Berlin.  It translates into “swamp” as I found out today.   I couldn’t see any swamp from where I was.   But I happened to see a lot of other things.

Our day started early.  We left the boat and got on a bus.  It is a three hour drive to Berlin. Super Mario was our driver.   Christine and Sion were our guides.   Unfortunately, Foghorn Leghorn happened to be sitting directly in front of us.  And a kid with an iPod… listening to music with headphones…. and singing along poorly…. was a couple rows back.

None the less.  We had the opportunity to eat boxed food on the bus.  One of the things was a marvelous butter-injected-piece of bread.  We were either very hungry… or the Germans know how to box a roll.  Anyway.

Our first stop was Sachsenhausen, just outside of Berlin.  It was a Nazi concentration camp in used primarily for “political” prisoners (as the Nazis “tagged” them).  It operated from 1936 to the end of the Third Reich in May 1945.

Some 30,000 – 50,000 inmates died there from horrible treatment… torture… exhaustion….disease …. malnutrition. Many were executed or died as the result of brutal medical experimentation. Over the course of its operation, over 100 Dutch resistance fighters were executed at Sachsenhausen.  Some of the stories were absolutely gut-wrenching.

Even so.   I didn’t get to spend as much time as I would have liked, exploring the camp, and getting its entire history.  It is a time in history we must NEVER forget.

It is hard to switch gears.  But.  From there to a great lunch in a hotel in downtown Berlin.  I had some of the best little sausages and sauerkraut of my entire life.  Seriously.

Back on the bus and a sweep or two around the city.  We saw many of the sites, and learned a lot about Eastern Germany and the Communist occupation.  I will tell you more about all of that tomorrow.   For now, another long day.  We had to make the same 3 hour drive back to the boat, and got back around 11 p.m.  We just pulled out to sea, once again.  And now….it is just a little before one in the morning, Berlin time.

So tonight, a few different images from the day.  A field of “Granola” as Foghorn identified it.  A shot from the “Z” station at Sachsenhausen.  And one of the buildings in downtown Berlin.  Very near the wall.

And speaking of walls… I am hitting one now.

But this I learned today.  There are things going on inside.  Things we may not be aware of.  It could be a Concentration Camp… or a roll with butter hidden within.  It could be an big city with a million trinkets to be explored.  Or it could be a friend, a family, a stranger …. with a snag, or a worry, or trouble, or good.

Can we be aware of everything?  Of course not.  But can we be good stewards of life, and light?  I hope so.

Gute Nacht mein Freund.  Goodnight.

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“It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope.”  – Robert Francis Kennedy

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“I do not agree with a word that you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”  –  Voltaire
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You can call me Pollyanna if you want.  But.  There are a lot of comings and goings on a boat which one comes to appreciate.

Yet.

Today… I was pretty lazy. It isn’t often that I am “not in motion”.  We got up early and worked out.  But from that point on, it was a pretty low key kind of day.

It wasn’t to the point of slothful.   But pretty dang close.  (Ich fühlte mich faul.)

Most of the time, I am pretty energetic…. truth be told.  I’ve been this way all my life.  But not on this day.  I think the sea is lulling me into inertia.

As a result,  I had the best nap I’ve ever had today.   That was a really good thing.  It was full of wonder.

Tonight we enjoyed a nice dinner and a show.  Those people danced.  They sang.   They did a magic trick where they crammed a guy in a box.  A few moments later…. a woman popped out.  Kind of like a super-fast sex-change operation.   Right on stage.  Sort of.

Later in the act,  two acrobats hung from the ceiling.  The swirled around and made me nervous.   Pretty remarkable stuff…. I will certainly tell you…. especially on a boat… in the middle of the Baltic Sea.  One couldn’t help but to sit in amazement.

And when we finally got back to the cabin…. there was a towel animal on the bed.  I have named him Zeke.   The surprises, twists and turns to this whole thing are around every corner.  Again, I sit in awe.

Now.  Away from the word “lazy.” And on to the word… “conundrum.”  There is a huge shuffleboard tournament tomorrow.  I hate to miss it…. but we are heading to Berlin.

Guten Nacht.

