Andy in Europe

Our son, Andy, is in Europe. He had wanted to be there, in his original plans, for a year. He left in October 2009 and should be home sometime early in February. He bought a Euro-pass so that he could ride trains around for three or four months to different countries. I can't even tell you where all he has been. He started out in France, I believe in Paris. He has been to Morocco, Italy, Venice, Austria, Germany, Portugal, Spain, and Greece, to name some of the places where he has been. He is, as I am writing this, waiting to board a ferry in the first leg of his trip to Croatia. The ferry ride alone is 15 hours. The trip will last around 48 hours. I just Skyped with him briefly, and, let me just say, he doesn't look anything like these two pictures of him. He has not had a hair cut or maybe even a shave since he left Bloomington, Indiana, in October.

I have always been a practical person. I am very conservative in most issues of life. I must confess that the adventurous nature of the trip that my son embarked upon has served to make me very nervous for his safety. But, as the weeks have passed, and he has been safe, a fascination with what he has done and the places where he has been has captured me. I would never have done what he has done, which is basically been backpacking from place to place, staying in hostels with strange people, who have become friends. He has experienced sights, sounds, tastes of other cultures and beautiful places. I can hardly wait until he comes home and tells us of his travels. He has written things on Facebook that alarmed me, things about being drunk in Berlin and wondering around in the dark, for instance. He told of a couple of encounters with a young pick pocket. But, for the most part, he has had a great experience. I think it has been just what he was looking for.

I do not know how this whole trip will have affected him. I know he was already thinking that he would like to live in Europe, or even anywhere except in the US. Don't ask me about that. You will have to ask him. But, I think, on the whole, it has been a great adventure for him, and he has grown as a person. I admire him for going.

His trip has affected me. I never really wanted to leave the US. To me, I like it right here, thank you very much. I had no desire to go to Europe. But now, I can imagine going there and liking it. I would see all the things that I have only seen in pictures, and they would become more real to me. I'm going to go someday. And I have Andy to thank for that.