“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things” – Big Sur and the Oranges of Heironymous Bosch by Henry Miller
As a child growing up in rural Northeast Georgia, much of my television consumption was limited due to the reach of cable television at the time. When I was not outside exploring every hidden foxhole of our local forest, my brother and I were huddled next to our families wooden framed television. Yes, the television was considered a furniture piece back in those days. Often times, we were lucky enough to have an antenna that was mechanically controlled and mounted onto our roof, and in other times we improvised a low tech and aesthetically absurd antenna out of any conductive metal we could find.
I mention this to illustrate that our connection to the greater world was very limited, even with this specific period being the early 1990’s. My childhood years were prior to the internet being available everywhere, on every device. If one were inclined to learn of European history then they would need to hop on their bike and head to the local library.
Our mechanical ingenuity, or luxurious antenna, offered a limited number of options for us to view. Thanks to GPB, often airing the legendary bayou chef show, Justin Wilson’s Louisiana Cookin’, we would tune in to the also often programmed Travels in Europe with Rick Steves. Through this show I was exposed to cultures, food, and a world that I hoped to someday explore and experience myself.
Fast forward to 2025, the year that I finally got to set feet to ground and experience what I had witnessed so many years ago, thanks to my wonderful, beyond words, Great Aunt and Uncle who sent me, my wife, and my two daughters to Europe. At 38, I finally had the opportunity to see the Eiffel Tower in person, to wander off in the myriad of corridors of the Louvre, and to sit in a cafe for hours, observing the hustle and bustle of Paris as my favorite writers had done many decades ago. This is our story, our trip of a lifetime, that we enjoyed with a group of others families that became companions through travel.
First, let me explain how we got here…