Summer Culture & Travel

[00:00:00] And as you can see, I hope you can see a different ear. What's a little different? That's right, we have Benef and Paul in the same location. We only have two screens this time.

[00:00:32] Look at this. These are two because we have the prize for you. But Paul came all the way from Paris to the show by the Burking colleagues, co-hosts and all that and they have to do so.

[00:00:48] So we're super, super excited to see you guys in the same space. I mean, I don't know if an F can you contain yourself here? I said to myself, if we're going to be in the same space, we're still, keep doing the wine, cheers, something.

[00:01:01] Air for cheers, something. Yes. Say it's on a clock at somewhere. Oh absolutely. At least apparently. And definitely in Paris, it's after five. That is true. That's right. We're going to have some wine.

[00:01:15] Yeah. Okay. Well, as you know, this our show is about all the misconceptions and the adventures as we're definitely having today. And we explore certainly cultural differences. And so Paul took us in a little journey this week. And we just actually just celebrated Memorial Day.

[00:01:36] And you know, in honor of that, Paul took some shrimps. Paul, you want to talk about your lovely trip to the Normandy area. Yes. Very France. Absolutely. And I'm, I'm just so I wanted to do this, you know, I've been a Normandy area many times before.

[00:01:54] Not many times, but a couple of times prior to and this trip I did was specifically focused on I'll mobbage, you know, where were two historical events and so on. And it means a lot to me being someone myself and benep as prior service retired military folks.

[00:02:17] I always wanted to go back. And this time it was even better than ever because they had more memorials. Everything was was perfectly done, and kudos to the French for this and being able to do a lot of this on my trip.

[00:02:35] I'm going to say I dragged some of my French friends along with me so that they get the experience. And even though I wanted to try to get them on camera to interview them. I had the, had some resisted. I had a lot of resisted. The French resisted.

[00:02:56] Same thing with that. A lot of resisted on this and I was kind of mad because there were saying so many good things, but this is where the culture part comes in a play. And it was literally they were even afraid to even be recorded just voice only.

[00:03:12] And it was because they felt more that they didn't want to offend anybody. I'm like, if you're telling your truth, how you offended people, it's your truth. But either way, I was able to still talk to them and get perception and get their reasons behind things.

[00:03:28] And I remember enough because it was fascinating to me on some of the things that they're saying. So for example, you know, I we started off with going to Omaha Beach was so surreal. And the fact that number one, they are our heroes. Okay, right. Right.

[00:03:48] The service members, the things that they've been through. The greatest generation. Yeah, I just can't imagine just being there and at that time and just the sacrifice that they made is unbelievable. I literally had to be mine.

[00:04:02] So you know, we sat, you know why I was talking to them about a lot of things as if they don't know this already. But some of the interesting conversations that we had.

[00:04:12] You know, made me kind of shopped of some of the things that they were saying. For example, one of my French friends was just saying I said hey what do you guys think about, you know.

[00:04:23] War were two and all the situations that are happening, you know they're like oh, I think this is great.

[00:04:28] However, I should go back a little bit and say some of the folks that were there which was surprising majority of the people that I thought I saw were Germans. So Germans that was there and a lot of older French people.

[00:04:44] And then I have the conversation to ask the question, you know, how come I don't see too many young folks that are here? Were the Germans younger or were they older? I think it was a lot of it was all ages. It was okay.

[00:04:57] The German, but it was interesting first of all there were ones. But they, they don't shy away from that part of their past. Exactly. And you mentioned that before, but now yeah.

[00:05:09] Yeah, I mean it's done, I mean because we had a German repair and they definitely know their history which I mean and I'll let you finish it, but I can't say the same for Japanese youth. Yeah.

[00:05:20] You know, it was one of those things where at least you know that whole saying if you don't remember your past, you're condemned to repeat it. And I thought really cool that they go there to seal this stuff, you know, and all that.

[00:05:33] But going back to my French friend, you know, he mentioned that he's afraid that the younger generation after generation next that is will not remember or care about what happened, you know, specifically on D day. You know, come June six.

