We made it home! It’s a bittersweet feeling for sure. You’d think after nearly six weeks of being gone, I’d be more than ready to be home. I just really love Europe, the cultures, the people, the food, the history, etc. It’s definitely a place I’ll go back to as frequently as finances allow.
We had a heartwarming welcome home with my parents and sister coming to pick us up. Sorry, I mean our chauffeurs. I love my family.
The cats were very excited to see me and they’ve been following me around since I got home. I missed that a lot. It’s also nice to be sleeping in my own bed again, even though Valerie won’t let me put separate bedspreads on for each of us like they do in Europe.
I’m actually writing this on June 18th. It’s given me a couple of days to reflect and notice some oddities about returning home. This will be the last daily blog post for the trip, so I thought it would be good to share a few things.
Why this trip
Since 8th grade, I’ve been saving money for a trip to Europe. I originally started out saving any cash I received because I didn’t like spending it. Over time, I realized I needed to spend it on something. After a year or so, I decided this trip would be a good goal. I’ve held to the goal over the years and started looking for opportunities to go after we got married six years ago. Starting up The Cozy Corner kind of threw a wrench in those plans and our original date set for last year ended up cancelled. The pressure of wanting to expand our family meant that we had to take this trip this year, as it wouldn’t be as possible or enjoyable with small children. So, we did!
What started out as just a thing to spend my saved cash on gradually became a multifaceted goal for me. I knew that WWII was the main reason I wanted to see Europe. I knew that to see those places with my own eyes would change the way that I viewed the war and everything since. Given my background of mission trips to other countries, I also had a strong desire to connect and learn about other cultures and the Church overseas. Those two things played a big part in determining what I would do with my time in Europe, but my reasoning and goals expanded more from there. In short, here were my objectives:
- See the real locations of WWII and learn about how the war affected the people in each area through their own eyes. Use those perspectives to make connections between the past and present to gain wisdom in the situations of the present day.
- Visit sites that have deeply affected my Christian faith in some way, including the places where my ancestors came from. The stories of the Reformation, the Mennonite migrations, and the persecution of my ancestors just sound fantastical. I wanted them to feel more grounded.
- Connect with and learn about the Christian faith from people who are living it today. Most of Europe is in a post-Christian society but that doesn’t mean there aren’t Christians. The mere fact that the tallest structures in most towns and cities over there are churches testifies to the importance of Christianity. Surely there would be devote believers I could learn from.
- Learn about and respect other cultural customs. In every difference, you can find a better perspective of how the world is and ought to be. Just as a strong faith grows with exposure to new belief systems, social wisdom grows from seeing life lived differently.
- Eat better food. I knew that wouldn’t be hard because most other countries take more care in what they feed their populations than America does.
- Think about home. Every historical location or event, every new food, every way of living would give me a better understanding of what ought to change at home and how to do it.
- Share all of it with others. From invitations to a few to join my journey to keeping up with this blog, I wanted other people to experience it all with me, even if it was just a few.
Those were the big goals. I definitely hit every one of them and I’m truly grateful for it. While it would be much too long to reflect on each of them in this post, I did want to reflect on a couple.
World War II
Every aspect of our lives today was changed in some way by the biggest war in human history. Every part. For the Europeans, the scars of the war are still very fresh and literally visible, even today. Every town I visited had at least one memorial to the events of 80 years ago. It can’t be escaped and it can’t be left out of any sociopolitical thoughts today.
I followed the path of many of the main events in Europe. More trips will need to take me the rest of the way some day, but I hit the biggest ones. I saw where Hitler and the Nazis first started their movement to gain power (Munich, Nuremberg, Berlin). I saw where they created their thrones and rallied the nation (Berlin). I saw where they persecuted and committed their crimes (Dachau, Auschwitz, Warsaw). I saw where they grabbed their first territory (Salzburg/Austria). I saw where the war in Europe began (Poland). I saw where the Germans caught the Allies by surprise (Luxembourg, Netherlands, Belgium). I saw where they nearly destroyed all hope (Dunkirk). I saw where their persecution stretched across the continent, affecting people just trying to live their lives (London, Caen, Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Arlon, Warsaw, and many more). I saw where the British stood alone to fight back (London, Oxford, Duxford). I saw where great men decided the fate of millions (London, Berlin). I saw when the Allies first came to liberate (Carentan, Bayeux, Caen). I saw where people regained their freedom (Arnhem, Warsaw, Dachau, Auschwitz). I saw the last attempts for the Germans to maintain their status (Bastogne, Berlin). I saw the final holdouts of the Nazi high command (Berlin, Berchtesgaden). I saw where men did their best to bring justice (Nuremberg). And I saw how the end of the fighting didn’t mean the end of the war (everywhere).
