Anticipation

Europe. More accurately, UK, France, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, and Germany. I can't even attempt to express how I feel about this. Even thought I have taken this trip before, just being there makes me feel....scholarly, and perhaps a little more worldly, in the good way. I do wish I could live over there, even if just for a few months. I'd actually love for my son to attend school over there for a while. I think being anywhere other than north America just makes the world feel smaller and perhaps in a way more real. The last time I took this trip, I remember thinking
how old, or rather how historical Britain was as we drove through parts of London having prewar and post war architecture side by side. France was remarkably historical, since they sold out to the Nazis in order to remain untouched. I guess what became even more clear was how young the USA is.

I went to DC shortly thereafter and realized how much of France is there, in the buildings and even just the road design. I always thought that being on the Mall in DC was like a time portal, as that was the mall so many leaders looked upon and walked on prior. Europe just amplifies that feeling 20 fold. How can you not be inspired by justp being where such beautiful art, architecture, and the ghosts of great people are?

That being said, the yin to that Yang is the fact that I am not bi or in any way multi lingual. Here, that's neither here nor there. It's most annoying when you can't tell whether the manicurist or the Spanish restaurant folks are talking about you. There, it really makes me feel uneducated. Almost everyone speaks more than one language.

Even as I type this on this idiotic smart phone, I think one of the greatest attractions is to a life of simpler times. Maybe not nicer of more convenient, but simpler.

And I best stop here before this phone flies through the window.