Europe with The Golden Dagger

hey everyone! I am so sorry it has taken me this long to write a new post, I have been without wireless internet at this new farm and their computer is very slow. There is so much I have experienced here and I dont know where to begin. The couple I am staying with, Axel and Angelika are both wonderful people. I have been here for two and a half weeks already and the time is flying. They live biodynamically and harvest all of the produce from the gardens for their own uses. They rarely buy fruit and vegetables because they grow enough during the summer time to freeze, make chutneys and jams, or keep in their fruit cellars for cakes and apple sauce. They have a wide assortment of fruits ranging from cherries, apples, pears, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries. All of these are used in their delicious jams, juices, and wines. Axel has an impressive collection of old apple varieties.... I think around 80 trees. The vegetables are also diverse and plentiful. They have a large green house filled to the grim with tomatoe plants and pepper plants of which I have planted 50 seedlings. The garden contains cucumbers, sweet peas, colorabie, carrots, parsnips, onions, garlics, potatoes (of course), and radishes. Everything we eat comes from their land and very few items are bought from the outside. Milk and Quak is purchased from their dairy farm neighbors and they buy whole grains in bulk to grind themselves as needed. No one needs to worry about me getting the Ecoli virus! Energy usually comes from solar or wind power and they use a woodfired oven for cooking and hot water for dishes. Axel and Angelika are both Irish music lovers and have taught me some tunes that I can bring back home. I am in my own personal heaven..... The past few weeks have been filled with delicious food, nuclear energy protests, sitting in at an Irish music session, a day of woodfired oven bread baking, and lots of weeding and sewing of peppers! Still to come..... hay bayling, another session, and more baking!!!!! See you all very soon. Chus!

I apologize that it has been some time since my last update. I was surprised on Thursday morning by Viola and David with the news that we would be traveling back to their old farm where Viola's parents are still living. Our original plan was to leave on Monday (today) so I would be closer to my next stop. They moved around 4 months ago to their current farm and left alot of equipment and house supplies behind. I provided the perfect excuse for them to go back, so here I am in Heidinau! It is a beautiful little town surrounded by flat land which is perfect for farming. There are many large farms here but David and Viola had a very small plot where they grew vegetable varieties and fruits. They also had two of their cows, some pigs, and chickens. I feel so lucky to be able to see what they started with and what they currently own. The land in Heidinau is the size of a single one of their fields in Seewalde. My time here has especially been nice because of Viola's family. Here mom is a wonderful Chef and insightful woman. She loves music and keeps asking me to play my flute even though I only have two short pieces that I play continuously. They also, like all the Germans I've met, love their bread so I made baguettes for lunch today. My work mostly consisted of mucking out two small stalls where the cows spent the winter. Viola said they like to build up the manure and Hay so the animals can stay warm. This was a chore to clean but fairly easy if I went with the layers and rewarding. I leave tomorrow for my last stop in Germany with a couple who play Irish music professionally! I will be there for the next four weeks before heading to Paris.... And this may surprise most of you... but I will be returning to Boston at the end of June. As rewarding as traveling has been, I feel fulfilled and ready to get started on my new life! Chus!

The farm and the town where I am staying is amazing! Seewalde is surrounded by lakes and beautiful forests. There are so many different nature paths that I don't know what to do with myself or even where to begin! Today is my first day off at this location and I spent the morning taking a path along the lake and around the many fields which Viona and David rent for their animals and vegetables. The farm and town are almost completely biodynamic which means they reuse what they produce. The farm takes the manure from their cows and puts it on their land to give the soil more nutrients. Their food waste, way from the milk, and anything that has gone bad gets fed to their pigs. Viona and David use the cow milk for many different products such as yogurt, cream cheeses, and hard cheeses which they eat themselves as well as sell to the local health food store. They also slaughter both their pigs and cows for meat which also gets sold locally. The town is amazing in it's self because it is filled with trades men who mostly support the town. There is a gardener who grows veggies to sell at the health foods store, a kindergarten for the children, and even a wood worker who is making the bed frames for the children's beds. There is also a community of disabled people living here who volunteer their time on the farm and with other local businesses. Along with this community is a large group of volunteers from all over the world! One of the volunteers, Sham, works with the disabled on the farm and speaks fairly good English for coming from Nepal! Last night he invited me to a bonfire and I had so much fun being around everyone and trying to communicate with the French and Spanish I remember. No one really spoke much English. We also headed out to one of the docks on the lake and sat out drinking beer and looking up at the star filled night sky. It was a great night, one I will remember from this trip. Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there! Chus!

I love dairy, as you all probably know, so I had to make the effort to stop at a dairy farm during my travels. Hello from Seewalde Germany, my second country and third farm! It took me a whole day, eight hours, and six train changes to get here but David picked me up from the station on time and brought me back to his and Viona's beautiful dairy farm in Northern Germany. The train system is so easy in Germany and besides my second to last train, they were all on time and easy to find! The Germans are also very nice people and even though I don't speak a word of German (planning to change that) we understood each other. The family I am staying with consists of David who is Brittish, Viona who grew up in Northern Germany, and their two children Quin and Yalla. Upon arriving here I discovered that I would be sleeping in their old van! Even though this was a little off putting, I have discovered the van to be quite nice. They put a twin bed, light, rug, and candles in the back with a heater and wifi Internet! It has been a nice oasis from screaming children and pleasant sleeping quarters except for last night when their bull was to horny and wouldn't shut up all night. My days are early, 6 am, and then Viona and I head out to milk the cows and to let out their geese, three goats and chickens. After Viona finishes sanatizing the milk, 8 am, we grab Quin to walk him to kindergarten and let the cows out into the fields. I discovered this is no easy task on my second day here when I didn't get the ropes across the road up in time and cows were running loose through the town!! My afternoons have consisted of sorting potatoes into bins to let them sprout for planting and bike rides out to their many fields. The day is fairly relaxed and I have plenty of time to myself, quite a change from my previous stay in Veenhuizen!! Time to go change some fencing! Until next time, stay well.

I realized this morning that I haven't taken the time to tell all of you about the work that I have been doing for the farm. This trip is definitely not all fun and games. I am kicking my own ass here and it feels so good! I have been joking with Lambert that he should start his own get fit show. Wheelbarrow pushing for triceps, weeding for calves and thighs, and planting bulbs in the ground instead of an obstacle course! It would be a hit, I'm convinced. I'm glad that I am thinking of this experience as a working holiday instead of a vacation because there is almost no time in my work day for vacation time. Lambert has us out the door at 8:30 am and we work with a few breaks until 5:30 in the evening. The days have been unseasonably hot so my farmers tan is developing nicely. I woke up this morning and realized everything was fitting looser and my biceps were incredible! Hell ya farm fit program, it is going to cause a riot, people will be coming from all over the world!!!...... I guess they already are, maybe I'm on hidden camera or something. Ok, this post is a huge ramble but I am tuckered out! Time for my evening tea, book, and pillow!!