The longest way

I was kind of surprised today to realize just how few posts I've written lately. But maybe the emphasis should be on the word "written", because I've definitely been composing posts in my head, it's just that they somehow never actually make it onto my blog.

Blame it on hay fever. Blame it on spring fever. In any case, I'm spending a lot of time outside and the Internet just doesn't have the same irresistable pull that it does in wintertime when I seem to go into full-on hibernation.

Hibernating we're not, in any case. The kids had a day off last week and they spent a blissful morning in a workshop at the Staatsgallerie (National Gallery) learning painting techniques using different utensils to produce interesting textures. I took advantage of the downtime to visit an exhibition from the Viennese Actionism period. I'd heard that the artists were radicals, but underestimated just how disturbing their art would be! They painted with blood and broke just about every taboo in modern society. I just tried to find a relatively non-offensive representation of their work to post here, but couldn't-- I guess that would go against the grain of their movement anyway. If you're curious you can find out more about them here, but be advised that their videos are NOT safe for work!

After that I wandered down to the Kunstmuseum Stuttgart and spent the rest of the morning with Otto Dix. I get the feeling that he was pretty disturbed as well, but I really enjoy his portraits-- there's something so deliciously sinister about many of them!

This week I'm studying again-- I've got a big German lit exam a week from Tuesday.

Friday is a holiday here, so we'll be taking advantage of the long weekend to break in the caravan for the first camping trip of the season! We'll be meeting up with my parents-in-law out near Dijon in France.

We watched the film "Into the Wild" last week and it's been haunting me ever since. It was based on a real-life story of Christopher McCandless, who, upon graduation, gives up his money and possessions and hitchhikes to Alaska in search of happiness and the true meaning of life. The cinematography was beautiful and the acting and direction was superb.

Life as we know it might be becoming increasingly precarious with every new revelation about Chrysler. So it's rather ironic that at a time when I am craving stability that I can also be itching with wanderlust. I stumbled across the video below and have become hopelessly addicted to The Longest Way, the blog it represents.

I don't think I could ever handle a year out on the road, but I sure do enjoy daydreaming about it!

Christoph Rehage had a plan: to walk from Beijing, China to his home country Germany. In November, 2007, he started walking. A year later, he walked 4,646 km (2,887 mi) to Ürümqi - and though he didn’t complete his original route, the amazing journey had transformed him.

This is a time lapse of pictures taken through his trip. You can read more about Christoph’s journey at his website, The Longest Way.