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DEAN'S QUARTERLY NEWLETTER, Vol. 8, No. 4, 06/01/2005

HIGHLIGHTS OF SPRING 2005:

Joshua and Dean’s Excellent European Adventure – The biggest event of the spring by far was a 19-day 11-country tour of Europe by Eurail with my nephew Joshua. Although the original plan didn’t budget time for slowing down, we quickly agreed our pace was too hectic, even while it enabled us in very short order to get a broad sampling of what Europe has to offer.

There was a whole lot of sleep deprivation going on, and yet we must have had the illusion of being supermen. By all rights, we should have been dragging our behinds, but after short naps, we’d be ready to go again. Brain chemicals must have been stimulated by the fear of missing something. We’d shut our eyes, but changes in light through the train window would alert us to changes in scenery, and it’s hard to close eyes for long when the mountains, the ocean or the countryside beside you is so beautiful or somehow different from what you’ve seen up to that point.

It was fun to see Europe through my nephew’s eyes, and he impressed me as being an astute observer of things, some of which I might have otherwise overlooked. He had been to Europe with his high school class (to London and Paris), but this was his first time as an adult, and his first chance to see a broad swath of the continent with the greater flexibility that comes from not being confined to a group. Many things seemed to impress him on this trip. He liked Europe’s transportation system and wondered why we couldn’t do better with such things in the United States. He liked the ease of getting around the center of cities on foot along the many pedestrian-friendly streets. He enjoyed the liveliness and free spiritedness of places such as Paris’s Champs Elysees, Prague’s Central Square and Barcelona’s Ramblas, and seemed impressed by the relaxed attitude many Europeans take toward enjoying life.

Here’s a map of the approximate route (with minor details left out): Europe Travel Route 2005

and some photos:

Joshua reflecting on a train

Dean in eastern Switzerland

Monaco

Barcelona, Spain

Mont St. Michel, France

Spring 2005 movie reviews

My address in Maryland (since autumn 2004): New telephone numbers:

Dean Oman Home: 301-931-1144

10405 46^th Ave., Apt. A204 Work: 301-504-2317

Beltsville, MD 20705

For those wishing to visit Washington DC, my new location is not nearly as convenient as my old place, which was within easy reach of all the attractions. Still, friends and family are always welcome, and my new apartment is larger and more comfortable than others I have had.

COMING UP NEXT QUARTER: Trip to Washington, Oregon and Northern California

Check in and let me know what’s up with you.
You can contact me by clicking on this E-mail address: mail@deanoman.com.

Review previous newsletters:

Winter 05 – Dean’s News Vol 8, No. 3, 03/01/05 – Minnesota and Bahamas

Autumn 04 – Dean’s News Vol 8, No. 2, 12/01/04 – Boston, Orlando, plus new digs in Beltsville, Maryland

Summer 04 – Dean’s News Vol 8, No. 1, 09/01/04 – Toronto, Minnesota, San Diego, Chicago

Spring 04 – Dean’s News Vol 7, No. 4, 06/01/04 – Italy, Switzerland, Eastern Europe, New York City

Winter 03 – Dean’s News Vol 7, No. 3, 03/01/04 – Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada, Arizona

Autumn 03 -- Dean's News Vol 7, No. 2, 12/01/03 -- Minnesota

Summer 03 -- Dean's News Vol 7, No. 1, 09/01/03 -- California and Toronto

Spring 03 -- Dean's News Vol 6, No. 4, 06/01/03 – Minnesota, Boston

Winter 03 -- Dean's News Vol 6, No. 3, 03/01/03 – Arizona, California and Colorado

Best wishes to all,

Deano

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