But how can I possibly sum up 2009? Put as simply as possible:
4 (maybe 5) continents, 24 countries, 13 states

What an amazing year. There were moments in places all over the world–from biking the wild coast of South Africa to hiking the hills of Scotland–where I stopped, looked around, and marveled at the sheer improbability of it all. I seem to have gotten more than my share of good fortune in this life.

Now, how to top it in 2010? Lots of ideas, lots of plans. First up, Salt Lake City on Saturday, followed by Nevada and Arizona.

http://picasaweb.google.com/eekauppi/ThorSWedding?feat=directlink

Thor’s Wedding

Will post final trip photos soon!

Days that Corey and Dee (friends from college) were in Europe: 8
Days they were with me: 7
Countries we visited: 3
Additional countries I’m claiming because I got off the bus at a bathroom stop in Belgium en route to Paris: 1
Days spent in Berlin: 1
Days spent in Dortmund: 2
Days spent in Amsterdam: 2
Days spent in Paris: 2
Additional days I get in Paris: 6
Hours spent on trains and buses traveling between those countries: 21 (at least)

Hours spent on public transportation in search of Potsdam Palace in Berlin: 1.5
Hours spent returning to Berlin: 1.5
Visits to Potsdam Palace: 0
Train stops we missed the Palace by: 1
Hours it took to realize we weren’t anywhere near the Palace: 1
Neon blue Christmas trees we settled for instead: 1
Sledding runs in the middle of Berlin: 1
Cost of sledding run (in Euros): 1.5
Sausages eaten in Germany: 10000000000
Marriage proposals we watched near Alexanderplatz: 1
Minutes the guy waited on an open lawn before his girlfriend showed up: 25
People gathered to watch: 50+
Schnitzels I consumed in Germany: 5
Schnitzels that were turned into a kebab by the Turkish restaurant dude: 1

Changes to get to Dortmund by local trains: 5
Hours spent on trains that day: 8
Connections missed: 1
German/Yooper friends visited in Dortmund: 1
Punk rock concerts attended in Dortmund: 1
“Boots” of glüwhein consumed in Dortmund: 3
Boots stolen for souvenirs: 6

Deposits paid for those boots that made the stealing legal (in Euros): 12

Hours spent discussing common Yooper friends with Christoph: 2+
Hours everyone else was bored by that discussion: 2+

Pairs of skinny jeans tried on by Dee and Corey: 4
Pairs of skinny jeans that made them look more European: 0

Hours spent on public transportation to get to the Essen mine: 1.5
Minutes we had before we had to return to Dortmund: 30
Hours we actually spent at the mine: 0
Pictures taken of the mine: 1
Minutes spent at the tram stop in the cold: 30
Pictures taken at the tram stop: 15

Hours on trains from Dortmund to Amsterdam: 5
Countries visited after the addition of the Netherlands: 31
Friends visited in Amsterdam: 2
Hours spent ice skating in Amsterdam: .5
Falls on the wet ice: 1
Very dramatic falls: 1
Space cakes consumed on the trip: 1
Space cakes consumed by me: 0
Van Gogh paintings viewed: 100
Van Gogh paintings I adored: 100
Hours spent in Anne Frank House: 1

Cost of train from Amsterdam to Paris (in Euros): 250
Cost of bus from Amsterdam to Paris (in Euros): 44
Hours spent on bus: 8
Hours slept on bus: 2
Time we arrived in Paris in the morning: 6
Hours spent in the Louvre: 5
Glasses of water spilled on Corey by French waiter in Louvre cafe: 1
Times I circled the room with the Mona Lisa before I realized where it was: 2
Pieces of artwork seen: 10000000000
Pieces of artwork adored: about half that

Hours I’d need to feel like I really saw the Louvre: 100

Thanksgiving picnics beneath the Eiffel Tower: 1
Ridiculous signature arms-out photos taken: 100000000000
Jumping photos taken to get successful shots in front of the Eiffel Tower: 100000000000000000
Times I thought of the phrase, “Jesus H. Christ” in Notre Dame after seeing the wall patterned with Hs: 20+
Times I felt mildly sacrilegious for those thoughts: 20+

Historic sites viewed in two days in Paris: 100000000
Days it will take to recover from my vacation: 7
Days I have left in Paris: 4
Sights I still want to see before I leave: 2 (Shakespeare & Co. books and the Moulin Rouge)
Yoopers I get to see on Tuesday: 1
Friends coming in on Wednesday: 2

Days until I fly to Dublin: 4
Days until I fly to Chicago: 5
On a scale of 1 to 10, how ready I am to stop traveling: -10
On a scale of 1 to 10, how excited I am to see family and friends at the holidays: 20

On a scale of 1 to 10, how bored are you after reading this lonnnng list?

http://picasaweb.google.com/eekauppi/Germany?feat=directlink

Germany

Tonight, after having a bit of a wander by the water (a wee wander), I went to the Highland Music Gala–a huge concert with six or seven music groups made of kids from around the Highlands. The show opened with a drum corps, each drummer wearing a kilt outfit (is it still a kilt if a girl is wearing it?)–and then the lights went out and the kids pulled these crazy blue, glowing drumsticks out of their socks and all you could see was a long line of flashing blue sticks. Fantastic. And when the lights came back on, a line of bagpipers was marching onto the stage to join the drummers.

I’ve never seen anything like it.

The whole section of traditional music was exactly like something you’d see in a movie, tartan outfits and all. But, unlike men playing the bagpipes on the corner for tourists in Edinburgh, it felt like an authentic display of culture–really, a high school concert in little Inverness couldn’t be more removed from the tourist trail. Later in the show, there was a ceilidh group with reelpipes (kind of like bagpipes without the mouthpiece) and a heartbreakingly amazing singer.

Now, if you’ve ever been to a concert like this, you know the audience–parents, grandparents, a few siblings, maybe some aunts and uncles. Not random foreigners with no connections to the kids who are performing. I was a stranger among the Scottish families, and yet, I felt right at home. The man to my right told me all about his son the reelpipe player. When he got up to at intermission, the woman to his right leaned over to ask how I was enjoying the concert and to ask me if I’ve ever played music. Between groups, the women to my left started a conversation about nothing in particular–and I found out that the correct pronunciation of “ceilidh” is “kay-lay,” or “kay-lee” depending on your accent. This endearing tendency of Scots to chat with everyone in their immediate vicinity is one of my favorite things about the country. Bus stops, grocery store lines, in stores, on the street–there’s always someone to talk to.

In Scotland, it seems, you’re never a stranger.

Did I mention I love it here?

Had a crisis last week that involved an exploding can of Diet Coke near my laptop, after which it promptly stopped working. Panic, distress…followed by relief when the Apple store in Glasgow informed me that the cord had fried but the computer was safe. A trip to Edinburgh and a very expensive replacement later, and I’m back online! More Scottish stories to follow, but for now, some photos:

http://picasaweb.google.com/eekauppi/Scotland?feat=directlink

Scotland!