Europe

I recently got the chance to visit a friend who was living in Munich (over there for a year for a job), and it reminded me that there is a lot of Europe, and indeed the rest of the world left to explore. Growing up my parents took me to Greece on holiday a handful of times, and I loved exploring each island, and discovering the local history, especially as many of the Greek islands changed hands a number of times during their history.

When I was still in school, I got the chance to go on a “World War 2 history trip”, which toured around Belgium, Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic for 11 days on a bus. This was a world wind tour, but I got the chance to see Auschwitz-Birkenau, preserved trenches, and a number of historical monuments and museums. I was very lucky to go on this trip, because it was supposed to be only open to History students, but they were slightly below numbers and opened it up to others.

As an adult, I think I want to look closer at the history of Europe, and make sure I take in the sights and sounds of the countries within, before exploring the wider world.

The furthest I’ve traveled so far as to Florida, which was for a Minecraft Conference, so I didn’t get a huge chance to explore, but I’d certainly like to explore eastwards, see what places like Japan or New Zealand have to offer.

It’s easy to get absorbed in the immediate world, especially when surrounded by work, TV, games. Living in London it feels like new experiences are all around, but I need to make sure I take a chance to step outside of that bubble.