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My visit to Omaha Beach
I visited Normandy to see the beaches where my grandfather fought during WWII. Throughout my childhood, my grandfather told me about the Second World War. At first, I only heard snippets of information—a mention here, a reference there. Perhaps he thought I was too young to hear about such violent history. As I reached my teens, however, that changed. On Sunday evenings, when my whole family went to grandpa’s for dinner, he would often take me aside and tell me about the war. Sometimes, he …
European Contemporary Theater
Like many other people around the world, I spent time in school studying Europe’s ancient theater traditions. The great tragedies and comedies the Greeks created, and the beautiful, outdoor amphitheaters they built to stage these plays, sparked my imagination for many years as a child. When I finally got to travel to Europe as a young adult, I was thrilled to see some of those ancient theatres, with their rings of stone seats rising up before the stage. It felt almost as though I was back in …
Edible Europe
Learning about a country through its culinary arts is one of travel’s principle pleasures. Food is a tangible reflection of geography, history, and culture; there are few more pleasurable ways to become well acquainted with a country than through its gastronomy, and each region has something unique to add to the menu. From breakfast to dessert, exploring the many flavors of Europe will be one of the most fulfilling parts of your trip. Start with the most important meal of the day: breakfast. In …
Symphonies of Sound
Classical Music in Europe Europe is the home of some of classical music’s most famous maestros. Today, travelers can experience the sweeping, exhilarating and emotional sounds of the world’s well-known classical music pieces in museums, concert halls and at classical music festivals. Listen and enjoy the suites, cantatas and concertos from the masters of sound and learn about the life and times of Europe’s amazing composers. Most of Europe’s cities and villages are populated with decorative …
Europe's rich medieval past
Through books, movies and television series, Europe of medieval times is known to so many of us. We are familiar with the knights in hand-forged armor, the fast and nimble horses that took these men into battle, and the great castles that once offered shelter to kings, queens, and royal courts. We can even recognize the musical cues of the medieval era, with its lute strumming and flute playing minstrels who performed songs in the great halls of chateaux. But what if we told you that in Europe, …
Awake to reindeer, witness a volcano’s glow
I wanted to discover Europe’s outdoors at opposite ends of the continent— I chose Sweden in the north and Italy in the south. It was the sound of splashing that woke me up—that alongside the occasional snort or playful whinny. I thought to myself, what could that possibly be? Curious, I unzipped my tent, which I had pitched near the river the night before, and was shocked at what I saw before me: a heard of reindeer, perhaps two hundred of them, drinking from the cold, clear water, …
Europe and its remarkable nature
What better way to explore Europe than on foot When my companions and I woke up in our warm cabin, perched on a hill overlooking the dense green of pine, fir, and oak trees, I was brought back to the moment when I read a line that inspired me to organize this trip to Europe: “Only places where you have been by foot are places where you have really been.” The line was written by the German author, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and when I read it, I suddenly had an immense desire to visit Goethe’s …
Experience European Rural Life
Among the experiences that consistently draw people to Europe from far and wide are the rural traditions of this continent, especially the gastronomical ones. Over thousands of years, the people who have called Europe home have created some of the most interesting rural cultures in the world, customs that take their inspiration from the land around them, what grows well, and which animals flourish there. As a visitor to this continent, you can enter this world of the rural life and experience …
Discover your European Roots
Have you ever flipped through old family records, perhaps a book of photographs, or a diary your forebearers left behind? Has the history of your family ever piqued your interest? Perhaps a cousin or aunt has traced your family roots back several generations so that you can see the names and dates of birth of the people from whom you have descended. If you answered yes to any of these questions, or if what you just read made you curious about your background, keep reading to learn how a visit …
European Contemporary Architecture
With the Bauhaus masters in the 1920s, Europe ushered in a new world of modernist architecture that changed the way cities look all over the world. For the first time, young architects prioritized form and flow, cleanness and function over the gilded, and at times garish, facades of buildings built in centuries past. This movement inspired generations of architects, industrial designers, watch makers, and furniture makers, men and women who built some of the world’s most iconic and recognizable …