By Joshua Farnsworth
Most students spend Christmas at home around a warm fire with their family. With my parents serving a mission and my siblings scattered, I decided to backpack by myself through Eastern Europe during Christmas break.
My trip was a spur of the moment decision a few weeks before finals, but I managed to make arrangements and book flights in time. I do not speak a foreign language, and I did not know anybody in the countries I planned to visit, but I was too excited to be afraid of the unknown.
What I didn't know then was that this trip to Europe would be a life-changing experience that would teach me the true meaning of Christmas.
A long flight across the 'big pond' first brought me to Prague, the capital of Czech Republic. I discovered the kindness of the Czech people when a father and daughter from my flight offered me a ride to the city center.
I soon found that it takes a long time to navigate around the narrow cobblestone streets of Prague, not only because of the twists and turns, but also because every building looks like an antique work of art. After finding a suitable backpacker hostel, I quickly got to work discovering the enchantment of Prague by night. During the holiday season, the city sparkles with Christmas lights decorating markets, trees, bridges and buildings.
For me, the best way I saw Prague was purposely being lost with my camera. Postcard scenes and little treasures waited down every narrow alley.
Some of my best memories of traveling came from the friendships I made with locals and other travelers from around the world. Making friends with a Californian drummer proved to be profitable as we played our African drums in the streets of Prague for money.
Having been to many cities around the world, Prague topped my list with its marvelous architecture, low prices, safe streets and friendly people.
After taking the train south to Vienna, Austria, I was off to Budapest, Hungary. I hadn't planned on Budapest, but a last minute email from a friend serving in Iraq invited me to stay with his Hungarian in-laws.
I learned the true meaning of love and sacrifice from this selfless family. Even with little money, they treated me like royalty by giving me a place to stay, cooking me traditional Hungarian dishes, and taking me around to the sites.
Budapest is not quite as modern as many other European cities, but it makes up for it with beautiful buildings, good food, kind people and plenty of culture. English is not spoken nearly as much as in Western Europe, which makes communicating a bit difficult.
I was lucky to be in Budapest while the Monet art exhibit was in town. I also enjoyed the National Symphony orchestra and choir perform Handel's 'Messiah.' I was sad to leave the city and the wonderful family who had taken me in, but I had to move on. Luckily, I left with the lesson that to be Christian is to give with sacrifice.
On the comfortable train ride back to Vienna, I found myself becoming sick - not a comforting discovery to a traveler. Despite not feeling well, I was still excited to spend Christmas Eve with an LDS family, and several sets of missionaries, from a small town outside of Vienna. This special time reminded me of the traditional Christmas Eves of my youth that had long since passed.
My health declined, and I soon realized I had a case of the flu. The family I was staying with invited me to spend Christmas day with them as well. I decided that the flu was not going to keep me from experiencing Austria with my new friends. We walked around Vienna by night and attended a memorable midnight mass in the largest cathedral in Austria. I again saw the true meaning of Christmas as this family showed compassion to me in my time of need.
A couple of days later I found myself in the fairytale Austrian town of Salzburg. Famous for the filming site of the movie 'The Sound of Music' and birthplace of Mozart, this city's beautiful mountains set the background for a hilltop castle and numerous cathedrals. Even though prices were high, thrifty backpackers like myself were able to get by on a fairly low budget.
Money was not the only thing on my mind. Salzburg's romantic atmosphere reminded me that I was a lone man without a woman, so I escaped the torment by only spending one night.
Upon leaving, I took a train west into Munich, Germany. Crowded streets and shopping galore awaited me. I was not so fond of this city either, so I escaped a couple of hours south to the quaint Bavarian town of F?ssen. This area quickly became one of my favorite destinations.
Not far from this picturesque town's border lies the famous Neuschwanstein castle, former residence of 'Mad King' Ludwig II. Most people recognize Neuschwanstein as the fairytale castle, which Disneyland used as a model for their magic kingdom. After a couple of restful nights in a bed and breakfast, I was feeling much better. Traveling again seemed less like a chore and more like a vacation.
I sadly took my last European train ride traveling to the airport, where I spent a nearly sleepless night reflecting on the life-changing experiences that had come into my life. My faith had been restored in mankind. Sometimes people have the misconception that the world outside of our 'bubble' is full of badness. But I discovered that by looking past the smoking, drinking, drugs and immorality, most people have good hearts and are quick to show kindness to someone they hardly know.
I was touched by the sacrifice and compassion people give to one another. A new desire grew within my heart to step up to the example of love shown to me by these many wonderful people from all around the world.