Which brings me to my parents.. My step-dad.. reads papers, and makes calls. Its a working trip for him; then there's my Mom. My Mom always has a project.. On this trip I think her secret project was to have been me.. argh! We have been seperated a lot this last year and I think she finds me in need of attention. My posture, my hair, my.. everything seems wrong to her. I'm not saying her suggestions are valueless but her critical attention can be a klieg-lit, remoseless light which thrusts us into the fractured space of love-hate.

Its hard to defend feelings, when she starts in on me the best I can do is withdraw in speechless spirit, think things the tongue dares not fashion into words, turn up my iPod and pretend to read. If that fails, my ultimate defense is to take a seat by my Dad who says, "Can you PLLEEAASSEE just leave her ALONE! This is vaCAtion!" Whew! :) Thank god!.

Travel. When you analyze it, disolve it down to its framework, should be a glimpse at other worlds, other lives. Train travel is perfect for this pilgramage. You roll across country through majestic mountain ranges, through villages (where, in some cases, life hasn't changed much in two hundred years), past endless rolling farmlands and into the dingy cities. (Thats NOT a knock, even London and Paris look dingy as you roll into the industrial areas.)

Starting in Paris we saw Germany, Austria, Hungry, Romania, Moldova, the Ukrane, Poland, Belarus, through Westrern Russia to Moscow and St. Petersberg then back via Rome. It was Europe's panorama to the accompanyment of a train's gentle, ocean like waving motion. My FAVORATE city was Budapest, which is gorgious at night if you cruse down the Danube and Moscow which is just different from any place else.

Train travel can get claustrophobic, at times, but imagine weeks of sunrises and sunsets from your bunk, falling asleep watching the stars, waking in the middle of the night and just watching the countryside roll by or reading a good book while awaiting room service like some decadent chinese empress. Its both exciting and a place of rest. Just slowly succuming to the snail like pace of it is therapeutic. .

Some of the simplest things were a challenge.. have you ever tried to shower on a train? Its a slippery, undulating, soapy.. kind of like a combination phone booth and water ride. :)

My sister, and I are usually thick as thieves but in large doses she has a strange effect on me. Our interaction is iterative.. we feed-back on each other again and again, every action a butterfly effect of whirling emotions and before I know it I'm 9 years old again and living to annoy her. There are SO many things that annoy her, she is such a delight to tease.. like ordering fun.

I know annoying my sister is a juvenile past time but she sides with my mom all the time against me.. its self defense. *Self justifying* Anyway, she always takes the bait.. *chuckle* I guess its life's simple pleasures that keep us going.. :)

The most relaxing thing about the trip was the feeling of being out of touch, disconnected.. maps, menus and signs were all but unreadable! I mean, Spanish signs you can guess but the cerillic languages are uncypherable to me. It was something like being blind and deaf.. there were some english speaking people and guys you meet but for the most part I could listen to my nano and watch the world go bye.. weeks of totally brainless activity.. (SO perfect for me)

Reading back through this, maybe it SOUNDS awful but we DID have loads of fun.. honest :)