Feb 2011- Germany_197

Wow...this is a difficult one. I've had so many meaningful vacations with family and with my wife and daughter but I think the number one vacation of all time is a trip I took to Germany in 2006. The reason why it was so memorable and meaningful is because this was the first vacation on my own and for no reason other than to travel. I wasn't visiting family and I wasn't going with friends. I just saw a deal and took it. The only reason my brother was there was because the deal was so cheap that I decided to buy another one. In 2006 dollars we basically got a round-trip deal to Berlin with 7 nights at a 4-star hotel for 600 each. Amazing.

It was the first time I had traveled to a country where I had no command of the language or where I knew very little about the culture. This made the immersion more complete.

There were several highlights of the trip:
- Berlin, what an amazing city
- Meeting Mexicans in Munich. The only seats at a beer hall in Munich were with a few Mexicans. This gave us an immediate connection and some friends. We ended up travelling with them to Salzburg and partying down there.
- CurryWurst
- Being pulled over by police looking for drug dealers. Thankfully, we weren't drugdealers.
- One day trip to Dublin...on St. Patricks Day!
- A 14 hour layover in Paris. Enough to see Notre Dame, The Louvre, Notre Dame and more

There have been more meaningful trips and even more memorable ones. But this is the one that cemented the possibilities of travel in my head. It taught me the world can offer when stepping out of your comfort zone and opening yourself up to new experiences. I've been addicted ever since.

I wish I had more time to read. I am so behind on my periodical and book reading that it makes me sad. One day!