Rachel Conquers Europe

"You cant appreciate home 'till you've left it, money 'till its spent, your wife 'till she's joined a womans club, nor Old Glory 'till you see it hanging on a broomstick on the shanty of a consul in a foreign town". -O. Henry In just the same way, I have realized that I didn't truly appreciate America until I left her. Being away for seven months I have defended her, described her, and denied her many times over. It has led me to think, "what is America anyway? What does it mean to be an American?" The best example I have found is from John Irving's book, A Prayer for Owen Meany. Here he describes Marilyn Monroe: "She was just like our whole country-not quite young anymore, but not old either; a little breathless, very ... read more

"I stood for a long time by the roller coaster, and I noticed that most people get on it in search of excitement, but that once it starts, they are terrified and want the cars to stop" (Eleven Minutes, Paul Cohelo). Why do people go to amusement parks? The only so-called "amusement" comes from the possiblity of ending your life and the churning of your guts. Amusement parks are just a platform for sugar and death. And that is exactly why we love them. What other place do you pay to terrify yourself after gorging on such gastronomic nightmares as candied apples and chocolate coated bananas on a stick? After consuming exorbant amounts of sticky delicacies, we then decide to go on rides that pulverize internal organs and cause mental anguish. Why do we do ... read more

He has lived 4.5 times longer than I. I cant even begin to imagine the things one can see in a lifetime that stretches from the turn of the century: through the invention of vehicles and two world wars. I was notified by my relatives Ken and Nancy that we had family in Germany. How perfect! I decided to end my European adventure in the place of my origin. This is a journey of self-discovery and it certainly helps by knowing where you come from. Upon entering the country, I learned BAUMANN means "builder man". I was intent to discover more about my heritage and decided to contact these distant relations in Germany. My relatives are named The Kramers, and they are my grandfather's sister's husband's cousin. Pretty far-removed, but when we met, I was ... read more

Last night, gathered around a cigarette-littered coffee table, I asked five strangers to plan my fate. I dont want my trip to become stagnant, so I decided to throw in a little spice. Ive recently been inspired by two books: Lonely Planet's Book of Experimental Travel and Lost Cosmonaut. The book of Experimental Travel provides suggestions for non-traditional iteneraries like closing your eyes and blindly scrawling your signature on a map, then following the line your signature makes. Lost Cosmonaut is a book detailing the adventures of an anti-tourist in the small area of Kazan in Russia. An anti-tourist! Someone who blazes their own path, off the map. How brilliant! These books together spurred the idea that while Im in Munich, Ill try to see things the tourists have no interest in. I will leave ... read more

Its not the hills that are alive with the sound of music, its the streets of Vienna. If you ask the Viennese about their city, they will undoubtedly mention, "QUALITY of life". Vienna, Austria is said to have one of the highest qualities of life of any city in the world. From environmental consciousness to cultural opportunities and workplace logistics, the residents of Vienna seem to have it made. As a city known for music, is has produced an incredible amount of talent. Famous musical talent that has sprung from Vienna include Josef Haydn, Wolfgang Mozart, Franz Schubert, Johannes Brahms, and even Beethoven for a time, despite his near-deafness. The father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud lived here until the Nazi occupation in 1938. Today, Vienna still boasts of its musical talent, among other things. I saw ... read more