Conclusion
Well, what can really be said about the trip of a lifetime? Sure, words like unforgettable, exciting, educational, and other similar words that we use so often that they somehow lose their luster are applicable when describing our journeys during the Great Ideas Tour. But, I, like many, have trouble explaining and defining exact feelings that I have. For me, it will always be difficult to describe a once-in-a-lifetime trip that pictures and stories will never do justice and that will always, no matter what circumstances, be remembered with a big smile on my face. So, I close with a simple list of things that I learned in Europe during my Great Ideas Tour:
- When in another country and ignorant of the native tongue of the waiter, make sure, VERY SURE, you point to the right thing on the menu. Otherwise, you may find yourself sitting in front of a plate of liver & onions smothered in beer gravy!
- America never has been, nor will ever be, the center of the universe that I once thought it was.
- Kids that are middle school aged are annoying, loud, and smelly no matter what country they are from.
- The world is not that big, after all, and people are very similar regardless of their language or nationality.
- When in Italy, do not take it personally…Italians are jerks to everyone!
- Although I am pretty sure that Mr. Jefferson’s “certain unalienable rights” included it, the right to use a lavatory is not always free, but IT SHOULD BE!
- Always check your train tickets; little do you know, you could be riding in a smoke-filled, cancer-producing car when you could be in a beautiful, healthy-lunged first class.
- The coolest places in Europe are the places you’ve never heard of, and the best memories are those that were not planned.
- Being a part of the Ramsey family is something that I will always hold in highest regards, and I will do everything in my power to live up to its name.
- For a son, there is NO better way to see Europe for the first time than with your dad!