A packing complaint and saunas without segregation
STUTTGART, Germany — I have not written anything for two weeks. I am slightly disappointed about this, as when Young Star 2.0 came along I made a commitment to myself to churn out an article every week and I just missed two weeks in a row. Luckily, I believe my excuse is valid: I am in Europe right now. I missed the one last week due to me being in the air at the same time as the deadline for article submission, and I missed the week before that due to an overwhelming amount of last-minute preparations for my trip. Regretfully, I was not at my friendliest to some people who tried to contact me before I left, as it was a stressful time for me, and I had a lot going on in my head. It is not fair to you; you only wished to see me before my departure, and I treated you like one would treat a dog with leprosy. For this I must apologize.
I will be spending two months here to visit friends and attend conferences and workshops, some related to Christianity, some youth-related, and some related to the social technologies I came across at a previous youth conference I attended a few weeks ago in Antipolo. This will be the first time I will be traveling on my own. I’ve taken a few international flights by myself in the past, and I’ve lived on my own in a foreign country for a short period of time, but never before have I planned a solo trip to multiple countries with minimal baggage and a limited budget. I believe the term is called “backpacking.” However, I may be cheating a bit since for the most part I will be staying either with friends or in venues provided by the conference instead of the usual ratty ol’ el cheapo hostels with surprises carefully hidden away in the sheets.
Right now, I am in Stuttgart, Germany. Everything I have with me can be stuffed into a 55-liter backpack and a leather shoulder bag. For me, this is traveling very light. I am notorious among my friends and family for 1) overpacking; and 2) stuffing my baggage with numerous miscellaneous items for the million-and-one just-in-case scenarios that often run their course through my mind before such a trip begins. I do not like packing at all. Normally I put it off ‘til the very last minute, as one thing that really gets my goat is when I pack an item early on, only to discover, right before I leave, that I desperately need it and I am forced to unearth it and everything on top of it from somewhere deep within my baggage. Usually this much-needed item has a way of finding itself at the bottom of my belongings, so it all comes out during the search, and then of course after everything is out and the item is found I have to pack the pile of belongings that has formed back into my baggage all over again. I have not yet grown to love the art of packing.
The past five days I have spent in Stuttgart have been quite eventful. I’ve witnessed seven priests being ordained; I’ve walked home during a chilly sunrise still dripping sweat after a night of jumping around like a wild man at a grimy drum ‘n’ bass event in a club built into an abandoned tunnel. I’ve run into friends I made last time I was here in 2006 and I’ve eaten some truly amazing Turkish fast food for cheap. I’ve gone to the mineral baths in Stuttgart called the Leutze and walked around in the buff in the midst of other naked men and women as certain parts of the Leutze where one had to get naked were not segregated by sex. One of my friends told me that the great German visionary Rudolf Steiner recommended the Leutze as being good for your health, and after my experience there, I would be inclined to believe him. The mineral water feels invigorating when you immerse yourself within it, and it is such that small, natural bubbles collect against your skin if you keep your movements in the water gentle. I found this quite peculiar, as it was like taking a bath in San Pellegrino. However, one must be careful to avert one’s eyes from some even more invigorating experiences, as seeing attractive members of the opposite sex rubbing their naked bodies in the sauna is hardly a conducive atmosphere for relaxation.
The first day I arrived in Stuttgart, I went to a park near the place I was staying and took some pictures, which I thought I might share with you. Unfortunately for you, there are no pictures from the Leutze. All pictures were taken with a Canon S90 and are straight out of the camera. I wisely left my bulky DSLR in the Philippines. Perhaps by next week I will have gone on another photo session and I will have something more for you. Until then, adios.
