Planes, Trains, and Automobiles....on July 4
Trip Start
Apr 10, 2006
1
52
Trip End
Jul 04, 2006
Dallas, Texas
Wednesday, July 5, 2006
Right now I'm on a boeing 777 somewhere over the middle of the Atlantic ocean. I'm headed to Miami then change planes and head to Dallas. I've been traveling for 9 hours and have another 11 to go. It feels kinda weird to know that I'm 35,000 feet in the air, inside a aluminum tube, without any land in sight. I will be traveling backwards in the time zones so I will gain 7 hours today. That means it will be daylight for my entire 20 hour journey home, plus another 2 hours after I land. Weird huh?
This plane is really nice. Every chair has its own TV with 7 or so movies playing at any given time. It sure makes the time pass a lot faster. I just finished watching 'V for Vendetta' with Natalie Portman...good movie. I'm in seat 26a which is a window seat and I only have one other person sitting next to me. She is a married lady in her late 30's with brown curly hair. She is kinda pretty so I glad I'm not stuck next to some big fat smelly slob like I was on my flight this morning from Amsterdam to London. My feet are really cold. I threw my shoes away weeks ago and all I have are my flip-flops. I wish I had some soft socks. I would sit on them if they weren't so nasty. I'm embarrassed someone will see the bottom of my feet and throw up on me or something. They are really that gross!
I woke up this morning at 5:15 am to catch my train to the airport. I only got 1 hour of sleep lay night at the most. I have been dragging all day today. I was surprised when I walked outside my hostel it was already sunlight. I guess Amsterdam is so far north, the summer nights are very short. The sun didn't set last night until after 11:00 pm either. Today has been kind of a strange day. I have had so many mixed emotions. As I was walking towards the train station, I knew this was going to be my last few steps in Europe. The sun was just peaking over the train station and I just stopped and had a quite moment. No one was around that early and they city was peaceful. I just stared at the station and at the large brown church next to it and wondered how long it would be before I would be back. I found someone to quickly take my picture...the last picture of many that I will organize one day to remember all the good times I had in my Euro-trip.
I have a personal leather bound journal that a good friend have me as I was leaving the States. I write in it sometimes, but my handwriting is so bad and my spelling even worse, I don't like to do it very often. It was hard for me to read what I wrote on the first day of my trip. I write to myself in the future...because hopefully I'm the only one who will read it. I wrote this on April 10, 2006 as I was leaving DFW airport:
"....it didn't really hit me that I was taking this trip until I started walking down the little bridge that hooks up to the plane. I was one of the last ones to board the plane so I was walking all alone with a backpack full of gadgets. I thought to myself, I'm going to Europe....alone!!! without even a hotel reservation when I land. At that moment, I realized I was at the point of no return, and this trip would change my perspective on life, and I will not be the same person when I get back. That is a strange Epiphany.
As I walked down the isle to take my seat on the plane, I had a big smile on my face. I thought from this point forward, nobody knows me at all. I will be new to everyone I met. It's kinda exciting to have zero expectations...bla bla bla....the plane took off and I couldn't help but to stair out the window. As I saw Dallas get smaller and smaller I realized I was leaving everything that was familiar to me. I will soon be in a place where I don't know my way around, don't know the language, don't know the culture or customs, I won't see a familiar face or hear a familiar laugh. I won't have anyone to kiss good night or tell me to have sweet dreams. No one to check in with at night and tell about my day. But I WILL have my thoughts, my memories, pictures of friends and family, my desire to explore the land and explore my mind. I will have my since of humor, my ability to turn strangers into friends, my ability to quickly adapt to new environments, and all that is foreign will soon be familiar. I will most likely go through this cycle 15-20 times over the next three months. I hope that during the in between times when all I have are my thoughts, I will truly find not only myself, but what makes me happy. In the time I am out of my comfort zone is when I will grow the most..and I am so excited to see what lie ahead."
I read that journal entry yesterday on the plane from Greece to Amsterdam and it hit me really hard. I had forgotten I had even written all that stuff...it was three months ago! All day yesterday I kept thinking about that journal entry. I was surprised that I had written that for some reason. I was almost proud for some reason. Today as I walked onto the bridge connecting the terminal to the airplane I had another huge smile on my face...this time because I knew I had accomplished what I set out to do.
This has been an amazing three months and so much has happened. It will take me some time to digest everything when I get home. I have learned so much about myself, my abilities, my fears and dreams, my likes and dislikes, my strengths and weaknesses. I have met so many cool people and seen so many amazing places. I'm so glad I went alone and could move like the wind. Amsterdam to Brugge to Paris to Barcelona to Nice and all of the French Riviera to Cinque Terre to Venice to Milan to Florence to Rome to Athens to Ios island back to Athens then to Amsterdam to complete the circuit. Wow! What a ride!
I haven't read any of the blogs since I wrote them so when I go back and read them., it will be like my first time. I'm sure I will be embarrassed about some of the stuff I wrote, but that's how you know you grew.
I guess this is the end. I know most of you guys personally that are reading these, but not everyone. Some of you guys I have know most of life, or at least the parts that count. I just want to say thank you! Thanks for all the support and thanks for being a friend. I had a good time sharing my experiences with you and I hope you had fun too. Sniff sniff...I'm kinda sad. I don't want it to end. Okay...This is the end of my journey...or is it just the beginning?
