Eurojournal - 3 Dec 2006 Hiking!

Yesterday Byron went on a long hike to another village over the mountains. He really wanted to show it to us. So later in the day we went. We went past the ponds, pastures, ravines and into the trees. The ponds and creeks were beginning to freeze. The children threw rocks in. Some broke the ice surface. Others slid along. Wow, it really is getting cold. We wondered if we would experience snow before we left in a little over 3 weeks. Byron loved pointing out all of the hills that looked like good snowboarding terrain. Luna had a hard time on the way and whined quite a bit. Liam did well. I worried that we would not make it back by dark as I watched the sun get lower in the sky and the temperature drop.

We made it to the ridge overlooking the destination village. It was gorgeous! Overlooking the village with two steeples peeking up we saw a clear sky, trees in the horizon and the moon on top. We walked back. Everyone had a burst of energy from making it to the ridge. Liam and Byron were hopping over dirt hills. We were not sure which way was the best way to go as the night was setting in. We needed to get out of the ravine before dark. Fortunately Byron knew where to go. He has an excellent sense of direction. I trusted him as he has never failed me when we traveled Europe. It felt counterintuitive where we were going but he was right. We made it back to the village by 6pm in the dark aided by a full moon. A lovely 3 ½ hour hike.

The hike was a nice closure to our time here. I am ready to go home. Not in a way where I want to leave here. But I feel like my journey is coming to a logical end. For a week I was a little down because I was excited to go home, sad to leave here, apprehensive about returning to US culture. I felt that instead of counting down the days until we left which we did inadvertently we should be savoring our time left here. As we hiked back I felt balanced in the beauty. I felt like my work was complete. I felt ready to come home and start a new life in my own home with my friends and family knowing that we would return here soon to visit.