I just wondered with the economy in the toilet why everybody thinks they just have to get to Europe anyway. Why not just stay state-side and enjoy some of the beauty of the old U S of A. What is the great attraction across the pond over what we have?
JMHO !!
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Well, I booked my AA Advantage tickets the maximum days out you could, and as soon as they became available some 10 months ahead. Then I sent my apartment deposit in. Guess I thought the dollar would get better before we left, but it got worse. So since it was partly paid for (also had to purchase two regular-priced fares at about $1400 apiece) we just decided to go ahead. However, once here we were mostly interested in the museums, etc., and those are cheap, and kids are free, and we weren%26#39;t into food, so we ate inexpensively. Purchases were mostly limited to some souvenirs. So we did not spend much here, just the getting here. Sometimes you just gotta do it, or you%26#39;ll hever get the opportunity again...
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But that%26#39;s exactly what I mean. Why do you feel like you gotta do it? Why do people feel that no matter what I have to give up, I gotta go to Paris or elsewhere in Europe? I just didn%26#39;t see the big attractions but then I am not really into museums or old stuff either.
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Aside from suspecting you are a troll.......
I would have to say the %26quot;good ol%26#39; USA%26quot; lacks a certain %26quot;je ne sais quoi%26quot; (that little something; a quality that eludes description) as compared to Europe.
Then again, Europe%26#39;s history goes back 3000 years, America%26#39;s only goes back 500 (not including pre-existing indigenous cultures). Most of the very foundations of American society and contemporary American thought were formed in Europe by the intelligensia of the enlightenment. A very large percentage of the U.S. population%26#39;s ancestors came from Europe. Most religious traditions in the U.S.A. came from churches or persecuted religious minorities in Europe.
Oh yes, I AM a museum person, and I have to say that the Met in New York, the Getty in L.A. or the Institute of Art in Chicago don%26#39;t hold a candle to the Louvre, or the Orsay, or the Uffizi or the Academia, or the Prado, or the Rijksmuseum.
We do not have Royal Palaces, like the Louvre, Versailles, Chambord, Buckingham, Windsor, the Vatican, Edinburgh, Neuschwantstein, Potsdam, Prague Castle etc.
We do not have the American Cemetery at Omaha Beach - you have to go to France for that........ and I have NEVER felt more patriotic or proud to be an American as when I walked out onto that beach and looked up at the bluffs........ and that%26#39;s including when I visited Arlington.
Would you dare compare Napa to Bordeaux or Burgundy? Where do you think Champagne comes from?
Why do I drink coffee when in Europe and not when I%26#39;m at home? Why does the bread taste better in France? Why do I think %26quot;Coke Lite%26quot; tastes better than Diet Coke? Why is the Metro in Paris so much easier to comprehend and navigate than the Subway in New York?
I was born %26amp; raised %26#39;merican, and as patriotic as the next %26#39;merican, but that does not mean I consider all things American to be superior. I have been fortunate enough to have seen much of the United States, but where would I prefer to spend my own leisure time - without a doubt, it is Paris!
Traveling to Europe is a way for us (meaning Americans) to see there is a %26quot;whole %26#39;nother world%26quot; out there! What we do and see at home is not the only, or necessarily best, way of doing things. We, meaning Americans, should appreciate the differences and find many of them charming or even superior to how things are over here.
Why would you feel compelled to post on a board dedicated to European travel - AND on July 4th of all dates to do so?
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Chittle, I think you%26#39;ve answered your own question. People should go to places they enjoy being - you do your thing, I%26#39;ll do mine, in other words.
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Here%26#39;s my stab at it. «What is the great attraction across the pond over what we have?» It%26#39;s about enlightenment IMO.
A sense of wonder and curiosity about the world. Delight in discovering new things. The concept that life is short and the world is long. The amazing beauty of Paris and the completely disarming beauty of France. The astounding tendency of French people to vote for beauty, historical preservation and people-centric policies when they step up to the ballot box.
I%26#39;m only getting started. It%26#39;s a different world and everyone should experience it. It%26#39;s something you should really try to do, regardless of the economy. Like attending college. You just need to try to do it. A %26quot;world view%26quot; should be mandatory in these times and Paris is a great place to start IMO.
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%26quot;Why would you feel compelled to post on a board dedicated to European travel - AND on July 4th of all dates to do so? %26quot;
Well because this board is about European travel. Where else...the cooking board perhaps? My question related to European travel. DUH!
I just thought I would throw an interesting question out there. If that makes me a troll, then yea I guess I am. :-)
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So I guess that%26#39;s settled.
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In my life I travel within the beautiful USA and also beautiful Europe or other countries.
I think it is a curious mind that wants to learn about our world, that yearns to experience other cultures, life styles, foods (etc.) that desires travel.
Who says you can not travel both?
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%26quot;What is the great attraction across the pond over what we have?%26quot;
It%26#39;s called history and culture!
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%26quot;What is the great attraction across the pond over what we have?%26quot;
Well from where I%26#39;m sitting. I%26#39;m here in Europe and you ain%26#39;t.
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