The rhythm of Europe

As our European Adventure comes to an end, we have again enjoyed feeling the pulse of Europe.   It is slower than our native homeland.  In the countries we have visited on this trip, people seem to live at a more leisurely pace.  They take more time to eat, to relax, to converse and to get to where they are going.   Based on our observations, it appears that many Europeans continue to visit the historical venues where they live, even though they have probably been to these castles, museums, chateaux and parks many times before.  I guess we would too if we lived here.  It seems that you find something new to admire each time you approach these amazing buildings and statues from a different direction, or at a different time of the day.  The warm hues of the buildings look very different when viewed at twilight or early in the crisp morning air after that first cappuccino. 

It has been a pleasure sharing part of this trip with our dear friend, Diane.  We have precious memories of our trip with her to Switzerland and Austria several years ago.  Now the three musketeers have added France and Germany to our travels together.  

It is always a joy to meet other travelers and talk with locals during our journeys.  Here are some of the interesting and fun people we have met over the past two months.

A young Amsterdamer who helped us resolve our camera downloading issue.  Without his help there would be no pictures!

Arne, the young student studying topography (whose father is Norwegian and whose mother is German) with whom we shared a train ride on our way to Heidelberg, Germany.  Such a talented and gracious young man. . . who studied for a semester in Norway and speaks fluent Norwegian, German and English.  We asked him to consider developing some maps of European cities with streets printed in very large print for Baby Boomers since we need all the help we can get when traveling.  

The young German student at a McDonalds near Heilbronn that provided us with directions to the freeway when we were lost.  Although his parents were unable to speak English, and we were unable to speak German, you could see the pride beaming from his parents when he was able to translate and help those “lost Americans.” 

The young German couple on the train to Baden Baden who were discussing the prospect of some day owning “property by the water . . . with the possibility of having a few animals there.”

The talented organ player who plays the carillon bells every Wednesday from the bell tower at the Westerkerk church in Amsterdam (located next door to the Anne Frank house) and who played an American medley in honor of his American guests.   A trumpet player sitting in a boat in the canal below would exchange musical phrases with the carillon player.  After the performance, the trumpet player would extend a fishing pole with a donation cup to the bystanders along the canal.  (We doubt that the carillon player “who played gratis for the church” received any of this booty.)

The gentleman and his wife from Columbia, Missouri (whose son used to live in Hartford, Wisconsin) whose rule was “after you arrive at the train station, you have to walk. . .no cabs unless it’s raining.”   We are kindred spirits with these two boomers and follow the same rule.

The waiter in Brussels with the handlebar mustache who gave Trudy a look as sad as the clown Emmett Kelly when she ordered a Caesar Salad with no chicken, and with a look of shock exclaimed, “No chicken?!”  However, he beamed a big smile when she said to add the chicken.  (Although he was kind of grumpy when we ordered our drinks, Trudy said she was going to get a smile out of him before we left the café. . . and she did.)

Benny, our charming host at the bed and breakfast in Bruges, who invited us into his own dining room for breakfast on Saturday and Sunday, and whose infectious humor and good nature are highlights from our visit to this quaint, charming city in Belgium.  

The two German gentlemen in Baden Baden who tried so desperately to redirect us from the orthopedic clinic “ zoom, zoom, zoom” down the hill to our hotel.

The kind lady in Baden Baden who immediately came over and told us we needed to “re-ascend on the elevator,” after seeing three confused musketeers step out of the parking garage elevator with their luggage into the basement fruit market.

The little beggar man in the wheelchair at the Strasbourg train station, to whom Diane and Tom gave change and two croissants; and when we passed him later, he patted the pocket with the croissants then patted his heart and pointed to us. 

Franchesca (the just-too-sweet and too-cute desk assistant in our hotel in Lugano, Switzerland), who waved goodbye to us when we left and said, “Oka-ya, we see-ah  you-ah the next-ah time-ah you-ah come-ah to Lugano, yes?” 

All of those considerate people in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland and Germany who excuse themselves at the ring of their cell phones and exit the restaurant to speak.

The Italians who don’t leave when their cell phone rings, but who are so full of life that you have to excuse them.  They are kind in a “not so quiet” but “big hearted” way.  For them, it’s about good food, good wine, good company, big hugs and living every day to the fullest. 

The Italian waiter in Florence who talked Tom into a large gelato sundae with chocolate syrup, amaretto cherries and whipped cream after Tom had just finished a plate of ravioli, then said to Tom when he dropped off the check, “You feela mucha betta now, eh?”

The always warm and friendly people in Dublin, Ireland who never let our cups run dry in the hotel pub, and who were okay with a tip “every now and then . . . not all the time.”

As our adventure comes to an end, along with a lot of good times, and having met a lot of fun and interesting people, we also reflect on the more serious side of our visits to the Anne Frank house and Ten Boom.  When walking into these homes, it is like walking back in time, and one must wonder--would I have been brave enough to hide a Jewish family, knowing that the penalty for hiding them was almost certain death.  Or, as a Jew in hiding, would I have been strong enough to endure the confines, the smells, the bad food, reading the same books over and over, and never feeling the sunshine on my face.   Or, as a friend of a Jew, would I have been brave enough to throw packets of food over the fence to my starving former school mate?

We have visited some of the most beautiful chateaux and castles ever built.   Again, you must consider if you were a king, a queen or a lord, would you have been kind to your subjects, or would you have dedicated yourself to accumulating wealth and power?  As Tom reflects on this, he notes that for 38 years he was lord of the numbers at Northwestern Mutual five days a week, but on weekends, he was very similar to a serf with a “honey-do list.”  However, even on weekends life was good, since unlike the serfs during the medieval era, he had access to Makita and DeWalt power tools.  

There is a slower pace to the steps you take in the heart of Europe.  Sure, you can speed up if you feel you need to see everything; but if you can, sit on a bench on the green, watch the young lovers and listen to the bells ring out from the churches and city bell towers.  Ride the trains and allow some room for dogs to sleep near your feet.  Don’t be surprised if your hotel room is rather tight. . . just roll with it, since you will most likely not spend much time there.   Walk in the rain and share an umbrella with someone you love.  Have a gelato every afternoon like the locals before you sit down for an 8:00 dinner.  Enjoy a glass or two of wine every day from your host country and appreciate how many kind and friendly people there are in the world. This is to feel the rhythm and soul of Europe. 

We hope you have enjoyed our recollections of the high points of our trip.  It now becomes necessary to return to Milwaukee and take care of obligations, so we will be returning the first weekend of November and we look forward to seeing our friends and relatives.  Europe will always have a place in our hearts, but it lives right there alongside the friendships we have cultivated over the years and deeply cherish.  See you soon!

Signing off at the end of the trail,

TNT