Europe- revised

It has been a long time since I've added anything to what seems to be my online diary.   Since my last thoughtful post, I have toured through Hungary, Serbia, Montenegro, I've explore Vienna and Berlin, and blitzed London only to conclude my adventure by being serenaded by the sights and sounds of Paris.  This was a dream come true, to not only travel to Europe and have my passport stamped at the gate of each new country, but also to look at this historical continent through the lens of a really decent camera.  The trip highlighted areas of strength in my character, and areas of weakness, I've fine tuned the art of packing a backpack and learned the importance of leaving things behind in order to save my behind.   The things I was able to see as we enjoyed our sample platter of European decadence ranged from an inside look at life in a small rural village outside of Novi Sad in Serbia, to fine dining on the Champs Elysee where Chanel was the suggested dress code and luxury seemed to be a currency. 

I had the opportunity to behold manuscripts of my favorite composers; seeing the squiggles of their pens and enjoying the caresses of their penmanship over lines on an aged piece of parchment was surreal.  With my own two eyes I finally saw Big Ben in all his glory on a windy day in London as double-decker buses pushed past me and hoards of tourist joyfully posed for pictures.  I felt as though London and I connected instantly, the parks and streets that exuded charm spoke to my  British heritage and brought out the Londoner in me. 

Our final stop on our epic journey was Paris.   The City charmed me in a way I can hardly put into words.    Glamorous and yet reserved, it is picturesque everywhere and begs to be photographed, drawn or painted.   The city is a live with history that lingers on every corner and allows the tourist to feel as thought they've stepped through time, or at the very least through a portal into the Parisian world viewedthrough rose colored glasses.

With so much to see and so little time to see it, Paris needs to be explored again, well, that being said so does London, Berlin and Vienna.  These cities have pulled out for me new colors and shades in life.  I now see life a little bit different having now explore such historical and important landmarks.  I ache to go back, and to spend more time in each important city.  I have a sneaking suspicion that I only scratched the surface of what is to be enjoyed in each metropolis.