유럽여행1-출발

[Ashley]

My splendid trip 1                                                          September 29 

I have joined the study club and got along with my members for several years since I enrolled the KNOU (Korea National Open University). Studying the subjects related with the some countries, we have longed to visit to France and the UK. As the old saying goes “the man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones”, we made a plan to set aside some money every month for our trip. Fortunately, everyone was willing to agree to it. Though it was small amount money each month, we are happy. At first, we could take a great trip on Jejudo(the biggest island in Korea).

And then, we have saved money for another 2 years to go to Europe. Time flew like an arrow. It brought us to the maturity of our savings. At the beginning, our members wanted to stay in Europe for more than 15days, so we needed additional charge for the trip. In fact, I didn’t intend to join the trip because this plan didn’t agree with me. It meant I could give up the trip easily.

However, our plan was readjusted on each requirement. Finally, we got the final plan. Each had to give a little. The moment we made a final decision regarding the countries, days we would stay, and the date for leaving, all of us were excited and gave a shout of joy. We put down a deposit on our tour packages. We were supposed to transfer all the rest of it one week before we made a departure. 

I was a big pleasure to talk about plans of travel agency and to search for the blogs about the countries. Whenever I had free time, I read books and searched for the famous places on the internet to compensate my poor knowledge. I often imagine that I was walking in the nice exotic places where I found on the blogs. Needless to say, it put me at the top of the world for a while.

The big day was coming to me step by step. I made a shopping list. My friend found a good site for suitcases and ordered one for me. Waiting for it to be delivered was happiness and enjoyment. Immediately I saw it, my heart was pounding quickly. It hurried to lead me to the middle of the wonderful place. My mind was all charged with the trip. I couldn’t get it out of my mind every moment. Maybe preparing for a trip makes us much happier than the trip itself.

At last, the very day came when we had to remit the rest of money. We checked up our names again and sent money to the travel agency, Yellow Balloon. And then, we changed won into euro and dollars. (100?: 1, 50?: 4, 10?: 8, 5?: 4, 1$: 6)

I had to spend a whole week doing chores to reduce expected inconvenience from my temporary absence. A week passed in a flash.

After I checked up my list against my baggage again, I was waiting for dawn, turning over and over in bed. I must get up at 5 a.m. to take a limousine bus.

The first day (September, 3)

Wow! How fresh the morning air was!

There was a bus at the bus stop, waiting for the passengers. When I approached it to get on, the bus driver kindly greeted me, “Hello”, and he put my baggage in the bus trunk.

I took about one hour to get to Incheon International Airport. In fact, it was for the first time that I went there, though I live in Seoul.

The airport was very crowded with people and their baggage. My members had already arrived at our meeting point, M Counter, on the third floor. All of them looked flushed with excitement. 

After the travel agenct checked my name, he gave me a yellow name tag to wear on my baggage. There were a lot of people in front of the counter who I might make a trip with. Peddlers were busy tempting tourists with some belts, which is easy to bind our baggage tightly.

Though waiting was quite long it was also the sheer pleasure to us.

At last, the electronic display showed us that it was our turn for boarding. The speakers kept on twittering about my plane, HY512. Long lines were waiting for us.

Blond-haired flight attendants welcomed to us smiling brightly. This flight included a stopover in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. I had to spend about 6 hours enjoying in-flight meal and playing the computer games on the screen in front of me. I was getting more tired with time. The air in plane made my skin dry and flaking. After landing in Tashkent, I realized my skin worsened more.

We must go through boarding procedures one more time. The airport staff asked us to take off our shoes. Their appearances were stiff and formal. Some scenes in the books, especially ‘Kite Runner’, flash across my mind. We started to talk about it. After we passed the detection system, our tour guide asked us to form two groups, for Turkey and for Europe. Turkey team had to spend 3 hours hanging around here. Fortunately, we, Europe team, could take a rest for only one and half hour. We readjusted our watches because there is a four hour’s difference between Seoul and Tashkent. And then, I hurried to the bathroom and solved my skin’s problem. My condition was better.

No sooner had I turned on my cell phone, some text messages came flying in from KT Telecommunication Company, Diplomacy Department, Ministry of Foreign Affair and Trade, and so on. It made me definitely feel where I was.  

On the outside, the evening sunset was so glittering and beautiful that we were hanging around the airport. I got my condition with excitement. My plane left for Paris, my first destination.

When our airplane touched down at the airport, Charles de Gaulle Airport, it was already getting dark. The moment I took the first step on the famous place, I couldn’t but be touched by the airport silhouette. I said again and again “How wonderful!”.

It has three terminals for passengers and one terminal for cargo. It is the second most crowded and busier airport in Europe. They say 103 planes can stay there at the same time. It is the first airport named after human’s name, De Gaulle, who was once a president in France. They built it to commemorate his accomplishments in 1945.

