Poland / Day 1

 

And away I go on a new adventure! It seems like ages since my last trip and I think my luggage is getting lonely. My last 2 mini trips were packed into my backpack (St Louis and Toronto). The big case has now come out of hiding (it's been resting since April) and is ready to leave for Europe. Today, I fly to JFK via Charlotte and then off to Krakow in the evening. 

Half my case is dedicated to supplies to teach 3 classes: needle felting, silk fusion, and a stitched shrine. The other half, clothes and personal items. Yes - I've learned how to travel light. Thank goodness for quick dry clothing that can be washed in the bathroom sink. 

In my research before traveling, I found out that "Not my circus, not my monkeys" is from Poland! How many times has this idiom come out of my mouth!?! Certainly a good reminder when I am tempted to get involved in something I really don't need to or to take on too much. That's how I pack - don't take too much and bring home memories. 

Garden 💗 - Alaska

Not exactly a garden, but the moss is amazing in Alaska! 

Garden 💗 - The Never Ending Story

 

We stumbled onto this garden in Garmisch, Germany. The kids were not happy about going, but then, I could barely pull them away! I especially liked the garden filled with poisonous plants. I have created my own version of a witch's garden! My is filled with dye plants.

Garden 💗 - Vigeland, Oslo Norway

 

The world's largest sculpture park/garden featuring a single artist, Gustav Vigeland. The park was opened in 1907 and features over 200 of his works. 

This is the most famous of the sculptures - The Angry Boy

Dee and I almost missed it, as it was actually quite a small sculpture compared to others in the park

Garden 💗 - Uppsala, Sweden

Now for a science/history lesson! When I travel with my sister (science teacher and geek), I am required to learn things. Sometimes it's actually really cool stuff. On this trip to Sweden, we ended up in Uppsala. I learned about Carl Linnaeus, a Swedish biologist and physician who formalized binomial nomenclature.  Very big words translated to, he named things. 😂

Yes, there are gardens. Yes, the town is filled with science geeks. 

This is a money hut! 

When the weather was nice, Carl would let his monkey be outdoors, tethered to the pole.

There were other gardens in the town, but this one was an important one to visit (for the science sister)