My Dream Trip To Europe

The diversity of thought among people from all corners of Earth breeds an air of excitement and curiosity. Flying ignites a passion to explore new places and meet new people. I love Lincoln, Nebraska, but I love the exhilaration of new experiences that come with traveling.The unique food, culture, and architecture at every unique location taunt me, calling for me to abandon my home in search of fulfillment elsewhere. Exposure to the cosmopolitan atmosphere of Los Angeles is a breath of fresh air from the monotony of Nebraskan life. Touching down in New York City at the end of a long flight is only the start of a new journey into a melting pot laced with opportunity for those who seek it. The idea of building my own path in a hub of diversity and opportunity is beyond appealing. Traveling to new places with varying demographics and cultures spoils the explorer within me who craves interaction outside of the incubator I call

There are the tourists—those who seek temporary relaxation, or famous sights. There are the travelers—those who wander, without aim, for the love of moving. There are the explorers—those seeking adventure, the thrill of unearthing things rarely seen.

Throughout history, the progressions of mankind has given way to a perpetually globalizing world. Globalization, the “process of interaction and integration among peoples of different nations, has strengthened human ties while our race has formed societies in every corner of the globe. As our world becomes more interconnected, the resulting blend of cultures has led numerous societal features to be shared between peoples, blurring cultural division lines. Globalization’s tying binds may frustrate many modern travelers seeking unique and special travel experiences due to the standardization of destinations resulting from increasingly cozy international social relations, but continued and extensive human travel has demonstrated that the essential human urge to move is a product of our search for fulfillment in what is unfamiliar and will not be suppressed by global interconnection.

In tenth grade, I was given the opportunity to travel to Italy for ten days. While I delighted my tastebuds with all kinds of Italian cuisine, my brain feasted on an abundance of knowledge presented in architecture, history, art, and inventions; most of which emerged during the Italian Renaissance. The Renaissance was a time period concerned with exploring the unknown, expressing creativity by means of art, and using imagination, as well as intellectual curiosity to create techniques and theories. For these reasons, if I were capable of traveling back in time, I would visit the time period of the Italian Renaissance.

The European Heritage Days aim to raise awareness of Europe 's cultural richness and diversity, to increase appreciation of Europe 's cultural heritage, and encourage greater tolerance for other cultures across Europe. They invited all of Europe to respond to the social, political, and economic challenges of the culture sector. The European Heritage Days, launched in 1985, take place in the fifty signatory states to the European Cultural Convention, putting new cultural treasures on display and opening up historic buildings normally closed to the public. European Heritage sites are milestones in the creation of today’s Europe. To walk through one of these sites is to experience European values and civilization in the making. These sites celebrate and symbolize European integration, ideals, values and history. They are cautiously selected for their symbolic values and the roles they play in the European history and the activities they offer in order to bring the European Union and its citizens closer together.

Ask almost anyone about their travels beyond their ignorance and you will get an answer of wonder turning to realization. Through soccer and my everyday curiosity, I have traveled to various destinations, each with distinctive characteristics, yet always being unsuccessful in grasping the lessons in which the world has to offer. While I had physically been away from home, I did not acknowledge the fact that I had the opportunity to learn something from a trip that just seemed to be a form of entertainment. After returning home and reflecting on the events that had occurred, I decided to hunt for a different perspective on my same experience. Here, I saw people embracing every piece of the city in which I had been, appreciating every unique

Some of my favorite times in Europe were when my family would hop into the car and drive off to a city hours away, maybe even in the neighboring country. It never failed to astonish me how every city was different from the last. There were always new sights to see, new cuisine to try, and different happenings going on. If I had to name one thing I miss from my time in Europe, it would definitely be the festivals. There was this one summer when I went to a wine festival with my mother. To get into town, we walked through a wide, stone bridge that hovered over a large river. Across the lake where the river poured into, a brown, centuries-old castle stood proudly upon a hill and peered down at the town. Stalls were set up on either side of the street and people surged through the market talking animatedly and sharing laughs with their friends, usually with some form of food or drink in hand. A brass band played close by and people of all ages paired up to dance to the music that resonated throughout the town. With a bratwurst in hand, my mother and I strolled through town and looked at the countless shops that lined the street. Even away from the stalls and music, on every street and back alley, there were people buzzing with life and activity. The atmosphere was cozy, happy, and welcoming. Even someone like me, who didn’t speak the language, fit right in. [how is this

As I walked onto our Amsterdam bound plane in PDX, I couldn’t help but think about what I would have the privilege of seeing. In the next week and a half, I would visit the Acropolis in Athens, Epidaurus- the first amphitheater and major healing center, Ancient Olympia- the sight of the first ever Olympics, Pompeii and the world-famous Roman Coliseum. I’ve been many to many places: Hawaii, New York, Boston, Washington D.C, and Honduras, but I’d never been as excited to travel somewhere as I was then. Without the inspiration of some of the places I would be visiting, our world would be very different than the world we know. We might not have track races, theater programs, sporting stadiums or many other fixtures of life.

