New World Old World

An American's Reflections on Europe

I recently got back from my first ever trip to Europe. I hiked over 100 miles, saw priceless works of art, took in thousands of years of history, avoided pickpockets and bar fights, and much more, all within 15 days. I wasn’t quite sure what I would feel when I touched down on European soil. I was expecting downtown Paris to be overflowing with homeless Moroccans looking for a handout and London to have a stabbing around every corner. This was not the case. So much of social media has us perpetually plugged in to the worst things humanity has to offer. If anything, this trip has reaffirmed the need to touch grass.

I started my trip in Paris and stayed for three days. My first opinion of the French was that they are a very aristocratic people. They are stubborn, eccentric, and proud of their culture. I was pleased to see how almost everything was written in French and how few people spoke English. This place felt different from America, exactly what I was hoping to find. The architecture alone was like something from out of a movie. Some buildings were thousands of years old, something impossible to find in America. Walking around many of Paris’s great monuments, lush gardens, unique museums, and busy streets felt like nothing I had experienced before. I generally do not like cities. Concrete jungles full of foul air and the dregs of society don’t appeal to me at all. But I was surprised by how clean Paris was, at least around the areas I frequented, and I really enjoyed the public works — gardens, statues, and monuments all over the place. How can you not be inspired walking around such a place? I, for one, would welcome more public works projects back home to remind everyone of the glory of America. Commemoration of famous figures, works of art, and victories in battle is a good thing, and you should have an appreciation of your culture, history, and people.

After Paris, I took a trip by train to Marseille, on the Mediterranean coast. I must say that although the train system is quite confusing for an American to figure out, I rather like it as a means of travel. Trains are far more comfortable and leisurely than planes. After three hours of looking out at the pretty French countryside, I arrived at my destination. My Med blood swelled inside me when I looked upon this Sea for the first time, watching the sun set. I’ve always had sea legs from a young age, but looking out at the flat and crystal-clear water, I understood why my ancestors took to the seas and set out in search of conquest of new lands. The next day, I spent seven hours hiking the islands off the coast of the city. What are ruins there now were first used by the Romans in 49 BC to launch an invasion of the city, and they have been built over and reused time and time again, as recently as WWII. Marseille was a beautiful city, but I soon headed for Germany.

Seven hours by train, and I arrived in Frankfurt. It was very different from France. The architecture, the food, the language, and the people, even the drivers, were all so different. The Germans are a much more organized and orderly people. The structure of the city seemed like it had much more thought and planning put into it. The streets were well maintained, and the drivers were much more orderly. Not like the hectic streets of Paris, where motorbikes bob and weave between cars down thin roads. English was far more common in Germany — almost everyone there spoke it — and the city had a much more modern feel to it. I checked out the Senckenberg Natural History Museum. I was quite impressed. It was one of the best museums I had ever seen, with a very rich collection of dinosaur bones and other marvels. But I only stayed for two days, and then I was off to Amsterdam.

Reaching Amsterdam at the time of Liberation Day was a lucky coincidence. I stayed with my buddy Jack Napier, and the two of us did some pickup for about six hours as we walked around festival tents and bars. Boy, did we have a fun time. I must say that, in general, I found European women to be much more attractive than American women. Most of this is due to the obscenely high obesity rates in America. I’m now convinced, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that our food is poison. All of the food I had abroad, even at McDonald’s, tasted better than what we eat in the States. I was shocked. I’ll say this about the Dutch: they are a very arrogant people. I have no idea why this is the case, but man, there was quite a bit of head-clashing between myself and some of the Dutch, but that’s a story for a different day. After a day of enjoying my time among friends and tall, beautiful blondes, I was on the road again.

One thing I’ll be changing for my next trip is that I spread myself too thin. I treated this trip like an American road trip, where you want to be moving all the time because the cities suck and the land is beautiful. My latest experience has taught me that in Europe this is not the case. The beauty of Europe is in the cities, the history, and the culture. While the land is beautiful, it does not compare to America. I would rate most American National Parks as being far more beautiful than the European countryside, the exception being my final destination: England.

The English Countryside is gorgeous. Rolling green hills and giant white-chalk cliffs at the coastline are one of a kind. I understand now why the English are such a down-to-earth and homely people. I can totally see where Tolkien got his inspiration when he was writing about Hobbits. I was shown around London by a number of our DR friends just days after the coronation of King Charles III. Union Jacks were displayed on every street corner. Over the next few days in London, I met up with over two dozen compatriots and fans in art museums, pubs, and podcast studios. The English are a very hospitable and polite people. And boy oh boy, can they drink! The English can drink almost any American under the table with little difficulty. The pub culture is something I am very envious of. Even their low-end pubs are of such an aesthetic nature that you could easily imagine a famous scholar or politician sitting down to have a drink in the next booth. Every interaction I had with Internet friends was excellent. Everyone passed the physiognomy test with flying colors, and our conversations were especially intellectual. I’m often reminded at these meetups of how all the petty infighting online really means nothing when we all get together in person. We all have common goals and agree on most things, and that is what we should be focused on.

My final thoughts concerning this trip can be summed up as follows: we are going to win. I am 100% certain of this. Just looking at the wonder and the beauty of what The West has built and how nobody has been able to match it, how can you not believe? Dark times may be upon us now, but this is nothing new for us. As I walked through the catacombs of Paris and saw corpses in the tens of thousands, still The West stands. As I hiked the encampments of the islands off Marseille where dozens of battles had been fought, still The West stands. As I saw a modern industrial district built next to ancient castle ruins in Frankfurt, still The West stands. I had dozens of amazing discussions with fellow DR members in English pubs. In the midst of all the hardships our nations are experiencing now, there is an elite being formed to right this ship. Even with a brain-dead fool in the White House and foreigners invading our shores, The West still stands. It may be bleak now, but a new dawn is coming. With all of us together, we will make The West great once again.