Dear Diary the East: Part III

This is the final installment of my mini-series about traveling in the East over my Christmas holiday. It's three parts in total, so that means it's just as entertaining and well thought created as The Godfather! Am I right?! Except, The Godfather Part III kind of lacks, so hopefully this little adventure through my diary has been better than The Godfather, and all other things that have 3 parts, for that matter. Like Jurassic Park. Ok, Part III... ready, go!

It is now the 27^th in Germany. Christmas is officially over, and I have survived my first Christmas away from my family. We have celebrated Heiligabend, first Christmas, and second Christmas, and now today is like any other Tuesday. Except, of course, that I’m on another train. I’ve clocked about 10 hours of train travel, and I’m about to clock 7 more to end my trip. The Erzgebirge folks are serious about wood. Christmastime here means that everyone decorates with all of the wooden figurines that they have from over the years, which is a lot. I mean, a lot. The thing is, it’s not too much though. It just looks and feels like Christmas everywhere you go.

Anja, Michael, and I walked around Pfaffroda this morning. It is rural here in a way that reminds me of a hilly-er North Woods of Wisconsin. And it was cold outside so that the air was biting at my ears and I could feel them turning red, but it was really nice. It really felt like winter, like Christmastime. I like seeing where people grew up, meeting their old friends, seeing how their families communicate or how they pass the time. It’s interesting to see what each person takes pride in regarding their home town. Things an ordinary visitor might surpass become very important when a local can explain the history or the background. It got me thinking what would I point out from each of my “homes”. Chicago is easy. The tourist stops are abundant, there are huge museums, drinks at the top of the John Hancock, Michigan Avenue, sports venues, restaurants—you name it. Hawaii is easy, too. Anyone in their right mind can figure out how to enjoy Hawaii. DC is also easy. Monuments, museums, historical spots, nature walks (let’s be real- that’s Virginia), markets, restaurants… but what about Casper?

If any of my friends from here travel to visit Wyoming some day, what would I take pride in? If they come during the summer there might be a rodeo to attend. Then there is the mountain with the Braille Trail, Bridle Trail, Waterfall, Nordic Skiing, Hogadon, Camping or even lunch in Beartrap Meadow. We can drive out to places like Hell’s Half Acre, Independence Rock, or Hell’s Gate (is that what that one gap in those rocks is, or did I just make up a really scary name for that?). Something I take pride in is how much space there is in Wyoming, and I think it’s something that people don’t understand unless they experience it firsthand. We’d therefore have to do the reaaaaally boring drive from Casper to Thermopolis through Shoshoni (it's only boring until Shoshoni and then woah! Wind River Canyon! Gorgeous!). We could drive to and through Yellowstone and swing past the gorgeous Tetons. I guess I take pride in the State as a whole, and I’d most want to share its expansiveness with my visitors. That includes any visitor I'd have from either US Coast-- the middle is just as good, and you're crazy if you dismiss it before experiencing it. There is a lot to be said for life on either coast, but there is just as much to be said for the states holding you together in the middle.

Well, the ol’ computer is about to die—another downfall to electronic journaling. It’s my time to sign off from the East. I’m going through Chemnitz and Leipzig and can hopefully get a quick peek at both before sleeping on the train to Mainz. It’s been a good Christmas trip. Totally different, but I’ve met lovely families and had experiences that I may never have again. But next year, I’ll be home for Christmas, and not just in my dreams.

Until Mainz…

Seiffen