Charlie's Trip Blog

After having gone to France and Germany last year I am ready to try out Ireland.  I have already started my prep for this trip in the form of extra walking where possible and purchasing some new luggage to replace the luggage that was falling apart from last year.

I’ve always thought that I was fairly open to trying new things and that I had a rather wide breadth of experiences to draw from but this trip feels like it was worth more than all of the traveling I’ve done in the US.  Traveling in the US there is a sense of familiarity with most of the things that you come across even in the diverse cultures that span the country.  When you leave the US though, everything seems to be a new experience.  

By far, the history of France and Germany was the most impressive thing for me to witness.  Around here if you hear that a building is near 100 years old you think that it’s ancient.  In the areas of Europe we were in a 100 year old building would still have been rather new.  The physical history of Europe in general, at least what we saw, is something that I would gladly pay to see again.

How does this trip affect me though?  From a personal standpoint I have met and become friends with so many amazing people that I feel blessed to have had this opportunity.  The entire group of people that we traveled with was amazing and I am glad to have met them.  From a professional standpoint I feel that I have become a more well rounded person.  I have a better understanding of the differing views that are out there and the different ways that people of various cultures can deal with both stress and misunderstandings. 

The next couple of days in Germany have been great.  First we spent the day on a boat headed down the Rhine on a castle viewing tour.  Then we spent quite a bit of time walking through Ruedesheim before heading up into the vineyards for some amazing shots of the Rhine and the surrounding country side.  This is something that I would love to take the chance to see again some day.

Paris has been absolutely amazing.  The second day we spent some more time on a short bus tour and then went to the Louvre.  The experience was great.  After the Louvre a few of us went and found the Shakespeare bookstore and explored that as well as a rather famous library at the Institut de France.

Extremely Tired today with the long flights and then the complete day of running around Paris.  It’s a spectacular city and I am happy that I chose to come do this.  Notre Dame was awe inspiring and getting to see the city from the Eiffel Tower was amazing.