“Wonder is not a Pollyanna stance, not a denial of reality; wonder is an acknowledgment of the power of the mind to transform.”  –  Christina Baldwin

Shove off.

Now that’s a funny phrase.  I know for little boats, it makes sense.  But if you shove off a big gargantuan ship…. well now… THAT is a big shove.

At any rate.  Away we shoved.

So out to sea, leaving the city of Amsterdam.  It started raining as we were crossing part of the country side.  We saw one lone little sheep out in a farmyard.  I opened up the window and hollered its way…. “Get out of the rain, you silly sheep.  You are certainly going to shrink.”    I don’t think it heard me.

There are a lot of people on this boat.  A wide scope of people.  However, most are of the geriatric variety.  Falling asleep on the deck, and such.

Speaking of the deck.  The cruise people…. pipe in calming and relaxing music in all the public areas.   While Mary and I were tooling around, and exploring…. they started playing the theme from “The Titanic.”  Bad choice of songs, by my estimation.

The sea is pretty choppy today, and the ship is really swaying.  Even the veteran cruisers are saying this is unusually bad.  I didn’t think we would be able to feel much, but I am sitting here bouncing right now.

We are out to sea for a couple of days now.  We get into Berlin on Sunday.

I can’t see land anymore…. but I am keeping my eyes wide open for icebergs, I’ll tell you.

Truthfully.  Looking outside,  I can’t see much now… in the dark of night… on a big wide ocean.   But you know.   There is so much to see everywhere, and every how.  If you are really looking.   It doesn’t have to be in a foreign land, or in a far away place.  It could be in the city where you live, or even in your own backyard.  The knack of appreciation is in seeing the beauty…. of the tulips in the Netherlands… or the ones in the front row of your garden.   Or even in the mirror in front of you.

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“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” –  Howard Thurman

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Okay.  It is so COOL here.   Not cool in a cold way…. although it is chilly.  Rainy too.

BUT… “cool” in an “exceptional and splendid” way.   So many stories.  In just a couple of days.

Where to start….?

Yesterday, we truly explored so many corners of the city.  All of this, not so much because we were in “exploration” mode.  We simply couldn’t find our way back to the hotel.

We happened upon many very cool things, including an old convent deal.  But it wasn’t really nuns…. just women who were very religious, but didn’t want to commit totally to the whole nun thing.

We also saw a photo exhibit, called World Press 2014.  Amazing photos.  It was the year’s best in journalism photography… by this contest’s standards.  Many of the photos were extremely hard to view.  The exhibit was in an old Catholic Cathedral where they had buried lots of people beneath the floor.  Watch where you walk… I’ll tell you.

Today, a big trip to the Van Gogh museum.  We walked there.  No taxi.  No van go.

I have long been an avid “fan” of Van Gogh’s work.  This exhibit was a truly amazing thing to see.

The food is grand.  Netherland-ish.  I like Netherland-ish.

So much to tell…. but the days start early, and we get back to the hotel late.   Tonight’s photos are two very different shots of the canals here.

Finally tonight…. enjoying great company with a laugh around every corner.  Wonderful city.  Goodness abounds.

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“The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.” –  Dalai Lama
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Well…. Dorothy.   I don’t think we are in Kansas anymore either.

Two days without sleep.  But the ride is pretty grand.  Nighty Nighty.

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“What we think, we become.”  — Buddha

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How often do things go as we plan them?  Well, if you are a rocket scientist or a heart surgeon, they better go well most all of the time.

But, for the most of us, things don’t always go as planned. Okay. For instance. The other night let’s say you wanted to watch the game on TV, and eat cheese and crackers, and drink chocolate milk with a straw. But the phone rings, and it’s Trudy, and  you haven’t talk to her since the third grade. So you end up  chatting and chatting about laundry detergent.

And the next thing you know it, the dog has eaten the cheese and crackers from the coffee table. The Nestlé Quick Bunny has come back and reclaimed his chocolate milk. And the games in the seventh inning. We’re losing.

Not as planned, so much.

So why do we plan?  Well.  We mostly need it for direction.  We have a task, or an idea, or an adventure… and we figure out how to do it.  And of douse…. we have hopes for smooth sailing along the way.