[00:05:54] I should mention as come June six of this year, 2024 it will be the 80th anniversary of D day. Right. I mean and I was shocked when he said that they don't even really talk about it anymore in school. That's confusing. It's scary. That is very confusing. Yeah.

[00:06:13] They're not being going over their history. They've had so many, and more than that. And I agree and I thought, I'm like, weeping. What do you mean? I mean they talk about it. But maybe I'll be a little controversial by saying that.

[00:06:29] I feel like when they talk about it, it's like a three-pageer chapter is what it sounds like to me versus it's kind of like our history when it comes to when it comes to black history.

[00:06:44] Or a main of American history where it seems like it's just a glance through and then next chapter. So so. Yep. And I don't want to cut you off there because I know we're talking about we're specifically talking about learning.

[00:06:58] Okay, so as you both know, I've gone back to school as well. I've gone back to college and. And I actually had to study. Or more to I actually had to go through. I mean just some war, I went through all of it.

[00:07:13] It's like we're, it was everything. So it's really learned again at least in the United States if you're, if you have the purples you're going to college, you do have to study it. They do really great. I agree. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:07:29] I don't mean to cut you off either, but the thing is is that. I think we do a great job in making sure our kids know about our war war two. Yeah. We're great as one of the greatest battles we've ever had. Right.

[00:07:42] However, it was just shocking to me to know and it's true because I feel like. Even the younger French people that I saw that were there, I felt like they were being disrespectful. Right. I don't mean it to be trying to be rude.

[00:07:59] I'm just saying when I observed, for example, when I was at the cemetery, which was another surreal moment for me, to be able to just, I mean thousands and thousands of Americans, Canadians and British people passed away. And the cemetery was just beautifully done.

[00:08:18] And again, kudos to obviously America and French, France to put on such a great. You know, monuments and all this other good stuff. It was just gorgeous, but I was observing the people. And most of them, and I say they're French because they were talking French.

[00:08:36] I don't know if they were not. I'm just going to go with that. Right. I felt like they were there. But they were just, I felt like they were talking about everything else. But why they were there? Why they were there?

[00:08:49] Well, I mean, so that you bring up a good point because unless like for older people, that maybe remember, they were might have been children at that time. Or for people like you and me that were military or military historians,

[00:09:03] there's like a different feeling or a connection with battlefields that younger generations may be just so have. But I felt angry because of the fact that we both know about the purpose and the hard fighting on it.

[00:09:18] And I just felt like they were just going through the motions and not taking care of it. There wasn't, they may not have. There wasn't a, they just don't understand. Like that person of connection is there.

[00:09:28] I mean, how did you, did you feel like these groups were there? Would you feel like the groups that were there that they have? But person there was, I mean when you're thinking younger generation that they have. Someone else there, or was it a school trip?

[00:09:41] Well, it wasn't a school trip. It was friends of friends just hanging and grouping. And that's why I brought that up to my friend. And he's the one that mentioned that he feels that it's going to be obsolete where you learn it on your own.

[00:09:55] By doing what they're doing, by going to these things. So you think they just went to hang out because it was by the beach that day kind of thing? Yes and no. Because the people in the day even also had, which was really cool.

[00:10:10] They had, you know, our five-ton old World War II vehicles and stuff where you could go and do the ride. And all this other stuff. In the near. Yeah, you can actually go into those five-ton. Going to war and so on.

[00:10:26] But the people that I saw in there were either American, German or older French people because they have a better understanding and appreciation. Maybe I'm being over the top on what? Or over sensitive. That's the word I'm trying to figure out. And because here's another thing.

[00:10:47] A lot of the young Germans as well as young French, they try to shy away from the fact of the war because don't blame me. I was never there. That's our ancestors. Yeah. They will make sure to say this.

[00:11:02] And I think that that adds to the point my opinion, that adds to, okay, it's okay for me to not have to worry about it or think about it. I mean, I do think the Germans, it's like a collective responsibility to not repeat it.

