Memories of Europe

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I will apologize for the rambling ahead of time.

I had a quick discussion with a cousin this weekend. I told him how if given the choice I’d still be in Europe. I know that I have been lucky to have been assigned there so many times in my military career. In truth, in 19 years of active duty I’ve spent more than ten in Europe. My cousin doesn’t understand why I am more content to be there than back in the US. Of course he’s never been outside of the US except for a trip to the Bahamas when we were both in our mid teens, and I don’t know how to explain it to him.

My old boss (retired marine E-8) from my last duty in Europe (Lets call him “Bill” for is not his name) and I along with a group of coworkers used to take trips together to Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Venice, Dublin, etc. I would often break off from the group at night and wander about the cities alone. Probably stupid, moderately dangerous, but I would. Bill told me he envied my ability to go out alone in strange places and do that. He said he wished he could do it like I did, just go…walk about, watch the people, talk to locals in taverns and the like. I’ll tell you the truth, it was kind of like an adventure, but mostly it was because, some of the places we visited were beautiful. Venice during carnival? Beautiful. But Venice at another time? Still beautiful. Quiet…scenic. Rome or Paris at night? I found them both more welcoming than even New York City or Philadelphia. Dublin? Not only were the people there warm and friendly, they bent over backwards to help a stranger or buy a drink for a traveller. Amsterdam? Well, one of my good friends is Dutch and while she was not with me on my trips there, it was a great city. At night, walking by the canals you can almost imagine what life there was like 10 or 200 years ago.

And as I told my cousin, seeing some of these places…going into churches, or taverns or walking down cobblestone streets and avenues that are older than America itself…well, its an experience. I miss it. One of my former french coworkers told me once that if I wanted to experience France, don’t go to Paris, go to smaller towns. He was right. Just like the place we were assigned to in Oberramergua, Germany, the sound of the church bells, the buildings that have been there for centruies and the people to interact with…well, it was great.

I’m going back, one day, hopefully soon. If I can retire and get a civilian GS job in Europe the better. Maybe I don’t see the forest for the trees but I’ve spent some of the happiest, best and rewarding days of my life there. Does anyone else have memories of Europe to share? I’d love t hear them.

2

I had the chance a few years ago to live and work in Nuremberg for three months, and from there I branched out a lot on weekends. Usually I’d take the night train on Friday and return late Sunday. I saw Vienna, Munich, Prague (met some great dopers), Berlin, and Paris that way. I’m not much of a drinker, but I know what you mean about wandering the city. I was walking by the Danube in Vienna (like every city river I saw in Europe, the banks are stonework, more like a canal than a river) and there was a terrace right along the water. I figured I’d walk along that for a few blocks. It felt like a mile before there was another ramp up to the street. I took the back streets in the approximate direction of my hotel, knew I’d see something familiar at some point. It was probably 1:00 a.m. before I got back.

One of the things that still strikes me about that trip is how many things you’re allowed to do there that would never be open to people here. I went to Ulm, site of the tallest cathedral in the world. It was started in the 1400’s, I think, and it would have been the tallest building in the world except the Washington Monument was finished first. For a couple Euros, you can climb to the top. (Well, a balcony about 15 meters from the top.) In the U.S., it’s like we always have to be herded through the official visitor experience. The Washington Monument has commemorative, carved stones lining the stairwell that almost no one ever sees anymore. I took a tour of the National Air and Space Museum’s storage and restoration shops about nine years ago, but they don’t do those anymore. I don’t know if they’ll ever open the Statue of Liberty again. There just isn’t the chance to explore and find things, it’s “everybody behind the ropes, and stay in your group.”

I would have said that the novelty is a big part of it. In Europe, everything is familiar, but different. (That scene in Pulp Fiction is more true than some folks realize. If you’re of a curious mind, even a hamburger can evoke a sense of wonder.) If I’d grown up there, that would be the mundane and Boston would be a place of mystery and fascination. Someone I knew told me that my weekend jaunts during three months was more travelling than most locals would do in a few years. But you said you’ve been there more than ten years, J.R., so maybe it’s not that at all.

Here’s the cathedral in Ulm, by the way. Kind of overcast that day, but it’s not just the view from the top, the building itself is magnificent. I’d always thought of gothic cathedrals as massive, substantial things; but to climb the tower and see the inside it was almost like a latticework.

3

Nice pic, RA. been there myself, but never inside. Thanks.

Did you ever get to go to Paris? I’ve been there about 3 times and* have always gone to Montmartre when I’m there. I had a vacation plan I never enacted while in Germany to go there on leacve for a week or so, find a place to stay in Montmartre and watch the artists paint and do some artwork myself.

Theres also a small chapel there that has old statues and the feel of place hundreds of years old. Spain, I’ve on ly bneen to Barcelona and Costa Brava. I’d love to go back there if i were 20 years younger.

4

I feel exactly the same way about the Middle East… it is where I feel most at home outside of Nevada (and I am a white American of Polish heritage).

5

It’s worth a look if you’re ever there again, depending on your constitution (mental and physical). Here’s a good shot of the last part of the climb. By the time you’re where that picture was taken, you’re about 300 feet high.

I was briefly in Paris; got in about 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, and gone by 4:00 the next afternoon. My hotel was near the Arc de Triomphe, so I headed there first to drop off my suitcase. It was overcast, but the sunlight came in under the clouds and it was the most beautiful, glowing light I have ever seen. It lasted less than a minute. I had time for two pictures, and they don’t even come close to doing it justice. Then off to the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Pompidou Centre, some store’s Christmas window displays (those last three at night), the Louvre, and the Air and Space Museum at Le Bourget. Got lost on my way to that last one, but decided to see it anyway. Took the local train to Gare du Nord, subway to my hotel to collect my bag, taxi back to Gare du Nord, and caught my train home by less than a minute.