Now…. in the case of this photo.  I would say that the planning schematics had a lot to be desired.  Either those folks never planed on getting electricity…. OR…. they never expected that little tiny tree to grow so tall.

Either way… it didn’t work out very well for the tree.

So sometimes our planning has an effect on more than just our immediate selves… and that is when the pressure really adds up.

Like… you have invited friends over for dinner.  Do you really think four bags of Crunchy Cheetos, and six Cream Sodas will really be enough?

All I know is… it is a dang good thing I am not a Rocket Scientist.

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 “I seldom end up where I wanted to go, but almost always end up where I need to be.”  – Douglas Adams
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To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.  – Anatole France

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I had a good visit with my Mom today.  I spend time with her, most every day… some days more than others.  She can be very insightful.  And quite intuitive at times.

After leaving her I had a few errands around town.  Then I was headed home.

Driving along… radio cranked.  And then….. I got the very strong feeling that I was supposed to go to Mound Hill Cemetery.  It hit me like a ton of bricks while I was heading south on 127.

So I went.

I pulled in and got a really queazy feeling in my stomach when I drove through one part of the necropolis.  I thought maybe I was imagining things, so I drove toward the back of the cemetery.  The feeling went away.

So, back up toward the front and it happened again.  Then I got the really strong feeling that I was supposed to see something.

Now.  I know this all sounds goofy.  This sort of thing never happens to me.  And tonight, I am not sure why it did.

But to continue… I got out of my car, and walked around the “queazy” area for a while.   I listened and looked and watched.  Nothing.

So.  I decided to shoot a little bit while I was there, even though it is was the worst time of day to make images.  I got my camera and walked some more, shooting.  I still had these strong feelings, but…. I have no idea why.

Maybe I was just getting hungry… or sleepy… or antsy.   But I truly think my intuition was telling me something.  Something.

And that’s the dang thing about MY intuition.  Most of the time, I have no idea what it is….. that I’m supposed to be “getting”!

All humans have it.  Intuition.  Just like we have intelligence, and emotion.  You see…… Intuition provides views, understandings, or beliefs that we cannot……  in every case…..  empirically verify.

Most of the time… there simply is no  rational justification.

So.  For this reason, it has been not only a subject of study in psychology, but also a topic of interest in various religions.

At any rate… I am not sure why I wanted to share this hapless experience with all of you.  But it really stood out to me today.  Here are a few photos I took.  And that is the feeble scope of my intuition.

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“The only real valuable thing is intuition.” – Albert Einstein
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“Intuition is the clear conception of the whole at once.”  – Johann Kaspar Lavater
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I belong to all sorts of things.   Domino Tumblers Anonymous.  The Benevolent Society of Boat Namers.   United Jugglers of America.  Oh, it goes on and on.

Most people I know are members of some group or organization.

Maybe a Rotary Club, or a Book Circle.  A cooking class, a university, a football pool at work.

It could be something like the NRA, the AARP, or the ACLU, or the Red Cross.  A neighborhood watch group?   A church, a bowling team, the NAACP, or the CIA?

We are all pretty much card-carrying somebodies.  Typically, it works like this.  You join.  You pay annual dues. You volunteer.  And… you receive some sort of member benefits.  Like the free tote bag, or a neat-o lapel pin.

And. If nothing else, we are members of a community.  You know it when you pay your local, state, and federal taxes.

But probably, the one people think of the least, is the biggest one of all.  Unless you are a Extraterrestrial Friend of mine…. we all are residents of this planet.

Citizens of Planet Earth.

A lot of times, I hear people saying….. ‘they don’t care about what is going on in this country or that.  It isn’t their problem.  Let them fend for themselves.  It is none of our business’ … and such.  Maybe on some level, they are right.  But maybe not.

I think what might be happening… is that a LOT of people are members.  But not very many pay their annual dues….but expect to receive al the member benefits.

This probably isn’t going to keep working very much longer.  “Club Planet” may end up holding it against our kids… and their kids… and so on.

For me… I think it is important that I should care what is happening in the community in which I live.  Because if I don’t…. who will?  If no one cares….

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“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.”  –   Jawaharlal Nehru
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“I am a citizen, not of Athens or Greece, but of the world”  –   Socrates
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For some dang reason, I was really thinking long and hard about veils today.

