Well my vacation is finally coming to a close. As good as it has been to be “home”, meaning with my folks, here in Denver, I find myself missing the place that I consider to be more of a home to me than anyplace else, Germany. I was going through a bunch of old pictures and just noting all of the small background details in the pictures started making me homesick. Things like blue autobahn signs, the unique little postkasten on my house, the architecture, pretty much everything.




Then I went down in Colorado Springs with my dad and we stopped at a little place that is extremely popular with my family called Weimburgers. Colorado Springs is a huge military community and of course military men collect wives from all over the planet so it has a sizable German population. In the 1970’s someone started a German-style grocery store there. They import all German items and have it decorated and arranged just like a traditional small-town Lebensmittelgeschäft. It’s complete with lots of old German ladies working behind the deli counter who gossip and carry on like the hens of the old country. Even the music helps to give it a very German atmosphere. As far as Colorado goes, it is probably as authentic a German experience as can be had. And after spending 13 months straight in Afghanistan and Iraq this time around, just being around the language and a few familiar articles brought back some pretty strong feelings.

At first I just walked over to one of the corners and stood for a few minutes and watched everyone bustling about. It was interesting to note the change in people’s demeanor as soon as they walked through the door; I could tell that I wasn’t the only one deriving a strange comfort from the familiar surroundings. As stupid as it sounds, I didn’t want to leave this little grocery store! Buuuut I was an hour away from home and I had a date with the girl working in my dentist’s office (whole ‘nuther story) and my dad had a date with my mom so I bought half a pound of pepper salami and a bag full of brotchens and my dad and I stuffed our faces all the way home.

Then last week I found a long-forgotten about Flickr account of mine, it had some pictures that I had completely forgotten about and others that I had simply been looking for. These are some of the things that I miss about Europe!

The scenery!



There are wonderful girls all over the world but in Europe they seemed to be just a bit more friendly and have fewer issues than most





I miss the weather. Fog and rain, rain and thunder, snow and ice, it all seemed better over there...


...ditto...


I miss the traditions



I miss being able to just walk out my front door and within minutes be fully involved in some new and exciting adventure.



I'll be back!