Mapping My Month: April 2015

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, where in the world has the time gone?!

March was a busy month for the TGT tribe, even more so than anticipated.  Between the two of us, we visited two state parks for some Sunday hikes; threw together a last-minute camping trip with another couple and their four-legged sidekick where we honed our zombie apocalypse survival skills; added two more Virginia craft breweries to the Untappd list; went hunting for Civil War relics in two different counties; visited the Virginia Holocaust Museum; were transported to the streets of Paris via the Italian lyrics of La Traviata; and took my taste buds on a gastronomical preview of our upcoming Europe trip.  And somehow we managed to both hold down full-time jobs at the same time!  You may call us Superman and Superwoman, if you please.

April already looks booked.  We will celebrate Easter this weekend, which always brings a full schedule.  Other plans include winery excursions, an Appalachian camping trip, and tailgating at the Nascar race at Richmond International Raceway.  And by this time next month, we'll be a week away from our Europe trip!  36 days to go!

We clean up nicely once you get us out of the woods. #opera

A photo posted by Thrifty Gypsy's Travels (@thriftygypsy87) on Mar 27, 2015 at 9:05pm PDT

2015 Goal Updates:
1. I've been incorporating walks in a nearby park during my lunch breaks, but this is somewhat weather dependent.  Because we live out in the country, I'm finding the combination of the commute and the membership costs to be prohibitive to joining an actual gym.
2. No savings this month, but I did put a hurting on my credit card balance instead.  On top of that, my Capital One credit card became eligible for Venture One rewards in the middle of February.  So now I've started putting all my purchases on the card and paying it off every Friday (plus some) to rack up those miles (1.25 miles per every $1).  At this rate, it will take years to accumulate enough miles for airfare, but you have to start somewhere, right?
3. I think it's safe to say I'm no longer addicted to caffeine, although I do still consume it on occasion.
4. Some days are better than others.
5. While I still haven't compiled a bucket list for Virginia, I have started doing items that would be on the list, such as visiting the Holocaust Museum.

How was your March?  Are you looking forward to anything in April?

For The Dead and the Living, We Must Bear Witness

A visit to the Virginia Holocaust Museum has been on my Virginia bucket list for years, and yet it ultimately took twenty-two years of living in Virginia before I finally found myself there.  It's not exactly a visit that induces excitement like a theme park or a festival.  But it was a visit I felt I needed to make and finally made time to do four weeks ago, accompanied by two of my sisters.

The Virginia Holocaust Museum
2000 E Cary Street
Richmond, VA 23223

Monday through Friday: 10:00-5:00
Saturday and Sunday:  11:00-5:00

Free Admission.  Free parking in attached lot between the building and the railroad tracks/canal walk.

The potato-field bunker recreation. There was barely room
for a grown adult to sit upright.

From the moment I parked the car in the chain-fence, barbed-wire parking lot, I could feel the heaviness of the Holocaust weigh on me.  A lone train car sat in front of the museum, reminding visitors and passersby of the inhumane conditions inflicted on millions of people not so long ago.  Railroad ties and tracks flanked either side of the gangway to the museum entrance, and a sign indicated that they originated from tracks leading in to a concentration camp in Europe.  This museum truly brings the Holocaust home.

Throughout the entire museum, there are bits and pieces of original material from concentration camps or personal belongings from survivors - and victims.  What differentiates this museum from, say, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. is that it focuses on the stories of survivors who ultimately settled in Richmond, which brings a very personal touch to an event which can sometimes appear distant in history books.  You can't help but feel the anxiety of the Ipp family as you crawl through the recreated potato field bunker which housed thirteen people as they avoided being thrown into the Kovno Ghetto in Kaunas, Lithuania.  You can feel the panic well up inside you as you enter the gas chambers labeled as an innocuous "Bath House."  It's hard to hold back tears as you survey the Children's Remembrance Wall, which displays the artwork and poetry of children held in Terezin Concentration Camp outside of Prague.  I had seen many of the original drawings when visiting the Jewish Quarter in Prague, but seeing the copies in Richmond further brought this atrocity home.  I looked down at my thirteen year old sister and tried to imagine her enduring the Holocaust.  I couldn't stomach the thought.

