Take a deep breath and realize....

... we'll be here for a while.  We recently realized how much we've been rushing around, kind of like we're thinking that we'll be going home soon and so we have to stuff everything in ASAP.  After we talked a bit yesterday, we decided that we can take some time, cool our heels and stop doing the marathon train trips.  That is why, on the way to Amsterdam to get our free tour (via Eurail) we decided to stop for a few days in Hamburg.  Apparently they have the best free city tour, and we have decided that we shall try all of these free city tours and be the judge for ourselves.  It looks hopeful in that it isn't as cold here as it was in Scandinavia.  I will also take full blame for our current state of go-go-go before it's gone because that's how I remember vactations being back in the day with Mom and Dad.  Hurry to get where you're going, pedal to the metal, stroll then run and don't leave Disneyland until the full 14 hours are up because we have to go longer than Mo did when she was 4!   Leisurley going from place to place was not how this worked!  I am determined to slow down, however - and that includes when walking with Ana.

The trip down was interesting because we had a 4 hour layover from 1-5 am in a small town in Sweden (Halmsted, I think).  Because the layover was short, we did not feel like getting a hotel room and instead passed the night in the train station.  It was fairly decent, as train stations go, and I was EXTREMELY happy that Ana is an overpacker because without her blanket, I would have been frozen to the bench.  As it was, the night passed with no incidents other than a Halloween reveler dressed as the joker came in at one point, sat in front of an advertisment for a bit and then left - we determined he was probably on something and can't hazard a guess as to what.  According to Ana while I was sleeping a policeman did come in to check on things as well, but as all 4 of us (me, Ana and 2 hobos) were either sleeping or playing on the interwebs (in Ana's case) he just left again.  We got very lucky in Copenhagen because Ana woke up in time to get me up so that we didn't miss our connecting train.  She's super funny when she's sleep deprived, let me tell you.  Hi-lar-ious.  We got in to Hamburg just fine and got lucky because we weren't supposed to be able to check into our hostel until 3 and were here at 1 but the guy said that we could go ahead and check in because the room was cleaned already.  We are in an 8 bed dorm with our own toilet and shower!  (For real, that is a huge blessing because at the last hostel, I was headed to breakfast when going down the hall on the other side was an older gentleman wearing an undershirt and undies - not a good sight.  Or my favorite so far, the guy who walked down the hall to the bathroom in just a towel... but nothing trumps the old Hungarian guy stripping down on the night train... ICK!)  There is also a bar downstairs, and as this is Germany, I think it would be a shame to go to bed without having some beer or wine. 

I have started maping out all the other places in Germany that I would like to go - in Bramburg we can try smoked beer... my travel guide says that it tastes like bacon.  Naturally, we have to try it!  I think that we were in a rush to get the Scandinavian countries done before it got super cold up there - and we just barely made it!  He he he - December we plan to go around to the Christmas markets in Germany and drink a lot of hot wine (thank you, Annie) while probably making our way to Paris and Madrid.  We have determined that in order to really enjoy a place, you have to stay for at least 3 nights.  Day 1 is arrival and you're usually no good, day 2 is either taking a free tour or walking around on your own, day 3 is whatever didn't happen on day 2 and day 4 you jet out.  So going forward, we don't plan on booking any hostels for less than 3 nights.

Ana seems to be feeling better, so naturally it's time for my annual sore throat.  The good news is, that's easier to deal with than what she had.  It finally hit me yesterday on the train back to Oslo that I won't be able to talk to, see or text my family for a while and it was quite frankly overwhelming how much I really miss them.  Especially knowing that they're having a good time while I'm gone (because we still have Facebook, after all) and over our favorite holiday... Halloween.  It just doesn't seem right having a Halloween and not watching Garfield for it!  Of course, this is going to be the same story that will play out during all the upcoming holidays - sigh.  I know there are good reasons for coming over here during the winter instead of the summer but damn, it would be nice to get hugs from family before next year!  It also has hit me how lost at sea I feel sometimes regarding where my life is going.  After all, I know who I am and I know where I've been and I know that there has got to be more to life than working to make someone else money or working a job where you regularly imagine gouging out your eyeballs in a fit of frustration (sorry, former co-workers, but that was a daily thought for me).  But then the question becomes, what is there that I would benefit from / could be working toward something as opposed to just working to make money?  Don't get me wrong, money is nice, it's just not everything.  Instead of this trip, I could have bought a car but ultimatly I can't take a car with me at the end of my life, but I can take the memories of this trip.  You see, I don't care about material things - I want my life to be a collection of crazy stuff that I've done and stories about weird people... I want to have a life well lived and skid into my grave, totally worn out screaming "That was one helluva ride!"  My biggest fear is being old and realizing that I didn't have the life I wanted because I was too scared to live it.  So hopefully this isn't the last crazy thing that I do!