FINALE! FINALE! FINALE!

Germany won their semi-final match against Turkey this evening. They will be playing in the FINALS on SUNDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What an amazing game :) And it was so fun to watch it out with other people! A great night!!!

You thought you might be a ghost, you thought you might be a ghost!

I don't care what ANYbody says, I am loving this new Coldplay album! Anywho, I know I haven't updated for ages - that's because it's been a rough couple of weeks full of personal problems and HOMEWORK. However, things are looking WAY WAY WAY up. I feel like I have solid groups of friends now, I'm quite focused in my classes but at the same time try to plan in fun time (for example, after I finished an assignment for a class this evening, I watched some online television - wonderful!) Mostly, I want to update about last Saturday, because it was AWESOME.

Saturday, June 21st -
The day started off with a bike ride. My friend from Minnesota, Lindsy, and I met at around noon by the stream that runs through the city, called the Dreisam. I followed her (since she already knew the path she wanted to take) along the beautiful stream through low, shady trees and past little families out for a walk. It reminded me of Austin, with people stretched out near the water on towels (it was VERY hot on Saturday.) We stopped off at Lindsy's apartment in Littenweiler to refill water bottles and put on some stroooong sunscreen (it was the mineral stuff that lifeguards use on their noses, but I used it on my whole face; I looked like a ghost:-P) Then we were back on the road. The next part was the best, most gorgeous part. We rode through fields of grain and crops, past tractors and dogs and other people on bikes. It was SO picturesque, I can't even begin to describe it. Unfortunately, my camera might be broken - I'll know after I buy some new batteries today. If it is, I'll just have to get some throwaway cameras, in which case I will take pictures very sparingly because I don't really want to spend a lot of money on that. I'm not stressed about money anymore, but I still realize the reality that I may not be able to do as much traveling at the end of my stay as I had hoped/planned. We'll see. At least I will be able to survive in Freiburg until the end, if nothing else. I'm just really, really hoping to get to Sweden or Norway or Scotland (or all three?) Anyway, I digress. The whole way to our destination was uphill, so the ride back was WONDERFUL. After I returned home, I showered and got ready for the evening, which was to be a Swedish Midsommar fest hosted by my pal Maria (she's from Stockholm.) Lindsy joined me for that, as well, and we ran into our Norwegian friend Eivind on the way to the festival site. My tandem partner Maike, her roommate Silke and her boyfriend (I don't remember his name) were all there, along with Salem, one of Maria's friends. We all went and bought some typical Swedish food, and then headed towards the Seepark, where we were having our picnic. It was GORGEOUS. Looked just like Barton Springs, only as big as Lake Austin or something. It was fantastic! We threw down some blankets and took our shoes off and it felt kind of like the fourth of July! Maria and I sung a few Swedish folk tunes and danced around a bit, and we ate and told stories and everyone got to know each other better. We also played this fantastic game - basically just catch, but with an apple! Hooray for improvisation:) As the night drew to a close, Maria sang to us. It was this gorgeous Swedish lullaby, and as we all joined it is was quite a beautiful choir of voices! Then we all said our goodbyes, and Eivind, Maria, Salem, Lindsy and I walked towards the tram stop. On the way, we women picked flowers to put under our pillow at night, because it was the night when we would supposedly dream of our future husband (apparently, this wasn't my year to find out - I only dreamt of animals and what I needed to do in the coming week:-P) We also discovered that Russia had beat the Netherlands in the fussball (soccer) game that evening (a HUGE upset, for those not following the tournament.) Then we headed home! A wonderful, wonderful day that was followed by a day of relaxing to regain all of my lost energy:-P

Tonight is the semi-final between Turkey and Germany, so it's going to be CRAZY this evening, particularly if we win!! I really hope Germany wins, I think it'd be so cool to be here when Germany was in the finals. When I'm in town today, I'm thinking of picking up either a German flag or a shirt or something, to commemorate how far the team has come. It's still early, though, so for now I'm heading out on a mini-bike ride, just to get some exercise. Then I'll need to shower and have lunch, and do a little homework before I meet my tandem partner in the city and do the shopping I need to do today. I am sad I don't have time to recount Saturday more vividly, because it was really just glorious. Now I am looking forward to Berlin. . .I PROMISE to have a recap of that experience plus the Radiohead concert, if I don't check in before then. Until then, vi ses!

