“It is fools, they say, who learn by experience. But since they do at last learn, let a fool bring his experience into the common stock that wiser men may profit by it.” CS Lewis, Pilgrim’s Regress
And so it is that we invest in experience and the aftertaste of it in memories – foolishness perhaps – while venturing once again onto the landscape of the European Continent. This time we begin in the City of Lights, Paris.
Since last time, it has become common for armed soldiers to guard popular sites — evidence of increasing threats of terror and a sober reminder of recent events. The London Times reports the very real possibility of a crumbling EU and we read about the discussion to rebuild barriers between nations, to reinstate check-points and monitor border crossings. Refugees from Syria and Iraq make the hopeful trek in search of relief and aid in their desperate flight from violence and inhumanity. Countries like Austria, Slovakia and Switzerland shut tight their doors and windows while the churches from east to west are waking up. Something seminal calls the faithful, and sentiments are warm as they fill glasses with cold water and great kettles with the good of the land to ladle their abundance into the very mouths of God.
We hear much in North America about Europe’s long and illustrious history, its art, music, theatre and most of us visit the “Old Country” for its diversity in customs, language, food and for its geographical beauty. I like that Europe is also a place of the present. Rural France is still bringing to table world-class wines, and now the process is mostly automated. Shepherds gather flocks by motorcycle. The French still take 2-hour lunches, but MacDonald’s in Paris is gaining popularity and Starbucks competes with the city’s 1,200 street-side cafes. Further afield, late summer’s green tomatoes are left to ripen on the hot side of the farmhouse, while the owner sits on the stoop and checks email. The place is complex and like any interesting person, takes a lifetime of interaction to know and appreciate its subtleties.
I pay the high flight prices, the high Euro exchange, the high cost of sleeping and eating locally to gain the experience of Europe. Maybe there is little wisdom in it, but there is a great deal of learning.
We are in Paris for 3 nights before traveling by train to Spain’s Basque country on Friday. For now temperatures are similar to home and so is the drizzle. We plan to wander the neighbourhoods, recover from jet lag and ease slowly into vacation mode. Photos will come. Thanks for joining us.
