Paula Goes to Holland : Rotary Scholar Adventures: Saying Goodbye

My year in Holland is over and my new job in America about to begin. And yet, there are so many more European posts I want to include! I want to tell you about some of the magical places I had the opportunity to visit on my Rotary trip around Europe chaperoning high school students. There is simply not time for them all, so, here is a summary:

In Barcelona Spain the seafood is served in bite-sized portions called “tapas” that explode your notions of appetizers and prove that lots of little dishes can make a stunning meal. I discovered Gaudi in Spain—a deceased architect. This Spanish master created Sagrada Familia and Park Guell. These landmarks are well known in Europe but little known in the U.S They are extraordinary. The former is the most magnificent church I have ever seen, the later, the most brilliant of parks. The architecture in both mirrors nature; in the church, the pillars twist like trees. The entire façade is covered with the most intricate carvings. Park Guell is almost as stunning. This park, situated on a hill, is adorned with glass mosaic-encrusted walkways and winding benches. There is also a colorful lizard fountain, covered in pottery tiles.

And then there was Italy—as beautiful as it is famed to be. The majestic hillsides invited comparisons to West Virginia. In Venice, canals were plied by men in straw hats and striped shirts standing on gondolas with long poles. On the island of Mirano I saw glass being blown. And, I visited Burano, Italy, by boat. This island is known primarily for its architecture, and for its lace (like Belgium.) Every house was painted a different color. In Rome I saw the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. There was also a full exhibit of Faberge Eggs. These are easter-egg shaped jewelry boxes commissioned by Alexander III and Nicholas II of Russia in the late 1890’s.

And then there was Austria. By this point in the Europe tour I was tired of being on a tour bus so I went for a long run around the Danube. This river is the second longest in Europe and meanders through, or forms part of the border for ten countries. The Austrian countryside is picturesque: the undulating hills are speckled with white castles that looked plucked from a Brother Grimes fairy tale. Vienna was a lovely city: the sound of hooves striking flagstones, squares filled with music and folk dancers twirling in black and red skirts. And then I visited the Czech Republic, whose rural places still maintain an old-world feel, and where arias in their opera house seemed to lift the beams from the gilded ceiling with their sweetness.

There is so much to tell. I learned so much. But now, it is off to another adventure. I am home now, in West Virginia. There is much I miss about Holland and Europe in general. Mostly, I miss the cultural beauty of Old World art and music, folk culture and traditions. I also miss my awesome Dutch buddies. (I hope to send you all postcards soon!) And, I know I’m a cliché but gosh I miss my bike!

This year fulfilled my expectations and further awakened my passion for travel. People were the best part of my experience in Holland. Thank you all for your kindness, your hospitality! I hope to be able to return the favor someday. It has been a wonderful year.

I finished my program, got an MA in cultural history from the University of Utrecht. I am now ready to embark on a new and different adventure. Tomorrow my job begins as an outdoor classroom instructor at Chewonki Maine Coast Semester School in Maine. At this innovative school I will teach most of my classes outdoors and sleep in a tent five nights out of seven. My car is packed with tent supplies, bungee cords and wool socks, for Maine in autumn. I am eager to drive the long distance up the coast to try my hand at teaching and roughing it in the woods of New England. Someone once wrote that there are those who can live without wild things and those that cannot. I cannot. I am one who loves the outdoors. Eventually I hope to return to West Virginia and teach, or start my own school. In the meantime I hope to learn how different schools around America and the world operate. I will cull the best teaching techniques and use them as I grow.

In November I will retun to West Virginia to give presentations at Rotary Clubs. If you are interested in having me speak about the Rotary Ambassadorial Program at your club, please let me know! My email is: kaufmanbrown@gmail.com

Fondly,
Paula

P.S
I hope to try and keep up with this blog everyone once in a while from the Maine woods

Paula

Gaudi's glorious church

Street performers jamming in Barcelona

Barcelona, Spain

A Faberge egg at the Vatican Museum

The Vatican Museum had one of the most impressive collections of art I have ever seen, I thought it was more unbelievable than the Louvre in Paris

Cranes at sunrise from the bus window, Italy

The Roman Colosseum!

The Italian countryside reminded me of West Virginia's hills!

A glass horse I watched being blown in Murano, Italy. The horse was so hot when made that when the artist touched a piece of paper to it, the paper went up in flame

Murano is known for having the best glass in the world

In the glass shops, pictures were not allowed for some of the fancier room-filling chandeliers. I believe this is to protect the designs from being copied.

The glass-blowing tradition in Italy is thousands of years old

The island of Burano, Italy

Burano homes

Venice

Gardens in Vienna

In Vienna, dozens of horse-drawn carriage-taxies line the cobbled streets

Austrian folk dancers. Dancing is a popular tradition in Austria and there are dozens of themed balls a year in Vienna. Young people learn to waltz and dance in school growing up.