Musical Connectedness

A quick post (as I am sick, and therefore am house-bound with not a lot to report) on music. I *did* get out to a concert on Friday (which spurred the sickness on, I'm afraid) and this, as well as a new album coming soon by a favorite artist, made me think that perhaps this would be a good venue to share my Artists of Europe. These are the musicians I've listened to from the beginning, and it's a much smaller list than it probably should be, because my iPod broke, which forced me to get a cheap mp3 player here and put only the music on my computer plus whatever I acquired here in rotation. I recommend looking into all of these artists. Their genres and talents are varied, which means you won't be bored by any of them!

Caitlin's Artists 'o Europe 2008 -
Sigur Ros: this is the group with the new album coming out on the 23rd. They sing in Icelandic, and sometimes in a made-up language called Hopelandic. I believe the new album is all in Icelandic, though. It doesn't matter that all of the individual words can't be understood - it's the mood, the overall effect, that crosses language barriers and captures the imagination. This is brilliant, brilliant stuff. AND, added bonus, the new album was recorded at Abbey Road. How do I know this? Well, ultimately, because I checked on their website. But more importantly, because I saw the band's signatures on the graffiti-wall outside of the studio (that I added my name to.) Freakin' awesome. And if you check the band's myspace page (http://www.myspace.com/sigurros) you can stream the entire album (there is a box you click if you scroll down a little; it's on the left.) You can also just hear the first song come on when you go to the website, and then the next two audio tracks will teach you Icelandic! They explain how to say the name of the album and the song titles:) Genius!

Jason Mraz: just came out with a new album. It's awesome. I don't know what else to say - if you know me, I've been promoting this guy for 7 years now to friends and family and anyone who would listen. Also, apart from the music, his web journals are moving and heartfelt - a good read if you want some self-improvement summer reading.

Amanda Rogers and the Sketchy Indians: apart from the uncomfortable political incorrectness of the latter half of the group's name, the music is quite awesome. This was the group I saw here in Freiburg on Friday. I was skeptical at first, seeing as Miss Rogers touted herself as the "love child of John Lennon and Thom Yorke." Yeah, right. And she isn't. Those two are waaaay too brilliant. However, she is a good poet and has a beautiful voice (think Vanessa Carlton without the whiny annoyingness, or The Hush Sound.) It was just really great to be in a concert setting and hear some live music! And she didn't disappoint.

Flogging Molly: their Irishy tunes are too much fun, and far too appropriate for my walks around Europe. There's a piratey good-heartedness to the group that is absolutely contagious. And listening to "If I Ever Leave This World Alive" while riding a train from the Stansted airport into London is an unforgettable experience.

Twin Atlantic: do an AWESOME cover of 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.' Seriously. If you ever wanted to hear a bunch of Scottish boys sing this song, this is your group. This was a group Jason Soudah helped me discover, and they are too much fun not to get hooked. It's the accents.

Damien Rice: the haunting voice. The jarring lyrics. The raw intensity. Damien Rice is incredible, that's really all there is to it.

Ane Brun: discovered her at SxSW two years ago. I remembered her recently, and she is still as fantastic as she was back then. Check her out for yourself, words won't do her justice.

(The rest I'm just going to list and link, not because they are worth ANY less than the rest, but merely because I am exhausted and need a nap.)
Gogol Bordello
Peter Moren
Peter Bjorn and John
Eric Hutchinson
Bob Dylan
The Beatles
The Swell Season
MUSE
Radiohead
Teitur
Sondre Lerche / Dan In Real Life soundtrack
Regina Spektor
Rachael Yamagata

Let's face the facts, dear: it's you who's got it all.

