Working in Rural France

From France: WWOOFing in Collognes

I have lost count of the number of times on this world trip that we have ended up somewhere completely unexpected and turned out to be wonderful. Is it luck? Our attitude? An unknown force pushing us down a path meant to be? For the second time on this world trip we WWOOFed but this time in rural France instead of New Zealand. WWOOF stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms and the way it works is you stay with a family and work for them 4-6 hours per day in exchange for room and board. The idea is to learn about organic farming, green and biological living as well as the family life.

And what a unique experience it was. We were in the south of France, but not the French Riviera as you might imagine. With no neighbors in sight, we were outside of a tiny village called Collongues in the Provence region in the Maritime Alps (2 hours north of Cannes/Nice). Our host, Christian, picked us up at the train station (if you can call it that) and drove us the 19km to his house up a steep and curvy mountain road. He spoke English quite well which is perfect because Andy ended up working with him during the days on a wooden pool deck, getting the garden ready for the spring with compost and a tractor as well as helping to make a wooden door. Laure, his wife, spoke little English. It was a perfect opportunity for me because I used to be fluent in French but over the years I have forgotten quite a bit. I was astounded at just how much flowed back to me when Laure told me stories throughout the day as we worked in the kitchen or outside in the garden. Stories about her passion of aromatherapy and herbology, her experiences teaching Montassouri School, her love of non-pasteurized French cheese, directions on how to make true French bread or anything organically related. French words were swimming in my head and it was such a special gift to have the vocabulary come back to me in the way that it did! I love that I translated for Andy and Laure at the dinner table as the conversation flowed in a combination of both languages over a meal of wild boar (complete with buckshots), roquefurt and compte cheese and fresh tea from the local wild herbs. In the last 9 months traveling all over the world, we have spent much time against a language barrier. Honestly, I have felt inadequate and a bit bad that we require others to speak our language – it feels so ethnocentric. Finally, I feel satisfied that I had the opportunity to give back with my words in THEIR language. C’est vraiment magnifique!

Laure, Christian and their 6-year-old son Tom live in a house that Christian built 8 years ago complete with solar power and ecological materials throughout. The original stone building was built by the Knight’s Templar in the 13th century and while there is not much of the original house left, there is one wall with initial cross engravings in a shale stone archway. Pretty cool. Seven mountain ranges are visible in a 360 degree view including the snow covered French and Italian Alps. Badgers, wild boar, deer, birds and wild goats are aplenty. Not a single other person or house was in sight. It’s truly a mountain paradise. They are big on minimal environmental impact and all things green. I am pleased to have learned how to make organic jams, make effective compost and improve my French. Though I have also learned something new about myself during this experience. It is and always will be important for me to make choices that are natural, eco-friendly and healthy. However, I won’t be one to freak out if one day my child eats honey with some added sugar or if Andy forgets to reuse a plastic bag. While these things are incredibly important to me, I will choose not let it rule the level of my happiness or judge others because they don’t make the same choices.

The trio certainly is isolated there and part of the reason they host WWOOFers (in addition to the work) is the companionship and the social interaction for Tom. It’s perfect for Andy and I too to spend some time apart. Can you imagine spending 24 hours per day/7 days per week with a single person? It’s absolutely wonderful yet also quite difficult at times. We haven’t written too much about it in the blog thus far because we have to leave some surprises for the book we are going to publishJ

I would like to speak to that for just a moment. As you can imagine, on a trip like this one has lots and lots of time to think. What truly makes us happy? What do we want to do for the rest of our lives together? What is the most important? Etc. To start, we are going to publish a book based on our travel experiences. But what will make it especially unique is that it will come from both Andy and my voices with an intimate look into our relationship in the backdrop of traveling the world.

WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE HONEST FEEDBACK ON OUR WRITING. PLEASE EMAIL ASBergdahl@gmail.com IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE! Thank you.

NERD ALERT!

Beware, I tell you. Keep your eyes peeled always, in case you see them wandering by. Be quiet, hold your position and look for that tell-tale sign, one that has become unmistakable over the past nine months.

If the Berglons appear at your front door or perhaps phone you and ask about sleeping over, just watch out! Make sure they do not have their signature piece of coveted property in hand, their journals!

