Month: May 2014

Case of the Missing Case

by Living Wherever We Are, posted in Embracing Uncertainty, Life Lessons, Martial Arts, Travel, World Travel

A big stir was caused in Malmo during our ALMOST uneventful, in a good way, last week in Sweden.  Vitamins and supplements until recently were very difficult to purchase in Sweden.  Even today the stores are limited and the sales person cannot speak to the products at all, it is forbidden.

Upon our return to Malmo we were staying at a hotel for the first 2 days before returning to our rental apartment.  The hotel itself was lovely as was the room.  Problem #1 on the first night – our room was above the bar and there was a jazz band playing below.  The stand up bass, albeit great, was a deep boom that penetrated until after 12.  Parents out there know how precious keeping a child sleeping at night can be.  Our concern was the first night was a Thursday and although mild-mannered, on the weekends it is always “Swedes gone Wild”.  When we were told there was going to be a DJ the following night and we were close to the Little Square, party central for bars, we opted for a move to another room.  But the real trouble did not begin until the next AM…

Problem #2 – Upon waking Rick realized in our haste to abscond to the next chamber he had inadvertently left his vitamins and supplements in the drawer of the last.  Calling the front desk we were told that there was nothing listed in the log for the housekeeping and so we must wait until a reasonable hour to contact the current occupants to see if the items remained intact.  No such luck, the vitamins were not there, per the current resident of the room.  Disappearing pills really?  Some were in an unmarked vitamin box so it is speculation that someone thought that they hit the proverbial lottery.  Back and forth with housekeeping and a trip by the front desk and Rick to view the room contents, as well as a sheepish, robe covered Swed and his fetching mistress in bed, nothing turned up.  Apologies to the loving couple but from the looks of it they were in the afterglow.  We credit the staff of the hotel for their insistence with house keeping and perseverance (along with notable perspiration) that the items were returned over an hour later.  It was tenuous at best for all parties involved.

Turning Torso in the fog
Uncle Dan
Another great park near the turning Torso
Family Portrait

If you ever take a trek to Malmo, or Copenhagen for that matter, you would be amiss to not experience the remarkable waterfront architecture including the Turning Torso, the tallest building in Scandinavia which features a 90° twist, unreal, really.  The waterfront area is a created beachfront and with a truly nautical feel where Sweds congregate to enjoy the water, get some sun, and socialize.  A visit to the area places one into a completely different sensation than the city.

Rick has taught seminars in Malmo for his student Dan Johnson since 1989.  My attendance was greatly missed due to the fact that Junior High was in session. It was a difficult time negotiating with parents to let me out after 10:30 let alone cross-continental travel.  Nonetheless, Dan is one of Rick’s longest students, a dedicated martial artist and instructor, and a close friend of ours.  Plus, a very focused training partner that I enjoy training with because of his focus and concentration on the details of each motion. The difficulty each year is to expose elements of each of the arts, a session for Jun Fan, Muay Thai, Silat, and Kali.   The seminar was filled with familiar faces that we enjoy seeing each year and their improvement and dedication makes it an enjoyable place to instruct.

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Planning our route ahead we have made the decision to rent a car in Sweden and wonder our way down to our rental in the South of France about the distance from New Jersey to Florida.   Three for the road once again!

Denmark – Think before you drink

by Living Wherever We Are, posted in Embracing Uncertainty, Life Lessons, Travel, World Travel

What do you think would be the reaction in the US if someone went to a restaurant and were charged $3-$4 a glass for tap water?  Not from Fiji, a glacier, no bubbles just the sink.

We are seasoned travelers and diners as well as kind and considerate to servers and tip well per the country’s customs.  An issue that occurs internationally and nationally is our preference not to drink soda, juice, or milk.  Water is the beverage of choice and being Green do not order bottled water whether from a glass or plastic when there is no need in industrialized counties.  (Can you tell it is a pet peeve?)  We do not drink normal water to save $, thank goodness, because would you believe that in Denmark they CHARGE for tap water.  Not a buck or two, sometimes equaling to $3-$4!!!   We remember this from past visits but it is still stunning.  When we asked one waitress she stated, “I know it is old-fashioned and stupid.”  What is the recourse you say?  Order a glass or wine or beer?  But we still want water also after lots of walking!  In one instance we ordered aperitifs and then we still got hit!