I may have to get to Montmartre someday, just to see where Rendezvous ended.

It was an E-ticket ride home, too. Thalys to Brussels, ICE to Frankfurt (we started late and the guy must have been trying to make up time; he had it running just a hair under the max rated speed. And I could look through the partition, over his shoulder and through the windshield.) and another train back to Nuremburg. Met a nice couple from Canada and we chatted much of the way.

If I have a good opportunity, I’d go back in a heartbeat.

6

When I was in college I dated a Swedish girl for 2 years. I traveled to Europe 4-5 times. Now it seems like I’ll never get back. The history available to Europeans is something they seem to take for granted. After all it’s always been there.

I remember staying with some friends of my girl friends family at their small farm. It had been in the family “for years”. We spent the night in the guest house an old converted storehouse. I later learned it had been part of a convent built in the 1200’s. Turned out the farm had been in the family for 400 years…
I went to the Christmas vigil at the Lund Cathedral. I still remember singing Silent Night in English (cause my Swedish was horrible). My girl friend was singing it in Swedish and her mother in German (cause she was German).

I walked through the Roman ruins in Cologne. And the Porta Negra in Trier. There are some of the velvet ropes at the Porta Negra but mostly to keep you away from the unstable parts of the 1000 year old building.

7

I was reminded of this thread today. I was at a unit BBQ, a team building thing, if you will. The entire company was there at a local park, as a part of a half day off “get to hang out and know each other” kind of thing. Talking to some you nger soldiers I got into tales of the places I’d visited as part of the military.

One place I’d love to vacation in again is Spain. At least the coast of spain, Costa Brava. I’ve been there a few times, and its a party place. Topless beaches, clubs, suinshine, etc. The first time I went there…well, those are tales best left for another time. The 2nd time I went with my wife and friends on a group tour. My wife got tired and wanted to go to the hotel to sleep, and our mutual friend wanted to go to clubs and dance. I was in between. I was tired but not tired enough to want to go to bed. Still I was too tired to feel like going to a club. I wanted to just have a drink and chill and I ended up alone as my wife went to the hotel to sleep and our friend, “Jane” went to a club. I found a little bar/cafe by the beach, sat down and ordered a bear, thinking I’d just watch the people go by for awjile and chill out. It was just around midnight I suppose. Suddenly this girl in a swimsuit (bikini) shows up. She was obviously kind of drunk and had two drunken friends behind her. They were all hot, but the lead girl walk up to me and says **“Hi, my name is Anya (or Katya…it was something like that). I’m here from Kaiserslautern, and this is the last night of my vacation. I’m looking for someone to share it with.”. ***
*
Geezuz. This is the kind of offer I had dreams about when I was a single guy. This girl was loaded to be sure, but she was smoking. the bikini did not leave a lot to he imagination. I seriously considered it for a few seconds before I told her I was flattered, but married. She looked at me, disappointed and said “ok, bye.”. she scampered off with her friends.

The waiter I had ordered the beer from came over put my drink in front of me and said "Its on the house, because I know that was one of the hardest things you’ve probably had to say to a woman.". True story folks.

The 3rd time I was there I found a guy lying down in the middle of a pedestrian walking area. He had obviously fallen flat on his face and his nose was bleeding, but people ignored him. I was alone on this trip. I helped him up, and man, this guy was drunk and smelly, but not looking like a homeless person. I could barely understand him, but he understood english enough to understand me. I asked him if I could help him get home and put his arm on my shoulder and limped away in the direction he pointed. He led me to an out of the way little hole in the wall tavern. I asked the people there if they knew him and they all said no. So when I limped out of there with him I asked him again if there was somewhere he needed to get to, as he could barely stand up as drunk as he was. Again I went in the direction he grunted and pointed to. We ended up on a main street and he pointed to a farily nice restaurant/ bar. I left him on the street outside and asked the bartender if he knew him. The bartender looked out of the big ass window they had and we both saw ( as well as many of the people eating there) the guy puking his guts out on the sidewalk. Someone must have called the cops because they showed up almost immediately. So here I am in Spain explaining to the cops how I found this guy and was only trying to be a good guy by getting him home or to people that knew him. After all, leaving him on the street would be wrong, eh? The spanish policeman laughed and told me “We all know him…he’s the town drunk. Don’t worry about him, we’ll take care of him.”. Then they hauled him away.

Town Drunk. I wonder how you get that title in a place where people come to party, drink and fuck. Hey, Costa Brava, Lorret De Marr (sp) is a party place, seriously. I sometimes wonder if that drunk guy ever remembers some African American guy humping around with him asking “Where do you live, bro? I’ll get ya home, ok, just stay with me.”. I guess my old boss was right…I am a sucker for hard luck cases.

Which is one of the many reasons I miss Europe. My life was so much more interesting there. Spain was a blast but if I had to pick a place to revisit right now it would be Ireland. Man, that place was beautiful and the people were warm and friendly. Plus I did not have the chance to see a lot of old castles there. I would love to tour that place and hear of the stories they must have.

8

:cool: PM me the next time you’re coming to town.

9

I’ve lived in Singapore, Indonesia and Australia. I really, really, really want to go visit them again. And I really, really, really want to go see Europe.

And I know I’ll probably get to do neither. :frowning: