A Few Of My Favorite Things
18 October 2016: I’ve just finished an Estrella Damm cerveza (beer) and a glass of cava (bubbly wine) to wash down a few (5) bocadillas (sandwiches) and a healthy portion of tortilla (the omelette with potatoes kind, not the taco/burrito kind) as I wait for my now delayed flight out of Barcelona to Tel Aviv. Today officially marks the end of my time in Europe, at least for this year. At 4 pm, my consumption is driven by either: a) boredom from the now 3.5 hour wait for my flight; b) bad habits I’ve picked up in the last 7+ months; c) trying to numb myself from the reality of leaving this incredible continent; or d) all of the above. It feels so strange, almost wrong, to willingly remove myself from a place that now feels like home. As I’ve said repeatedly to all I met on the way, as well as on social media, I feel as though Europe is where I belong. Unless a future stop on my journey potentially steals my heart, I am committed to return here to establish a more permanent base and enjoy a lifestyle I’ve grown dangerously accustomed to. What is it about this continent, the people and the lives they live that appeals to me so much? It might be helpful to look back at where I came from.
View from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, August 2015
During my formative years and most of my adult life in New York City, I grooved on the energy of the big city’s “hustle and flow.” I realized how much I missed that electricity when I felt it return crossing the Queensboro Bridge into Manhattan on trips back home from college in New Orleans. Over my time there, The City exposed me to diverse food, people, cultures and attitudes. As a city kid, I grew up perhaps a bit faster than the average suburban kid and had so many more lifestyle options to pursue than most Americans.
Some consider New York the capital of the world and there I seemingly had everything I could want at my fingertips. The amount of choices was addictive but I still fell into something of a stale routine, a seeming paradox. During the last few of my nine post-college years in New York, I felt unsettled and a bit out of place. The relentless drive to succeed and achieve status above all else started to feel out of sync with who I was and the type of life I wanted to live. To be clear, I admire and and revere those using their talents to strive and reach the highest pinnacle of their passions and / or fields. I consider myself lucky to have intelligent, industrious and driven friends and family who are doing just that and I hope to surround myself with more of these types of people. That tireless drive for achievement is among the many reasons that makes New York special and America great.
Embarking on this extended trip started to give me just a taste of what I was missing by rooting myself in New York. It wasn’t simply the physical beauty of town and country in the many places I explored but also the lifestyle and attitudes I encountered and related to. In Europe, I saw first-hand how the other half of the Western World lives. The cliche of the ‘work-to-live’ ethos that pervades everyday life here, particularly in the south (I see you, Spain), appealed to me most. The well-worn trope of lengthy, legally-mandated holidays, both envied and derided in the US, is an easy example of that. More intangibly, people here seem to take time and effort to appreciate both primal pleasures and elevated aesthetics. There’s less of a rush to life, less checking boxes and making the rounds. One small example was the relative rarity of coffee or food to-go, initially frustrating for a New Yorker accustomed to speed and convenience. In retrospect, it was liberating. Having to stand at a counter to sip my espresso or sit at a table to eat my sandwich forced me to slow down, savor what was in front of me, take things one at a time.
Without a doubt, the cultural divide between north and south is clear. There is a palpable difference in work ethic and approach to life between places like Germany and Amsterdam, much more serious and “hard-working,” versus Spain, much more "mañana." But there’s also a distinctly common emphasis on quality of life and liberal values that syncs with who I am and how I want to live my life. The infrastructure is undoubtedly cleaner and more efficient, free healthcare is a human right, the streets are cleaner, and leisure time is a necessity, not just a nice to have at the end of the work week. At the same time, the art, music and culture are vibrant. They are intoxicatingly novel but also familiar to me. Probably most important, the food simply tastes better. I’m convinced this isn’t just placebo. I easily fell into the culinary habits and customs of each place I was in and the local cuisine was generally executed to perfection. And while I’ve consistently eaten more cheese, bread, and dessert than at any other time of my life, somehow my face and waist have slimmed and the world-famous Goldo thighs-and-ass are significantly less imposing than their past thunderous glory (all third party verified). This place is obviously magic.
San Sebastian / Donostia, home of stunning aesthetic and culinary delight; 11 June 2016
I feel those who know me would probably consider my personality to be something of a ying-yang mix of quiet reserve and intermittent excitability. I probably don’t come across at first as the most electric person but ask me about a favorite DJ or song, feed me delicious home-cooked gastronomy, mention a recent John Oliver clip, or ask me for a recommendation on a restaurant and I’m prone to start jumping and barking at you like a puppy whose owner just walked in the door. Like Tesla vs Edison, I’ve found in Europe an alternating current to life that’s both relaxed and energizing, a life that is at ease and invigorating at the same time. It’s shown me a greater balance and fit for my personality and preference for way of life vs the constant jolt of NYC’s direct current.
All this said, I realize a lot of what I’ve been able to enjoy has been the result of not having the everyday responsibilities of a 9-5 job. I’ve made efforts to live like a local, be productive and not have this be an extended vacation, but the latter has often been unavoidable. If and when I settle down to a more permanent home here, I realize this unblemished European myth and ideal will likely tarnish. But as I mentioned in my previous post, I plan to become more productive and useful for others in the coming months through this blog and separate efforts to generate income. Whether it be in Spain, the Netherlands or elsewhere on The Continent, I’m fairly confident it will be there that I find an environment best suited for the balance of life and work I desire. As I move east to Israel and Southeast Asia after, I’m sure to be looking longingly over my shoulder back west.
So, you’ve made it this far. Looking at what I’ve written, I still feel like I’m lacking the writing chops to accurately describe the intangible feeling that is my passion for Europe. The next best thing I can offer is to share some of my favorite moments of the past seven months through some select shots, which I’ll elaborate on in future posts.
While I never made it to yodel and sing in the hills of Switzerland, please enjoy a few of my favorite things about Europe:
