.......Just to have a laugh and see a country or two!!! It's hard to believe our swing through Europe has come to a close, but here we are. While it has been an amazing experience in many ways, we are also very ready for the familiarity of home. Here are some interesting statistics from our trip:
- We traveled through six countries and twenty one cities - Portugal (Porto, Lisbon), Spain (Madrid, Barcelona, Toledo, Figueres, Bilbao, Granada, Seville), Italy (Rome, Naples, Pompeii, Pisa, Lucca, Florence, San Gimignano, Siena, Bologna) The Netherlands (Amsterdam), Germany (Berlin) and the Czech Republic (Prague).
- We've flown through nine airports.
- We've traveled by plane, train, bus, subway, taxi, rental car, funicular and streetcar.
Phew! Along the way, we've come up with some reflections on travel:
The World Really Is A Small Place. No matter where you go, you find similarities between you and the people around you, regardless of language barriers. As we’ve walked the streets, ridden the metro systems and sat in coffee shops, you begin to realize how much we all have in common - we are all just trying to take care of ourselves and the ones we love, we all have our frustrations as well as our hopes and aspirations. We share the same desire for love, friendship and the need to connect with one another on a human level.
If You Need Something, Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For It. I truly believe we could never have undertaken this travel odyssey if we were not willing to ask for help when we need it - which was a pretty common occurrence! I’m reminded of the friendly guy who worked at our hotel in Amsterdam who helped us find a place to get our laundry done. Not only did he take the time to find a place but wrote down step by step how to get there. It’s those kinds of interactions that restores your faith in humanity.
Don’t Worry About Getting Lost - You Probably Will At Some Point. As we plopped ourselves down in a new place, we know we knew we were going to get lost from time to time and that’s okay. We just learned to identify landmarks and if necessary, retrace our steps until we knew where we were again.
Lose Your Need To Control. I’ve learned the unexpected can happen at any time, and the plans we think we have in place can fall apart at a moment’s notice. As we’ve traveled, I’ve really had to remember this, reminding myself that I can’t know everything there is to know about a place and there’s going to be loads of things that pop up from time to time that I never would have expected.
Be Open To Other Ways Of Doing Things. As we’ve gone along, we are always encountering systems and products that are different than what we’re used to. While it may seem strange on the surface, I’ve found if I think about it there is usually a very logical reason why that particular place or people do it that way, which helps to remind me that it’s okay to have more than one way to reach a common goal.
Never Underestimate The Power Of Home. There is a lot we took for granted when we were home because it was familiar and what we were used to, but having been in a foreign environment for awhile, we’ve come to really appreciate being able to understand what’s being said around us and not having to struggle with interpretation at every turn. And even though we’ve gotten REALLY good at reading maps and getting our bearings fairly quickly, it will be so nice to be back in familiar surroundings where we don’t have to always cross reference where we are! Finally, just hearing the friendly voices of the ones we love from so far away, whether through email or phone, has certainly deepened our love and gratitude for all of our wonderful friends and family members who are in our lives.
So there you have it……our “European Sampler Tour 2011”, as I’ve come to call this trip, has wound down. We’re so looking forward to being back home for three weeks before the next adventure begins. On April 9th we head to New Zealand and then to Australia before finishing up in Asia. Sandwiched between these trips, we’ll be celebrating Jim’s 50th birthday in style so we’ll try to get some pictures posted on the blog. Thanks to everyone who has followed along on this adventure with us - your support and comments mean a lot!
The World Really Is A Small Place. No matter where you go, you find similarities between you and the people around you, regardless of language barriers. As we’ve walked the streets, ridden the metro systems and sat in coffee shops, you begin to realize how much we all have in common - we are all just trying to take care of ourselves and the ones we love, we all have our frustrations as well as our hopes and aspirations. We share the same desire for love, friendship and the need to connect with one another on a human level.
If You Need Something, Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For It. I truly believe we could never have undertaken this travel odyssey if we were not willing to ask for help when we need it - which was a pretty common occurrence! I’m reminded of the friendly guy who worked at our hotel in Amsterdam who helped us find a place to get our laundry done. Not only did he take the time to find a place but wrote down step by step how to get there. It’s those kinds of interactions that restores your faith in humanity.
Don’t Worry About Getting Lost - You Probably Will At Some Point. As we plopped ourselves down in a new place, we know we knew we were going to get lost from time to time and that’s okay. We just learned to identify landmarks and if necessary, retrace our steps until we knew where we were again.
Lose Your Need To Control. I’ve learned the unexpected can happen at any time, and the plans we think we have in place can fall apart at a moment’s notice. As we’ve traveled, I’ve really had to remember this, reminding myself that I can’t know everything there is to know about a place and there’s going to be loads of things that pop up from time to time that I never would have expected.
Be Open To Other Ways Of Doing Things. As we’ve gone along, we are always encountering systems and products that are different than what we’re used to. While it may seem strange on the surface, I’ve found if I think about it there is usually a very logical reason why that particular place or people do it that way, which helps to remind me that it’s okay to have more than one way to reach a common goal.
Never Underestimate The Power Of Home. There is a lot we took for granted when we were home because it was familiar and what we were used to, but having been in a foreign environment for awhile, we’ve come to really appreciate being able to understand what’s being said around us and not having to struggle with interpretation at every turn. And even though we’ve gotten REALLY good at reading maps and getting our bearings fairly quickly, it will be so nice to be back in familiar surroundings where we don’t have to always cross reference where we are! Finally, just hearing the friendly voices of the ones we love from so far away, whether through email or phone, has certainly deepened our love and gratitude for all of our wonderful friends and family members who are in our lives.
So there you have it……our “European Sampler Tour 2011”, as I’ve come to call this trip, has wound down. We’re so looking forward to being back home for three weeks before the next adventure begins. On April 9th we head to New Zealand and then to Australia before finishing up in Asia. Sandwiched between these trips, we’ll be celebrating Jim’s 50th birthday in style so we’ll try to get some pictures posted on the blog. Thanks to everyone who has followed along on this adventure with us - your support and comments mean a lot!
Stay tuned for more dispatches.......
Cheers,
David and Jim
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