After an enjoyable stay in Malmo we decided to head to Copenhagen for a few days to enjoy some sites.  Upon originally deciding to have a child our intention was to not slow down our very active travels at times, lots of walking and touring.  The child would have to keep up. Foresight could not predict that we would be the ones trying to keep up with the lassie even after over 8 miles of walking throughout a long day.  How did she do it you ask? She is 3 almost 4 and has not done the stroller thing for over a year so one must observe the experts, New Yorkers. On our last trip to NYC they were lined up at Central Park – scooters. In anticipation her younger model was upgraded to the 5-11 year olds’ model with intuitive tilt and lean steering.  At first it seemed a bit of a challenge to coordinate.  Yeah, no.  She is zipping and zooming around, left leg then right, one leg in the air Ballet style, no hands on her tippy toes, and squatting.  Like a youthful pup we have to run her now and again to tire her out and get her to trot at a leisurely pace!

Learning right away from these first few weeks, as we thought we would, some sites would not interest a wee one so it is an art to have fun AND experience culture. We spent one morning on a train trip to a town just outside of Copenhagen famous for it’s Viking Museum and inlet, Roskilde.  Enjoying the tradespeople outside making rope, a kiln, shields, and boats but at waterside deciding to forgo actually entering the museum!  Instead we jettisoned to another super cool playground just next to it and enjoyed the view of the water.  Back in Copenhagen the sights that interested all of us were the Danish National Museum (they have a children’s museum section) and the famous Tivoli Gardens.

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You can see from the photos that Ilaria was thrilled when she was chosen to be in a show at Tivoli.  She was not as stoic as she looks, hyper-focused is her modus operandi, after all the entire show was in Danish!  Seeing it time and time again now on occasions where one would expect visual jubilation she assess the situation and later recounts her enjoyment of what took place.  Some people have mentioned the disappointed of their personal experience seeing the famous “Lille Havfrue”, literally: “the Little Mermaid” a statue based on the Hans Christian Anderson story.  Rick and I had seen the sculpture prior but, believe you me, Ilaria thought it was fantastic exclaiming, “I loved, loved, loved it!” As the sea foam continues to form at the harbor, as in the legend, it lives on in the heart of children.

The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid

Next we are heading back to Malmo for more time as well as Rick’s Martial Arts seminar.

Hitting the Ground Running (and Crashing)

by Living Wherever We Are, posted in Embracing Uncertainty, Life Lessons, Martial Arts, Travel, World Travel

The Danes and Swedish are reserved. Speaking softly and calmly is expected, do not do anything to draw attention to yourself, so demonstrating strong emotion in public is not socially acceptable. Conversely, traversing the brief train ride from Copenhagen airport to Malmo, Sweden just across the bridge there was an anomaly and my visceral response was deemed as appropriate. But more about that later…

Our first stop on this quest is Malmo, Sweden as Rick calls it “his second home”. It is a city of 303,873 people located just across the Øresund Bridge (one of the 7 Modern Wonders of the World) from Copenhagen, Denmark. The city is refined yet understated and in more recent years super chic and hip. For us as a family, and when we were just a couple, it is very effortless to feel at home and tranquil. We know the layout of the town and the culture, as well as our favorite coffee houses. Our friend Dan, one of Rick’s longest students, has a martial arts academy in Malmo in which Rick will give a seminar once again later this month. Dan greeted us at the train station and escorted us to a friend of his apartment that we are renting in an ideal location in town.

Almost instantaneously we get into our vibe and groove. Hitting the grocery story in the most modern mall in town sums up some of the aspects that I personally love about Malmo and Sweden, it is “Green” in lots of ways and does it in an esthetically beautiful and effortless way. The shopping center has a living wall consisting of lovely greenery and utilizing lots of skylights and natural light utilizing the plenitude certain times of the year due to the position nearby the North Pole. Also, all the sustainability practices are integrated into everyday life. Bottled water is not cool, bikes are cool, recycling is expected, and all of it integrated into everyday life and is easy and prevalent as is local, traditional food.

As a family we can feel comfortable knowing that children are an accepted and respected part of society not an inconvenience. Parents in this progressive country received 480 days of parental leave and an amount of that is reserved just for the fathers and a large percentage take advantage.   As we hit the parks everyday in between the rain showers (we try a new one everyday as there are a whopping 14 large theme playgrounds in the city) there are an equal number of dads in the parks as moms for this very reason. Even the playgrounds are esthetically beautiful, function with individual creative elements. Upon seeing one Ilaria, at the pure site, told me it was the best park she had ever seen and upon entering loved it even more.   Sweden is fantastic!

Malmo City Park

Now back to the cliffhanger…

The public trains of southern Scandinavia are neat, sleek, and timely, created to support and sustain a travels needs and baggage transport. On the day we arrived traveling to Sweden’s 3rd largest city it was unexpectedly brimming with masses of travelers and luggage, perhaps some arriving for the HUGE Eurovision competition in Copenhagen as hotel occupancy saturated and attendees spilling into the surrounding areas. Groggy, as my sleep was altered from the fact that we drilled the mantra into Ilaria that she was going to “sleep on the plane overnight, sleep on the plane overnight, sleep on the plane overnight” but did not mention it meant in her own seat and not curled on my lap. Never the less, we managed to heave and cram our bags and ourselves onto the train without a minute to spare.

