A journey to Germany and The Netherlands didn’t produce many surprises, truth be told.
My wife and I know they are beautiful countries. We know that many — if not most — citizens of both countries speak English. We know that they generally like Americans.
We also assumed something about their view of international terrorists that might have been a bit overblown.
I, at least, had this notion that Europeans were outwardly, demonstrably fearful of terrorists. The media have portrayed the continent’s mood as wary, bordering on angry at the refugees who have gone there while fleeing oppression in the Middle East.
Donald Trump keeps talking here at home about that fear and he’s seeking to promote more of it among American voters as he seeks the presidency.
But here’s what we discovered.
We boarded a speedy train in Nuremberg, Germany on Sept. 10 bound for Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
We saw our share of Muslim women with their heads covered according to Islamic custom. Many of them were accompanied, I presume, by their spouses and children.
They sat quietly as the train sped toward Frankfurt and then on to Amsterdam.
Funny. They behaved, oh, quite normally.
The return trip on Sept. 14? Same thing. We changed trains in Hannover, Germany, where the terminal also had a number of Muslims scurrying about in search of their connection.
I didn’t spot a single shady-looking character among ’em.
Oh, and one more thing.
Not a single security agent demanded to rifle through my wife’s purse or demanded that I empty my pockets. Were the terminalsĀ devoid of security? Oh, no. We noticed the video cameras peering down on everyone as they walked through. We also saw our share of heavily armed uniformed personnel making sure all was well.
This element — the lack of hands-on enhanced security — proved to be the biggest surprise of our vacation. It wasn’t nearly as intense as I expected it to be, given the terror tragedy that has befallen Europe ever since 9/11.
I must say that it was a pleasant one, indeed.
Is there something to be said, therefore, about our politicians in the States — and one prominentĀ individual in particular — who keep stoking the embers of fear?