Don't Judge a Book by Its Showe Store

I did not see the obvious side of Luxembourg, perhaps. I had imagined Luxembourg to be distinctly wealthy, perhaps gaudy, but in a very classy way. I imagined tight spaces, beautiful buildings, well-dressed people carrying credit cards only because all of the cash they’d have would be simply to heavy to carry. I expected to pay 20 euros for lunch. However, I managed to see the most satisfyingly unexpected side of Luxembourg to confirm that preconceived notions are the hardly any notions at all.

I saw beautiful buildings, yes, but Europe is full of old, beautiful buildings. However, an interesting aspect of the town that I could not pass was the shoe store I saw. I looked into the door and, not really wanting to buy shoes, just walked in anyway. Instead of shelves, they stacked shoeboxes on the floor. They didn’t run to the back to grab a pair for the customers there looking at shoes (for 15 euro on down), they left all the shoes in those boxes for the customers to grab themselves. Perhaps that is a European ideology. However, the shoe store did not stop there. There were clothes, everywhere clothes, and they were all of different styles. There were leather pants, furry vests, skimpy dresses, wool blazers and anything you would find in any store for any girl anywhere. Usually in high range stores, there’s hardly anything in the store, and everything matches in beautiful colors or muted woods and neutrals. However, this store was a plain jumble, and it was the same with every store on the street. I kept peeking in the doors to see if this was possible. How could Luxembourg (the richest little country besides Switzerland, right?) have these kinds of stores? In addition, I paid only 7 Euro for lunch, a beer, and two postcards.

In addition, upon our arrival to Luxembourg, we saw two men in a fist fight just across the street from the hotel. It is possible. There is more to Luxembourg. There must be more to every other country then, too. I like that idea, because it reassures me that I have to keep traveling.

Me vs. Twain

The beginning of Innocents Abroad, although entertaining and interesting, does not coincide much with my experiences abroad. In the time that Twain wrote these letters, Europe was far more distant, unknown and luxurious to travel. I imagine at this time that each country only knew about itself and its own happenings. The time had not come where people across the pond knew or were curious of the land of Picasso, Dali, Hemingway's scenery or even the Beatles. These icons had not yet transcended the boarders of the new and old world.
The experiences described by Twain are of the most exotic I've read. From riding donkey's in Gibraltar to visiting mosques in Tangier, each adventure sounds greater and more exotic than anything I have experienced, even here abroad. Twain starts out the book by simply giving the reader a snapshot of the time, its people, and how they travel. I would say its the everyday conversations Twain has with the passengers that I relate to most. For example, when Twain describes the hardship a young man is having on the ship by trying to keep a travel journal. Or the naive judgment the passengers have when hearing that others at the port are there simply to say good bye and not actually travel.
These instances Twain described are still true today although trivial in the grand scheme of traveling abroad. Thus far, I have found human behavior has not changed much in the last hundred years while the communication and the world itself has changed dramatically.

Narrow Road to the Interior

Narrow Road is about a man who travels all over Japan and learns about himself along the way. I like him because he never loses touch with those who are close to him despite being gone for so long. I tried to find a specific passage but, in the end, decided to summarize a little what I wanted to write about. At one point on his journey, he finds a guide to bring him up this treacherous mountain and through a dangerous forest. It takes them hours to get to the town, but as soon as they arrive, the guide turns around and heads back alone. To me, this stuck out because it symbolizes how some things that are incredibly difficult, and sometimes strange, are everyday life for others.
The guide knew the mountain and forest so well that he could navigate it in pitch black darkness alone while the other man had such a difficult time simply following the guide through this. I have felt this way many times since being here, and while these strange and difficult moments get fewer and far between, they still occur. However, it is the times when I feel totally lost and confused that make me realize that that is part of the learning experience.
-Rachel Cooper

The Inner Journey

    'You are certain you are ready to undertake such a great expedition?' he now dared to ask."--Voss, pg 20.
     In this quote, Edmund Bonner is wondering if Voss can truly set out to do the grand expedition Voss plans to do. It is something I sometimes have had to ask myself on this trip. While traveling is fun and exciting, it can sometimes be quite daunting. Once you get to a place, everything is fine, but when you think about the process to get there, that's when complication begin.
    Going on a 15-hour train ride to get someplace can be a frightening prospect. However, when one think about it, you can't let a terrible train or plane ride stop you from having an amazing experience. So when I ask myself if I can do something, I have to answer exactly how Voss answers him, "naturally."

    ---Genevieve Shapiro

What's Within..

In reading the Road to the Interior, one really has look at things. Seeing how this is a translation I feel certain things could be open to interpretation. So everyone reading this could come up with a number of different meanings for different passages.

One that stuck out to me so far is short, sweet and gets right to the point.

Even this grass hut

may be transformed

into a doll's house.

As he is venturing out to begin his journey he leaves that next to his door. He had cleaned and wiped things down, and dusted about. Some may see this as with work you could turn your grass hut, or little shack into something else. This is true but I thing it is more so about taking pride in the things you have. Doing a little work here and there could totally transform things or a situation.

It's not so much about having / or lusting after material things. It's refreshing to see someone be so appreciative and like what they have. Sometimes I think that's forgotten, everyone's hungry and focusing on what material thing can make them feel better. It's good to have a balance, one day my grass hut can be, and will be a dollhouse.