Never in the many years we have taken this route, even in rush hour, has it been so crammed or the energy been so discombobulated. To create a visual these trains have cars that have fold-down seats lined on either side with open space for bikes and luggage to the back of the car is some, for lack of better description stadium seating with a narrow 3 step rise to enter the area. I set down the soft duffel bag down off to the side of the stairs and placed Ilaria seated onto it so she would be A) seated so not to be thrown around, B) resting from lack of a full nights sleep, and C) entertained by the Swedish girl approx. 2-3 in her stroller. Here is the turning point as I stood to stretch my tired and cramped legs.

A dubious character entered our car by way of descending the 3-step rise and seemed wobbly and intoxicated lumbering around. His stocky build and large, stuffed backpack forcing its way into too small of a space gave a sense of his unawareness.   Being the detective that I am, note taken that he had a 3-year-old and wife in tow, which in some way validated him – big mistake. In a matter of seconds the train pitched to the side and Mr. X violently lurched forward causing a domino effect slamming into me as I was holding the metal bar for stabilization but his mass and the velocity were no match for me. Not a chance as myself and another tumbled to the ground. In a split second the visceral response, a desperate beckon to my child in pure desperation for I could see no sign of her from my vantage point only Mr. X with his large backpack juxtaposed in the air.

Horror struck my thoughts for that brief moment could she be bent forward and crushed? No word from the little voice I revere, as people lifted Mr. X in a desperate attempt to free the rest of us a burly voice announced to the onlookers, as if they cared, “I am OK, I am OK”. A sigh of relief as the mother of Ilaria’s new playmate liberated her and lifted her to freedom holding her closely as the natural instinct of a mother from anywhere around the world would do. Still no words, Ilaria must have been in shock from the event or from the screeching call from my voice in a tone she had never heard prior. Then a few tears and she was handed over to me. He crashed onto her leg but the softness of the duffel absorbed the impact.

Välkommen tillbaka!   (Swedish for “Welcome back!”)

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The “Wait” of the World

by Living Wherever We Are, posted in Embracing Uncertainty, Life Lessons, Travel, World Travel

My twenties brought anxiety and at one time some panic attacks from feelings and judgments of things I could not control and my lack of centering.  The Martial Arts through it’s many aspects (too many to mention here) and one book, the Art of Happiness by the Dali Lama, enlightened me to my own inner strength and grounded me by providing focus and a calm that I had never known.   So, for one to feel anxious once more brought back not only present uprooting but memories of unstable times.

For a few weeks recently Rick had noted my lack of urgency preparing for “the Big One”, our adventure into the world in which we received an extended visa through Sweden to travel in Europe for 5 months.  This momentous escapade did not come together over night, there was plenty time to prepare.  It was our goal since 2011 and we originally were seeking to attain it by the sale of PAMA, a sabbatical of epic proportions.  Not a vacation, freedom that was once not provided to us and one we were now courageous enough and blessed enough to make a reality.  Then bang, I was blindsided … pressure, exacerbating it even more was the actuality that I knew and know that internal calm and centering is all within one’s own grasp.    Still I could not shake being edgy and nerved out.

One might speculate many concerns and issues.  What to pack?  Yes, this time our clothing and items were now to cover both a brisk spring in Sweden and a warm Mediterranean summer.  Of course also a few comfort items for an almost 4 year-old’s and important favorites.  That did not cause a rattle; the details would fall into place even for an Greenie like me who dislikes purchasing unnecessary items to duplicate something we may forget.  Proudly, only 2 medium suitcases and 1 duffle stuffed and including a new scooter for quick transportation and to facilitate loads of walking.  The absence itself?  We were away earlier this year for 7 weeks with no regrets.  We all love travel and are naturals tackling new experiences and places.  We love our friends and family but we will be back soon enough.  Our home and personal items?  We have a very reliable and trustworthy person in house guarding.   Also material items do not define us so no troubles leaving them behind.

Bon Voyage!
Bon Voyage!

I am writing to ensure all that we have started our retreat reaching our destination intact.  So why then the anxiety?  The question is one that I have still not been able to pinpoint myself.    Maybe it a premonition?   Wait till my next blog to hear about a near catastrophic event that occurred on our train ride from the Copenhagen Airport to Malmo Sweden.  A near miss beyond our control with almost unimaginable results…………….