December Tours...

Two days until lift off... and what a trip this hopes to be:

I have my Christmas tour winding through Prague, Vienna, Salzburg, Berchtesgaden, Passau, Neuschwanstein Castle, and Munich. We'll be doing some of my favorite classical and Christmas music concerts, as well as the obvious sights, food, and history tours. It will be full of color, cheer, and community, as I think Europe does Christmas a million times better than we'll ever do it back here in the States... every afternoon, people gathering at the market to have a cup of hot glühwein, catch up with one another, enjoy music and the peace that Christmas inspires. It's truly a memorable experience...

After a halving of the group, my client and I will embark on an 11 day battlefield tour that is going to be incredible... Bastogne for the 70th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, Waterloo and the story of Napoleon's end, Brussels, the vast military museum of Overloon, Arnhem - of "A Bridge Too Far" fame, two nights in Bruges (with a full day and night of the battlefields of Flanders), a visit to Vimy Ridge as we drive to Normandy, two full days of Operation Overlord's invasion beaches and key sights, then on to the famous rail car museum of Compiegne, the Marine memorial in Belleau Wood, and then down to the largest American military cemetery in Europe (from WWI, no less), Verdun, and a final stop in Landstuhl to link up with my family who are involved with the veterans' hospital there, before we arrive back in Munich...

It won't be a "rah, rah America" tour like so many other companies do. We're covering all aspects and sides, from their memorials to their cemeteries, and my client WANTS this... American, English, French, German, Scottish, Canadian, Belgian, Dutch. How can one understand a war by burying their nose in one side and viewpoint, anyway? We do this ad nauseum in so much of our pursuits as well. If Americans were deprived of one important thing, it is that of perspective. Our bubble is so loud and proud that we lose out on a great deal of learning and understanding... and I don't blame the average American, either. Never. I only get frustrated when I'm barked at for championing a bit more balance and exposure.

But I digress...

One of the great personal highlights for me will be our time in Flanders for the commemoration of that one brief moment of humanity and brotherhood, when the Scots, French, Brits, and Germans laid down their weapons in the first Christmas of WWI and came across No Man's Land to have mass together, play football (soccer), and share a moment of peace together. This will be the 100th anniversary of that event. The units who engaged in peace were disbanded and scattered, but it's beautiful to see that the Western world has learned much about warfare and the need for unity and compromise - even though it came at the cost of two world wars and over 60,000,000 deaths. It's impossible to fathom...

There is so very much history has to teach and offer us about ourselves, and I am ever thankful of those people who have chosen me to share it with them. This will be a tremendous honor, as it always is when people put their trust, time, and money in my hands...

I've upgraded my camera to an excellent Sony Alpha 700 DSLR, too. I actually did the trip preparation shopping with my client to get him geared up for the cold weather, and we got him a great camera as well. I'm continuing to expand my repertoire and love being able to do more and more for my clients and friends in this aspect.