What's In a Word?

About a month ago, I finished "Eat. Pray. Love." By Elizabeth Gilbert. It was a beautiful story and had some wonderful words of wisdom. It was just a generally encouraging story about a woman on a quest to find herself and make herself a stronger person. One thing she talked about was a "Word". She used it to describe herself. One word. One single word to encompass something. Think about it. There are millions of words in the English language. Can you pick just one to describe an entire person? What about an entire city?

I decided to incorporate that into my travels here in Europe. So, if you're interested, here's my City-By-City One Word List, that I've compiled so far, with a few sentences tacked on.

Vienna—Serenity

The air here is so calm and peaceful. No one is in a particular hurry—the pace of the society is very relaxed and “go with the flow”.

Brussels—Excitement

The people in Brussels are having fun. They love their country and city and are proud of the fact that they love it. They smile a lot and are happy living life (and drinking beer).

Amsterdam—Hustle

Everyone is in a hurry and on a mission. The pace of this city is a very intense one. There is little regard for those who may be in the way when you’re trying to get somewhere.

Venice—Nonchalant

Beauty absolutely radiates from this city. The boats slowly floating down the Grand Canal are a sight to see: small, large, fast, slow, gondolas, motorboats—the variety is amazing. The water in Vencie is a beautiful, surreal blue and teal. It was a very calming experience to be on the water without cars all around. Listening to the waves at night and seeing the lights reflect onto the water was breathtaking. The people here know they live in a beautiful city and they embrace the artistry of it all, but they are nonchalant in the way that they are able to go about their lives in this city of wonders.

Milan—Classy

Known for its high fashion, Milan lived up to its fancy hype. The small portion we explored was smooth feeling and an open air kind of beautiful.

Verona—Lovely

The quaint city in Northern Italy was silent on Sunday morning. The windows were shuttered and the store fronts were dark. In the city of Shakespeare’s greatest mystical romance, it was difficult to remember the story was fiction.

Paris—Elegant

Sleek, natural, and sparkly, the pace in Paris was constant. The city of lights always had a stream of people going, coming, photographing, and standing in awe of The Iron Lady. The buildings stood tall and strong and proud—icons of the city they protect and shelter.

Salzburg—Tasteful

In a city that holds true to Austrian heritage, it was really cool to see traditional German clothing being worn in every-day life. Seeing men in lederhosen and women in dirndls was a reminder of how much the people of Austria care about where their city and country has come from.

Dachau—Broken

The air was heavy and silent. The day we visited, it was even raining. The sadness and pain of generations past crushed down on the entire camp. It was heartbreaking to walk in the footsteps of strangers who died there, who were humiliated and traumatized, and to walk in the footsteps of their captors.

Bavaria—Regal

The castles were like stepping into a fairytale: the art, the history, the elegance. It was surreal to just imagine that this was someone’s home and life at one point in history.

London—Magical

There is so much mystery surrounding London—it’s history, the myths, and the stories that have been set there. There are legends; there are the mystical natures of the castles and the traditions that exist in the societies of London. To be in a city with so many possibilities is magical in the way that you feel like anything can happen if you phrase your wish just right.

Dublin—Alive

Friendly, beautiful, breathtaking, home, spectacular, natural. The most beautiful landscapes are in Ireland. The friendliest people are in Ireland. Ireland has been filled with turmoil in the past, but today the Irish rejoice in the beauty of living.