It took decades to rebuild and much of what I saw wasn’t publicly accessible until 20 years ago or so. As a person interested in these events, it was a great point in time to go see them. Many of the sites are still in good condition, they were open to the public, and it’s been long enough that we can see how history has changed because of the war. World War II has always been a big deal, but now I have a frame of reference.
Christian Faith
No matter where on the planet you are and what denomination you are, your life was affected in some way by the events of the Church in Europe. Many of those events were good, some bad, and plenty in between. For me, a lot of it is personal. I wanted to see it.
My first pilgrimage site was to the most influential author in my life — CS Lewis. Visiting his home, his workplace, the room where Narnia was conceived, the garden where he pondered the world, made him seem so much more human. He was a special man, for sure. But I learned that a mind and faith that have influenced me so deeply came from an everyday neighborhood. That was humbling for me. It reminded me that the greatest men weren’t actually great, but they all worshipped the Greatest God.
Though I didn’t visit any specific locations there, the second pilgrimage site for me was the Netherlands. Many of the leaders of the Mennonite movement of my ancestors lived, died, and changed the world from the Dutch lands. Many of my ancestors came from there. It was neat to see the countryside that they would’ve remembered.
The biggest faith event was the Anabaptism@500 conference in Zurich, Switzerland. Believers from around the world gathered to celebrate the events of 500 years ago that led to modern-day Baptists, Mennonites, Amish, and more. To worship with people from so many countries and continents was truly moving. It was fun to bump into people we knew in a place neither of us lived near. Christianity didn’t start in Zurich but all of my biggest experiences with my own faith stemmed from that city, 500 years ago.
On a whim, I had the chance to see the Wittenberg church door, where Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses of church revisions 508 years ago. It was hard to believe that such a global revolution came from a normal wooden door in a tiny German town. Again, it was humbling to see that God’s greatest acts use people from anywhere. It’s a very real possibility that He could use you or me for another. Don’t ever underestimate what He’ll do with your faith.
The last place of meaning for my faith was a visit to Poland. On the way to Warsaw, we passed through the former lands of Prussia, where many of my ancestors moved to and eventually left for persecution. It looked a lot like central Kansas. It’s no wonder they moved to Ukraine (the same landscape), then here when they sought freedom. In each move (Netherlands > Prussia > Ukraine/Russia > United States/Canada), it only took around 150-200 years for the persecution to become so great that emigration was necessary. Considering my ancestors came to America 140 years ago, it’ll be interesting to see if the pattern continues in my lifetime. If it does, I have a feeling it will be the more traditionalist Mennonites that will make the move. Guess we’ll see.
In Poland, we also had the chance to stay with a missionary family. They’re from Poland and missionaries for Poland. To see how God is using them in their own country to make a difference is just inspiring. Marek could not stop talking about his faith and the wonderful ways that God is at work in their country and lives. Just last week, some of Poland’s biggest celebrities were preaching the Gospel in the parliament building. Faith like that is what I want to strive for. I’m grateful for the historical sites, but it’s the people today that are the Church. I’m glad I got to see how God’s Kingdom really is a global one.
It’s hard to express in words just how impactful this trip was for my faith. I don’t think even I will understand all of it for quite some time. My biggest takeaway for now is that what we do as the Church today is not small. Every town, every local church, every faith is important to the Kingdom. Bringing them all together is what makes It so beautiful. Like a carefully-stitched quilt, it’s our diversity and the patching of pieces from the Artist’s hand that makes us a true symbol of God’s goodness.
