Where in The World is The Padberg Family

 

And here we go! 

Some of you are familiar with the wide range of blog posts I write, for some of you this will be a first. I write about wine all the time, but when the mood strikes, I take to the blog to share the more intimate details of my life, and that is usually when we go on one of our epic adventures. The Winery's blog Fueled by Vivac tracked my musings from training for Marathons to some of the cool winery experiences you can join in on, AND also the wild stories from places, as a family, we have explored. 

This next adventure will be to Berlin for 6 days (wine competition), then Bali for THREE MONTHS, then back to Berlin and train to Strasbourg for a wine competition and an amazing event that I will host at the American Consulate's home in Strabourg! This event will give dignitaries the opportunity to learn about the wines of New Mexico and hopefully draw them to The Land of Enchantment on their next visit to the USA. It is a lot to arrange and manage, to say the least.

Before I left, I had a panic attack. You are going to Bali for Heaven's sake, why aren't you elated?!? Well, I'm glad you asked. In order to choreography all these parts, I have had to arrange for all the flights, covid testing, quarantine hotel and one mother of a project getting long term visas. I also have to try to organize everything I can with work to be easy for others to step in should they need to. I work during my vacations around the world so a lot of the job comes with me... but I have never left for almost 4 months. The challenges seemed almost too much.

One of my favorite places is Berlin, Germany. Of course I had only been to Berlin during the summer and fall when the city is euphoric, winter is a whole new ball game. A freezing cold, dreary, unfriendly ball game. Bali couldn't come fast enough. 

Of course the competition in Berlin, one of the most prestigious competitions in the world, was fantastic. Not only do you have an amazing world of wines to sample, but some of my favorite people in the world are there too. It was a brutal reunion this time with the war in Ukraine over shadowing the event. Tales of horror from Ukrainian friends gave us a front row seat to war. A reality that my privileged, white, American life has never let me truly feel. These friends shared stories of family stuck in Ukraine, the struggle of getting their children out and the constant fear that loved ones would be lost. The intense feeling of loss as they saw their homes destroyed, the city in rumble and the utter lack of help they felt from the rest of the world was heart wrenching. Friends from Czech Republic and Slovakia that grew up under Russian power were suffering from PTSD as they watched this war unfold. Recounting memories that sent shivers down your spine gave us an understanding I don't think I would have fully had otherwise. It is truly terrifying. 

And here I am, about to go on vacation. I feel very spoiled in light of the world today.