Taylor Swiftkirchen World Tour: Vota Edition
Germany doesn’t matter. My third direct circumnavigation of the earth doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters to my daughters is Taylor Swift.
I’ve come to that conclusion as I walk the streets of Swiftkirchen – the town of Gelsenkirchen temporarily renamed in honor of Ms. Swift – while my family waits in line at Veltins Arena for her appearance. I dropped them off at 7:30am for the show that starts at 7:30pm, and they were not even the first to arrive.
I arrived in Europe two weeks ago, to enjoy Budapest’s urban spa, meet friends in Bratislava, and break rules in Vienna. This brings my country count to 90, and since I started in Bangkok, and traveled via Lusaka, this will be my third time flying around Earth on the same trip.
Oh, I’ve circled the Earth a few times if you count all my miles traveled – I’m a million miler on United. Yet, I often go back and forth via the same path, rarely going all the way around this third rock from the sun in one swift direction.
I’m feeling accomplished by this little feat, but my kids couldn’t care. For them we are not here to enjoy Germany, and Taylor Swift is a great conclusion. We are going to see Taylor Swift, and Germany is a diversion. Or at least they are seeing her. While I took them to their first Swifty experience, this time, I am not invited.
That’s okay. There are plenty of things to do, like getting Taylor tattoos, drinking good beers, and surfing the English Garden – as long as you follow the rules. Hey, this is Germany after all!
Next stop is home. A welcome destination.