Deutschland!!

Ahhhh… the feeling of adventure on foreign lands is coursing through my veins once again… finally! It’s been a year since my last trip to Europe! I really can’t describe the feeling of elation that washes over me whenever I embark on a quest to discover new lands, new people and new cultures!

I really started getting excited at lunch in Dallas with some of the clan with the John Deere Tour Group. Kelley Schwab is the PR agent managing the trip. He’s been to Germany three times before and he’s mapped out some pretty awesome recommendations for me check out after the JD tour is over:

Koln – cathedral on the Rhein
Binghan – take Rhein River cruise to St. Goar Castle
Heidelberg – which we’re actually headed to this afternoon with JD!
Munich – famous opera house, Glockenspiel, Emperor’s museum
Dinkelsbhul – quaint walled city between Munich and Frankfurt
Trieberg – Black Forest, waterfalls, hiking, Grimm’s Brothers Romantic Road
Nuremburg – Dachau concentration camp
Berlin – that’s a given

On the plane ride from Dallas to Frankfurt I met some pretty interesting people. There was Claudio who is from Chile. But, he has a European passport thanks to his Italian family. This does wonders for Latinos when they want to travel, esp to America. Usually, it’s ridiculously hard for Latin Americans to get a visa to the U.S. He was your typical charming Latin boy. Mix of Spanish and Italian??! That’s dangerous! ; ) Good thing he was on his way to Germany to see his girlfriend! I’m kidding!

Then there was Sargaent Jason Perdew (E-6 in a month!). He's in the special forces and can hotwire a car, break out of handcuffs, hack a computer (he's a white hack - meaning the good kind!), break down and build a computer and own a number of assault weapons. He knows Jujitsu and Karate. He's your real life Jason Bourne! Hahaha... almost! Pardon my French, but this is one BADASS dude. But, he is also extremely down to earth and modest. I had to inquire about everything before he would talk about it. He didn't mind sharing... I'm just trying to say he's far from a bragger. He's turned down two medals offered by the Army - one for dragging his wounded soldier out of enemy fire. He says he shouldn't get a medal because he was just doing what he signed up to do. He's been to Iraq and he's on his way back soon - doing some more training first in Germany. He absolutely loves what he does. He's made friends with local Iraqi children. He's seen his fellow soldier blown up by an Iraqi man who greeted them with warm welcomes and hellos everyday. He's driven over IEDs unharmed, only to watch his friend's truck blow up right behind him. The explosion that killed 26 men in their barracks was right next to the building he was bunking in. Jason has faced some hard-core war. He says the media doesn't cover enough of the positive changes U.S. soldiers are bringing to Iraq. All this... at the ripe young age of 22. My age! He seemed so wise beyond his years. His character is that certainly earned my admiration! He has so much respect for people. He made my 9 1/2 hour trip feel like two hours... maybe. May God be with this amazingly brave young man!!!

I'm now at the Dorint Hotel in Mannheim... need to jump in the shower and head to Heidelberg!!