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Published: February 24th 2009
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Go here to see ALL the pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/rconnelly22
Well, it took about 2 weeks, but as I promised, I wanted to write a conclusion to my second amazing trip overseas. Europe was STILL under construction, and the sites STILL blew my mind. While I know I'm lucky to have opportunity to travel overseas, I'm in some ways proud of myself for "completing the continent" and doing what it took to travel again. A lot of times people talk about it, and just never follow through, and I'm proud that I have talked the talk, and walked the walk - TWICE, and because of it, I'm truly a better person.
Like I said throughout, this trip was very different from my last trip over there. Summer vs. Winter. Mike vs. Heather. Eastern Europe vs. Western Europe. Comparably they were very much alike, but different. The weather is nicer in summer, but you get a more real-world view of things when the tourists are gone and the locals are just living life. Mike was a little more neat, and clean than Heather, but both were phenomenal people to travel with, and I hope they both got as much out of each trip as I did. And while Western Europe had all the well known sites, I don’t think I could ever truly appreciate Europe without seeing the East. The history and culture there rival, if not trump those of the West with little fanfare. But I can honestly say that more than any difference between the trips, I actually missed home far more on this trip than the last. I'm lucky to have great roommates, a great place to live (in what I consider one of the best cities on Earth), a great job that I really care about, and the opportunity to take part in activities that I enjoy on a daily basis. Putting aside a normal life of routine and responsibility was much more difficult than the grey area between graduation and indoctrination into the real world. I can truly say I didn’t take my time there for granted... but I did appreciate what I have even more.
A few final round-ups since I know people will ask:
I don’t have one favorite place! For this trip, I'll narrow it down to a few
Dubrovnik was the most Beautiful,
Prague had the best social atmosphere,
and multiple places (Budapest, Athens, and Munich come to mind) seemed to combine both.
Trip logistics were:
29 days, 13 cities, 9 countries, and 8 languages, and an estimated 9,000 miles (300/day) traveled
And again, I compiled a list while I was there of things I missed from home/hated about Europe:
I missed getting refills on drinks
I missed my room, bed, and personal space - living out of a bag for 30 days was not as cool as I remembered
I missed using normal plugs without using a different adaptor for each country
I missed having a dollar menu
I missed plain tap water - not sparkling (with bubbles), or tonic, or anything of that euro-style stuff
I missed have light switches IN the bathroom, instead of outside so jerks could turn off the lights while you were inside
I missed ice. It was impossible to get ice anywhere on the damn continent
I missed the ease of using a debit card or credit card - its like pulling teeth to do that over there
I missed driving my car (even if it did leak enough oil while I was gone to cause a minor ecological disaster)
I missed not waiting in line for 10+ minutes to get 2-3 items at the grocery store
And finally... I seriously missed the English language. When you don’t hear it for weeks straight, and the language you do hear changes every few days... you really begin to appreciate your native tongue.
Long story short - I’m lucky, and I know it - both to have traveled abroad and for what I have here. You don’t really appreciate what we have here in the US until you don’t have it anymore. I know it probably sounds like a standard American way of thinking, but we really are the greatest nation on Earth and regardless of what most people say... they count on the US (until we fall out of power like every other superpower in history 😊. It was also great to see them really embracing Obama and the change that’s going on... it was a much different story from last time I was there.
I was exposed to far more culture than I thought I would be, and it helped me learn about a little known part of the world, and myself. It highlighted a lot of the things I learned last trip. Not to freak out about little things (like a broken camera), and that plans change and sometimes you just have to adjust. The need to step out of your comfort zone sometimes to meet new people and do new things. And the need to be open-minded when it comes to other people, their culture, and their opinions. Most of all, whether it was good, bad, annoying or other - it was all part of the experience - and I'm truly blessed to have gotten the chance to see these places. I again appreciated the diversity of the US, and all the types of people we have. And finally, it really reaffirmed my appreciation for the US as a nation, its people, and how lucky we really are.
I really wanted to thank Mike for traveling with me, and even though we almost snapped a few times - we never wanted to kill each other even though regardless of who it is - 30 days of constantly being around someone can be deadly. I also wanted to thank my parents, and my whole group of family and friends who supported me with emails and messages on the trip. I’m glad everyone liked the blog, and hopefully it was as entertaining to read as it was to write.
I do still have like 5 more countries in Europe to see, but I think its time to move on to a different continent. Until then...
"The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." ~St. Augustine
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Mike
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The final entry
I could not have said it any better... Great final entry! -Your Hetrosexual Travel Partner