Travel Log 2007 part II

2007

• Sydney, February-March 2007
• Colorado, April 2007
• Denver, April 2007
• New York, May 2007
• Los Angeles, June 2007
• Denmark, June-July 2007
• Stine's Wedding, July 2007
• India, July 2007
• Rishikesh, India, July 2007
• The Holy Cows of India, July 2007
• Denmark, August 2007
• Denmark, September 2007
• Roskilde, September 2007
• Copenhagen, October 2007
• Egypt, Cairo, October 2007
• Egypt, Cairo, October-November 2007
• Egypt, Aswan, November 2007
• Egypt, Luxor, November 2007
• Egypt, Cairo, December 2007
• The Nile River, Cairo, December 2007
• Christmas in Cairo, December 2007

2008

• New Year's Day in Zurich, January 2008
• Los Angeles, January 2008
• California, Big Sur, February 2008
• Colorado, Larkspur, February 2008
• Egypt, Cairo again, February 2008
• Portugal, Lisbon, February 2008
• Portugal, Terceira, March 2008
• Italy, Grizzo and Aviano, March 2008
• Italy, Lucca,March 2008
• Italy, Pisa and Napoli, March 2008
• Denmark, Lejre, May 2008
• Denmark, Copenhagen, May 2008
• Denmark, Aarhus, May 2008
• Denmark, Roedovre, June 2008
• Denmark, Hvidovre, June 2008
• Denmark, Volden, June 2008
• Denmark, Gorenje, July 2008
• Denmark, Amager, July 2008
• Sweden, Hemsjo, July 2008
• Denmark, Louisiana, July 2008
• Denmark, Copenhagen, July - August 2008
• USA, Colorado, August 2008

Denmark

Always when I land in the airport in Copenhagen, I can feel where I am. There is this feeling of security and something rather restricting as well. It is strange, this coming home experience. It is home because I grew up here, and I relate to the place well, but in many ways it is not me, the person I am growing in to be. The many lives I seemed to have lived in places all around the world. I am not just the experience of being Danish, I am the experience of being a New Zealander, an American, an Australian and other nationalities I have encountered briefly or through the connection with people.

Throughout all of my traveling in my life, coming home has always been the hardest. You are filled with all this new knowledge, you have changed to this greater being, but the greatest courage is to be all of who you are and have become in the face of the old and familiar; the rolls you have played with family and old friends and the perceptions that are undoubtedly glued to your being in the place you grew up in. This time was hard too.

There are a lot of stuff I have worked on, when living in Australia and after leaving Australia and it had a lot to do with family patterns. I had to face those coming back home, but I did it. Coming home this time felt very lonely and unsupportive, which has been a general theme I have dealt with in Sydney for a while now. Once I moved past that state, I actually came to have a great time in Denmark.

Directions for Lovers

Gather a string of air, a cloud of earth,
A pocket of water and a cup of fire
For the coming years together and,
Like the alchemists, you shall live in harmony!

Lovers, dance to the rising of the suns;
Delve deeply into their magnificent fires
And dance until the earth gives way underneath.
Live out your desires like there were no tomorrows,

Learn again to connect and receive
Like a child of innocence;
The world's at your feet, waiting for you to join.
Now, walk into it with great serenity and passion!

Become each other's anchor
And, if you are lost at sea, don't give up!
Have faith in the tumultuousness of the worlds,
Until you feel the ground beneath your feet again.

Become each other's heart
And if pain overwhelms you, surrender!
Be aware of love pulsing through; the very glue
Uniting everything in this entangled universe.

Listen, be true to yourselves!
Never stop being touched,
Never forget the dance of love moving within;
Reminding you of the workings of the Cosmos.

Do not fall prey to just one element.
Stay open, pay attention!
Through yourselves, your hearts, lovers
You shall be set free!

By Nya Gregor Fleron, July 2007

Church Wedding, Østerbro, June 2007

At first, I was overpowered with a sense of feeling lost and being out of place. I have been stared at before, but Indians really know how to stare without inhibitions. Like children they displayed their curiousity and thoughts without the usual constraints the Western world carries itself with. It took me some time to get used to it and use humor to take off some of the pressure. On the Metro I had some interesting conversations with people who despite their difficulty with English still went ahead and had a little chat with me. I prefer the chatting to the staring contest. When I did meet Indians who spoke English, I had quite interesting conversations and I found it easy to share my thoughts and ideas.

India, Rishikesh