Three people looking away from the camera and carrying luggage next to a stopped train (tofumax (123RF))
Well, the time has come again to get ready to say goodbye to our temporary home and to wax poetic about adventures to come. Five years ago, when we left Kentucky for Germany it felt like the do-over we had been waiting for, having been stationed in Italy over a decade earlier when we were too young, too broke, too pregnant and too deployed to really appreciate it. Now, with teenagers in tow, we wanted to return to Europe to embrace the travel opportunities and enjoy an OCONUS Adventure. What we got was the pandemic.
While we were able to get in smaller trips whenever the opportunity presented, it felt like a gift from the cosmos, or branch, or whichever one was working overtime that day, that when our orders came in we were only PCSing down the Autobahn and our sightseeing exploits could continue: more UNESCO heritage sites, more cathedrals, more history and of course, more of the unmitigated joy that a mother feels when she sees the smile on her child’s face because they found a Five Guys shoehorned into a historical European city.
We took advantage of local tour groups, some more reputable than others, as well as planned and executed trips on our own.
For one of our bigger trips, we combined the two strategies using a tour group to go to Ireland, allowing them to shepherd us around the sights and scenery of the Emerald Isle, and planning all activities and travel. We then left the group which returned to Germany without us as we spent an extra day independently enjoying Dublin, touring Trinity College Library and equally important to my teenage hangers-on, checking out the Dublin H&M.
Girls buying clothes during shopping at the mall. (serhiibobyk (123RF))
We then carried on to London to take in some of what England had to offer. Being able to combine the two approaches allowed me to undertake a larger trip while only having to concentrate on half of the logistics. This is a plan of action I recommend to anyone, much like me, who was not born a natural travel agent.
I would like to think that by now, as many trips as we have taken, I would be better at planning and executing our excursions. But the truth is, my frugality and crippling indecisiveness in this area makes it a bit harder than it should be.
The most effective method for me is to figure out what will be the “anchor” for each day: a planned guided tour (cue the groans from my son), a reservation at a particular restaurant, a day trip off the beaten path or even a simple beach day. This way, I know we are hitting some key points or must-dos and still have plenty of time to just explore, go off script and take suggestions. I would love to say that this always works out and that everybody is always happy, but let’s keep it very real, even though I always ask for ideas from those semi-grateful offspring of mine, not everyone is always going to be happy.
Luckily at this point, everyone is also old enough to know that we don’t always get what we want, and that to start complaining would only make that stop at Five Guys less of a probability (and they certainly don’t want that). So, they grab a nibble out of the designated snack bag, always a must, and carry on. After all, our time here would end eventually and while some may disagree, I find exploring the greater Lawton area or the landscape and architecture of Fayetteville less fulfilling. (No offense meant. I’m from Cleveland and am in no hurry to re-examine the wonder of my former hometown either.)
Child sitting on grass in park and eating fries on a sunny day (zinkevych (123RF))
Feeling completely unready to give up the ever-present opportunity to explore other cultures, foods and destinations, I was mournfully preparing myself for a return to the States as my husband had warned me of the timeframe for the issue of upcoming PCS Orders.
When he came into the kitchen after work one grey and drizzly evening to tell me that we were headed to Korea, I felt simultaneously sorry to leave Europe and yet overjoyed that we were not Stateside bound and instead about to experience something so completely new and unfamiliar to us. I now find myself wishing I could squeeze in a few more European holidays, but continue to remind myself that we’ll be back, whether on orders or our own.
For now, I am looking forward to soaking in what the Pacific has to offer, the vibrant cultures of Asia to be taken in, the intense flavors to be tasted, the dynamic sights to behold and the H&Ms to be found.
Editor’s Note: This article was written by a member of the local military community, not an employee of Stars and Stripes. Neither the organization nor the content is being represented by Stars and Stripes or the Department of Defense.