If they do, follow these important Rules of Engagement:

1) Hide all of your brochures, newspapers, magazines or photographs
2) Keep scissors & glue hidden
3) Do not make the experience memorable or you may discover later that you are missing one of grandma’s lace napkins

Nine months with nothing to do – no work, no agendas, no meetings to attend, no alarms to wake up to (well, not many) - will do crazy things to a person, or persons for that matter. Maintaining a written journal has filled that void, almost to an obsessive level. As each day passes, finding time for Berglon Journal Hour becomes more and more critical, TO THEM!

If a napkin has a pretty picture, you might find Andy folding and licking and ripping and gluing. Or if a future goal crosses Stacy’s mind, the colored pencils may find their way to paper and then…?? Panoramic vistas need to be drawn, beer bottle labels must be peeled and stuck, a well-used map or memorable train ticket? GOLD I tell ya!! Armed with nine journals in nine months between the two, make these two a scary prospect for any castle handout or already-been-used pass or ticket. Instead of the trash where such sought after items might normally find themselves, they end up stuck in a book forever with these two.

Beware!!!

WI-FIght It?

The even flow of our world travels, that is. For 6 months we circumnavigated the globe with nary a care in the world, besides getting to the next bus, finding a place to sleep and eats of course, we were living in the NOW! Living each day for what it was and barely thinking past the tips of our noses. Two months into Leg #2, and railroading our way through Europa, our experience has definitely been a different one. Sure, the environs are uniquely varied, the language, historic castles everywhere!! But where I find the most variance is at the computer, as we email or phone about the next accommodation possibility. Apartment, single room, cozy cottage, it doesn’t matter, our needs are the same: kitchen, close proximity to public transport, near to the city centre or as far away as possible (depending on our mood) and INTERNET!

Talk about reality interrupting a good time!?! Internet? Really?? WIFI would be ideal thank you very much. We travel with the 17” silver Macintosh. You know, the thin one with the nice little half-eaten apple? I am working for my past employer this winter on the production of the Rose Bowl Game, which takes place on January 1st on ABC by the way.

From Germany: Neuschwanstein Castle

That being the case, keeping in touch has never been more important. Skype conference calls, emails and excel documents are now part of this world adventure. Sorry babe. Nothing like traveling with a little piece of home, right? So now, in an effort to work in the privacy of our own ‘home of the week’, we follow the WIFI signals. When we first get the keys to our new place, we do not jump on the bed or check out the kitchen accoutrements, we sit down, whip out the computer and test the signal.

Sometimes, it goes great! Like Luca’s House in Amsterdam, we actually had a hard line in our room. When I didn’t trip over the blue coaxial coming from the hallway, it worked amazing. Or at Thomas’ house we were linked into his home signal, sweet! We had to remind each other we were in the room sometimes, we were so entranced.

Other times it doesn’t go so perfectly. In places like Prague or Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic or in fact this place we are right now in the Dolomites. We had been sold on the place with the opportunity for connecting of course. But upon arrival, it was determined on all occasions that either there was a broken signal or none at all inside the cozy confines. But, luckily enough for us, if we sat at the base of the stairs on the way out of the buildings, we could get a nice strong connection. “Honey, are you going to check email? Don’t forget your beanie & blanket.”

From Italy: Hike to Prager Wildsee (Dolomites)

On a few occasions, the hotel at Disney Paris for example, we had WIFI in the lobby, but not in the room (not in the room, Disney? Seriously?). We had to buy an hourly internet card for too many Euros and then we could sit in front of the giant Sequoia fireplace, or in the bar, and 21st Century ourselves into a frenzy. “Where is my wife anyways?”

Often I walk around holding the Mac in my arms searching for a signal, like the guy at the beach you see looking for your forgotten gold watch or a penny in the sand. There has got to be a better way, Andy. There are 11th Century chapels, cobblestone roads and Alpine peaks outside and you are in here like a chicken with your head cut off.

Nevertheless, this is the world we live in wouldn’t you agree? This is the world we are living in now everyday as we embark on every new interlude. It was a blessing in disguise when we had our wonderful place in rural Czech Republic. Fireplace - yes, wood-burning stove - check, Internet – HELL NO!

I ask you, what happened to the simple things in life?

Have you ever wondered?

Well, to be honest, I never had. In fact, the prospect had never crossed my mind. Not until I was drawn to that little picture was I able to cognitively form the thought. The drawing was on the label. It drew me in, intrigued me a little. Could it be? Does Stacy know? Doubtful.