[00:11:18] So even though they didn't like contribute to rounding up Jews and killing them, they have that, they feel that cultural responsibility to not do it again. That is true. That is true. I mean, the French I don't know.

[00:11:33] The Japanese don't appear to have the same concept because we did an officer professional development while I was stationed at your credit. I was stationed at your credit air base. And so we went to. Well, no, it wasn't that. But we went to the headquarters.

[00:11:49] The allied headquarters that where it was in that building in downtown Tokyo got to sit in the Carthers chair. We also went to this other museum which literally was about the size of this room here.

[00:12:01] Where they talked about the atrocities that the Japanese had done on prisoners of war. It like, like medical experiments. So removing arms and speech into the other side just to like, and we asked that question about, you know, do the young people get this information?

[00:12:20] And the Japanese woman was like, well, no, they don't really teach it. So they don't in fact know their history the way that they should.

[00:12:29] And this is the program because I just read an article in the Atlantic where there is the Korean church that's very much infiltrated into Japanese politics. And they will.

[00:12:43] Same people by telling them, this is what your country did. And the young people that don't know the history now feel ashamed and whole life. So then they get duped into the Korean church to make reparations for their atrocities done on the court.

[00:13:03] No, that's a good point you made because that's what I need when I'm talking about the younger generation of Germans. People that are not German or Europe, there are people angry at the Germans.

[00:13:15] And because of this, they, this is what I mean, the Germans are very good at remembering their history. But they're also very good at saying, look, it's not my fault. We don't accept what happened. They've tried to feel like they have to take a blame for it.

[00:13:33] And you're from your video. I mean, it's, it's a beautiful, absolutely beautiful place. It's funny, it's funny and it's funny. Which is, which is, you know, which is kind of, you know, hanging yang of exactly, I mean, could you imagine just the soldiers are storming onto that beach.

[00:13:48] That's, that's what's so crazy about that. Yes, just everything about that. And just to have that space, so common serene in your videos. So I got to go to Imanjima, which, you know, most people can't, you can't get through it because you had to take a military flight.

[00:14:07] And they have renamed the island from Imanjima to Iwoto. Why? Because they don't want the negative connotation of Imanjima. But that it goes with it. Yeah, but it's very true. And there's memorials on there. And it was, it was really neat to be there.

[00:14:25] So we went with military, but also with Japanese. There was the, you know, mixing together. So to have the Japanese and the Americans on the same beach. And of course, I'm like scooping up sand. And if like a little, yeah, like, there's not bad luck.

[00:14:47] Yeah, I was bad. Take this bearish with you. And I'm like, this is not the same damn sand from 75 years. No, but I've heard something like this before because it's the same thing I heard. Yes, I touched it. I touched it. Please.

[00:15:01] But what was interesting was that from the beach to where we were, that it was so steep and the sand was so deep and like, Yeah, I'm so full.

[00:15:14] And it would have just been impossible to get like they're firing at us that you're trying to get up there and exhausting. I was like, oh, that's how it really is known.

[00:15:23] But that's what it hit home for me when I went to Normandy because I was just saying it. It's a big open veto in English challenge. And there's no, there's no cover. There's just no cover. And you're just getting like literally picked off. It's off on like this.

[00:15:41] And yeah, and I one of the things that it just dawned on me is just before I talk about that, I need us shamelessly plug. Everyone should make it an effort to visit Normandy because that area with the war war two, you just need to do it.

[00:16:04] It doesn't have to be dormant Memorial Day. It doesn't have to be during veterans day just go. But there's bad of the old room or the old. Oh, it's all over. There is traveling to these things. Yeah. Why do we go exactly? Yeah.

[00:16:18] We just hope for me to do it because you know when we're in school is kind of boring when you don't. I'm just going to say. Go ahead. Yeah. No, well, I was just saying, I mean, it definitely does bring it to life.

