As we had a 9 hour wait until our ferry to Santorini, Sierra and I decided to kill time and poke our heads into a few shops. Little did we know that not once, but perhaps 10 times were we going to re-live Julia Roberts crippling encounter as modern-day Cinderellas pre-prince Charming.

Time after time, employees glared at Sierra and I in the eye with such unashamed vile distaste, towards the end of our shopping excursion we couldn’t help but laugh right out loud at this ridiculousness. That is, when we weren’t looking at each other utterly crushed, confused, hurt.

Even without our backpacks were we that disheveled? Do we look untrustworthy? Like tourists? Poor? Ugly?

It was truly amazing. I would say in roughly 97 percent of the stores Si and I entered, we received the same reaction. No smiles, no no wave, certainly no help, plus a following look of disgust, sometimes laughter and whispers as we perused the isles.

Even young local girls our age responding to a smile from Sierra or I would give us the once over, turn to their girlfriends and laugh.

At one point when Sierra happily and with a big smile held up an outfit explaining to an attendent she wished to purchase it, the woman aggressively and very angerily barked something at her we couldn’t understand before allowing her to pay for the item then roughly shooing us out the door.

Who knows if it was because of how we were dressed or just who we were, travelers, that we received such awful visual and verbal responses from employees, one thing was certain: our attitudes, manners and demeanor had nothing to do with it.

This was the hardest thing to grasp.

The harder they pushed us, the meaner they treated us, store by store Si and I were committed to pushing them back with all of the kindness and courtesy we could muster, including speaking Greek, including asking how they were doing.

This really was the first time I felt like nothing I did or how hard I tried to be kind made any iota of difference. It was really the first time I felt absolutely humiliated. And over and over and over and over without break.

And all because of my appearance.

To experience the feeling of being looked at like you’re dirt, you’re unwanted, and nothing you say or do matters, was eye-opening to how some may feel every day because of their skin color, sexual orientation, or whatever the case may be. To encounter people who already have fixed opinions about who you are is a tough wall to break down.

Although we clearly received no immediate results from our loving responses to the grinches in Piraues, who are we to know if in small measure our refusal to spit fire back at them, maybe their hearts were softened in some way.

Si and I found comfort in the fact that we knew who we were even if these people didn’t and clearly didn’t care to. In times like these we were forced to realize that the only way to deal with such undeserved hurt is to hold onto the truth that we don’t and never will have control over other people’s action, only our own.

And if you can be at peace with your behavior sometimes that’s the only peace you will find.
But that peace is enough.

So this is a true story I am relating to you. It;s more or less verbatum,

Ext. “The Hookah Bar” Krk, Croatia 11:30 p.m.

The four travel bugs walk up to a bar entitled “The Hookah Bar.” They sit down. after patiently waiting a few minutes Cody and Sierra walk up to the bar and wait patiently for a few minutes untill a bartender comes over. The place is not crowded mind you.

Cody

“Excuse me kind sir. Can

we geta hookah?”

The bartender looks at Cody as if horns are growing out of his skull. However, Cody, using his amazing sense of improv skills, gestures to the menu, which is cut out in the shape of a hookah and has the words “The Hookah Bar” on it.

Cody

“How do we get one?”

The bartender, is taken aback, almost confused as to why we would inquire about such an outlandish request.

Bartender

“No. No. We only have two.”

Cody and Sierra are confused. This is called “The Hookah Bar.” They only have two? They have 25 tables. What happens if one of the other 23 tables wants to hookah at “The Hookah Bar?” The Bartender looks around the bar. He spots one of the two hookahs and points.

Bartender

“Well, there’s one.”

“Thanks, that’s helpful, sir.” Cody and Sierra go and sit back down. A waiter approaches their table.

Waiter

“Would you like something to drink?”

Mind you, he asks this as if we were inconviencing him. The four travel bugs quickly discuss and order from the menu.

Travel Bugs

“Coffee and Baileys please.”

The waiter, a different guy from the bar, shakes his head perplexed, then responds.

Waiter

“No. No. It’s too late for coffee.”

What does that even mean? At what other time of the day would one drink Baileys and coffee? That is it, the travel bugs have had enough. They get up to leave. Upon leaving they see a hookah not being used. Since they no longer have to wait for the other tables to finish using their hookahs they ask to use hookah number 2 of 2. They approach a female waitress.

Travel bugs

“Can we get that hookah since it’s not being used?”

Waitress

(confused and offended)

“No. No. That one is broken.”

