Week 3: Ferries & trains & planes, oh my!

In regard to the term "study abroad," this past week in Europe was primarily focused on the abroad aspect of our program. No formal classes were held, because the week was spent all across the continent! This is not to say that there was no studying, but I've come to find that in this adventure, learning often looks very different from a classroom setting. 

We began at the northernmost part of Germany, on a spa island called Norderney. It's a quiet destination,  with tourists making up most of its weekend population, and residents typically being 60 years or older. Frankly, I was unsure of what to expect, as it did not seem like an obvious or extraordinary excursion location. How wonderfully surprised I was! Norderney was richly filled with biodiversity, seaside charm, and refreshing exploration. Fun fact: the island is so refreshing that tourists pay a daily fee for the magically clean air, and German healthcare offers two weeks of prescribed "rehab" there to soothe stress. I would return to Norderney without a doubt, because despite being so unassuming, it had so much to offer!

I've been very fortunate to travel and explore, even just around Texas, and I've come to appreciate so greatly the diversity of nature and ecosystems. There are so many different types of environments and lands, and each time I think I've seen the most beautiful one, I'm presented with a completely different scene that takes my breath away. Biking across the island of Norderney, I found myself beholding a landscape of rolling sand dunes and paths of tall windswept grass, and then facing the might of the North Sea and its stretches of shoreline. A new sight to discover was the mud flat that spans a large portion of the island before melting into the sea. Here I overcame a fear of writhing worms and discovered the incredible life that exists in such an unexpected place, as well as the delightful barefoot hiking through knee-deep trudges of mud. 

This hike made up just one of the many activities during our trip, alongside numerous bike rides, sunrise beach workouts, thalasso dips into the 53 degree ocean, and exploring every inch of the beach town. Our physical excursions were rewarded with one of the island's most prominent features: the badehaus, aka one of the world's largest spa houses! Huge saltwater pools, mud bath treatments, saunas and more greeted us as we spent a whole afternoon swimming and being pampered, while appreciating the cultural traditions of medicine that make up its origin. 

Soothing spa days, nature hikes, and barbecue with friends served not only to bond and teach us, but also to prepare us for the impending travel day of doom that arrived Wednesday. After our Norderney excursion, all students were free to go wherever we wanted. Grace and I, choosing adventure over convenience, had our eyes set on Rome, Italy and had plans prepared weeks in advance. Normally, a travel day would not warrant a great deal of details, however, our rollercoaster of a travel day must be addressed as I reflect on the sheer quantity of transportation and dependence on a Plan greater than ours. 

The day began easily, with a little bike ride to the Norderney harbour. Then a ferry took us to the mainland. It was at the train station that the real travel would begin, and almost immediately the chaos did as well. Our train was to take us to Leer, Germany where we would catch a bus across the border to Groningen station in the Netherlands. We made it to Leer, but 40 minutes late due to the train "falling asleep," according to the German intercom. Yes, that's right- the train quite suddenly and unexplainably turned off on the way to Leer and left us stranded in the middle of the tracks. Missing the bus to Groningen, Grace and I eventually stood dumbfounded in the middle of sleepy Leer, with no idea where to go from there. We wandered the bus station and used broken English to try and get information from random bus drivers. In the mysterious way of God's work, we encountered a tall Dutch man who overheard our plight and, without hesitation, calmly figured out a way to Groningen for us. And so began the most spontaneous, unexpected, out-of-character, travel adventure of my young life. We followed this unassuming Dutch man on a bus from Leer to Weener, Germany, to a tiny train station in the middle of nowhere. We climbed aboard a train with Bastion, our newfound guide, and spent an hour discussing science, faith, life, and travel. I cannot explain the encounter beyond a wonder for the seemingly random people God puts in our path and the ways He sends us aid. Sure enough, thanks to Bastion, we arrived at Groningen station only 30 minutes behind schedule, despite the fact that we should have been over an hour behind. We parted ways with our guide, asking him for final advice on our travels, to which he responded, "Be happy; be chill." With a sudden peace despite the anxiety of missed connections, no further plan, and no idea how we had arrived in the Netherlands, we found ourselves in Groningen following a sign to another platform that had a train leaving in one minute to Zwolle. It was our understanding that this city would have a train to Schiphol airport (our intended destination), and so, completely surrendering our plans, we jumped on another random train and were off. Mysterious event #2 occurred when, halfway through this train ride, we were asked for our tickets. Now, Grace and I had bought tickets, but we had diverged from that original schedule as soon as the train to Leer "fell asleep." Now we were on an unknown train going to an unknown city in an unfamiliar country, and all I had was the barcode of our original German train ticket. When the man asked for it, I had no idea what else to do besides blindly show him the one barcode I had. The pause that followed his scan was one of the longest of my life- and then was over in the blink of an eye as he smiled and thanked me, jumping away to the next passenger. For whatever reason, the ticket had been accepted and Grace and I stared at each other dumbfounded as we were zipped off to Zwolle without a trouble. Our prayers of thanksgiving were only increased as we arrived at the station, looked out the window across the platform, and saw a train that said Schiphol Airport. Fulling committing to the theme of spontaneous and trusting action, we jumped off our train, flew across the platform, and boarded our final train (#4 if you're keeping track) just as the doors closed and it took off. By sheer divine intervention did we make it to the airport two hours before our flight. We arrived in Rome at 11 pm and took a taxi to our Vrbo hosted by the wonderful Spanish-speaking Pier. Our day of travel was finally concluded after a bike ride, a ferry, four trains, a bus, a plane, and a taxi. 

How do I begin to describe the incredible adventure that followed? Grace and I had made it to Rome, Italy, a city rich in history, faith, and culture. We were tourists again, soaking in every scene and fragrance of the ancient metropolis. And we weren't doing it alone! For this exciting journey, we had the Cox family, also on their European adventure, and joined them for three days of sightseeing, learning, and eating! There was an unexpected relief in traveling with them after being so dependent on ourselves for the last couple of weeks. We wandered together, sat in open-air cafes, tried cappuccinos, devoured gelato, and absorbed all the art and religion that waited around every corner.  

Our second day in Rome was even more of a unique blessing, because I got to celebrate six months of dating Will! While in Rome! What kind of perfect-romance-movie kind of scene is that? I still cannot believe what a gift it was to share such an adventure like that with him as I reflected on what a gift he has been to me. I am so grateful to be learning and exploring life alongside him, and sharing in so many countless memories. Who says Rome isn't the city of love? 

It wouldn't be a true adventure without some amount of chaos, though. While it certainly wasn't the highlight of the trip, I would be remiss to exclude our last night in Rome. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves and show the progression of fun scooter rides to not so fun scooter crashes. Once again, I am overwhelmingly grateful to the Love I receive in the most unexpected of times! Thank you to Grace, who staunched my bleeding immediately and kept the ice packs coming. Thank you to Will, who found the only open pharmacy and spent his last night in Rome learning how to use butterfly bandages. You two are my heroes! 

My accounts of this trip could go on and on, but then we wouldn't have as much to talk about when I see you next! I have seen, learned, and loved so much in the past week. Every unplanned event has been a lesson in trust, and every outcome (whether good or less than great) has been a reminder of the unending ways I am being provided for. Three Marian virtues were emphasized to me in the excursions of this past week, and my heart is grateful to reflect so significantly on the values of blind obedience when plans go out of my control, continuous prayer as I am guided onward in the face of challenge, and lively faith as I encounter new people, places, and opportunities in which to receive and offer love, joy, and thanksgiving. See you later, Rome!