Austin's Reflections

Enough of the old water buffalo. I'd like to reflect on the week. Austino is back in the casa. If I repeat anything, it's because I haven't really read over the previous few blogs.

I had an incredible time with the family. As I was receiving emails and calls from them prior to their departure from the US, I could tell their was excitement but also nervousness. I realized this as well when they went through Madrid on their own to make it Seville through Dad's emails. They sacrificed a lot to be here: money, time, and new personal discomfort. I love them for going through that to be here in Europe with me.

My favorite part of the whole trip was biking through Seville for over an hour, seeing the Cathedral, small side streets where shops weren't even open yet, biking along the river and through parque Maria Luisa and Plaza Americas, without ANY rain. In that hour I think they were able to get a feel for Seville and particularly southern Spain (Andalucía).

I believe I was able to show them that confidence is 3/4 of the battle, and language is helpful, but only knowing English is not a huge barrier to travel. I may have done most of the navigating and question asking in Italy, but it was of course all in English.

I love that I was able to show them Seville's metro (one line in total) which is new and fairly empty as well as Madrid's metro which is always crowded, dirty, old and has 12 or so lines intersecting across the gigantic city. My Dad observed in Madrid that "Everybody takes the metro, rich or poor, young or old, it doesn't matter." I did ask them while we were using the Madrid metro, which looks like a spider web on a map with so many lines, "What if I just got off on the next stop and ran away?" My mom enjoyed that comment - as she would surely be a bit lost...

My parents got a whiff of another thrill of travel: meeting others. We had dinner with an Austrian couple in Rome, they were able to meet a Californian (Micah my roommate) in Seville, we had dinner for 2-3 hours with Brits in Sorrento, and met an Italian woman that spoke phenomenal English and showed us her garden and chapel on the island of Capri. We may have only traveled to Spain and Italy, but they got a taste of several other cultures. I also always feel that I can leave a positive lasting impression on USA by interacting with others.

I would like to assume that after this trip my parents are more open to traveling abroad. Some of the greatest places to be are in the US and even lovely Minnesota, but I think they are excited about having experienced (and survived :) ) Europe and would highly consider returning.

Seville:
I am so glad that we were able to cover all of the ground that we were able to cover. They felt Seville's hot sun for a few moments during coffee and ice cream, saw Guadalquivir - our river, experienced typical bad service from cafes and restaurants, had café con leche saw our park, plazas, winding streets, well-dressed population, flamenco, and tapa nightlife.

Rome:
We were a team. We conquered Rome in a day (although it wasn't built in a day). All walking. We saw tourist traps like the guy that gives you "free flowers" and then five seconds later asks you repeatedly for money. We saw history. We did as the Romans did. We had Italian pizza.

According the my parents, the hotel service was bad. According to United States service, it was bad. I thought it was fine for a couple reasons: I'm used to sub-par service in Europe and I usually stay in cheap hostels.

Sorrento:
Breathtaking. Positano, Amalfi, Atrani, Capri. Wow. What a nice way to close out the trip. If you don't see God's beauty of creation here, I don't know where you'll see it. My highlight was walking through the narrow neighborhood to the less-touristy Atrani and the windy-road bus ride along the cliffs.

Madrid:
To see Spain for a second time, even if for a few hours, was a blessing. I loved showing them the convenient metro as well as Picasso and Dali works at Museo Reina Sofia, an art museum. The Guernica is there. It was hard to say goodbye once again, but nothing like December 28. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and know that I will see them before I turn 21.

I do Paris in two weeks and do the USA in four. It'll go fast now.


Once again, I love my parents for sacrificing a lot to be here to see me/Europe. Even if they absolutely loved the trip, they still sacrificed a lot. Love you guys. See you soon.