First Time in Europe – Journey to Connection

First Time in Europe…reaching out and making connections.

Last week I posted a photo of Florence on Facebook and posed the question: “What would you do if you had one day in Firenze?

“I would breathe in all the history of its open air art masterpieces, ” replied Larry Kessler. “Then I would sit on a bench in the Piazza Della Signoria and ask the sweetest old couple to tell me slowly how they fell in love.”

I was stunned.  I hadn’t expected such a heartfelt reply.

“The trip changed my life,” Larry continued via email. “It was the most freeing experience of my life. Pure Eat, Pray, Love.”

This exchange made me think about the important life lessons I have learned while traveling, how travel has changed me from the inside out. This site – Authentic Luxury Travel - is primarily about connecting with other cultures, but ultimately the most important connection is the one we have with ourselves.

Thank you for reminding me,  Larry, that we owe it to ourselves to travel, to find ourselves when we get lost.

Here’s Larry Kessler’s story -

First Time in Europe – A Single Man’s Journey to Connection

“Oh, the places you will go,” wrote a famous San Diegan so many years ago. But I never did go. I, of course, imagined what great European cities would be like. Cobblestoned streets winding past stone carved buildings and churches that hauntingly echoed battles of Good vs. Evil. Cafes whose aromatic coffees wafted between the passionate discourse of politics and the heavy blue gray air of cigarette smoke as two lovers starred adrift in contemplation. All the while, tourists would fill the town squares in search of that illusive perfect two- week holiday. They would all return with iPhones overflowing with hundreds of selfies and close shots of big toothed smiles against the next great cathedral, reminiscent of family Kodachromes spinning in long forgotten carrousels.

Sometimes life gets in the way. Work, kids, more life. Divorce. So, finally, I did go. By myself. Flew from San Diego to New York to hug the family for a few days, then off to Europe for six weeks from late April to June. Hit the reset button on life. See things in a different way I told myself. Why not have my own Eat, Pray, Love experience? Six weeks is a long time and I was not gonna waste a second. But in this reset life, I was not gonna rush. Slow it down. Feel the pulse. All the books and Facebook posts told me to live in the moment. And who am I to argue with FB philosophy? So off I flew to Paris to shoot my life’s still frames, and by the time I flew home from Rome, I would sequence those photos in my mind and produce my own movie. Oscar worthy screenplay, underscore music, special effects, love interests. Oscar worthy performance. Hey, its my life, I’ve got mantles to fill, too.

First time in Europe: no shortage of pastries!

First time in Europe – Paris

The plane touches down. It’s Saturday morning about 7:30 AM local time in Paris. Now mind you, other than booking a 4 night stay in a 3 star hotel in the St.Germain District (where the cool kids play) I did not have one single plan or guidebook. I had a return ticket from Rome back to San Diego six weeks later. I had a passport, an iPad, a US Phone that didn’t work in Europe and some Rick Steves reruns running through my head. And, everyone told me the French wouldn’t talk to me in English. Great….3 years of HS french and I still couldn’t get beyond “how are you, and my name is…”…Good plan so far.

I check into my hotel, grab a quick shower in the microscopic bathroom (should’ve splurged for an extra star) and head out on my adventure. Ah…a boulangerie. I order a croissant and split it open. Steam rises from this horn of heaven and I’m off.  Now picture a 6’3″ 60 year old guy who’s feeling like a little kid with great, big eyes. I was born in NYC so I’m trying to play it cool, but when each building, each S-shaped curve is so….beautiful….I just wanted to cry with gratitude. I cross the Seine, it starts to get drizzly misty. I come upon an ornate (is there another kind?) gold leafed building and I must have muttered to myself “Oh my God, this is so magical.” Next thing I know a voice of an angel, appearing next to my unsuspecting self says, “Excuse me, who are you talking to?” Embarrassed, I confess I was talking to the building, when she says, “Well…perhaps when you and your building are finished, you can talk to me.”

First time in Europe, first day, first hour…

first famous Russian ballet dancer traveling solo who wants to make my acquaintance. This is gonna be a good trip.

Four days touring around Paris and Versailles with the lovely Olivia. French cafes starring adrift in contemplation….with the Moscow Ballet’s Olivia. Hmmmm…..  Oh, and the French spoke English to me. You get what you give. I love Paris. I love the French.

I discover that booking the next city’s hotel is best done late the night before on booking.com. In the spring, I get huge discounts (40-50% off). Most times I confirm my hotel a few minutes past midnight of the same morning I was departing. The hotel’s desperation is my savings plan. Now I was staying in 4 star hotels so I could see my feet while showering.