They are something we don’t give much attention to… as a general rule.  In fact, I can’t remember the last time someone asked me, “Have you seen any good veils lately?”

I started wondering when they first started … and why.

I found a lot when I did a little research.   Veils have been around a really, really long time.  The first recorded instance goes all the way back to the 13th century BC.  That’s BC.  That’s first recorded instance.  BC.

And that equates to a long time ago.  The record can be found in an Assyrian legal text from the 14th to 13th century BC, which restricted its use to noble women and forbade prostitutes and common women from adopting it.

Homer, in his Ancient Greek musings… frequently wrote of them.

They have had many different meanings too.  Everything from mourning a death, to entering a marriage, to aristocracy… to hiding one’s identity.   Different religions have a variety of references.  And of course, they are not only used to cover people…. they cover things.  Tabernacles…  and such.

I, personally, am not a big veil wearer.  They seem to get hung up on the hood of my sweatshirts.  And frankly, I have not had much luck finding one that really goes with any of my running shoes.

In fact, I think the last time I had a veil on was for my Holy Communion in the 2nd grade.  And from the photos… it doesn’t look like much of a veil at all.  I think my Mom probably pinned a piece of nylon scrubbing cloth to my head…. from the looks of it.  You know.  The kind that came “free” with the purchase of Palmolive Dish Soap.

I can remember trying to get out of the whole dressing up thing that day… to no a-veil.

But back to it.  Sometimes… I think… we don’t physically wear them.  But at times we put them on emotionally, or psychologically.  It happens during those times when we don’t want someone else to see something about us.  No matter what it is, that we don’t want them to see.

I’m not saying this is a bad thing.  In fact… I think sometimes it may even be necessary.  Maybe it is best to keep certain parts of our being… or our thoughts… in our own private space.

Some people seem to be very transparent.  But I am not so sure about that…. either.

And then there is my dog.  The other day, Ollie asked me if she could wear a veil.  I told her of course she could.  I don’t want to stunt her creativity.  But I asked her why.

She responded, “You told me I was part Jack Russell and part Peaking Nose.”
I just shook my head… “Goofball.  I said Pekingese.  PEKINGESE!  Not Peaking Nose.”

She kept it on till dinner time.

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“The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.”  –   Flora Whittemore
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Levels of Distinction.  We humans, want to stand out at something.  Most of us, at least.  We want to be really good at a task, or have a special quality.  Some seek fame… others strive to win… or succeed at work.  Get a promotion.  Whatever.

There just seems to be an innate need to be significant. At something.  Anything.  Call it what you will…..   importance,  note, consequence; renown, fame, celebrity, reputation; merit, worth, greatness, excellence, quality.

And sometimes you win.  Sometimes you lose.

Here are a few examples… concerning this whole “level of distinction” matter.

I should warn you.  At times… it goes terribly awry.

For instance…. in 1981, Deborah Ann Fountain (Miss New York) became the first Miss America pageant participant disqualified for “illegal use of padding” during the swimsuit competition.  Her hills fell down… and it broke her crown.

Another for you to chew on.   Mr. and Mrs. Wrigley must have been proud.  The first item bought by scanning its UPC code was a ten-pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit gum, purchased at an Ohio supermarket. It’s now on display at the Smithsonian.

Okay.  If someone tells you their “Claim to Fame” is being double-jointed… you should do a double-take.  No matter how flexible a person is, there is no such thing as being “double jointed.”   From what I am told…. most extreme contortionists suffer from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

On the other hand.  Here is a guy with a great butt.  A Hollywood stuntman  of long ago.  His name was Alvin Kelly.   In 1924, Kelly sat atop a flagpole for 13 hours.  That is a long dang time on a flagpole.  It inspired copycats across the country to replicate his feat….to varying degrees of success.

So, for as much as we try… and seek to be the best… go higher than any others… we might remember this:  Trees do not grow higher than 130 meters…. as it is physically impossible for the water to rise higher.

I guess, sometimes… it is good to know your limits….  when you are rising toward the stars.

“In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.” –  Buddha quotes
 
“I am in You,You are in Me,There is no distance or distinction.”  –   Sri Sathya Sai Baba