Who is De Gaulle?

He is French pride and one of the most respected figures in France.

He was born at the small town, Lille, in 1890 as the third child among three sons and a daughter. His father taught French at a high school.

Family name, De Gaulle, comes from (is derived from) De Walle, which means a wall or a castle wall in Germanic.

He studied in Paris and then enrolled in Saint-Cyr(생시르) in 1908. When the First World War broke out, he was a sergeant first class. He got wounded in battle several times. Sadly, his soilders under his command were almost killed, and the rest including him were taken prisoner, while defending the Douaumont town in 1916. It was not until the war was over (November 11, 1919) that he came back to France, though he tried to escape 5 times.

He was promoted to colonel in 1937. By the time, the Second World War trigged on September 3, 1939, he had already served as a 507 regimental commander. He fought in numerous battles against German army. 

The prime minister, Reynaud(레노), appointed him Deputy Secretary of Defense, and his duty was to perform combined operations with the UK. However, the war situation was getting worse. The French troops kept pulling back.  Finally, Reynaud had to step down from his post. By claiming a ceasefire, Petain seized power instead of him.

De Gaulle, who desperately opposed his policy, left for the UK for a political asylum. He issued a letter of appeal to stage resistance to Germany to the end in the BBC (appeal du 18 juin). It made him the symbol of France.

He could organize French army thanks to Prime Minister Churchill’s assistance, and set up the temporary government. Overseas French settlements were incorporated into De Gaulle.  Resistances in the country formed a union.

A couple of days after Normandy Invasion came into action on June 6, 1944, he could come back to France. Eventually, France was liberated from Germany and could quickly take position of a victorious country with his power, preventing the US from military government.

Two years later, he disappeared from a stage of power.

The president, who faced an Algerian crisis, asked him to come back. He became the Prime Minister on June 1, 1958. The people elected him president in December. He completed Algerian independence, and tried to strengthen French position in the world.

1952년 작성된 드골대통령의 유서
나는 내 장례식이 꼴롱베에서 개최되기를 원한다. 내가 만약 다른 곳에서 죽는다면 아무런 공식적인 행사 없이 나를 내 집으로 옮겨야 할 것이다.
내 무덤은 이미 나의 딸 Anne이 묻혀 있는 곳이며, 언젠가 나의 부인이 묻힐 곳이 될 것이다. 비문에는 샤를르 드골(1890-,,,) 이외에 아무것도 쓰지 마라.
장례식은 나의 비서실이 지원하는 가운데 아주 간단하게 나의 아들, 딸, 사위, 며느리가 결정할 것이다. 나는 국장을 원하지 않는다. 대통령도, 장관도, 상 하원의장도, 어느 국가기관장도 참석하지 마라. 다만 군대만이 공식적으로 참석할 수 있다. 그러나 군대의 참석은 음악, 팡파르 등 없이 아주 검소한 차원에서 이루어져야 한다.  
교회나 혹은 어디서든지 간에 아무런 연설도 시행하지 마라. 의회에서 추도사를 하지 마라. 장례식 중에 나의 가족, 프랑스 해방 운동동료, 꼴롱베 시의회를 제외한 어느 누구에게도 지정 좌석을 만들지 마라. 프랑스 및 여타국가의 남자, 여자들은 본인들이 원할 경우 나의 무덤까지 나의 운구행렬을 따를 수 있다. 그러나 침묵 속에서 동행하기를 원한다. 나는 사전에 프랑스이건 외국이건 모든 훈장, 진급, 위엄, 표창, 작위를 거부할 것을 선언한다. 어느 것이건 수여된다면 이는 나의 마지막 의지를 훼손하는 것이 될 것이다.    

[Ashley]

게을러서 이제야 올립니다. 송구!
앞으로 분발할께요

[Ashley]

샘! 일년은 안걸렸죠 ? 헤헤

[manequine]

반갑네.@?

[스마일]

언니의 글! 저두 반갑네요 ㅋㅋㅋ

[버니]

부럽사와요^^ 베낭여행 해보고 싶었는데..언니처럼 실행을 해봐야겟어요...일단 적금 먼저 넣어야징~~
사진좀 올려주셔요~~

[musuri]

아~이럴수가~반가워요!언니길^^ 유럽~나의 로망~~부러워요!

[lina]

아... 프랑스에는 참 멋진 보물이 있었군요! '드골'이라고 하는...
항상 자유에는 댓가가 따르는 것 같아요. 거저 얻어지는 것은 아무것도 없죠~
애슐님 덕분에 멋진 여행 했습니다~
앞으로도 쭉~~~ 기대하고 있겠습니다! ^^

정말 오타... 2개
three sons and a daugher -> three sons and a daughter
When the First World Was -> When the First World War

[Ashley]

땡큐 언니!