When I was in my mid-20s, more than 40 years ago, I backpacked throughout Europe, for two months. I hitchhiked and rode trains across 13 countries, staying in youth hostels with their daily required chores, fully immersing myself into city and rural life. It left a deep impression that I’ll never forget. Back then, each country had border controls, so the flow between nations was slowed, keeping the cultures and behaviors unique.
One common trait across all nations was their habit of entering a nearly empty rail car to sit next to you. From this, I was immersed into countless stories, across many nations. The urban people that I encountered were generally friendly, usually mentally sharp, often able to converse in multiple languages, and seemed much more educated and civilized than myself (which is somewhat of a low bar). In Geneva, I was surprised by an elderly man who walked rapidly toward me. He stopped, then asked me with deep concern in English “Are you lost?” Oddly, everywhere that I went, everyone seemed to instantly recognized me as American. I replied “Yes, but that’s alright… I don’t have to be anywhere.” Being Swiss, this didn’t make him happy. Germany was very orderly then. Switzerland was psychotically orderly. He insisted on driving me where I wanted to go.
The rural people were simply fascinating. In rural Ireland, on a train, I talked to a beautiful girl who spoke Gaelic. Like many Irish then, she was quite mirthful and happy. When I asked her to speak some Gaelic, she seemed like something out of a fairy tale. But, when our conversation turned to the government, I could see something was wrong. Her face changed to deeply serious and unhappy expressions. I slowly realized she was connected to the IRA. Europe was much more rural then, with no trace of chain stores. In those areas you felt like a time traveler, catching a glimpse of life long ago. Overall, Europe was lively, unique, and unforgettable.
Today, I’ve seen almost no trace of that old Europe in the countries where I’ve recently returned. A conversation with a young Danish gal in her 20s partly summarized it. In her place of work, everyone spoke English. Even her large friend circle speaks mostly English. She learned it properly in school, but mostly by watching movies in English. She grew up with Danish, but now speaks it mostly to her older relatives. Yet, it’s not just the loss of their language. Those European cultures are now only housed in museums, palaces, and historic buildings, where they are carefully archived and curated, because that is now the only place tourists can truly experience Europe. Those tourists throng those sites, even through admission prices are off-the-scale expensive. Everywhere that I went in Europe, I saw bland and rundown cosmopolitan cities and towns, with the people disconnected and rootless. It’s a cultural environment that has turned ugly, mired in a place and time that is not moving towards anything better.
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