We wanted to find a cafe that had wifi so we could all have internet to post our excessive vacation food pictures, I however was just interested in eating a chocolate crepe and sitting a warm cafe with my friends in a picturesque small French town. So we all slipped out of the drizzly weather, into the cafe as we removed our jackets and wiped down our feet. We meandered through the cramped seats and discovered an aromatic smell that radiated throughout the cafe. The burning coffee beans, the sweet frosting and the smell of rich cocoa: made me never want to leave France. We all found our seats, smiling from ear to ear ready to dig into our delicious French desserts. As we reminisced on all events of today’s tour, it dawned on me.

I have been able to use my travel as the synapse to what I have learned in school, watched in movies, read in books or experienced from the news. I find myself reminiscing upon the real places on which was reported, the same places I have been. Seeing the diary of Anne Frank in real life and standing in the same place she hid in secret as a teenager was the nexus for understanding the important role travel has played in the balanced perspective of different cultures I have, the similar perspective Anne Frank embraced without regards to her particular circumstance. From this event I also embrace; we are more alike, my friends, than we are

"Youth is everlasting if you feed your soul with much love and many adventures," a phrase I have claimed my entire life. I have traveled across the seven seas, from the white sand beaches and crystal clear waters of the Caribbean, to the snowy tundra of the Italian alps. I have studied traditional Indian art and learned to play the tabula under the tree canopies of Karola, India. I have hiked to a cliff's edge to watch humpback whales migrate through Queensland, Australia. I have payed homage to my religious ancestors at the western wall in Jerusalem, Israel. I mention a few of the places I have traveled not because they describes who I am, but because my adventures have created the person you see today. Seeing the world has struck passion in my heart and curiosity in my mind.

The evening temperature was perfect for walking arm-in-arm with my handsome Italian husband. It felt magical as we meandered through the historic streets and piazzas taking pictures and window shopping. Freshly made sandwiches, bruschetta, pasta dishes and sausages ready to be devoured were displayed in the windows of self-service eating establishments everywhere. We shared a pizza and a carafe of red wine in an outdoor Trattoria, caffè and a dolce in another. We were delighted to be in Italy again. Being here made us realize how much we have missed this fantastic, congenial country. We watched flocks of pigeons as they entertained children in the piazzas amidst the bustle of people strolling by, stopping to admire a street artist’s work,

The next morning, my mom asked if there was anything I wanted to do. I had spent half the night thinking about how to answer that question when a memory popped into my mind. Volterra, Italy. A place I dreamed of going ever since I saw Twilight, New Moon. As we sat in the back seat of our limousine, I watched as the wilted sunflowers passed us by. We drove for three and a half hours on the worn, pebbled roads. Finally, we arrived. The first thing I noticed while walking around the beautiful town was the Teatro Romano, the

It’s 7:30am, I step outside onto my apartment balcony. Cars are zooming down the over crowded streets, staunch buildings towering over me blocking the greeny lush hills far away. People rapidly walking down the sidewalk. In front of my eyes are shimmery silver and navy colours reflecting from the sky high buildings, they stand out more than the joyous light blue sky itself. Sounding in my ears are cars angrily roaring every 5 seconds, people barking at taxis to stop, an earth shaking sound that’s mixed with sound of a hurricane that’s just the aeroplane taking off from the city airport. The mouth watering smell of the local bakery down the road lingers through my nose, I can taste those freshly baked scones in my mouth from here.

It all started with the most exhilarating train ride ever. It was about four hours long, and we were going so fast that the world around me seemed non-existent. The trees were whizzing by so quick that I could hardly see what color they were. The food that was served melted in my mouth making me want more with every bite. Although I never wanted the train to stop, nothing could ever compare to what was awaiting my family and I when we stepped off the train. The aroma of the different types of food from a variety of places coming together to make my mouth water. Seeing the bustling streets of Paris filled with people as amazed as we were trying to take in the scenery that was so vast, it seemed like years before we could visit it all. I was so excited to see what awaited us in the days to come.