EUROPEAN TRIP PART 1: THE GOOD AND THE BAD

As an individual who wrote his own travel book during the COVID era of 2020-2022 that is available on all online publishing platforms, travelling has been at the forefront of my mind as my body begins its inevitable, disintegrating decline. That sense of FOMO I have gotten in middle age while enviously meeting Californians richer than me who are about to get their thirtieth foreign country stamped onto their passport created an inferiority complex. Up until a few years ago, the only travel I had done out of the United States was just a few miles into Mexico (Tijuana, Tecate and Rosarita Beach) and Canada (Vancouver and Victoria while also reaching the Canadian border at the northern end of US-95 (As written about in my book)). I don’t want to turn my writing into a travel diary. But travelling has been such a large part of my life over the past few years, that these experiences have changed my perspective and personality. Travelling domestically during my first 50 years on this planet (Added states #41 Kentucky and #42 Indiana to my list this past summer) and seeing the diverse landscapes of the United States is enlightening. But also, Americans are Americans. We have our own sense of identity, culture and moral values. No matter what state you decide to visit, there is a cumulative sense of identity that reflects the town, city or national landmark that you are visiting. Going overseas and into different continents makes you aware of three important facts.

1. The human species is so diverse and amazingly creative
2. It helps an open-minded traveler to understand different perspectives and to recognize the uniqueness of each foreign culture while appreciating the history that each civilization has created
3. The scope and size of this planet is truly awe inspiring and humbling

From October 21st to November 3rd, 2024, I added countries 7-12 into my ever-growing passport log with my first ever trip to a new continent, Europe (The Caribbean which I have also visited is considered part of North America even though large portions of it are closer to South America.). This was the greatest two-week vacation of my life. Next year or in 2026, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam will likely be the next three nations, and the third continent added to my passport. But until then, I want to reflect on some things, GOOD AND BAD, that I experienced on this trip. This blog will focus on specific details regarding Europe while my later writings will dive more into the experiences of each individual country.
THE GOOD

1. EUROPEAN COFFEE: My partner went to France, Switzerland and Italy back in July. When she came back, her first words to me were, “There is no such thing as a bad cup of coffee in Europe.” After buying a coffee in five separate Southern/Eastern European countries, I can now confirm that my partner was correct. Every coffee was cheap, small and tasted glorious. Since coming back to the States, Starbucks and the Coffee Bean no longer satisfy. I have not been able to duplicate that experience in Athens, Greece buying a Freddo Cappuccino at a corner coffee shop that was better than anything I have drank in the states in my lifetime. Europe has turned me into a coffee snob. Panera Bread coffee which I enjoy tastes like recycled water that was dyed brown with food coloring. And this is one of the better coffees served in the United States.
   
2. FOOD PORTIONS AND QUALITY: Before leaving on this trip, I tipped the scales at 206 pounds, the heaviest I have ever been in my life. My blood pressure was starting to escalate. My body did not feel healthy. Then, I went to Europe for two weeks. While the food is not necessarily cheap due to the smaller portion sizes, the food tastes natural. Every meal was very good. Even the snacks we bought at convenience stores were not loaded with salt and sugar. Desserts were not teeth numbingly sweet. For those who remember growing up on family dinners in the 1970s/1980s, this is what European dinners felt like. Never once did I feel stuffed nor did my body have any digestive or intestinal problems. While the water in some of these countries can be questionable to drink, bottled water is incredibly cheap (Usually about 1 Euro, 1.10 USD). When I got off the plane on November 3rd back home in Southern California, my weight had dropped to 198 pounds. I ate the same type of food in Europe that I do in the United States. But in Europe, I lost a ton of weight (More on this later).  
3. COMFORT AND SAFETY: As Americans, we like to believe that the greatest country on this planet is best at everything. This was a more valid argument during my childhood when American culture and ideas seemed to dominate the globe. But after roaming through six different European countries, I have my doubts about many of the things believed as inherent truths about the United States. Croatia, Montenegro, and Albania are small countries that are seen as afterthoughts on the European continent. When reading about these places, there are often travel warnings like this Level 2 one for Albania released by our own State Department because these countries are in different stages of development and have only been “free” for the past 20 to 30 years. While Croatia did have a few poorer, rundown neighborhoods especially in Split (And ironically, mostly in the old Communist apartment areas), Montenegro had a couple of travelers (Gypsies) constantly begging for money, and Albania was…well…incredibly beautiful, there are things these poorer countries do not have.

 
No homeless people anywhere (Except Greece. More on this later).
No drug hazed people living on the street begging you for money in a beautiful place like downtown San Diego.
No cities or roads that are littered with potholes and burned out, empty buildings where businesses once thrived.
 
If these countries are the “dangerous” ones, what do the nice ones look like? Never once did I feel that my partner and I’s safety was under threat which is not something I can say about living in Southern California.
 
THE BAD
 

1. REALIZATIONS ABOUT AMERICAN FOOD: For those liberals who are upset about the choice of  RFK Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services and are questioning his MAHA ideas, think about this. Why are we protecting the current status quo? There is obviously something seriously wrong with American food. According to our own government, we are the most obese people on the planet. Americans are getting sicker every year. Most disturbingly, the texture of European food is different (More on this later) because the EU bans many of the chemical additives that US food companies put into our processed food. Not only is our FDA a disgusting government organization, but it is hard not to believe that Big Ag is killing us over profit motives. Why not try something different since the status quo appears to be corrupted and broken?
   
2. GERMANY AND CANADA: While we did not spend any time in Germany or Canada outside of the airport, our plane flight through Montreal and Frankfurt were miserable experiences. For those people who are concerned about increased repression in Western nations, it is already much worse in Canada and Germany. The brainwashing about green energy, carbon emissions (My plane flight tickets had carbon emission scores), and the lack of privacy is the norm in these “Western”, allied countries. Facial scanners are ever present. Cameras are everywhere including most street corners (Italy). Going through customs in both countries was awful. On our way back to the United States, the German authorities interrogated my partner and I about our incomplete stamps on our passports (Croatia, Italy, Montenegro and Greece all failed to stamp our passport. More on this later.) They wanted to know every detail of our trip before they would release us to our plane going to Denver, Colorado. As a person who hated every moment inside the Frankfurt Airport, all I can say to the German authorities is: FUCK YOU!
3. CRUISE SHIP FOOD: For nine of our fourteen days in Europe, we were on the Norwegian Pearl. If you know anything about cruise ships, most of the food is brought onto the ship at the first port which was Athens, Greece. During my partner and I’s two days in Athens, the FOOD WAS INCREDIBLE. So why was the food so terrible on the cruise ship that we decided to eat onshore each day? The chef on the ship was Indian. I love Indian food. But when Norwegian Cruises tells you that the ship will reflect the types of food served in each country that is visited during those nine days (Most time on the ship is in the evening as the ship stays in port during the day), not one Italian, Croatian, or Greek dish was served. The chef did serve lots of Indian food which with European ingredients, was not very good. And somehow, the coffee was also terrible onboard. The one good thing that came out of this slop fest is that it forced us to eat at the local domestic restaurants in each country which were top notch. More next week!