Sunday- Back Home. Alan's Reflections

Now I know what it is like to be away from home for a month! It’s a pretty big deal.  The logistics that need to be taken care of before departing for 30 days are significant.   Learning to live where English is rarely spoken, and not being able to watch an American TV show, or read a US newspaper can take some adjustment.  And no, reading news online just isn’t the same.

Travel can be hard these days. Last night we arrived home at about 10PM.  Almost 24 hours before, we had checked out of our hotel in Zurich to begin arduous journey back home.  And yes, we were ready to get back!   The long trip home (sorry no pictures) involved a 9:30AM flight to Frankfurt, Germany, followed by a 9 hour flight to Philadelphia, a sweltering cab ride from the Philly airport to 30^th Street Train Station, a 2 hour train ride to Harrisburg (with enough luggage to support a small army), and lastly a 30 minute Uber ride with some knucklhead who doesn’t know how to clean his minivan!  By the time I hit the sack last night, my eyes were burning- which was my body’s way of saying “go to bed, you moron.”

To say that this was a once-in-a-lifetime trip is an understatement.  I’m just not sure I can imagine a time in the future when we could concoct and survive such a lengthy and complicated multi-nation adventure.  I’m really so gratified that we were able to have the resources and support of friends and family that otherwise would have made this trip impossible.   Thanks to all of you readers who have followed us, and encouraged us to share on this, our first blog.

What did I learn?  Well, I’m appreciating that in some ways I need to better understand my limitations, and in other ways I need to realize that it’s good to push through some of those limitations.  For example, renting a car in a strange country gives you lots of freedom, but it comes at the cost of high anxiety (seems to increase with each year that I get older).  A bit too much stress.  I think in the future, I will schedule trips with tour groups, where most of the planning is taken care of by professionals! 

In other ways, I have learned from our biking and hiking excursions that many of the physical limitations I thought I had, were mostly in my head.  I was amazed to see the number of Europeans who were doing grueling bike rides in the areas where we were- and who were older than us!   This was very inspiring, and something that will definitely motivate me.

Chris mentioned in an earlier post about the “rhythm of life” in our little French village.  This is a theme that I keep coming back to in my head.  I’ve learned from this trip to appreciate all the different rhythms of life that one can experience. The key is to keep an open mind, and let yourself become part of your surroundings- to become immersed in the rhythms rather than fighting them.

Each segment of our trip involved a different rhythm that we needed to adjust to.  During the bike tour, the rhythm consisted of packing and unpacking every two days in a different place, and finding our way to new villages- on our own in many cases.  When we settled into our apartment, the rhythm of life revolved around hiking, attending village festivals, learning to speak better French, getting to know our village neighbors, and shopping at the local markets.  Lastly, our time in the Alps was a new rhythm entirely- with crappy breakfasts, long hikes during the day, and sleepless nights.  The sleepless nights part grew old quickly! Most importantly, it seems to me that it’s good for the soul to be able to go outside your comfort zone and experience new ways to live life.

Lastly, a note about the many people in France who we met.  Don’t believe those who say that the French dislike Americans. Nothing could be further from the truth.  In the area of France where we stayed, the people still totally appreciate what our country did for them in World War II.  A large percentage of French adults and children wear T-shirts and hats with American themes printed on them, as if they want to appear to be from the U.S.  

Do some French people dislike Americans? Yes.

What I observed was that the French are a totally diverse group of people, just like those in America.  Some are super, super nice and generous.  Others are asses! Stereotypes do not apply.  But for an accident of where they were born, they are exactly like us.  

In summary, we had a great time on this Alsace Adventure, but man does it feel good to be home in our own bed!