Absorbing it all

I admit it.  I haven't been creating much lately.  I've been too busy absorbing as much as I could of the world around me on my recent trip to Germany.  I've left the following pictures big, so you can click on them to see the details, if you'd like.

I was captivated by all the brilliant colors and tantalizing smells in the famous Viktualienmarkt in Munich.

I couldn't help but play tourist in this gorgeous city, which is one of my favorite places in the world.

Every corner caught my eye, since I knew I may never have the opportunity to visit again.

There were street performers and sidewalk cafes everywhere.

I gathered with thousands of others to watch the Rathaus Glockenspiel in the heart of the city.

The beauty of this city was overwhelming at times, so very different from where I live.

I saw more swans in one place than I've ever seen in my life.

Palaces and castles which looked magical, even in the early Spring.

I saw so much old art!

And I saw colorful new art, too, as I traveled beyond Munich and Bavaria to the Berlin area, where my daughter is currently studying.

I even saw new art, combined with old architecture, and graffiti which is everywhere these days.  I absorbed it all.

I couldn't pass an ancient doorway without wondering how many people had crossed those thresholds.

I looked in every nook and cranny.  I didn't want to miss a thing, and I was rarely disappointed.

I even had the opportunity to walk across a bridge into a quaint little Polish town.

This trip was different from any experience I've ever had, and I was aware of it every minute.  It fed me in many ways, but most importantly it fed my soul.

I was able to accomplish many things on this trip, and many of them were bitter-sweet.  It gave me the opportunity to spend some precious time with my daughter before she started her exciting new adventure.  It gave me the opportunity to visit with family members I have rarely had the opportunity to see, to tell stories, and to make new memories.

And was able to walk in the footsteps of my ancestors, who probably never dreamed that someday someone in their family would be born in Canada and raise a family in the United States.

I still have a great deal to absorb, about this trip, about life, and about where I go from here.  But I look forward to the rest of my journey, and I'm doing my best to really be present in every moment of my every-day life from now on, as well.