Majestic, Cozy, Ancient and Vast: One Trip, Four Unforgettable Places

I have always believed that the best education happens outside of a classroom. Not because classrooms are not wonderful places, but because the world has a way of teaching you things that no textbook ever could. This trip reminded me of that in the most profound and humbling way. Over the course of a few weeks, I moved through four completely different corners of Europe, and each one left its mark on me in a way I am still processing. I would love to share a little of it with you.

London

London was everything I hoped it would be and then some. There is something about

walking through a city that has been continuously inhabited for thousands of years that puts your own life into quiet perspective. The museums, the architecture, the energy of the streets, all of it was extraordinary. But the moment that stopped me in my tracks was not in the city at all. It was about two hours outside of it, standing in a field in Wiltshire in front of Stonehenge.

I did not expect to be as moved as I was. I had seen pictures, of course. I thought I knew what to expect. But nothing quite prepares you for standing in front of something that ancient and feeling, in the most visceral way, like an absolute speck. Those stones have been standing for roughly five thousand years. They were there long before any of us arrived and they will be there long after we are gone. I stood there for a long time just trying to absorb that. It was one of those rare moments that makes you simultaneously feel very small and very grateful to be alive.

Val Thorens

From London we made our way to Val Thorens in the French Alps, the highest ski resort in Europe, and the landscape shift was staggering. One day I was standing in front of ancient stones on a misty English plain and the next I was surrounded by snow covered peaks that seemed to go on forever. Skiing at that altitude is an experience unlike any other. The air is sharp and clean, the runs are long and exhilarating, and the mountains have a way of demanding your full attention in a way that is almost meditative. There is no room for distraction when you are flying down a slope at that elevation. It is just you, the snow, and the mountain.

Zermatt

If Val Thorens was exhilarating, Zermatt was transcendent. The reason, of course, is the

Matterhorn. I have seen photographs of it my entire life and I still was not prepared for the reality of it. There is no word that quite captures it other than majestic, and even that feels insufficient. It is one of those things that you simply have to stand in front of to understand. The way it rises above everything around it, perfectly formed and almost impossibly dramatic, is the kind of sight that makes you go quiet. Our group kept stopping on the slopes just to look at it. Nobody had to say anything. It said everything itself. Zermatt as a village is also worth mentioning. It is car free, beautifully preserved, and has a warmth and charm that sneaks up on you. After a long day on the mountain, coming back into that village felt like being wrapped in something gentle and warm.

Alsace

Our final stop was the Alsace region of France, tucked along the border with Germany, and it was the perfect way to end the trip. Where the Alps had been dramatic and awe inspiring, Alsace was soft and storybook. Half timbered houses, winding cobblestone streets, window boxes overflowing even in the cold, and food. Oh, the food. The Alsace region has a culinary tradition that is deeply its own, a beautiful blend of French and German influences that shows up in every meal. We ate slowly and well, lingered over long dinners, and let the coziness of the place settle into us in a way that felt genuinely restorative.

There is a particular kind of warmth that certain places have, a quality that makes you feel held rather than just visited. Alsace has that in abundance. I left it feeling full in every sense of the word.

What I Brought Home

Every trip teaches you something if you let it. This one reminded me that curiosity is a practice, not a personality trait. It is something you have to keep choosing, keep feeding, keep saying yes to. The world is so much bigger and more varied and more astonishing than any one of us can fully take in, and that is not an overwhelming thought. It is an inspiring one. It is the thought I try to bring into every session with every student. Stay curious. Keep exploring. You never know what is going to make you feel like a speck in the best possible way.