Ye Olde Blacke Forest

August 26^th, 2007

My diversion to Stutgart proved to be worth the frustration. Kira and I traveled using our intuitions today and ended up with the modst rewarding adventure. This is the first time on my trip thus far that I feel completely alive – because I planned for none of this. We rented bicycles and made our way to a lake in the middle of the Black Forest which was 2 hours away by train. We found this place because a nice man and woman from the train told us not to go to the first, more-common lake, but instead this one – Schlucksee.

It was – in a word – Perfect. Making our way down to the lake, we sat on rocks took off our pants and ate our butter sandwiches that we made at the breakfast buffet. We felt so lucky to even be breathing the air of that moment. There was only an hour before we had to catch our train home and we spent it by ecxploring a trail in the Black Forest with our bikes. It was cool and dark with the sun peeking through and illuminating small patches of grass that you might not see otherwise – because the forest is so densely grown. There was a mystical and mysterious quality about the forest which is condusive to inspiring stores about witches and wolves and magic…I think in the future I would like to have an entire black forest trip – exciting my imagination. Germany is a very whimsical place and I think it is reflected in the sketches I’ve been drawing here.

3 months to travel is too much – and not enough all at the same time. There are so many places I would like to further explore – but that will be for another time. Now is the time to go to Paris. My whole trip I have had the desire to avoid France completely – and now it is the best place for me to go – we will see what waits for me there.