Castles and Christmas

People in Europe smoke much more than Americans. They dress better. We saw very few jeans. They are greener there than we are here: more public transportation, fewer dryers, even the drink bottle lids are afixed to the bottle. Many men carry small day packs, and older people use dual hiking poles instead of canes.

When we speak of politics mixed with the church we have little understanding of what our ancestors dealt with. The intertwining of the two in former years was complete. The power of crown and empire in the churches from that time is hugely apparent with military and legal insignia everywhere on display in the churches. When they speak of bombings that destroyed much of the medieval historical landscape the bombings were allied raids. We and Great Britain caused it in opposition to Hitler. We hear more about the bombing of London, but not so much about the irreparable damage we did. These were residential and commercial areas not military targets in spite of what we must have told ourselves to justify it.

The cultures of central western Europe are largely the same, united in the Middle Ages: religion, food, language, history, and the legacy of the Holy Roman Empire. Europe is so dependent on tourism that I fear the decline of our own economy and ability to travel will cause massive damage there.Read more