I've also had some people say that it sounds as if I prefer Europe to the US, and that is simply not true. I cannot imagine living my life and raising my children in any other place than here; however, people who say that do not remember that I am an historian and an anthropologist. I love extremely old things. In fact, the older the better, as far as I am concerned. I like looking at old artifacts and wondering: Who used this? Was it important to them? What was that person like? Was that person happy? Was that person loved?
Technically those last few questions are unimportant in the historical/anthropological scheme of things, but for me, they are vital. If you can understand the artifacts, then you can begin to understand the culture, and only when you can begin to understand the culture does the individual begin to make sense. I feel that that philosophy can be applied to any person in any culture in any era.
That's what I loved about studying and working abroad. I was able to see and experience things that I would not have been able to if I had stayed in the US. I saw buildings and went places that existed before Christopher Columbus even decided to try sailing to India. I saw the splendor of Rome and the piety of the Vatican City. I saw ruins where gladiators fought long before Julius Caesar sailed to Britain. I had conversations with people I would never have met, some of whom became friends. I listened to one topic be discussed by nine different accents with nine slightly differing points of view. That is one of my favorite memories.
Traveling is exciting, and it is a wonderful indicator of your self-reliance. Traveling in a group with friends is a light-hearted experience, where the hardest decision is how to see all of the things that everyone wants to see. The hidden advantage in seeing what others want to see is that you might find something you never would have considered. You might find something that interests you, that inspires you. And while I enjoyed every moment of traveling with my friends, I much preferred traveling solo.
When traveling with my friends, I heard a lot of "Another castle?" said in an increasingly exasperated fashion. I don't blame them; I admittedly slotted in as many castle pit-stops on our route as possible, especially since I was in charge of the navigation. I deliberately chose the routes which had the most castles. People grumble that once you see a castle, you've technically seen them all. I don't think so. Each has its own splendor, its own beauty, its own points of interest, its own fascinating history. I thoroughly enjoyed visiting castles that were restored to the height of their glory, but I adored those castles which were little more than ruins. Climbing over walls, seeing architectural methods, being able to imagine the people who called the place home. For me, that was always the highlight.
But as I said, traveling is an indicator of self-reliance. Even though I traveled with a friend to Rome, I spent much of the time on my own. My Italian is not excellent, but it's understandable. I ventured on foot down back streets (probably not the safest thing in the world for a single girl in a foreign country to do); I approached people for directions, explanations of plaques, which restaurants served the best foods. I traveled to Loch Lomond in Scotland for a week by myself, arranging transportation, lodging, meetings with clan historians. I hired a local fisherman to bring me out to an island and pick me up at a later time so that I could gather photos for a novel that I want to write. I had time to read plaques and monuments, instead of taking photos of them to read later when my traveling companions were not in such a rush to move on to the next thing on our itinerary. I was forced to speak to people that I didn't know in order to have a conversation. I met a nun from Boston and two guys from Sweden that way. They were great people with whom I had two incredibly interesting and extremely different conversations. Is it any wonder that I suggest people travel in as small a group as possible, or with a group of people you don't know? The possibility for cultural advancement and understanding is greatly increased that way.
I don't have any pictures of Katherine and I at the pubs, because cameras during those periods were forbidden; a rule to which we both strictly adhered. I do, however, have lots of photos of Rhossili.
Rhossili was a beautiful place in South Wales that took about an hour's busride. (If you went on Fridays or Saturdays that is; it was two hours on Sundays because it took the scenic route. Translation: it went through the sheep fields.) We would spend the entire day there. We packed lunches, drinks, cameras, games; sometimes an adventurous spirit would bring along a guitar. Although I think it was illegal, you couldn't stop the Spanish students from picking up as many mussels as they could so that we could have paella for dinner that evening.
And we always had to bundle up. No matter how warm it was in Swansea Bay, we would be guaranteed to freeze when we got to Rhossili. The wind was always whipping around, and the sea spray stung your skin. Another thing that I truly loved about Rhossili...the seagulls stayed in the parking/bus loading area. There didn't seem to be any birds down on the rocks where we would spend the day. That was a gift from Heaven, seeing as how I hate birds, especially pigeons and seagulls.
And no matter how many times we ventured to Rhossili, it never got old. Maybe it was the beauty, maybe it was the camaraderie, but whatever it was that made Rhossili so special was something that I couldn't get enough of.
Another place that I loved visiting is the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. I went there three times, and I regret not being able to go more. Like many places, you can only take so many photos before you realize that you've already taken a particular shot before. But the beauty of the Cliffs...I cannot begin to explain the breath-taking quality. I went the first time with my mother after I graduated high school. I went again when my entire family came to visit me while I was studying in Wales. I went the third time with my European friends who saw my pictures and wanted to see it for themselves. I was more than happy to oblige.