The Cultures
As in any intercultural experience, I spent a lot of time comparing how we do things to how people in European countries do things. I have mixed feelings about finding that I like 80% of the things they do over there better than how we do them here. On the one hand, I saw great improvements that can be made in my own life and in our country. On the other, it was depressing to think about how many of them won’t be implemented here for decades, if ever.
I’m sure you’ll want a few examples.
- Public transportation is a huge one. It’s clean, it’s efficient, it’s cheap, and it takes you practically anywhere.
- Food is always designed to be healthier. It’s mandated in most countries in Europe that a clear, concise, easily-comparable health label is put on every package. You can always know at a glance how healthy your diet is and how the calories compare to every other food you each. None of the ridiculous serving sizes that we have in America to mask the junk you put in your body. Also very few preservatives, so you just feel better all the time.
- Many things in society in Europe are designed for extra safety. From their outlets to their infrastructure, most everything has safety in mind without sacrificing convenience.
- Speaking of convenience, even though many of the countries are very capitalistic, most of them aren’t near as consumeristic as we are. People just learn not to have as many things. There’s not as much pressure to buy the latest stuff. Ads exist but we weren’t bombarded with them. You just get what you need, no more.
- Sundays are almost everyone’s day off. You sacrifice the convenience of going to the store on Sundays, but it’s so restful. It truly is a day where anyone can slow down. I think I miss this the most.
- Privacy is a huge priority. The collection and sale of our data in America is, I think, one of the greatest issues of our time. We can’t even imagine how much our technology is tracking us and profiting off of us. In Europe, there is a much greater effort to guard privacy, especially online. Every website is required to make it just as easy to turn down tracking as it is to enable it. Terms and conditions are more clear, in general. They’re doing their best to get ahead of the privacy invasion, which I really think we’ll wish we had in America.
- Work-life balance is crucial. Many countries mandate at least 4 weeks PTO every year on top of holidays. Health insurance is just included in the job. Germany is making a push for 4-day workweeks. There are some drawbacks for sure, but I’ll say that I saw more gardens, more people in the parks, more people working hard at things other than their jobs than I’ve ever seen in America. They might get to pocket less cash, but the people are more wholistically healthy.
Those are just a few examples. Overall, I loved the cultures that I experienced. A society designed to benefit all rather than profit from all is just more pleasant to be in. I hope we can move in that direction.
Summarized
Just for kicks, here’s some trip numbers! Every place I went had a reason behind it, but statistics were fun to read and boxes were fun to check.
- 9 countries visited (England, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Poland)
- 27 cities actually visited (spent time in Duxford, Cambridge, Oxford, Olney, London, Dunkirk, Caen, Bayeux, Carentan, Amsterdam, Arnhem, Arlon, Bastogne, Luxembourg City, Frankfurt, Russelsheim, Heidelberg, Zurich, Munich, Dachau, Salzburg, Berchtesgaden, Nuremberg, Berlin, Wittenberg, Oswiecim, Warsaw)
- 7 capital cities seen (London, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Berlin, Warsaw)
- 3669+ miles travelled by train (5905+ kilometers, not including subways or metros)
- 67 hours 39 minutes+ on trains (not counting subways, metros, or buses)
- 51+ trains ridden (you know what this includes)
- 7 castles explored (Tower of London, Château de Caen, Palais Grand-Ducal, Heidelberg, Imperial Castle of Nuremberg, Hohensalzburg Fortress, Oświęcim Castle)
- 28+ cathedrals admired (too difficult to list, notable were Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s in London, Frauenkirche in Munich, Notre Dame Luxembourg, Basilica St. Michael Mondsee)
- 50+ cups of coffee drunk
- 7400+ photos taken (yeah… I went a little crazy)
- 12 friends and family visited
- 1 great trip experienced
The End
That’s probably enough for one post. It’s hard to condense 5.5 wonderful weeks into a 15 minute read. I’ll be using the lessons and experiences from this trip in my life for years to come. I can’t wait to go back. Thank you to the 25+ people that checked out my blog at one point or another. It means a lot that you would care enough about my experiences to read them. Truly. Thank you. I hope you’ve gotten a taste of the wonder that I was privileged to experience. And I hope you can find your own wonder this year too. Cheers!