I bought a Eurail pass. What a splendid way to travel.  200 MPH with fresh coffee shared between always fresh conversations.

First time in Europe…Amsterdam…bicycles everywhere

First time in Europe - Amsterdam

Hotel on the Amstel River. Six-hour days of walking and meeting people. Asking directions. Finding common ground. Where were you born? Tell me about your family. Sure, I would love to go out for drinks and dinner. Did you say there’s a jazz club two canals over? Bicycles. Three-story parking garages just for bicycles. Special traffic lanes for bicycles. Museums. Van Gogh. The Jewish Museum. Diamond cutting tools on display from the 1500′s not much different from my father’s tools from 47th Street in NYC.

Gina’s map for the perfect Italian pilgrimage.

I never feel alone. The people are my guidebook. Strangers become my good friends in seconds. I am eager to learn, eager to share. I am “in flow” as they say. I meet Gina, an Italian doctor visiting the city for a conference. We have lunch. We fall in “like.” She draws a map of where I should go on my Italian pilgrimage in a few weeks. We walk together for hours. We fall in “deeper like,” but sadly say goodbye all too soon. But the next time I’m in Milan…

I visit Cologne and the Dom, which looks like home to the Wizard of Oz. I meet a lovely family and break bread. Two daughters want to take me home to marry their single mom. I gently decline.

First time in Europe – Munich

Next stop is Munich, an explosion of sights and sounds. Outdoor food market is amazing. Maria just walks up to me and offers to be my friend/guide. I love this trip. I ask for directions again and meet the two sisters from Ukraine. The purple scarfed sister and I share a laugh. Yes, another marriage proposal. Doesn’t anyone stay single in Europe?

Innsbruck, Austria, then Salzburg where I hope to hear some Mozart. I did do some sightseeing. 13th-century forts, cathedrals…stunning. Sunday morning full Mass. Choir, Ave Maria soloist. Austrian garb seemingly smuggled from The Sound of Music set.

Next stop Zurich where I had dinner with two lovely ladies. One of my favorite places now on earth is Grindelwald, Switzerland. Snow capped mountains and lush, green meadows. I say to myself, as if in prayer, “if there is a gate to heaven from earth, it must be opened through Grindelwald.”

First time in Europe – Italy

If there is a gate to heaven from earth, it must be opened through Grindelwald.

Milan, Lake Como,Venice, Florence, Sienna, San Gimignano, Lucca, and Rome. People ask me why is Italy so special. I could say it’s the food, the scenery, the history, the churches, and on and on.

But for me its about the people. If I asked for directions in the other countries, I would get directions. In Italy, they take you there. A sweet grandmother in Rome walked 10 blocks with me so I would not get lost. We got to our destination. Then, sweet Rosalie invited me to her home for dinner.

I could go on about the wonders of Venice. About how I snuck into George Clooney’s house in Lake Como (yup, really did that). Jumped over a moat to do it.  (Someone reading this most likely knows George, so I’m gonna have to deny it).

Churches, pasta, wine. The Vatican. Need I go on? In Florence I hired Chef Giuseppe. Along with friends, we went to the market, drove to Chianti and made fresh pasta and tiramisu. We drank local wine and told foreign stories.

DIY connections

Many days I simply sat on park benches or in the town square and talked to people for hours. Old people, young moms and dads with kids, pretty women. Didn’t matter. I wanted to hear their stories. Sitting together facing a busy street on the outside steps of a church in Rome, a man in his 50′s, down on his luck asks me for life advice about whether he should stay in his marriage. I got invited to a Jewish wedding in Rome and later to the family’s house for the reception. This was truly the magic of my trip. With all the sights, delicious meals, afternoon spritzs in Saint Mark’s Square….nothing compared to real, human contact with good, everyday people.

I have lots of photos on my iPhone. But the pictures I’ll remember most are those that I keep close to my heart. Shared love is timeless love. This man’s first time in Europe will be remembered by the new, true friendships that will last far beyond the space available on my phone.

Larry

P.S. And then there was Roberta…

Tags: Amsterdam, Booking.com, Eurail Pass, Europe, Firenze, Florence, France, French, George Clooney, Germany, Grindelwald, Holland, iPhone photography, iPhone photos, Italian, Italy, journey, life-changing, Munchen, Munich, Netherlands, NYC, Paris, rail journey, Rome, solo travel, Switzerland, train travel, trains, travel, Venice, Versailles

Category: Authentic Travel, Europe