A European Blog Mini-Marathon (Ignore the oxymoron)

Ahh, the autobahns. If only they were always this quiet! :-)

Our summer vacation has started to blur.  Even though I’ve only been back to work in Asuncion for less than a month, my memories of our brief jaunt through Europe have begun to lose their sharpness.  Like so many other things, they’re fading into dark recesses of my brain that could be labelled “Forget When Work Gets Busy.” I hate that about memory.  In the midst of exploring a new region, tasting new cuisine or enjoying a new cultural experience, I naively believe “I’ll remember this forever!  This is so great that my descendants will pass this story down for generations!”  Then I promptly begin to forget the minute I move on to the next attraction. 

In some ways, I feel guilty at how foggy most of my travel memories are.  I’m keenly aware of how fortunate I am to have had the privilege of visiting dozens of countries on five continents…and I’m mildly ashamed to admit that I don’t remember most of it!

This is largely why I maintain this blog.  It is a feeble attempt to help myself remember.   
After a particularly memorable summer vacation, I fear my increasingly hazy recollections of berliners, Belgian beer, castles, and time spent with family on the autobahns.  Each day of my summer was blog-post-worthy, but I can’t find the time to write about it all! 

I was struggling to choose which places and memories to highlight when I had an epiphany of inspiration and motivation: my sister-in law and nephews are leaving their home in Germany and returning to Nova Scotia in eight days.  I also have approximately eight things I wanted to write about from the time we spent with them in July.  Coincidence?  I think not.      
  
My (admittedly ambitious) plan is to publish a post each day for the next eight days dealing briefly with the following places we visited with my wonderful family:

1. Dachau
2. Neuschwanstein Castle
3. Strasbourg
4. Cologne Cathedral
5. Black Forest
6. Suurhusen
7. Berlin Wall
8. Jever

Heidelberg, one of the honourable mentions that won't make the mini-marathon cut.

I’ve publicly dedicated myself to this task. I’m committed.  I’ll do what it takes.  Come hell or high-water, come bleeding, broken fingers and bloodshot eyes (but never tears), posts will be published! 

​Stay tuned.