Get Me Out of Here...

This has been one hell of a year and it's still not over yet. Between the COVID-19 pandemic, Killer Hornets and every other crazy thing that's happened, I've had enough. I'm over 2020 and I'm over the United States. Don't get me wrong. I love my home, my life and my family and I love the US, but I need a break. I need a break from the negativity of life, the constant feelings of fear, of losing loved ones and on and on and on. What better way to escape the pain and agony of everyday life than to pack a bag of all your most important items and run away. But where would we go....

Well, it has always been a major bucket list item of mine to travel all over Europe. And not just for a couple weeks, I'm talking a minimum of six months visiting all the countries, sites, monuments, churches, and all the other cheesy tourist spots that people go crazy over getting to see. I want to see every famous landmark and experience everything that each country has to offer. This trip would be the epic solo vacation trip of all time.

The first stop on our maiden voyage would take us to the beautiful land of Spain and would spend a month exploring all that it has to offer. I would spend days walking through Madrid checking out the Royal Palace or the Plaza Mayor. I would spend hours walking around El Retiro Park, allowing myself time to have a picnic or two and to sit under the trees and watch the other tourists as they go about their business. From there I would travel to Segovia then off to Barcelona and would round out my Spain vacation with a stop in Cordoba. I would spend my days taking in all of the sights and sounds in each of the cities. I would document my experiences with my camera and with my writing. I would draw the things I saw and write about the feelings that I experienced.

The next stop on the Euro-Escape 2020 would have us traveling, via train, to Scotland, where once again I would spend a month taking in all the beautiful sights that Scotland had to offer. I would visit the old castles and would run through the hills and look out at the sea. I would lay out at night and look up at the clear skies to see the stars. I would take it all in and store it in my memory box so that I could close my eyes at any moment and it could take me right back to that moment.

From there the Euro-Escape would have me going to Ireland, then Finland, Greece, the Vatican City, England, and my final destination would have me wondering the streets of France. France would be the last destination of the Euro-Escape because it is the one place in the entire world that I have always wanted to go and I would want to spend as much time there as possible. I would spend time in Marseille, Nice, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Montpellier, Lyon and would end the trip in Paris.

I would spend my days walking through the cities, taking in all of the sites. I would visit all the famous monuments, art museums, churches and parks. I would spend my evenings hitting up different restaurants, enjoying the different types of foods available and interacting with the Paris residents. I would climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower, I would walk around the Louvre for hours to look at every single piece of art. I would sit inside the Notre Dame and pray. I would capture every moment of every day with my words and my camera. I would stroll through the parks and gardens in the area and I would sit at the grave of Jim Morrison in Pere Lachaise Cemetary while listening to The Doors. I would visit every single place recommended to me by the locals and I would let myself exist in each and every moment. I would let Paris become a part of me and when I felt like I had absorbed all the life and culture available to me I would book a flight back to the US.

Returning home would be bitter sweet. The trip would have been an amazing adventure and hard to let it come to an end but having been away from my family for that length of time would be the hardest thing I would ever do. I would relive the trip through my memories, through my words, through my pictures. I would be able to close my eyes and go back anytime I felt like escaping or anytime I just needed a break.

A trip through Europe would be a trip of a lifetime and maybe someday I'll actually be able to make this dream a reality. Until then, I'll keep on planning.