Mind you, a hookah has zero moving parts and consists of two connected pipes and a hose. Meaning a two-year-old could fix it using only drool. The travel bugs leave the bar scratching their heads with little to do but replay the past thirty minutes, pondering each puzzling instance through fits of laughter. Did that really just happen? Affirmative.

Sadly, I have fallen victim to this statistic. While making our ferry reservation at Piraeus, Ferry port outside of Athens, to go to Santorini, I hit the lowest point in all of my travels. My day pack was stolen at the blink of an eye. In the bag I had my new camera, laptop, Eurail passes, phone, important documents, external hard drive, iPod, some money, and not to mention a few other personal items all taken.  Thank fully though, I still have my money, passport and, most importantly, my health.

The reality of travel is that not everything goes smoothly. You have to be ready to adjust, to be flexible and roll with the punches. Up until this point, I had been organized and under budget…so doing very well. Disappointments are going to occur but it’s crucial to not despair in situations like these.

You have to move on and finish the journey. I look at this incident as a test and know that with every trial comes a finish line. If anything, I know I will move on a stronger person because of this.  Like Cody once said, traveling is 110 percent mental. Well, I am beginning to think so, myself. Remaining positive even in sour circumstances can make a world of difference.

Put this in your travel pocket:

• If traveling with a computer back everything up on a hard drive prior to leaving.
• If you set your pack down by your feet, attach the pack to your ankle. Always be sure there are no loose ends. Everything should be attached to your person at all times.  
• Always be ALERT. Lack of sleep can be a detriment to your awareness.
• Be cautious if using unsecure wireless networks that don’t require a password
• Misinterpretation can occur easily. A gesture in one country may be perceived differently in another. It’s important to be aware of cultural differences and customs as you travel from place to place.
• Lost but confident: Always be aware of your surroundings. Even if you’re not sure where you are going, appear as if you know. Confidence intimidates. 
• Keep valuables in separate places: for example, I had my external hard drive and laptop in the same bag. That’s a no-no.

In times like these, I am reminded of a favorite passage of mine from the Bible. Romans 5:3-5. Says, “We also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance character, and character hope.  Now hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” I believe that everything happens for a reason even if its not clear what that reason is at the time.

What next:

I’ll hopefully be getting a new computer to work with here soon so I can continue to make movies. In the meantime, we will be doing our best to update you through pictures and blogs and as much video footage as we can.

We set out early in the morning in our Escalade blasting some J.T. Timberlake (sorry Joscha, we weren’t too savy with your music player) to attempt at two-hour drive into the German countryside to the Neuschwanstein Castle, nestled in the city of Füssen in the foothills of the Swiss Alps.

Now this is not just an ordinary castle. To be quite clear, it is the actual castle which served as the model for Sleeping Beauty’s dwelling place…yes it’s that beautiful. But actually more magical because it’s real. From all of our travels this past week and all of the other wondrous places I’ve been so fortunate to experience, this sight takes the cake.

So what’s the Neuschwanstein on this castle ?

Some facts…
Although this ethereal palace in the mountains looks like was built in medieval times, it was conceived and constructed in the late 1800s by King Ludwig II, aka “the mad king” who was the second king of Bavaria. Ludwig’s father funnily enough owned and lived in castle just down a few miles from his future son’s. But was little Ludwig satisfied with a lovely, already built and furnished castle in the mountains?…Of course not. It wasn’t the castle he’d seen in his dreams. So, once his father died when he was 18, it was up into the mountains to craft his vision.

Inside each room of this castle, pick a room any room, are walls and aritifacts laiden with gold and pastel-painted walls depicting each their own specific fairytale or myths of great love…the tale of Tristen and his Isolde scales Ludwig’s bedroom walls. Sigh.

Swans are a reoccuring theme throughout the castle and can be found carved into the castle’s structure, sketched into ornaments in the rooms, swimming through paintings, vases, tapestries, tiled floors…

The schloss (castle) was still being constructed at the time of Ludwig’s death…it remains so.

Sadly, lonesome Ludwig lived in Neuschwanstein alone, sans wife and family, but for only 172 days before he mysteriously passed away…

Never Enough
For the bee and butterfly, circling within the walls just wasn’t enough. There was too much more of this wonder to be savored from afar. So, we took to the hills. We scaled the mountain neighboring the castle and headed up. And I mean straight up. Before long, we were sole hikers.

The rest of the Neuschwanstein scene had dropped off and we were on our own scaling to the highest point to acquire the best possible view in our power. Roughly 30 minutes from the castle’s bases we were suddenly on top of the world. That was it. I was in my fairy tale, and there was no one around to bring me down to earth. This being said, there’s really nothing quite as freeing as breaking off from the pack and literally taking the road less traveled by.