Photos of civilians who risked their lives to save Jews and of the soldiers who liberated concentration camps.

It is easy to forget.  Make a point to remember.

As we left the museum after a two hour visit, we ventured into the shadows of the cattle train car we walked by when we first arrived.  Sunlight poked through a few round holes in the wood, remnants of tree knots or perhaps bullet holes from the Nazis who shot into the car for amusement.  Suddenly, a train whistle pierced the air, and the rattling of train cars persisted for the next few minutes.  The sounds transported us and brought claustrophobia and fear.  I closed my eyes and let the thought of that suffering weigh on me.  I prayed that our generation would stand up against the threat of current and future Holocausts.

Shaken, somber, and reflective, we stepped back into the sunlight of the sidewalk, vowing to never forget.

***

When you think upon the Holocaust of the 1930s and 1940s, please be mindful of the genocide of people groups happening today.  Christians are being slaughtered in Nigeria, Syria, Iraq, and countless other countries simply for their religion.  

Remember - evil triumphs when good men do nothing.

Linking up with Chasing the Donkey, Pack Me To, A Southern Gypsy, The Fairytale Traveler, and Ice Cream & Permafrost for the #SundayTraveler!

Linking up with Bonnie Rose, Amanda, Caity, Marcella, and Michelle for #TravelTuesday!

Braving the Heights While Traveling

I've got a thing about heights.  Many of us do.  No matter how many times the brain tells the body that the odds of a giant gust of wind throwing me off the top of a lighthouse are slim to none, the body just doesn't believe it.  If it's going to happen, it's going to happen to me is the petrified mantra as vertigo-inducing scenarios run through my mind.

Cue the barf bag.

But I can't avoid heights when I'm traveling.  I mean, how often am I going to be in London to climb St. Paul's Cathedral?  Or when's the next time I can climb to the top of St. Vitus in Prague?  Um, my bank account tells me that it'll probably be a while.  So the only thing I can do is take a shot of whiskey clench my fists and don't look down as I wind my way up higher than man was ever meant to be.  I mean, if God wanted us to be at that altitude, he would've made us 100 feet tall.  Just sayin'.

Yet as soon as I make it to the top, the rewarding views take the edge off my anxiety.  I mean, just look at these scenes:

The Georgskirche in Dinkelsbühl, Germany (2010).  I must've been feeling especially secure or brave to be right up against the railing in the top right picture.  The houses in the bottom right picture are on the street where we stay when in town.

The Danielsturm of the Georgskirche in Nördlingen, Germany (2010).  Notice that in this picture my back is firmly against the wall.  I didn't particularly like how low the railing was at the top of the Daniel Tower!

St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague (2012).  The views were amazing, but the viewing platform was even better for those of us with acrophobia!  Look at those thick bars and pillars.

St. Paul's Cathedral in London (2014).  My whirlwind trip to London was a dream come true, although the climb to the top of St. Paul's was not quite as dreamy!  The open space of the Whispering Gallery nearly conquered me as I almost didn't continue to the top.  However, I'm glad I did.  The evening glow over London's skyline was perfect.

St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican (2014).  This height was almost as difficult for me as St. Paul's.  Beyond the sideways-leaning climb up when walking beside the dome, the wind at the top and the open feel due to the thinness of the metal bars set my fear of heights on its head.  Danny coaxed me to the bars for one brief picture, but the rest of the time was spent inboard with at least one hand on the stone.

Nuremberg Castle in Nuremberg, Germany (2014).  Nuremberg Castle sits atop a hill above the city, making the towers of the castle all the more tall.  This tower bears the distinction of having been the first overseas place to set my heart arrhythmia haywire to the point where I was light-headed and nauseous.  The Vertigo-like stairs didn't help the situation either!  But the views at the top were superb. 

So while I may never be completely at ease at the top of a structure or even close to a cliff's edge, at least I'm able to conquer my fear and enjoy beautiful photo opportunities at the top.  Not to mention being rewarded with a tall cold one once I reach the bottom!

***

Do you have a problem with heights?  How do you deal with it when traveling?

Linking up with A Brit and A Southerner, Justin Plus Lauren, A Southern Gypsy, Outbound Adventurer, and Carmen's Luxury Travel for the #WeekendWanderlust!