Europe livin'

So when I first moved to Germany, never a day went by that I didn't think in awe to myself, "Wow, I'm living in Europe!" For the first few years. Little things, the half-timber houses, the groups of people volksmarching, the view of a little village in the distance, the street cafes...all tickled me. The more significant differences, like the slower pace of life, the appreciation for family and leisure reflected in the everyday workings of the society, the great work situations we appreciated, made me feel grateful. Though living in Europe has changed my views, beliefs, and perspectives irrevocably, I've slowly lost my awe. I've known it was happening for a while with a certain sadness, akin to losing your innocence. I would realize whenever we had a visitor--especially first-timers--that I recognized their awe and amazement at all the little things that I had begun to take for granted. And I would feel it renewed, but in a more reserved way...

Last night, I went to a small reunion dinner with some old friends at a gasthaus I'd never been to before. It was a crooked half-timber house, with the restaurant on the 3rd tiny floor, run by an old man with his granddaughter as the only server. We had a delicious traditional meal. After a couple hours, a visiting American group that had come after us and was now leaving, commented on how long we were lingering. We explained that that's just how you eat out here; your table is yours for the night and you relax and drink and conversate for hours. They didn't appear convinced. Anyway, when we were finally leaving, the gray-haired owner overheard us commenting on wine and he simply said, "wine cellar" and beckoned for us to follow. He led us down to an amazing collection of premium wines and proudly boasted about the amazing collection he had. He invited us to come back anytime and we could first select the wine we'd like to drink from his cellar before we ate again. He explained that his building was built in 1390 and still retained most of the original wood beams. We talked to him and got to know him and his place and as we were chatting, one of our group leaned in and said, "This would never happen in the States." And I got that thrill I used to get, knowing this was true, and I was so lucky to experience this night on a regular ol' work night 10 minutes from my home. I'm living in Europe!