As it were, Stacy & I have found ourselves in the majesty of the Dolomite Mountains, somewhere lost in the cultural divide of Austria, Germany & Italy.; a place where no one really knows which language to speak, but definitely not the English one. What an incredibly beautiful place, especially in this, the off-season which we lucked into by happenstance.

From Italy: The Dolomites in the Alps

As we love to do, we shop for our meals, if we go out to eat 1 meal in 10 its an anomaly. Bread, cheese, veggies, fruit, muesli, wine of course & salami are all staples in our worldly diet (at least now that we have left SE Asia!). Picnic style is Berglon Style!

As I prepared our homemade pizza dinner a few days ago at the wonderful place we call home, the Maurerhof House, I saw something that would shape our grocery shopping forever. It has become one of those unpredictable tidbits that crosses your path and is always remembered. Like the crazy camp dude in Upper Hutt, NZ or the vicious overnight buses in Vietnam, these moments are the ones that make us laugh and cringe all at once.

The toppings I’d planned (yes, I cook occasionally) were fresh tomatoes, zucchini, mozz and salami. I always like to do my best Benihana chop on the cutting board when I get the chance and this night was no exception. But when it came to the phalic paper-encased salami I had to stop and look closer. My Italian comprehension escaped me at the time (shocker!), but the black & white line-drawn image on the label could not be more palpable. Cacciatore Equino, the label read, which, along with the image seen here,

From Milking a Cow?

was all the evidence this detective needed, to know that rides on the ranch and Elmer’s glue were not the only things our favorite 4-legged stallions were good for.

Cacciatore Equino has a distinct smoky flavor, but honestly, I would not have thought twice about sinking my teeth into it otherwise. Nevertheless, I did not download the news to the wife until AFTER she loved the pizza. “Honey, guess what?”

Needless to say, that will be our last experiment with horse meat…hopefully.

Cheque Please!

Adventures in the Dolomites

From Italy: Hike to Prager Wildsee (Dolomites)">Now, in my silent moments, I remember that Obama is the president-elect and I become giddy as a child with a bit of a squeal and a quick hop up and down. I just finished his book as tears streamed down my face with the inside knowledge of his essence. I am filled with joy knowing that this man just changed the vector of the Earth’s course in a positive direction. Yes, hope is alive and well!

Andy and I are in the Dolomites, a unique section of the Alps in Northern Italy close to the Austrian border. It is a fusion of both cultures in architecture, food and language. Danke and grazi both work. We found a contemporary 1-bedroom apartment just outside of a tiny village called Stefansdorf at 962 meters (~3,100 feet) located on a small farm. Each morning we are enjoying fresh milk from one of the 15 cows with our coffee and muesli. November is the only month of the off-season all year as it is well past the warm months but there is no snow yet for skiing. We can see the Kronplatz mountaintop/ski resort from our 3rd floor balcony. I learned from our host Marcus that we are his first American guests. Forst (Forest) beer is the local brew and quite tasty.

Recently, we’ve been challenging ourselves both mentally and physically. The other day, a mountain bike ride into the town Brunico (in Italian) or Bruneck (in German) 5 km away took us down 100 meters, knowing we’d have to make the climb back up. We discovered an old castle on the hill and a forest cemetery – the most unique and beautiful I have ever seen (photo).

From Italy: The Dolomites in the Alps

Since there was an actual supermarket here, we loaded up our backpacks full of food (and wine of course) and trudged up the steep hill, sweating and panting all the way.

Another great challenge was our hike yesterday. Photo Album. We explained to Marcus that we wanted to embark on a day hike in the classic Dolomites (giant, jagged limestone peaks) and he suggested starting at Pragser Wildee, an azure glacial lake. Perfect. Marcus kindly drove us to the train station where we needed to switch to a bus in Welsberg, except there was no bus. We must have had an old schedule because this bus doesn’t run on Sunday, we learned through broken English and hand signals from a local. Now what? Our map showed that we could hike to Prager Wildsee from here. Our eyes looked to the direction of the lake which was directly over a giant mountain. Topographically, the map said it was about a 920 meter climb up and over and total trek of 4 ½ hours. Well, what the hell, we are here to hike – let’s go.

Impressively, the trail was marked well much like New Zealand’s effiicient trail directives. I experienced my first feeling of vertigo as we traversed the mountainside with it straight up on one side and straight down the other. Dizziness at this high elevation hiking already for an hour uphill caused me to sit on a mossy stump with my back to the valley slope. I panted with my head between my knees until my heart slowed down and the dizziness passed. Onward and upward.

