Nearing the End

I can’t believe it’s been four months since I first came to Strasbourg. And now, my studies in Europe are nearing their completion. This will mark the end of my first trip abroad, and while I’ve seen and done so much, I find that as the date of my return flight to the United States nears I approach it with mixed emotions.




I’ve climbed the steps to the top of the Notre Dam de Strasbourg, which for hundreds of years was the tallest building in the world and continues to be a beautifully intricate and awesome reminder of what men can accomplish in the name of their faith. I’ve stood in the chambers of both the European Court of Human Rights and the European Court of Justice where Europeans have waged countless legal battles in the name of their civic religion – a dedication to human rights and fundamental freedoms for all. I’ve walked the cold and solemn grounds of Struthoff where tens of thousands of Jews, Gypsies, Roma, homosexuals, communists, socialists and others who refused to submit to Nazi domination died because men temporarily forgot the lessons of Kant and Christ. I’ve discussed the role of the military in European Integration and the prospects for a common European Defense Agency with a Polish colonel, a Norwegian colonel and a German general while visiting the Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Powers of Europe (SHAPE).




I’ve seen the Mona Lisa, the Wedding at Canaan, and Winged Victory. I’ve looked out over Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower and watched the sun set over Napoleon’s Tomb. I’ve said a prayer for departed friends and loved ones in Sacre Coeur, even though it’s been years since I’ve prayed. I’ve toured the Anne Frank House and the Museum of the French Resistance. I’ve survived a pub crawl through Amsterdam’s red light district and a visit to the Bulldog. I’ve stood in Rembrandt’s studio and watched an artist create an etching from an original Rembrandt plate. I’ve visited the Museum of Sex and the Atomium. I’ve seen enough opulent churches and cathedrals to write an entire blog just about them and I’ve seen castles so immense that they defy written explanation. I’ve strolled through the magnificent Muse d’Orsay, beheld the lavish La Fontaine Bartholdi and taken in the grandeur of the Grande Place.




I’ve learned about European politics and economics and gained an appreciation for the philosophical and historical roots of European integration. I’ve gained invaluable insight into international and supranational institutions that could never have been imparted to me in libraries or classrooms at home. I’ve marveled at the fact that the Alsatian region, once the source of some of the most destructive conflicts on the continent, has become the symbolic seat of the new European peace. I’ve had the privilege of sitting in bars and discussing the implications of EU policy with ordinary Europeans. And I’ve had the honor of studying what could prove to be an emerging political theory with the creator of that theory.




I’ve watched soccer matches in Irish pubs and sampled French, German and Alsatian cuisines. I’ve sat up until the small hours playing poker with Canadians and Columbians and I’ve learned, to my regret, that they don’t bluff. I’ve visited royal palaces, marveled at the verdant beauty of the French countryside in spring and called the centuries-old Chateau de Pourtales home for four months. After all I’ve seen and done I know that if I stayed for another year there would still be more to see and do. But still, there is a part of me that yearns to go home, in spite of all of this history and beauty. I’m glad I came and I hope I’ll come back. As I prepare to leave Europe I hope the cherished friendships I’ve made here will endure. Before I touch American soil again I will go to Paris (once more), Marseilles, Arles, Avignon, Nice, Cinque Terre and Rome and I plan to write one more entry about my experiences there. I am sure the places and things I will see in these cities will all be just as breathtakingly amazing as what I’ve already experienced and I know how incredibly lucky am to have the opportunity to go. But I also miss my friends and loved ones in Atlanta and I miss, for all its flaws, the familiarity of my city. Perhaps the most poignant lessons I’ve learned, after all, is that one can never stay too long from home and that while one should always to strive to experienc new things, one should never forget to appreciate what one already has.




Michael Shea
B.A. Political Science
First Year Master's Student
Georgia State EU Studies Program, Spring 2011