June Trip Return

The twelve-day trip was lovely, but I am tired, and I want to go home. Perhaps I will blog about what I did and saw there once I get back to the States. For now, suffice to say: Dublin is overrun with pubs; Prague has pretty architecture but not a lot to do; Vienna blatantly flouts its classical music influences despite the fact that almost all are male and are either under twelve years old or dead; and although the Red Light District was quite an experience, the most shocking thing about Amsterdam was the number of people who ride bicycles. I saw parents riding their children to school…on the fronts, sides, and backs of their bicycles! And instead of having a “parking garage” for cars--as we typically think of one—I saw a three-tier parking garage for bicycles!

Also, I must add that I feel much more aesthetically appreciated in Europe than I do in the United States. On these trips abroad, I have been danced with, complimented, oogled; and even propositioned by strangers, and while not all of these advances were welcome, of course, they are--in at least a minor way--a bit flattering. You would think these European men never saw a tall girl before!