Date: Sun, 2 Sep 2001
hi folks – in Brussels, don’t have too much time- just wanted to say hi- everything going well- headed to Luxembourg next- tonight we find the statue of the boy peeing in the fountain
db
Subject: Heidelberg
Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2001
I'm sitting in the apartment of an old army buddy of mine, Captain Kent Kelly. Unlike me, he's still a member of the great green brotherhood, and is now putting our tax dollars to glorious use in furnishing a splendid apartment with views of both the famous Heidelberg Castle and the River Neckar. Does being in Europe make you feel older? Is it the walks along cobblestone roads that once bore only the weight of horsedrawn carts? Is it the sight of fortress walls that have laughed off the assaults of Burgundian princes, Prussian field-marshals, Austrian arch-dukes, and waves of Japanese tourists? Is it the slope of the ground that indicates a road that once led to Rome? Or is it the use of a phrase like 'old army buddy' that slips into your speech and announces your presence in an arena once reserved for uncles and tavernkeepers.
Our march through the Lowlands was rapid (like the Wermacht). We started in Amsterdam, and I think a story about all the things we didn't do might be more interesting- one of which would be to urinate in the rather open, public street stalls that are available for the Dutchman on the 'go'. Amsterdam felt much like my first trip to Vegas, where merely walking down the street felt like participating in an illicit activity. Of course I still carry around my Boy Scout sensibilities, and
blush when I erroneously receive a Victoria's Secret catalog. But I don't throw it away, either... All told I'm still not completely sold on Amsterdam's liberal solution to dealing with society's darker desires. There are certainly plenty of arguments in favor of many of their policies, and no one can deny that a health care approach to substance abuse is far better than a criminal one. But on some issues I believe that an expedient solution is not necessarily the right one. We really liked visiting the Vincent Van Gogh Museum. He started painting in 1880 and shot himself in 1890. Just ten years. We had another "Austinite" sighting when we linked up with Amy Janota, doing a trip through London, Amsterdam and Ireland before heading back to Texas. I was in the process of sending her a 'where are you email' when she just happened to walk into the internet cafe we were in. Our tour of the Anne Frank house was, as expected, incredibly moving. After their discovery in the house, the Franks were sent to concentration camps. Anne died in March 1945, only a few weeks before the liberation. We enjoyed visiting a small Belgian town named Bruge, and I really got a kick out of realizing that we could visit the 'Waterloo' battlefield by taking a thirty minute train ride from Brussels. European history is so... overlapping. But the real gem so far is Luxembourg. Ahhh, Luxembourg. Luxembourg stole my heart. Very unassuming, and totally underrated, Luxembourg City really impressed us with its massive fortified walls (during the 18th century, it was known as the Gibraltar of the North...) its great museums and its downright friendly, trilingual people (French, German and unofficially English). I have to admit I found it funny that French speakers actually use that phrase -I’ll spell it phonetically so you know what I mean- "Vwah- LAH!", typically in the instance where the check out person is giving you your change. It's like having your own little magic show every time you buy something! "WATCH ME CHANGE YOUR LARGE MULTI-COLORED NOTE INTO INSIGNIFICANT COINS OF INDETERMINATE VALUE RIGHT BEFORE YOUR VERY EYES...AND...VWAH-LAH!!!"We have decided that when a town is truly tourist friendly, you don't have to pay for a map, and you don't have to pay to use the toilet. Luxembourg is one of the few places that gets two thumbs up.
verbum sap-
dan
