I just came back from across the Atlantic and I have a lot of new takes on ideas and thoughts.

European culture is something American too often ignore, sadly, but it is very integrated to everything that the US in terms of our customs and ideas are about. American so often neglect or reject anything to do with Europeans, but in reality, the US holds a lot of the traditions with Europeans in different areas. There's also a European issue about their own infrastructure problems that I have witnessed first hand.

Blue and I have argued about fiscal policy, but travelling from the wealthiest hamlets like Baden to the metropolitan, Strasbourg, to the industrial Mannheim, I think the arguments of the future will be much more detailed on the concept of operations in modern civilization within fiscal policy. I also see a problem with the German and French models of policies, but that will probably be something I will address toward European members in the Soapbox at one point.

I also had the pleasure to visit Brussels, the De Facto Capital of the EU, which is magnificent by the way, but it has its own urban issues due to centuries of building. Its mixture of Greco-Roman, Northern Renaissance influenced, and modernist architecture leaves it confused in a nice way like finding out your best guy friend might be interested in trying stuff with other boys . There's also a very nice dichotomy with its French/Flemish/German influences that is very cute.

Berlin was another European Capital I looked at with astonishment and despair as I also toured the former eastern sections of the city, including an interesting side commentary on Check point charlie and walked a bit of the dividing line between East and West Berlin. I also saw the infamous "Zoo" station, where child prostitutes were heavily trafficked. (I don't count Luxembourg as many others tell me and I agree with them that it's really an expensive outlet )

Europe game me many impressions and many thoughts to dwell on.

PS: on the long rides on the HoF, I had re-read DK's Do-Over series for the fifth time. After seeing the display of European Solidarity at Brussels and Berlin, I really wish DK could have expanded the storyline more on those concepts. If you had seen the light show at the "Grand Place" in Brussels or toured the memorial sites of Berlin as they are now, I think the story would have shown that unity and solidarity as a theme more than anything else to change the world for the better. Perhaps solidarity is idealistic and will never last more than a generation, but it is that small piece of heaven that makes all our potential hells worth it.