Traveling in Europe is certainly an adventure and is something everyone needs to experience. A portion of that adventure is experiencing the European way of life. Many things are different about travel in Europe. A majority of Europeans commute to work and take vacations without flying or driving a vehicle. The train system and local metro systems in most of Europe is well developed and is usually the most cost-effective means of travel. Traveling by vehicle can be very costly for Europeans. The average German domestic vehicle is designed to be more fuel efficient and travel at much higher speeds than American vehicles. With fuel efficiency in mind, the average German family will never own a pickup truck, van or SUV. This is probably due to the fact that gas in Germany is around four dollars per gallon. Germans have paid these high prices for fuel for many years, and their economy, in most instances, has adapted to this cost of fuel. On the other hand, members of the U.S. military deployed overseas frequently bring their American cars and trucks with them and are not accustomed to paying these high gasoline prices. The U.S. government recognizes the need for a reduced fuel price for soldiers and entitles every vehicle to about 100 gallons of gas a month at normal U.S. prices. This helps to offset the culture shock for nearly every soldier overseas who is accustomed to driving his or her own vehicle to work and on vacation. The opportunities for travel in Europe are amazing. However, for all military members stationed overseas the benefits come with a price. Many soldiers stationed overseas are called to duty in places where they are unable to communicate with their loved ones, even during the holidays. Needless to say, for many deployed soldiers the holidays are a difficult period of the year. Although I was able to talk to friends and family on Christmas, spending that time of the year away from Minnesota was more difficult than I imagined. Thankfully I had some visitors I was looking forward to seeing. My mother and sister found their way to Germany on the 27th of December. On the drive home from the Frankfurt airport, I was strongly encouraged by a concerned voice in the back seat to drive at about half of normal autobahn speed. I think after a couple of days on the road system my mother finally warmed up to the idea of riding in a car, driven by her son, traveling at nearly 100 m.p.h. After a couple of days touring the area of Germany where I reside, and nearby Luxembourg, we set off on the train bound for a New Year’s Eve celebration in Paris. After arriving in Paris, we easily negotiated the local metro system which fortunately delivered us directly to our hotel. Excited to see the city we naively set out for a special night under the Eiffel Tower. The initial beauty of this landmark illuminated against the Parisian sky took away all fears of traveling in a foreign land. There were the typical trinket vendors and fast-food vendors, but there was also something special that hundreds of locals were selling: fireworks. Fear returned, and for good reason. These readily available explosives I am now convinced could rival dynamite. With few to no French police anywhere, the drunken crowd haphazardly threw the powerful explosives everywhere at random. One apparently more prepared partygoer proceeded to fire live rounds from a handgun into the Paris sky. Needless to say, we knew this probably would not “fly” in America, and we felt a bit out of place. We were prepared to leave even before the stroke of midnight. The only way to get back to the metro station was to walk under the Eiffel Tower. Under the tower was the heart of the action, but we were determined that we could make it so long as we watched out for the explosive charges that were going off at an increasing rate. While approaching the tower the chaos seemed unbelievable, the crowd was near riot stage. Just after passing under the center of the tower we looked back to see a sea of people charging toward us. Unaware that we should be running as well, the riot control gas quickly consumed us. I remembered the smell all too well from earlier Army training. With our eyes, noses and mouths drooling out of control we quickly walked as far away from the tower as possible. We managed to escape, but our image of Parisian culture and the Eiffel Tower shall forever be altered. The remaining time we spent in Paris proved to be worth the traumatic experience as the city has an architectural feast around every corner. There is so much to see and do in the city that it rivals New York City. It is probably impossible to experience every tourist site in Paris. After returning from Paris, we were ready to try another city and culture: Amsterdam. This carefree city definitely has a culture of its own. There are more shops that sell marijuana than police officers, and nearly twice as many legally taxed prostitutes than police. The city that my mother, sister and I experienced was a bit more legal than the aforementioned. While in the city we watched wooden shoes being created and took a tour of the Heineken brewery. Perhaps our most memorable experience on the outing to Amsterdam was visiting the Anne Frank house. I still remember reading her story while in the Kimball school system. It was heart-breaking to actually be in the room and see the area where she wrote the famous diary. Traveling and living in Europe has definitely been an adventure. Another exciting adventure has been traveling with a ski club for military members to the Alps. Skiing the French, Italian, Swiss and Austrian Alps is a bit different than Powder Ridge – where I first learned to ski in the early ’80s and continued to enjoy as a ski instructor during college. However, all of the principles of skiing Powder Ridge apply to skiing in the Alps. I am very thankful that the Kimball area has a resource such as Powder Ridge. Travel opportunities abound in Europe. Unfortunately, the price for traveling to Europe is currently as expensive as it has ever been for Americans. The local currency, the Euro, is at an all-time high against the dollar. However, with a little reading about European travel, it is still possible to travel inexpensively. If anyone is interested in seeing pictures of my experiences in Europe, feel free to check out a Web site that I have established. http://groups.msn.com/MyJournalofEuropeanExperiences/shoebox.msnw
