Howdy. I believe this blog is going to provide me with a simple pleasure. It is going to be used to write notes during my European trip in the summer of 2006. Read 'em if you want but the mere act of "publishing" my ideas about this world and my own experiences is thrilling to me - at least at the beginning. We'll see how I do over time.
If you choose to tag along on this physical and (hopefully) semi/quasi-intellectual journey, be prepared to experience the possibility of alternating acceleration and deceleration - similar to when a car is about to run out of gas. Whiplash is a distinct possibility.
What you should know from the beginning is that this form of writing is a unique experience for me, a guy who has spent most of his life writing computer programs, specifications for computer applications, technical procedures and policies for government entities.
You have been forewarned.
So you may ask, what is this guy about to do? Well, in short, I'm going to try to recapture some slivers of my youth and repeat a lengthy trip to Europe, first experienced when I was 28 (I'm 59 now). Actually, I'm going to re-explore some unique places and emotions I visited half my life ago and along the way, find some new ones. I will be paying particular attention to how the wisdom of age will affect my impressions of both new and repeated experiences and places.
Age is not the only variable thrown into the equation. In contrast with my previous trips to Europe, I now have some folding money and several credit cards in my pocket so if I want to try a local menu delicacy in any town, hell, in EVERY town, I can do so.
If you are young, maybe this will afford you the opportunity to peek over the hill at things awaiting you in your life. If you are not-so-young, you might see some things about yourself from a different perspective.
I'm making no promises.
Stay tuned: My next installment will probably address the amount of work it used to take to prepare for a trip - when I was half my age.
