I am lucky. I have been to so many different places in Europe. This usually leads to the question “what has been your favorite? Where would you recommend going?” This, of course, is followed by a blank stare from me. How can I pick one! Honestly, I can’t say what is my favorite or where somebody should go. Each country and town have their own important place in my own story. So, I decided to write about why each place I have been to is my favorite (I am dividing this post into installments, this being 1 of 3)
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Denmark – specifically Jutland – Denmark is my favorite because it is a chance for me to get away from cities and the hustle and bustle and spend time with family. I barely knew this part of my family a year ago, but I feel the bond was immediate. I look forward to talking to Julie about all matters under the sun – politics (aka our unfaltering love of HRC), distant family members, our hometown/state, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and so on. Usually we drink copious amounts of wine, build Lego sets, cook fantastic meals (mostly Julie does, I keep her company…). Plus, Sabin is definitely way cooler than I was as a teenager. And JP has the sharpest wit around. Laughing is in full supply from the moment I arrive to the moment I leave. Did I mention there are some of the friendliest, cuddliest cats ever?
France – Paris – Full disclosure, I was uberly unimpressed with Paris the first time I went. It was cold (it was December…), all of the sights are spaced out across the city. The metro system is complex and old and kind of dirty (plus, the doors open before the train stops, right Ivana!). The Eiffel Tower and Mona Lisa are literally covered in tourists. But, then I went back to Paris again. The second time was when I fell in love. The metro system is in fact old, beginning operation in 1900. The Louvre is full of additional amazing art not covered in tourists. The buttery food is delightful. The wine is superb. The history is vast and interesting. It is as romantic as can be. Paris is my favorite.
The Netherlands – The Netherlands is my favorite because they are part of my heritage. Europeans kind of giggle at us Americans when we say we are “Dutch” because they see us as Americans. They see our parents as Americans. They see our grandparents as Americans. They see our great-grandparents as Americans (this of course is in my case – it was my great-great grandparents that traveled across the Atlantic eventually settling in South Dakota). I digress. The Netherlands is a place where they pronounce my last name correctly the first time. The food is simple and hearty, much like the food I grew up eating at my grandmas. The Netherlands is a place that would actually be underwater if the people weren’t so ingenious (like me, right?) to figure out how to pump the water out centuries ago. The Netherlands is my favorite because even if they don’t claim me, I claim a part of them as part of me.
Spain – specifically Barcelona and Catalunya – Spain is my favorite because for 4 months of a very transitional part of my life, it was home. I love every part about Barcelona: the food, the wine/Sangria, the sea, the beach, the people, the architecture, the sidewalks with the cut-off corners in Eixample, the narrow passageways in the Gothic Quarter. Honestly, if I hear somebody complain about Catalunya, I usually can’t help but to judge them. And the rest of the Spain is also my favorite – the quaint city of San Sebastian on the Northern coast, the Guggenheim in Bilbao, churros with chocolate and paintings by Goya (my favorite Spanish artist) in Madrid, the Alhambra in Granada, and the cathedral in Seville. I’ve been asked how much time somebody should spend in Spain when visiting, and I don’t know how to answer that question. I could visit for weeks every year and never tire.
Up next: Turkey, Belgium, Austria, Poland, and Portugal!
The Traveling Farmer's Daughter 