Perspective

I continue to be reminded almost on a daily basis how my 2010 Trampathon Abroad adventure has shifted my focus to think more globally than nationally…that’s not to say I didn’t have much of an interest in global events beforehand. In high school I participated in the Model United Nations and represented Great Britain in the General Assembly in my first year and the-then Soviet Union on the Security Council in my senior year. Certainly growing up in the turbulent Viet Nam War era exposed me and a generation of other teenagers to the reality of world politics and events.

My travel buddy Bob said it best when he told me during the trip that he’d never view Europe the same way again. Stories from oversees could now be put into perspective after having spent time in some of Europe’s greatest cities and for many weeks, witnessing daily newscasts about “what’s going on in Europe” and boy, there was lots going on: the failing euro, Greece’s economic problems, volcanic ash disrupting worldwide air travel, pre-World Cup hype, etc. By the way, European news outlets spent a lot of time discussing Obama’s National Health Care legislation as well as reporting on the Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster.

I now find myself surfing for news about Italy, Spain and France, rather than news about my “Motherland.” Soccer’s World Cup means EVERYTHING to Europeans and we witnessed their obsession every day in daily broadcast games and in-depth discussions about each qualifying team. Each country would brag about their chances to bring the World Cup home. It is totally devastating to the Italians and French that their countries were ousted in the first round of competition. I’m sure if I were still in Europe, daily sportscasts
would be crucifying the teams’ play and how they were mismanaged. No one in Europe gave the Americans any chance of moving beyond the first round, but here we are playing Ghana tomorrow morning in the second knock-out round. My time in Spain was a very special one and I sure hope they can continue to advance. It was amazing strolling the Madrid streets in the evening seeing every café and bar packed with patrons screaming at the television and rooting for their favorite team…their passion for the game is infectious!

Madrid's Santiago Stadium...home of the Real Madrid soccer team.

While in Europe, Greece’s economic disaster, how to solve it, and their affect on the euro were always top stories. Now back in the USA and hearing how Spain’s economy is beginning to tank, I’m confused about how bad it really is. While in Madrid, my host Lorenzo Sanchez touted the many benefits derived by Spain’s wealth and economic policies, and I witnessed its prosperous lifestyle every day I was there.

The impacts of recent transit strikes in Paris and Rome now are in perspective, as Bob and I relied on each city’s Metro 100% to get around. We witnessed firsthand how valuable the Metros are for daily commuters and tourists alike.

Entrance to the Louvre Museum in Paris.

 While in Paris, we visited almost every museum we could and certainly missed some hidden treasures, so it was of great interest to read about how the Paris Museum of Modern Art was burglarized, not once, but twice!If you ever visited one of Paris’s museums you’ll know that it is almost impossible to get within arm’s reach of any art masterpiece … so it’s amazing that the burglars got into the museums through a broken window and the alarm was not functioning properly.

Speed reached while traveling from Madrid to Barcelona.

A recent tragic story about a high speed train traveling to Barcelona and hitting dozens of people crossing the tracks has me reflecting on my high speed train trips (in excess of 300 kilometers per hour) from Madrid to Barcelona and Madrid to Segovia … at that speed, the people hit by the train certainly didn’t see the train coming … the horror must have been truly terrifying.

Bob and I spending time at the Roman Coliseum.

On a lighter note, it’s been fun to read about the recently discovered earliest known artwork of the apostles in catacombs in Rome; how sections of the Roman Coliseum fell narrowly missing tourists, and how other sections of the Coliseum never visited by tourists soon will be available to tourists. I also read that Paris intends to close roads along the Seine River and transform them into pedestrian walkways and open space. Roman and Paris are best described as living museum-cities where every street offers you wonderful cultural and historical views…I miss being there, but through the Internet I can continue to “be there” and re-live my trip.

The Grand Palace in Paris as seen from the Seine River.