[00:16:32] I mean, it does the fact that this is that I did have I did have to I did have to take those classes over. But the fact that I had trouble and I have been to various you know, I had been a battle feels before.

[00:16:43] It really digitally is easier to understand. It brings it to yes, you definitely get the connection between that.

[00:16:51] So as a young person if you happen to be, you know, doing this, you know, take your parents up on that, you know, and really kind of listen to that because it does bring the curriculum to life.

[00:17:01] So Paul, I mean, you know, to kind of, you know, you know, switched to here if there's a little bit. You know, as you were, you know, you were taking these trips for, you know, for a reason.

[00:17:11] I mean, and then I guess a lot of, you know, the French this month had been taking trips because, you know, it's kind of the start of the summer season, if you will right for a lot of French this month.

[00:17:22] But you know what it is, right? It's okay. Let's hurry to take a trip before the Americans go. Right before the big difference. This is why I actually did it prior to Memorial Day because I know it's just going to be it's going to be that right.

[00:17:36] Easy doing that that weekend. So, but I mean, again, I had to shamelessly plug go there. You will not be disappointed to be able to see it up front and just going into the bunkers where it was just unbelievable just to think of.

[00:17:55] I was sort of the start of your summer travel. It was not only that this is a good transition because it was, I wanted to make sure that I did everything that like I literally traced that word were to D day battle.

[00:18:10] To like step because then after that, I also did the fun parts of travel to Normandy where I also visited other cities. And I went to a couple of the cities which one of them you got to help me with been asked. So one of them.

[00:18:29] No, no, whoa, one of them was called. Hong Kong, a N. Say a E N. Yes, Hong Kong. And the other one was I'm going to have to spell it. B A Y E U X. By all. By all. Both of those cities. Yeah, by all.

[00:18:50] And beautiful gorgeous cities. And they were all told you about by all. You might have you may have. I just remember like I looked it up and I was like, oh, it's Renaissance. I want to say some Renaissance building. I tell I definitely tells you about that one.

[00:19:07] Yeah, it's gorgeous. Yeah. And just in the the bio tapestry. Oh, the bio bio bio. I really know how to pronounce. I'm sure the French is going to correct me. So I'm sure they will. I'm going to make sure I tag a minute too. It's beautiful.

[00:19:26] I'm like really in the corner. Yeah, 10. 16. Okay. And I think so it's just gorgeous. And there are known for also cider cheese. The Normandy region. Yeah. Come on. Come on. And I just enjoyed just it was just relaxing.

[00:19:47] Just enjoying the food and then I have to throw this out there. On the menu they had Chipmunker. Yeah. And I was absolutely impressed. So the problem I have with traveling to Europe in the summer is that it's super crowded. Yeah. Super annoying. Yeah. And like Italy overpaged.

[00:20:07] France, the UK. More southern Italy. There's just some cracks with the people. So I don't want to go to these countries when they're crowded with a bajillion American Duries. If I was to make a recommendation because I know this is like we said, the start of the country.

[00:20:24] People were think and this is my opinion again. I know travel agents, but I've been to damn there everywhere in Europe. That's true. Yeah. I've been the majority of the countries and a lot of cities.

[00:20:37] I would recommend it doesn't get a lot of talk about because most Americans and we're specifically talking about Americans is gets outside of your comfort zone and go to the East. So when I said East Warsaw Poland, Prague is awesome. Brought to Strava and in, um, okay, Slovakia.

[00:21:03] Because I'm a good friend. You know, saying about the second largest city that you should go there like Slovakia. And it's cheap like these things. Super cheaper and then the pass. Budapest. You know, yeah. Yeah.

[00:21:21] I would recommend and it's not as overcrowded with, you know, the brids or their Americans and Canadians and so on like this, it's you're going to get a bang for your buck. It's it's lovely places to go. The weather is great. It's not too hot.

[00:21:37] It's not too cold like an Italy. It's hot as hell. And sometimes stinky. But anyway. So I would recommend for your star and then the great thing about it. The train system in Europe is so welcome. I don't know, my gosh, it is so welcome. It's in.