I went on a brief run this morning, despite a light misty rain and perhaps slightly-too-cold temperature. I want to describe the path I take to do my walk/runs, because it's truly out of a movie. First, I run down my 2 flights of stairs from my apartment to the front door of the complex. I turn left, and head past the other buildings, past a sandbox with a lifesize ship and sails (how cool is that for the kids who get to play on it?!) and out through a side entrance to the whole neighborhood. I turn right. I walk briskly on the cobblestone sidewalk past enormous grandfather trees, blooming rose bushes which, today, were heavily sinking under the weight of the rain, past moms and dads pushing babies in strollers and people biking to wherever they need to go. I turn left when I come to the end of the sidewalk, and cross a street. I then cross the tram tracks. I turn right again. I walk past quaint shops, nurseries and daycares, playgrounds, until I come to the playground with the climbing rock and big, grassy expanses. I turn left into the path, and walk past everything just described, as well as a little rabbit cage. It's always a good day when the rabbit is there - he is a fuzzy, round ball of white and caramel fluff, with a kind of "dooooh" look about him. Adorable. Today, because of the rain, I didn't notice whether he was out or not. Then I take the (muddy) path past the playground, between trees that reach out in an attempt to give me a hug. Not today, trees. I bent down to dodge them. Then. . .it's Lord of the Rings central. Big, curving beings of bark reach out over the top of me, protecting me from the rain. I turn left, usually, to begin my circle around the stream. The stream is beautiful and peaceful - if I didn't have my headphones on while I ran, I would hear it's soft rush past the rocks thankful for their endless bath. I would also hear the chorus of tiny birds that hang out in the upper echelons (spelling, egads.) Today, there was a bit of Poe in the woods - crows creaked out warnings of the rain. Thanks, crows, I think my soaked-through tee gave that one away. Anyway, I walk past these trees, under a branch that will probably soon be seperated from it's mother tree, because it is bending so heavily. I think if the rain continues, it will fall within the week. I go up to the bridge that is to the right of a big cage filled with rocks (don't ask me, I still haven't figured out what that is.) I turn right and cross the bridge, wondering if there are any goblins to devour Billy-Goat Gruff. After crossing, today I went left in perperation for my run. But I will continue to describe the ring around the stream, because it is more interesting. So, when I turn right, I pass tall trees and green grass for quite some time, and even another bridge (to my right). I pass a petting zoo, with goats and ponies. The goats usually eyeball me, as if to say, "The goblin didn't devour you today." Eventually I come to a child's playground/school of some kind. It is AWESOME. There are swings and things to climb, a teepee and God knows what else. Continuing on, I pass the horse stables. There are 3 or 4 beautiful, beautiful horses housed there. Sometimes they will look at me, and sometimes just continue their chomping on hay. Every now and again, I get to watch a brunette-haired girl ride in quick circles on a black beauty. I always wish to myself that the horse could jump the fence and just make a run for it. I'm sure he'd be happy to stretch his legs in a different pattern. Then again, I run in circles as well. . .nevertheless, I continue on past a third bridge, this one (unlike the other two wood bridges) made of concrete. I continue on, under a bridge for automobiles, up a small hill and finally come to the final bridge in my circle. Usually I will then take the bridge across and go back on the dirt road, but the rain has caused it to be too muddy, so I turn back around and follow the crushed-rock path I took out. About three or four days ago, I saw a tree fall on my run. It was epic and magical and tragic all at once. Through my headphones I heard this desperate, warning crack, looked forward and to my left about 20 feet, and watched as one of the wise wizards of the forests take its final bow, breaking a fence as it collapsed under the weight of its years. I feel like this is a rare thing to see; not that it doesn't happen often, but to time it out where you actually get to see it. I felt priviledged to be the single human attendant at the funeral. Today, when I ran back over my final bridge (the one near the unexplainable rock-cage) and took the path past the playground in that area, I saw a couple walking towards me, walking what I assumed would be dogs. To my extreme pleasure, almost glee - they were walking their ferrets. Two dogs with another man walked by, totally confused by these skinny, fuzzy beasts. The biggest smile in the world crept across my face at this ridiculous image. I loved it. Now, I have showered, my laundry is almost done, and I've been quite productive today. I am going to try to write every single day in some form or fashion (not necessarily in this journal, but in one of my many journals) in order to practice my writing skillz. Jason Mraz and his ingenious weaving of words has inspired me to do this. For now, it's time to get my laundry, go on a small shopping trip for some necessary groceries, have lunch, do some homework, mail off scholarship stuff to dad, more homework. . .more homework. SO worth it for a weekend of wandering through the forests, writing, singing and playing guitar, and guiltlessly indulging in life, the way I choose to. Peace out, lovers.