable but I experienced a weird reverse culture shock where I wandered around in awe of Germany’s organisation and cleanliness (I think people must have thought I had just escaped from a mental institution). Now, as I wander through the fields around my temporary home in the Eastern-German town of Herrnhut, my heart is lifted just looking at the beauty of nature around me. I am feeling content and excited about the future! I stood in a field just a few days ago and spun dizzily around.There was not an ugly thing in sight. No unsightly electrical pylons, no factories puffing smoke into the air and not a single person spitting on the sidewalk. The grass was a deep green and the sky a shocking blue. I took deep breaths of the clean air. (Happy Earth Day. Seriously guys, we have to protect this beautiful planet!)
I was having a pensive moment the other day as I thought about the year so far. The one thing that struck me was just how many beautiful sites I have seen. From the rocky coast and colourful reefs of the Thai Islands, to the absurd beauty of the Himalayan Mountains, and now the flowering forests of Germany.
I think the biggest thing I learnt this month was that sometimes your adventure changes course. Sometimes you have to go home because of a family emergency. Sometimes your travelling partner disappoints. Sometimes you spend three weeks sweating on a bed with Dengue Fever. Living an adventurous, nomadic lifestyle is guaranteed to throw bad things at you all the time and it is how you pick yourself up and move on that counts. For me, as one adventure finished in Nepal, another started in Germany.
Where I have been
Kathmandu, Nepal
Herrnhut, Germany
Highlights
– Spending the weekend with my sister before I left for Germany. We stuffed ourselves with food from a buffet at The Hyatt (fancy!) and breezed around the Boudhanath Stupa. We braved the freezing cold pool and I had an excellent poolside nap!
– The entertainment system of Qatar Airways as I flew to Germany. Watching a couple episodes of Parks and Rec. whilst throwing back a vodka-orange was (economy class) flying at it’s best.
– Taking my first walk through the woods in Germany. Tiny flowers were sprouting from the undergrowth and I sat in the pine needles on the forest floor just enjoying being in nature again.
– A delicious dinner of burritos with new friends. Just having a home cooked meal was amazing!
– Getting gifted a jar of my favourite food on this earth: Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter (Seriously Americans, if you are ever looking to perform a random act of kindness, then you are welcome to send me some).
– Having my wonderful mum send me pictures of my cat Soufflé nearly everyday. I can’t wait to kiss his wet little nose when I see him again (weird cat lady alert).
– A delightful afternoon in Poland where I ate a delicious plate of Raclette, a cheese which is serviced melted often with potatoes and gherkins. Also, Poland is much cheaper than Germany which makes a meal over the border very good value.
– Spending a day with my other sister Amy and her fiancé. We went to three countries! Germany, Poland and The Czech Republic. It was just so great to be driven in a car and see more of the surrounding areas. We stopped at a little town and I ate macaron and speculoos ice cream. We also had ribs and chicken wings for lunch and it was so tasty.
– Hurray for making friends! I have met some wonderful girls and guys here in Germany and we have become fast friends. They are always offering hugs, coffee and laughter.
-Spending a long, relaxing Easter weekend with friends. I even attended a 5:30am service at a Moravian Church.
Lowlights
– The end of a relationship. Although devastating and painful, it was the right decision. Sometimes you just have to let go and move on to better things!
– Leaving my sister in Kathmandu. I love my sisters more than anything and we only get to spend limited time together. It is always so hard to say goodbye.
– Not having a camera anymore. Oh this is a big one! I only have my iPhone to take photos and the low quality and limits of the phone camera have been bugging me.
– Being almost constantly sick for a whole month. It started with a hacking cough whilst trekking the Annapurna’s, it moved into being a serious cold for the first couple of weeks in Germany and now it’s a head-throbbing sinus infection. Just go away already!
– Having very little money. This one is pretty self-explanatory.
What’s next?
Germany! This little country will be my home for the next month but after that I have some pretty exciting plans which I will be announcing soon.
* A small explanation: I left Australia on the 15th of the month so thats when my travelling month turns around which is why these posts are at a weird time and not at the end/beginning of the month*
How was your month dear readers? Was it a good one? A bad one? Leave a comment below or email me at dirtypawsblog@gmail.com.
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Love the idea of round-ups! My months as an expats aren’t exciting enough for these lol. Glad you’re staying perky and looking on the bright side of life! woohoo! Try DL’ing some apps for your phone- snapseed is like life to me, as well as HDR camera. Makes a huge difference. Did u get dengue? I had it too- frickin suckssssssss!
They are my favourite posts to write! and also read. I downloaded Afterlight which is amazing photo editing app but it still doesn’t measure up to a good camera. Oh well, christmas is only eight months away. 🙂 Loving your blog at the moment by the way. I went back and read all your Greece posts because Im spending two months there.
Sounds like your move was a good one! I lived in SW Germany for a few years and I loved the forests there. Nothing like that back here in West Oz. I also adore Raclette. My sister-in-law lives in Switzerland and makes it for us every time we visit (which sadly is nowhere near often enough!). Hope your next month in Germany is lovely!
Switzerland is so amazing! Such a beautiful country with its array of melted cheese options. 🙂