[00:21:54] Oh, sure. I can train wherever to hell you train to go. Oh, I see from the home base. Yeah. Yeah. And then do that. Yeah. Well, I mean, so we have some top destinations. I mean, we have some dimension here. I mean, if and if you have to.

[00:22:11] Because obviously, people want to go to see these places, right? You know, you want to go to Italy. You want to go to France. You want to go to these places. If you're going to do this, I mean, you know, we highly recommend at least for us.

[00:22:22] We highly recommend that you do, you know, plan January 5th or even if you can, the year before and you're planning. I recommend personally if you're going to do these trips and you want to take them in the height of during this time.

[00:22:33] Go in a group travel try to try to get some friends of yours together and try to do like a. I'm a travel. I myself have used a group of top last sports dot com and travel like a student and they do a adult tours.

[00:22:45] If you get in any of those student travel companies that do adult tours, they cater to adults and it is a fabulous trip. And that way everything is already planned for you.

[00:22:55] Yeah, you go to all the sites, but you see a lot of things as a non tourist if you will. It's almost like you're a. It's not a price. I'm not, I'm not big on the tour. I know you're not.

[00:23:09] I'm not going to do everything that the group is. You do, no listen though, you do things as a group.

[00:23:16] But if this is your first time going, if you've never gone before, if you've gone to a city and this is the first time you've never gone to it before. It's kind of hard to do things, especially if you're not one. That we're being in. Being in bed.

[00:23:31] Yeah, I went to Portugal and Spain and I did I took a trip and it was eight. Eight of my friends, you know, a couple friends of mine and some college friends of mine that we went and we had a last. I mean like. Oh, good.

[00:23:46] Okay, if you're going in group with friends, people, yeah, that's right. Yeah, not necessarily people you don't know. I'm talking about a group of people. Yeah, that's travel with. That makes it.

[00:23:58] There are some there are some friends that you want to travel with and there's some friends you know. So, but I'm just saying that your group who you want to go with who are well traveled, who like to travel, right?

[00:24:09] And you go with some folks that you know and trust me, especially if it's you've never been there report. That's that's my biggest tip of my other business thing that I will say which surprised me was the River Turns. Yeah. Through the country. I've come to River Cruises.

[00:24:26] But no, let's see we did go with a group. So, wasn't me and just a bunch of like 80. Yeah. Like a bike. Like a bike. It was a bike for us. It was a bike for us. Yeah.

[00:24:36] Because you're well, and there's this thing that you know, ocean cruises, take you to countries. Yeah. And River Cruises take you through countries which is a different way. And you can see lands. Yeah. You don't even need to bail. Yeah. You can just run it to it.

[00:24:53] No, I, you don't want to show the park. No, that's the stereotype I've had and I've done the River. There were a lot of older people not going to look like. Exactly. But our group was younger and we brought the party.

[00:25:04] You know, and all the crew was like, this is something. Like, because like they were used to like, older. I would say. So then I, you're too lost. Because that's who could afford to go. Yeah. It's time to go. Yeah. Yeah. You're right. Yes. They are.

[00:25:21] I mean, to do it nice now. Then I would say then one of the recommendations and would be if you're going to do a group travel. Trisha, like you said yes. Better because when you first said it, I was like, I'm trying to go with no people.

[00:25:34] No, no, no, no, no. People, you know, yeah, people you know, because I'm so I'm slightly different because I'm such a spontaneous. Yeah. I like to say that. Like how many people want to go tomorrow? Yeah. Like right.

[00:25:49] I don't only just that, but even if I'm in a group. I don't know that I know. So you want to go off by yourself sometimes I just want to go off by myself because I don't want no one to do.

[00:25:57] Yes, but I always and I do say this would what I what I didn't get to say initially when I mentioned that is that I always build in extra time so that you can go off on your own. You have a day to do a private group.

[00:26:11] Thor if you want to do that or if you want to go take a, you know, you want to go revisit some place or there's a place that you get this or so just want to go to or you want downtime.

