My oldest son and I recently returned from a trip to London, Paris, and the Normandy region of France. People keep asking me, was it a worthwhile trip? I don’t hesitate as I tell them “Yes”.
We got such a sense of history. To be immersed at once in so many cultures and time periods was amazing. Seeing places like Omaha Beach and Pointe de Hoc, bomb scars on buildings, craters left by mortars, and the American cemetery made World War II a humbling reality for us both.
Being readers we spotted a ton of places from literature like Baker Street, Kings Crossing, and of course Notre Dame. History came alive for us as we walked around Versailles, as we stood in Marie Antoinette’s bedroom, and saw where Joan of Arc was executed. We saw painting by the great masters, walked by where some had their studios, and saw some of the subjects they had painted. We learned about architecture, the many wars this area has seen through the ages, and about the different people who have lived in this region. We came home wanting to learn more about the places we had seen and the people who lived there.
Not all our memories are good ones. The trip had some bad glitches. But we survived them together. And glitches are part of traveling.
A better part of traveling is trying new things like nutella crepes, pain du chocolate and regional cheeses.
Relationships between thirteen year old boys and their mothers are sometimes strained. This trip gave us something to plan for and focus on for a year. We worked on many fund-raising projects together. And now we have these shared memories. Was the trip worth it? Oh, yeah. Did we have jet lag when we got back? Oh, yeah.
For More on Europe Travel:
Biking and Walking Tours of Europe
Walking or Cycling through Europe