Well, we've been here three weeks now, and I'm struck by the oddity of Europe.  It's strange having so many languages and cultures in what is, for a Texan, such a small space.  The first weekend, we went to Rome, and I bought something at a small shop owned by an Asian woman, who was speaking something not Italian to her other employee.  She gave me my change, and I, out of habit, said, "danke," which is German for "thank you."  I stood there for a moment pondering the strange multicultural moment I'd just had: I, an American, was in Italy, speaking German to an Asian woman. 

Another thing I've enjoyed is the history and beauty around every corner here.  It seems Europe has an overabundance of those things.  For example, again in Rome, we turned a corner after we got off a bus and there was Trajan's column, just sitting out in the middle of everything, being all historical.  The first week, we visited an organic farm in Bonn, and our guide referred to a building on the property as "not that old, only from the early 1800s."  What?!  This farm had been in documented continuous use since the 700s AD.  And it's still there, being farmed, in the middle of the city, with everyone just going about their lives.  I still haven't gotten used to the weight of history here, and how people just take it in stride.