Finally, after singing all the Christmas songs I could remember, we approached the summit and what a beautiful sight it was with the classic snow-covered Alps on the one side with the grey, jagged Dolomite peaks on the other! But it was below freezing, clearly, as we passed patches of large snowflakes on the mossy ground as we walked along the ridge at 2020 meters. And look – there is Prager Wildsee!

We stopped for a picnic lunch along a meadow in the shining sun facing the Dolomites and relaxed for a half hour with a beautiful view. A sense of satisfaction washed over us as our destination stared back at us from below. In 3 hours, we passed only 4 people.

A couple of kilometers along the road finally got us to the lake. We had a look at the permanent sign at the lakefront to see just how far we’d gone when Andy stepped in dog poo, ha ha! Ok, now we are here – now what? Surprisingly, the souvenir shop at the hotel on the lake was open so we popped inside. I tentatively asked, “Spreken zie Englick?” when the clerk answered “Yes” to my great surprise (no one around here speaks any English!!!). We chatted with Yas for a while, checking out his shop and learning he had lived in Santa Barbara, CA for 6 months – what a small world. We bought cappuccinos and relished in the indoor warmth as we explained about no bus, the hike over the mountain and would he mind calling us a taxi? Yas happened to be driving near the train station in an hour with his son and could give us a ride. Great! We played with his giant Newfoundland puppy named Happy, and that is just how we felt.

A day of unexpectedness turned into a wonderful memory. I am consistently in awe at when we as humans let go and surrender to what is, the most beautiful and magical things happen if you let them.

OBAMA 2009 – 2012. Yes We Can!

I knew that I would cry either way on November 4, and thankfully they were tears of joy! We are back in Munich, Germany with our wonderful friends Robert and Simone who invited us back to see the concert Osaka Monaurail (Tramp Records), a Japanese funk band. An unprecedented band to celebrate with an unprecedented new President of the USA. Hell yes.

The evening began with a crew of 15 Germans for a pre-party at Simone & Robert’s flat with Tegernseer beers and sounds of late 60s hard funk to set the mood right. It was special to drink this Bavarian microbrew because on Monday, Rob took us to Tegern Lake (seer is lake in German) on a hike. We climbed 500 meters to an alpine mountaintop with stunning views of the rugged Alps in the distance (photos to come).

A 20-minute walk through downtown Munich took us to the Atomic Café packed to the gills with very tall men and women. In a sea of Germans, Andy has never seemed so short to me! We anxiously awaited Osaka Monaurail amidst the electric air with anticipation for not only the band, but also the election results.

“We have a special show for you tonight,” the singer says, “an opportunity. I want you to let it go. Let the music move you in any way you like. Don’t fight it folks, just get fuuuuuuuunky!”

And damn, the funk rocked the house! In true James Brown style, the lead singer had the moves getting sideways and the sounds of “ooowww!” escaping from his contorted mouth. We took a break from shaking our booties to have a drink – a specialty beverage called the “Barack Obama” – port wine and brandy on ice with a twist of lime. Video footage from CNN filled the big screen as sound shots from the news mixed in DJ style with the music adding to the crowd’s excitement. We danced the night away.

It is interesting to be in a foreign country and hear opinions about the US Elections. It’s amazing to me how much Germans care, and have been waiting just like us with baited breath. In fact, there is a German newspaper SZ that took a poll of their German readers who they want to win the US election. An astounding 94% want Obama.

Before today, in my silent moments on the train or waiting for the bus, I found myself wishing for Obama’s victory. I prayed that he will have the opportunity make a change in our spiraling world and fix our image as Americans. Andy asked me, “But what in your daily life will really change if Obama is elected?” After careful thought I replied, “It will give me hope.”

I’ve wanted to be proud to be an American citizen and quite frankly I have been somewhat embarrassed. Traveling the world for 8 months we get the question a lot and I have wished I could answer differently. I am sad for myself reading that statement. But now, I smile as I look forward to saying that I am proud to be an American. This is a beautiful, magical day for us.

Thank you, Mr. Obama. You are the face of hope in our world!

From Germany: Neuschwanstein Castle

P.S. I am reading his 1994 book at the moment entitled “Dreams From My Father.” I recommend it!