Today I turn 29. For the larger majority of the last 29 years, I have work towards the label that has the greatest impact on my life. Soldier.
Whether it was working hard in high school to earn a scholarship, in four years at a military school to deserve the title or the six years since where I have put on my uniform and lived the title. I've given everything to get to where I am. Along the way I have suffered from a lot of injuries, none as significant or long lasting as my chronic knee pain. As a result, I can no longer run, walk down stairs or simple daily stuff. In my line of work there's a lot of judgement when someone is unable to do something. I haven't been immune to it. There have been a lot of comments, "advice" or out right discrimination because of it. So it's been a long time since I've done something that makes me feel like a still deserve the title Soldier. Today I start the West Highland Way, 94 miles to try and change that. I might not be the fastest, I might not be the strongest but I can persevere. I will finish this hike and prove to myself I've still got what it takes to hold my cherished title.
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Day 1-2: Bled, Slovenia and Pula, CroatiaThis weekend's adventure was the Istria Peninsula in Croatia. This is a trip we tried to make back in June but it just didn't work out. So this weekend we boarded the dogs and took off to enjoy the beaches and seafood. The drive itself took about 6 hours after leaving Germany, through Austria, Slovenia and finally in to Croatia. On the drive down we stopped in Bled, Slovenia to grab a bit to eat. We went to the Restaurant Sova Bled. The food was excellent. They had a lot of different options and the atmosphere was perfect for a quite lunch by the lake. http://www.restavracija-sova.com/en/# After lunch, we got back on the road and went straight to our Airbnb just outside of Pula, Croatia. The place we rented was in a quite neighborhood a few hundred meters from the beach at Gortanova uvala. After we got the bags dropped off we put on our suits and went for a short swim. It's been awhile since I swam in the ocean, so it was absolutely incredible. Day 2. We got a pretty late start the second day because of the rain storms. It didn't clear until close to noon. But when it did, we headed into the city to try and make the best of the half day. We stopped first at the Pula Arena. It was 20 Kuna a person but definitely worth it to walk around the 6th largest Roman amphitheater left in the world. It was built between 27 BC - 68 AD. After the amphitheater, we went into the old town to grab some food. We ended up at Q Time Cafe, located right next to the Arch of Sergii, constructed in 28 BC. After that quick bite, we continued around the city and saw the Temple of Augustus and Rimsko kazalište, another amphitheater before heading home to try the beach again. Unfortunately our luck with weather ran out again and we ended up just having a beer at the beach bar while waiting for the storm to pass. When it did finally clear we ended up just going back in the city for dinner. We went to a restaurant called Kantina. The food was great! But it was pretty small so we were lucky that it wasn't very busy.
kantinapula.com That closed out our first full day in Croatia. We had our fingers crossed that the next day the weather would be better. September 1st.
The begining of fall, my birthday month and the beginning of my second year living in Europe. It's been quite awhile since I written anything. This year has been more challenging then I could have ever imagined. Coming here last year, I thought that when my instagram feed looked like the dreams that I had since I was a kid, then I'd be happy. Well my feed does! Seven countries visited this past year, countless experiences and memories, but this year turned out to be harder than anything I've ever experienced. It's been full of frustration, broken friendships, and an indescribable loneliness. The depression I've always had was my only constant companion. It sat on my shoulder like a demon, whispering in my ear all the things that kept me up at night or caused me to stumble. I'd be lying if I said that today, the 1st of September, that it's all behind me, but today is as good of day as any to start moving forward again. Over the past two months, I've been able to lose weight, about 13 pounds, and that's gone a long way to boost my self esteem. Last week I finally learned what company command I would take, giving me an idea of what the next few years look like. And I've planned a trip to hike the West Highland Way for my birthday. I've talked about this for a year and now I'm going to finally do it, by myself. I've upset some people by insisting that I do this alone. But I know it's important, I need the confidence in myself again. So Prost! To a new start, a new focus and giving myself the confidence to tell that demon to pound sand. |
AuthorJennifer Lenz. Wife. Soldier. World Traveler. Fur Mom. Archives
September 2017
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