Foreign Lands

I love travelling, it allows you so much opportunity to think and provides you with the raw material. What is it that makes a country or nation different from another one? When the countries in question are linked as closely as many European countries are, that question becomes even more intriguing. We share a common ethnic background, a common religious heritage, a history of trading and fighting with each other not to mention languages that are related. And yet in many ways we are like chalk and cheese. It is these differences that make travelling worthwhile. As a keen follower of European politics, it is instructive to actually visit the countries that I from time to time criticise, and to ask people what they think about their leaders. I often find those whose view points are similar to mine as well as people whose opinions are very different. The way in which political issues shape a nation’s culture is visible, though what you see depends heavily on what you want to see. It’s very instructive to compare the attitudes of immigrants and those of the natives, as the former have very different backgrounds. Last, but of course, not least, the world is a far too big and diverse place to spend our lives stuck in one place. There’s too much to see and so many choices of food and drink. Until I have seen all the worlds Museums, and Drunk all its beers, I see no reason to stop. So rested, fatter and poorer but invigorated and inspired, I will continue to fight to preserve the true diversity of the world we live in and the right of every individual to make their own life choices. That is, the implacable foe of the EU is back in Business. I will bring you some of my thoughts on the places visited in my future postings.