I remember when I decided I was going to Europe. I had always wanted to, but I never had made official plans. I had just turned 19 and it was January. I was on the shuttle with my best friend when I got an email. It was from the school, talking about open spots for the religious history tour. I read about the places they would go. It was then I decided to go. I applied and got in. Thanks to a lot of help from friends and family, I was able to go. We wouldn’t leave until September of that year. I couldn’t believe I was going. I couldn’t fathom the idea of being in a whole different world that I had never known; only seen in pictures and movies.
It was on the plane heading to Rome that I realized I was going to be in different countries. Places where they didn’t speak my language and didn’t have my customs. There was no going back. I was terrified, intrigued and ready for adventure. I didn’t know that my life would change forever because of this one trip.
When we arrived in Rome, everything changed. I fell in love. I watched as we drove past building with cascades of plants hanging outside of the patio. I watched men in suits drive tiny mopeds past our bus. I watched as road turned into cobblestone. I stayed at a convent with nuns who only spoke Italian. I ate too much gelato. I hiked up St. Peter’s Basilica, the Prague Tower and the Malvern Hill. I saw unforgettable sunsets. I saw art I never dreamed of seeing. I walked the streets of Paris, falling in love with every step. I saw the world at the top of the Eiffel Tower. I strolled through London, watching red busses hurry past and wanting to be a part of the big city. I drank Red Bull in Germany, trying to stay awake for dancing and late night chocolate purchasing.
I heard bells chime out on a September day while in Austria. I saw the world from an Eagle’s Nest. I saw the world from the Catacombs in Paris. I watched culture thrive and flow through every living thing. I ate so much good food. I walked so far and for so long. I made wonderful friends and learned so much about them. I watched fireworks explode from a bridge in Prague. I sang “Silent Night” in a small church. I fell down mansion steps and sat on a stone unicorn. I took too many pictures. I danced in the rain. I sang in the rain. I laughed my heart out. I cried.
I was brought into a magical world where anything could happen. There are so many wonders in the world, you could never see them all. There is the way rain feels on your face as you are floating down the Seine, the sound of Vivaldi playing in a cathedral, the quiet of a street near Paddington Station, the bite of a Royal Swan. I wish everyone could do what I did. I miss it every day. I love it more every day. I am changed by it every day.
