"Reading Departure Signs in Some Big Airport, Wondering Why We Ever Go Home"
This review only really covers the important things, so not everything covered in other entries will be covered in this one, because some things are a) for those who were there and b) simply unimportant.
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A quick overview of the entire trip
Note: If you're wondering about the lack of pictures in this entry, well, there wasn't as much to see around the house, and tomorrow will include more than this entry
11/26/05: Fifth Day: Workshops and Pictures
We rolled out of bed in a sort of piecemeal fashion this morning, primarily because of the crazy-long bus ride we'd taken the day before (and that
John had to head home that day due to a family issue, so
Finally, we started the first workshop, lead by
She talked a lot about her job and conflict resolution, and we discussed a lot of things about dealing with people in stressful situations. It was a lot of fun actually getting to hear about her job and work, something that I've never really had a lot of time to talk to her about, as our conversations have always been full of, well, other things. It was, really, one of the more informative workshops I've been to in a long time.
We had a lunch, and then I talked for a while about Slavic vampires (much to
Following that, we had a leisurely dinner, and then decided it was time to take some pictures.
I started the night pretty much at
But as
I'd never been so covered in body paint before (I have been covered in finger paints, but that's a whole other story), so this was an interesting experience, especially for someone like me who really isn't into it. But honestly, I trust
Then she started sticking feathers on me with spirit gum, which proved amusing, as well. I was, I found, to be a raven for the first shoot.
As a raven
Anyway, I ended up completely dressed, and we took some shots.
The next set of shots had me freshly cleaned from the shower (the body paint washed off wonderfully easy. . . this time) along with
I'll just say that we had a lot of fun worshipping our goddess during that shoot. There may be video around, but I doubt anyone will ever see that. The pictures, though, are another story:
Next, there was a shoot with me trying to wear some horns so I'd look a bit like Pan. The shoot called for me as Pan and
I think that it's best summed up with a picture from this portion of the shoot:
My favourite picture from that shoot, though, was this one:
Next, I was put into some crazy gold body paint. This stuff was not like the previous stuff, and was alcohol-based (on an unrelated side note, none of us were drinking through this whole process, so don't blame it on the alcohol). This body paint was not as comfortable, and when I did up my face, I found that the stuff burned like nothing else because of the alcohol fumes getting into my eyes. The pain would die down quickly, but it was bad for a minute or two. I was to be some sun deity from the Vedic pantheon, Surya;
Me as Surya
We had a blast during our shoots (each of us got to do a shoot on our own, then the three of us were together for another). Apparently, these three gods are in some sort of love triangle, but this whole Vedic mythology thing is, admittedly, mostly beyond me.
Me,
Surya, Usas, and Agni
The others,
More of these pictures are forthcoming, I understand, so I'll post a few when I get them.
Afterwords, I attempted to remove all the gold body paint in the shower with no actual success. The gold body paint was horrid, and so I hired on a shower buddy to help me get it out in exchange for trying to get theirs off. It was, by far, the least sexy shower I've ever taken with another person, but if you'd like to imagine some sexiness, feel free.
We were in there for about an hour and a half trying to remove all the paint. As I look down where I type, I see that there is still some on my finger nails.
I collapsed into bed that night exhausted and pruny, but happy.
11/27/05: Sixth Day: Some Departures, Cleanup
On the sixth day, I woke to find most people already gone. It was kind of sad that we didn't get to say goodbye to everyone, but then again, It was about time to head home.
I snagged some last photos off our balcony. It was a grey day, but still just a stunningly beautiful view:
The view from my balcony
We packed up and headed north through the mountains (but not before I snagged some maps of the area so I could find it again), driving through the tunnels between the house and Salzberg. On the way, we pulled over and got a picture of a castle that we'd passed numerous times before, but never really had the time to snag a picture of:
The Castle on the Mountain
Another shot of the castle
When we got in,
The view from a bridge in Salzberg
We also got to see a number of signs of men wearing hats doing all sorts of crazy things:
Men With Hats Cross Here
Men With Hats Cross Here (And Leave Their Hats)
Men With Hats Go Down Stairs Here
Men With Hats Will Steal Your Children And Eat Them Here
After we wandered around the city a bit, and the Christmas Market in particular,
That night we watched some MTV in German, pushed the beds together and slept, three women and two men, trying to catch some Z's. It didn't work well for anyone for the whole night, but we all got at least a bit of sleep.
Next Entry:
11/28/05: Final(?) Day: Wondering Why We Ever Go Home
11/29/05: Actual Final Day: Paris
The Girl in Paris
Making it Out of Europe, Smelling French, and the Detroit Adventures
Entry 1 | Entry 2 | Entry 3 | Entry 4 | Entry 5 | Entry 6
A quick overview of the entire trip