My Love Letter to the European Union

A personal reflection on the unexpected ease of life within the EU.

When I was learning to kiteboard earlier this year, I crossed the Alps by bike. I also crossed the German/Austrian and Austrian/Italian borders and hardly noticed, because there's almost no visible border anymore. During that week of vacation, I crossed the border twice a day.

Spot the border...

Right now, I'm in the Alsace region of France for a city sightseeing trip. Just yesterday, we hopped over to Germany again to visit Freiburg. In just a few kilometers, the culture, language, and some of the habits change, while we still have the convenience of a single currency, electric plugs, and other standards like controlled drinking water you can safely drink from the tap all over Europe.

With a lot of nonsense happening in the world these days, I just wanted to share some love for Europe. I still remember when my dad had to change currencies just to visit France, and he got checked at the border, which took extra time. That's all gone. If you live in a border area in Europe today, it's probably a common thing to hop over to the next country for shopping or to visit friends. Despite the problems Europe has to face, the countries I've recently visited have truly grown together. I'm starting to identify less as mainly German and more as European, and I think many others are, too.

What's a cross-border experience you've had in Europe that made you appreciate the continent? Share your stories in the comments!