Dreaming of Europe
Europe! The continent where history comes from. At least, that's what my dad used to call it. He's kinda right. The history of western civilisation still exists there - castles, canals, cathedrals, palaces; you name it, they've got it, FOR REAL.
Anyway, I've been thinking that it might be time to take a trip over there. I've never been, and I figure that if I want to learn something while I'm on a break, there's probably no better place to start, right? Not that I could get round all of Europe. That'd be stupid. I hate when people say they've "done" somewhere. Like, 'Yeah, we've done Venice and now we're gonna DO Florence'. What the hell do they mean? Do they mean they visited that place and understood something of its nature, or do they mean they just ticked it off on their itinerary? So, trying to "do" too much of Europe would, I think, be a mistake. I like to get a real flavour of a place, to imagine that I could live there, stroll the streets; order the same drink in the same bar two nights running. That kinda thing.
So, where to go? For the sake of interest - not to mention for the sake of love - I gotta get to Paris. Ever since Gene Kelly strutted its romanticised, rose-tinted streets in 'An American in Paris', I've always wanted to go. I can just picture myself in a cafe, sipping absinthe and smoking Gauloise. Ah! Then there's Barcelona - home of my favourite architect Gaudi. Some people look at his buildings and see garish, 'gaudy' piles of kitsch; not me! I think they're beautiful and about as close as you can get to a fairytale in reality. Plus, I can speak a little Spanish (though apparently Castilian is a very different thing). Then there's London, where language is, hopefully, no problem. I've also got a couple of relatives there, so that'd save on cost. Then there's Venice! The city of dreams (or something). It just sounds like the most unique place on earth - like a living museum. Perhaps some places a little more off the beaten track: Warsaw appeals for some reason, as does Ljubljana. There are some cheap flights to Barcelona, so I'd probably start there, and maybe end in Dublin, where I've always felt like I have some weird affinity. Sigh! This is all just a daydream at the moment, but that hasn't stopped me from making day-dreamy plans. Someday soon I'll just book those tickets and head off; back to the cradles of western culture. You never know, maybe I'll never come back…