[00:26:19] I always build that these are adults you want that opportunity to be able to do that on your own so yes, I build that into the group trip.

[00:26:27] That's a bit of an opportunity because again, maybe because I'm selfish when it comes to where are you traveling this summer because you're the one that off the three of us that's like going to go the most.

[00:26:37] Well, because I'm right there and it's so for me, you know, if we're talking about Europe and Scandinavia. Yes, yes. So it's going to be exciting time for me because of the fact that the Olympics is in pop.

[00:26:49] Are you going to stay and yes, I am no I know the Parisians are you going to Airbnb your apartment because I what friends come up.

[00:26:59] Yeah, I have friends coming in and one of the things that I am I am going to be traveling in summer to the so but I think one of my hotspots is is I'm attending the Olympics as well some of the events.

[00:27:13] And so my goals this year is what I said was I'm spending more time to. I was never a big person that was like frances my it's beautiful because like an American we always say. Paris and the French Riviera but now I've been going into Germany.

[00:27:32] There's so many gems that I'm falling in love with France a lot. I love Germany, but I'm really falling in love with France and one of my goal is to this year is to go to all the major cities in France.

[00:27:46] So I'll be doing that as well as I will be also just doing weekend trips out east in Europe. To just get that party because it's so cheap to be able to do all that and then.

[00:28:04] You know go to the Janet Jackson Council afterwards. I have to put that in there. Hi, I'm Sarah's treasure.

[00:28:14] Yeah, hopefully yeah, hopefully because my my older starter has not been out of the country she has not been to Europe she's one one of the only kids it hasn't been on Europe and that's just because yeah so hopefully we will be coming to visit Paul and Paris.

[00:28:29] At the end of at the end of September. No, but I'm going to say whatever. So the end of September and then hopefully we'll be able to hop over to October fast fall. Then we can do that. Go and just and I'm happy to go to.

[00:28:44] Yeah, I'll play. So maybe we will maybe we'll do the on and champagne while we're there and maybe we'll hop over to England. I want to show our little bit. What do you do? I don't know that. But for a list of that. And a couple weeks.

[00:28:58] I'm going to the British version island. So I'm doing one of those camera and deals were. And it's not going to be. Yeah, so let's talk about. I mean this is our last episode guys. I mean we're season one.

[00:29:12] I mean I mean I think it's a nice one. I mean I mean I mean I think it's a nice one. I mean so I mean, I think it's I mean I think we have to you know other than drink to it.

[00:29:26] We have to kind of talk a little bit about that you know. You know, I'm sure. Oh God. Kind of must look a recap, you know, kind of the things that you know, I guess do some don't sir kind of what we what we learn.

[00:29:39] What we don't want to do what we've got to do. We've got to do some don't out there but. But it's a do some don'ts but. Yeah, like. Well I get I can say look for me.

[00:29:53] So excited that we were to do this all three to get together. Yeah.

[00:29:58] And work it you know on things that you know this podcast came about because we both all of us are passionate about you know doing a podcast and seeing how it is and and the work that goes into it.

[00:30:12] There's a miss hats with technology and all this other stuff. And it can make up or lack of it. It's a surprise of the things that you got to learn especially people. All in it. Right.

[00:30:27] And I was happy to have if our listeners have any ideas for yeah, or if you would like to share your stories even we always looking for people to share their stories on our. Yes, have variety and earth. For sure.

[00:30:42] Yeah, this is just made totally be for me. But if you know anyone that would be interested in sponsoring clubs because we would love to be able to review some travel opportunities out there.

[00:30:54] There's something if there's something out there that you see that you want to know more about but you're like hey, I don't want to do that but I know some people that work to travel. They would totally take advantage of that. We are being there game. So.

[00:31:08] And definitely definitely. Please like comment subscribe share we want to be able to grow our show and we want to be able to share more with you so. Thank you definitely for being with us today. And we look forward to your feedback. Thank you.