Europe Part II

Yesterday, I walked my 4,000,000 step since I picked up this pedometer. It was not quite as exciting as the 1,000,000 step. I didn’t even go to Fenton’s to celebrate. Maybe today. However, the figurative me would not like it if I went. I am out on the freezing Wyoming desert, 952 miles from my Alameda home. The last thing I need is ice cream. But who cares about the figurative me--the real me is in California, where ice cream is always welcome.

Europe 2009 Part Two

We were in Canada when we decided to take the pilgrimage. Not really--the pilgrimage to Denmark had long been on the planning schedule. We were, however, in Canada, in October 2008, when we decided to take the plunge and head for Denmark. By that time, we had amassed enough Marriott points to get to Europe and stay at the Copenhagen Marriott for a week. We also arranged to spend a week in the Lake District in England. So in Cobden, we called Marriott exactly one year before we planned to leave to arrange the trip. Dorey looked warily at me immediately after our phone call to Marriott. She said, “You couldn’t even get home before you planned the next one, eh?”

We did not go on the trip one year later to the day. Rather, on July 2, 2009, a Court scheduled a trial to start the very day I was to return. I knew that I couldn’t do this, so on July 3, 2009, Dorey and I sat on the couch rescheduled the trip. It was an expensive hassle. And the Lake District did not seem like a pleasant visit in December. So we decided to go to Canterbury instead.

Actually, the change worked out well. It allowed us to go to Europe at Christmas time, always a fun thing to do. The only thing that we missed that we had planned was to see a play at the Royal Globe. I am still mad about that, Judge.

So in July, we started seriously planning our trip. We bought a book about the Denmark culture. Immediately on reading it, I knew that I was going home. The book discussed that the Danes love discussions. They won’t offer an opinion unless asked, but once asked, look out. They will let you have it once you ask. Me, too, but unlike the descendants of my forebearers, I rarely wait for the request for my opinion before giving same.

So after planning the trip logistics, we only had to wait and read up on the spots we would go to . As we counted down the days, we would remind each other of how many days were left until we could leave. We marked the October day when we were had originally planned to go with sadness. We marked the day that we were originally supposed to return with some pleasure--we still had a trip to go on, after all.

By the way--the trial that was supposed to start the day after I was to return, never happened. I knew it wouldn’t.

Europe 2009 Part One

The figurative me is out on the plains in Wyoming. I have walked 931 miles since leaving my home in Alameda. Part of this steps the literal me took were in Europe in December. I will be in Laramie in 97 miles. So here’s part one of that trip report.

We all take pilgrimages. It seems to be in our nature. I am, however, uncertain whether our pilgrimage treks are really religious in nature. Of course, I belong to a religious tradition which does not really have a pilgrim tradition. I guess folks may travel to Salt Lake City, but there is nothing there which isn’t available anywhere else. And Salt Lake City is cold in winter and hot in summer. And really boring in all weather. And you certainly can live a complete life as a Latter-day Saint without making the trek to Salt Lake City.

This is not to say that pilgrimages do not have a religious component. I was reminded of this pious motivation when Dorey and I were in St. David’s, Wales a few years ago. The saying there is that two pilgrimages to St. David’s equals one pilgrimage to Rome. So, yes, pilgrims can believe that they honor God by traveling on the road.

Yet, I think that even more than a religious urge, I think that pilgrims go on these travels to say we have gone. Or even more likely, we go to show off our souvenirs on our return. The pilgrims who traveled from France to Santiago de Compostela used to pick up sea shells--known as St. James’ shells--to show off to their neighbors on their return to France. Since I have rarely read about the religious experiences of these pilgrims, and have heard a lot about the sea shells, I have come to believe that they mostly went to Santiago de Compostela to pick up the shells, and any religious motivation for taking the road south out of Paris was purely secondary.

Our trip to Europe in December 2009 was as close to a religious pilgrimage as I am ever going to take--if one counts a family feeling as a religious sentiment. We were going to Denmark, the old homeland. Several of my ancestors joined the Mormon church and left Denmark to make their trek to Salt Lake City. We were also going to Sweden. Now Sweden is another homeland, one which we in my family barely acknowledges. But it is Dorey’s homeland. On this trip, we were also going to Germany, which is not a homeland in any sense of the word. And France, which is. And Belgium, which isn’t. And England, which is another spot which my ancestors left. Yet even though it was going to be a religious trek in one sense, it was, I must admit, a trip motivated to pick up a few wares to show off on our return.