Collection Complete

My son's Europe collection is now complete and he can bid a fond farewell to the experience.

His final sword just arrived.

This one is much more elegant and detailed than the Lionheart sword. It is another heavy weapon, but came with its own wall plaque.

Thank God it also came with its own mounts and brackets. Another wall in his man cave is going to hate me very soon.

This one is a Robin of Locksley weapon (also known as the Earl of Huntington - better known as Robin Hood) and sports a pretty red crystal embedded in the pommel. The blade is etched with elegant runes and the hilt is decorated with two eagles' heads. It's a lovely specimen. No wonder it cost a bit more than the first.

The store also included a large brochure (in German, of course) that included examples of many other swords, specifically swords of kaisers and those of historic German nobility. My son visually devoured it and found several additional swords that hadn't been on display when he'd been in the shop. He's already making a mental list of those he'd like to have, though he wants to wait until he goes back (if he chooses to do so) because the group received nice discounts for purchasing in the local stores. How considerate of him. Hmmm...

Just a glance at the website reveals that they received some very good discounts indeed. He did good.

Now if he decides to return in two years...

Slaying the Snowman and Other Sword Tales

The deliveryman just came bearing a gift.

My son finally received one of his swords purchased in Rothenburg, Germany during his Europe travels.

Comparatively speaking, it's actually rather lightweight for as long as it is. The medallion at the cap of the handle sports the familiar symbol of Richard the Lionheart. It's a nice rendition of a medieval knights sword.

The sword quickly found its place on my son's sword rack in his man cave. It's a good thing the sword was a little lighter than some of the other ones because I don't know how much more weight the wall can hold. Now there are only two open slots left on the rack.

The remaining sword to arrive has a home ready for it unless it comes with a separate hanging plaque. Another wall in his man cave already sports Anduril from the Lord of the Rings, but it hangs on it's own plaque. Had to buy special mounts to screw into the wall before hanging it because THAT, my friends, is one heavy sword (not to mention the thing is loooong!). That poor wall would kill me if we tried to hang another sword on it.

Never realized my son's penchant for swordplay until he was four. I bought him a cute little plastic sword, with which he summarily slayed a snowman and broke the tip off into it. We finally found the tip when the snow melted, but that poor sword didn't last long no matter how much superglue we used. Then he received another larger plastic sword as part of a costume a few years later.

Then came fencing classes when he received his first "real" sword, an electronic rapier weapon. He's been collecting various swords ever since, including two from the Final Fantasy movie sitting on his bedroom dresser. Sometimes I forget about those.

Of course, I have a tendency to support his fascination when birthdays and Christmas come around. Fantasy is my favorite genre remember.

For now we'll await the next brave deliveryman to grace our doorway, once again bearing a gift from the Old World to the New.

Knowing

Well I was wrong. My son didn't buy a sword in Germany.

He bought two.

Like I said, I know my son. Smart kid though, because instead of trying to pack the swords and carry them through customs, he arranged to have them mailed directly from the store. They should arrive in two to eight weeks.

It's so good to have him home, even though he's still messed up a bit from the time change. Waking up too early and so tired during the day. But this too shall pass.

Kinda funny - when the plane pulled up to the gate, there was a massive swarm of family and friends around the glass. I'd planned appropriately and grabbed one of only two chairs early on at the window so I could watch their approach in relative comfort.

Even though he looked tired, his eyes were bright from the experience as he made his way though the crowd.

He even reached out to hug me first. :-) Usually I'm the one having to squeeze in a hug here or there, because he IS too old now for those affectionate moments, but this time it was him initiating the affection.

What more could a mother want?

Up until about the halfway mark driving home, he chattered along incessantly about different things that happened on the trip, the antics he and the guys participated in at times, his favorite parts of the excursion, the things he didn't like - you name it.

Then suddenly the car was quiet. I looked over to see his head lolled back and his mouth wide open - fast asleep without a moment's notice.

For the next hour and twenty I had a touch of trouble staying awake but knew we'd be just fine. The Lord had answered my prayers with a resounding "yes" that he would have a great experience, he'd make some great friendships, and that this would continue the growth he's had over the past year.

Amen, and amen on all accounts.

Now if he can just get his swords as quickly as possible, he will feel complete.

He's Back On U.S. Soil

My baby boy is back on U.S. soil!!!!!!!

Their flight from Frankfurt landed almost an hour earlier than anticipated. I've turned on the cell phone just in case he tries to call and touch base with me.

At the moment, I'm sure they're still trying to make it through customs. I've never experienced such an event before since I've never traveled outside the U.S., but from what I've heard it can be quite a lengthy and drawn out experience.

I do have to admit that I'm a little concerned that he is able to get back into the country with all of his spoils. One of the shops in Rothenburg that he made his last purchases at is a decorative weaponry shop, with swords, armor, etc. Since my son collects swords and such, and his transaction was rather large, I'm wondering if the crazy kid bought himself a sword.

Only thing is he's not eighteen, and I've no idea how security and customs will respond to him bringing in a sword, decorative though it may be.

Then again, he may have purchased other things completely unrelated to swords and the like, so I may be concerned for nothing.

But I know my son.

Anyway, worse comes to worse, they'll hopefully arrange to mail the thing to me or let one of the adults claim it through customs. I've been praying that whatever he bought, he'll be able to get home with all of his plunder from the Europe travels.

Regardless, I'll just be glad to hold him in my arms again. Just a few hours remaining and he'll once again be home.

That's the main thing to be thankful for.