Month: May 2017

The past two days have been busy with more than thirty kilometres walked as we wandered through the cities of Bratislava and Budapest. Bratislava was a city that was rough around the edges, but we’ll worth the time spent there. A contrast to other cities we have visited was the fact that so many statues featured women.

In Budapest,  we were surprised by a sense of pride and grandeur,  a place of culture that was unique. It was both European and reflective of the Magyar history, and Asian history. Like other European cities,  statues of Nude males were found in abundance. Even with this statue of a nude man, the woman was wearing clothing.

We made it to Sopron with no difficulty and we’re soon busy with finding a late breakfast and taking too many photos. Five hours later, we checked into our apartment where it time to freshen up with a shower, shave, and clean clothing before heading out for a final three hours on activity, including a supper out with five others who will begin the European Peace Walk tomorrow. Now, it’s time to get our bags repacked in anticipation of a twenty-five kilometre hike into Austria.

There haven’t been any opportunities to be clothing free in Vienna outside of the apartment i rented for three days. So, this second day in Vienna, I resorted to taking a selfie in the apartment with my tablet which I am using to write my blog posts.

Tomorrow we will  be having plenty of social nude time while at Therme Wien hot springs. Today, we wandered through the western half of the city core. Sites taken in were the Freud Museum,  the Votive Church, the University, the Parliament, and Volkspark.

While in Volkspark, I made sure to get my own photo of the Vulnerable Man found in front of the Temple of Theseus. After a late lunch, we visited the Holocaust Memorial and two more museums. My camera was kept busy. I wanted to put a number of these photos here but decided against it as I also have another blog site dedicated to our travels without the issue of nudity. In the evening we headed back out for a concert of Strauss an Mozart.  I found this statue of a man holding up a live pigeon in the tiniest of parks not far from our apartment. We had a full day which left us pleasantly exhausted.

I took early in morning photo as we were waiting for our ride to the airport . The photo was edited to create the blurred effect as that will make the image unpopular with the pirates who collect photos for their porn sites.

Why did I choose this photo rather than something more “realistic?” Well, the best answer I could give would be that nothing is clearly defined in life, especially when one looks deeper than the skin, or the clothed outer layer. There is no question that I am the subject of the photo or that I am nude. That much is clear. Yet what or who am I exactly? Of course I have some ideas but I know that I don’t know the whole truth of who I am.

No one does. Anyone who claims to fully know themselves is likely less aware that those who admit to some confusion. We are complex beings What you see and get to know, for the most part, is the tip of an iceberg that floats in the sea. What is hidden from the ego, in the personal unconscious, is also “self.”

With this thought in mind, there is always something to discover about oneself. Usually, we learn from what others see and say about us. Rarely do we realise that we could learn even much more about ourselves by how we see and relate to others. Those whom we see in a positive light are usually mirroring positive things about ourselves about which we are unaware. Those whom we see in a negative light – anger, envy, annoyance, jealousy, fear, etc. – are mirroring inner aspects about ourselves that we aren’t ready to acknowledge. People such as myself in the fields of psychology, call these responses to others, “projections.”

We see naturists and nudists who seem much braver than ourselves, not realising that within us lies the same hero or heroine. When we smile inwardly at naturist images, we are smiling at the same capability that lies within. We just don’t realise it. It takes work and a lot of reflection to take back our projections and “own” what we put onto others. We all project onto others, but we don’t all come to understand what we have done and to withdraw those projections. Why? Likely because one would then have to own the darkness within as well as the light. We would rather live with illusions (delusions) about who we are. We work hard a believing and trying to convince others about the persona we create for ourselves, telling them, “what you see is all there is.”

Well, I have unpacked my backpack at least twice for the purposes of removing unnecessary weight [clothing]. I was able to reduce my backpack by about one kilogram [2.2 lbs] as a result of my efforts. The likelihood of yet another unpacking are likely nil, but I won’t hold my breath. I added in this journal given to me by my eldest daughter. I think I am ready for the European Peace Walk.

I will be taking my camera, a Sony α6000, along with my Samsung Tab S2 8, for recording the journey in both print and image format. And like all serious writers, I include a hand-written journal which will be used basically every time I stop to change socks, have a coffee or meal, or simply to have a rest.

Most of the images taken along the way will have nothing to do with naturism as defined by nudity first. Yet, saying that, the ideals of openness and honesty, which likely are more important than exposed skin, will be honoured. I know that somewhere along the way, I will find subjects that will lend themselves to discussion here.

That’s it for today. I’ve got other chores that need attending to at the moment. 🙂

Yesterday was World Naked Gardening Day. I have to admit that I did very little in the garden yesterday, though there was some discussion as to where I would put the chicken wire to support the two varieties of climbing beans we are planting in the garden. Gardening is done to some extend, naked, regardless of the calendar day. The deciding factor for me is the opportunity to get some of the gardening done while naked.

The idea of naked gardening isn’t simply about a set date on a calendar, especially here in the northern zones. Yesterday, there were too many places in Canada where gardening in any form or state of dress/undress wasn’t an option. The spirit of WNGD is about finding time in your garden, at some point in the spring, to risk being as natural as possible. Some people feel totally naked while wearing the briefest of body coverings – nakedness is not just about clothing, it is also about one’s state of mind.

For my participation in the World Naked Gardening Day, I had checked the weather forecast, as I was committed to taking part in an alternate activity for the Saturday, and then made the decision to till my garden on the day before the WNGD. On the left, you will see one of the garden things I occupied myself with during the day.

There is a social aspect to World Naked Gardening Day that exists because of social media such as Twitter. If one does a search for #WNGD, one would find likely hundreds of photos, selfies for the most part, of people’s participation in the event. Of course, one would also find many claiming to be “Gardening” though there is no real sign of gardening, or even garden, in their images. Those people are more interested in “flashing” thinking that they can garner some attention with their awesome nudity. It doesn’t work that way.

World Naked Gardening Day is probably the best illustration of a human being nude without a sexual agenda or expectation. For those who take part, regardless of the day, even if they had been alone in their garden, there is a sense of community that starts to grow. One feels connected, even if only virtually, with others who share a “naturist” worldview.