Sailing in February
Today Michael and I headed back to Leipzig--only this time we did not go to Lush. (Alas.) In fact, we didn't even make it into the city center. Instead, we headed to a nearby man-made lake with a friend from church. Bertold, with whom we went skiing a few months ago, has a catamaran and he invited us for a day of sailing!
It is, of course, February. We got a few funny looks as we uncovered the catamaran and prepared to push off. Bertold attributed these looks and laughs to the fact that it was not a very windy day; I think it had at least as much to do with the fact that is the middle of the winder.
It was a great day, though. The wind was not strong, but the catamaran doesn't seem to need a lot of wind. I have never been sailing on a catamaran before. It's really very nice! Bertold brought two blankets--one for me to sit on, and one for me to cover myself. As the sole pregnant
lady on the ship, I was a bit spoiled but I can't say that I minded. The wind really kicked up towards the end and, while it was nice to pick up some speed, it was not a warm wind.
Bertold convinced Michael to "relax" and lie down, as you can see in the picture. It took some prodding, and I'm not sure how relaxed Michael was, but it was pretty cool. We spent most of the time on the tarp spread across both boats, which actually lends itself nicely to lounging.
Now I've had a lot of questions lately about how pregnant I look.The next picture is a decent belly shot, and it's the best I have to offer. (I simply am not going to post pictures of my bare belly online--or even take pictures of my bare belly--as some pregnant women with blogs are wont to do.)
We had a very interesting cultural experience today as well. There we were, walking along the water, when I thought to myself "Hmm...that man's not wearing very much given that it's February--oh, oh I see. He's not wearing anything at all." A woman quickly joined him, and together they dropped into the water for a quick swim. (I remind you, just once more, that it is February. Note our wooly hats for confirmation.)
Bertold explained: "Yeah, that's the sauna. People are always naked when they're at the sauna!" Michael explained that, in the States, this is not so common. Bertold was right, there was a health-club with a sauna and hot tub right on the water. These folks had wandered down from the sauna for a quick cooling dip. They were not alone. Over the course of the day, we saw (while trying not to see) dozens of people, men and women of all ages, wandering happily and nakedly around on the deck, down the stairs, and into the water. Then back they went up the stairs to mingle and chat with each other. In the buff. It took us quite a while to dock the boat--the wind kept failing us when we were about 20-30 feet from land, so we'd have to turn with the wind, take a big loop and try again. All the while, we were basically adjacent to the naked deck. The funny thing is, Michael and I were the only ones who found this to be a slightly awkward situation. Nudity is just not such a big deal
here.
I'll end with one more picture. I've been told that we don't include enough pictures of ourselves, so here's one more of me. I am sporting a hat made by our friend Sarah Traut. It is very cozy and I love it. I am now exhausted from the wind and cold, and I'm off to bed.
Today Michael and I headed back to Leipzig--only this time we did not go to Lush. (Alas.) In fact, we didn't even make it into the city center. Instead, we headed to a nearby man-made lake with a friend from church. Bertold, with whom we went skiing a few months ago, has a catamaran and he invited us for a day of sailing!
It is, of course, February. We got a few funny looks as we uncovered the catamaran and prepared to push off. Bertold attributed these looks and laughs to the fact that it was not a very windy day; I think it had at least as much to do with the fact that is the middle of the winder.
It was a great day, though. The wind was not strong, but the catamaran doesn't seem to need a lot of wind. I have never been sailing on a catamaran before. It's really very nice! Bertold brought two blankets--one for me to sit on, and one for me to cover myself. As the sole pregnant
lady on the ship, I was a bit spoiled but I can't say that I minded. The wind really kicked up towards the end and, while it was nice to pick up some speed, it was not a warm wind.Bertold convinced Michael to "relax" and lie down, as you can see in the picture. It took some prodding, and I'm not sure how relaxed Michael was, but it was pretty cool. We spent most of the time on the tarp spread across both boats, which actually lends itself nicely to lounging.
Now I've had a lot of questions lately about how pregnant I look.The next picture is a decent belly shot, and it's the best I have to offer. (I simply am not going to post pictures of my bare belly online--or even take pictures of my bare belly--as some pregnant women with blogs are wont to do.)
We had a very interesting cultural experience today as well. There we were, walking along the water, when I thought to myself "Hmm...that man's not wearing very much given that it's February--oh, oh I see. He's not wearing anything at all." A woman quickly joined him, and together they dropped into the water for a quick swim. (I remind you, just once more, that it is February. Note our wooly hats for confirmation.)
Bertold explained: "Yeah, that's the sauna. People are always naked when they're at the sauna!" Michael explained that, in the States, this is not so common. Bertold was right, there was a health-club with a sauna and hot tub right on the water. These folks had wandered down from the sauna for a quick cooling dip. They were not alone. Over the course of the day, we saw (while trying not to see) dozens of people, men and women of all ages, wandering happily and nakedly around on the deck, down the stairs, and into the water. Then back they went up the stairs to mingle and chat with each other. In the buff. It took us quite a while to dock the boat--the wind kept failing us when we were about 20-30 feet from land, so we'd have to turn with the wind, take a big loop and try again. All the while, we were basically adjacent to the naked deck. The funny thing is, Michael and I were the only ones who found this to be a slightly awkward situation. Nudity is just not such a big deal
here.I'll end with one more picture. I've been told that we don't include enough pictures of ourselves, so here's one more of me. I am sporting a hat made by our friend Sarah Traut. It is very cozy and I love it. I am now exhausted from the wind and cold, and I'm off to bed.
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