Tomorrow I am going to embark on my annual trip of healing.  After a three and a half month tax season, I need a week of being whisked away to somewhere tropic and far enough off the grid to allow me to be completely distracted.  I know where I will be for the next 9 days, my time of arrival and departure.  I even know the airlines and my seat assignment.  I owe this information to my planner of 39 years.  Fortunately, I have no idea what I will be doing each day.  That has been left to the moment and the mood and there in lies the adventure.

Life is a journey.  That, I admit, is a very overworked clique.  A journey is a trip, planned in advance, outfitted properly, and laid out in detail.  When our family travels, if my wife has anything to say about it, we are given the details far in advance.  She is after all a planner.  Her bags are already packed for this trip, heck they were packed a week ago.  The plane tickets are printed, and a folder, already inches thick, sits prominently on the counter with all the possible reservations neatly organized.  Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate this trait, though I probably don’t tell her often enough.  With any luck, she will hopefully read this blog and give me at least a few points for the credit bank.  But back to my point.  If we didn’t have her there to do this, God only knows where we would wind up if we even wound up anywhere.  You see, when I travel, I need to be kept on a short leash.  The best part of travel is not the flight, it is the airport with an unbelievable amount of sights, sounds and attractions to distract even the most disciplined wanderer.  To better understand that aspect of my character, read “Adventures in Grocery Shopping”.  Did I mention that my bags won’t pack themselves until Monday about 5:00 AM.  Plenty of time for our 7:30 departure from the tarmac.

So let’s talk about adventure.  My children learned long ago that when traveling with dad, sans mom, the trip is no longer a journey but has evolved into an adventure.  We will get the motel when we get there and it will be three star at best. We have discovered that the rating system represents the following conclusion learned over multiple three star experiences.  One star is given if the room has a window.  The second star is earned if the window opens or at least has a screen if you do open it.  The third star is earned for the presence of a TV, no flat screen, maybe cable, if lucky, actually working.  We will treat the motel as a place to sleep between the rest of the adventure.  Nothing will be planned out, reservations are for the weak at heart and pre-planning would just dampen the heightened state of anxiety.  My children have coined a mantra that makes their mother cringe.  “They have stores where we are going, don’t they?”  This last belief allows us to pack minutes before we leave in a backpack that couldn’t possible hold all the items we will need.  We will stop to resupply multiple times.  But all of this is the nature of adventure.  Its the impulsiveness that adds to the memories.

My wife has learned, okay conceded, that our travels need to be a combination of journey and adventure.  This is why, once we arrive at our tropical destination this week, the plans will cease for the next few days while the adventure takes over.  “Have faith”, I tell her, “we haven’t lost anyone yet”.

Life is a journey, and should be approached as such.  Great goals need good planning and enough discipline to stay the course.  But, lest you have missed the point, life is also an adventure, or at least can be.  Around every bend, around every corner, in every decision lies a bit of the unknown.  Follow your plan but don’t avoid the scenic route.  Let the journey find its course and enjoy the adventure along your way.  Life is good when properly seasoned with adventure.

Colombia journal day one:  Things I learned in a day

 

Just finished my first full day in Colombia and will record my thoughts while they are fresh in my mind.  It is amazing the things one can learn quickly when willing to pay attention in a foreign land.  The first thing I learned was that knowing even a little Spanish would have been very helpful.  Thankfully we had an incredible guide and interpreter with us.  Kathryn never ceases to amaze me with her ability to pick up the language as well as the local dialect.  It is hard to get a feel for things or be able to accomplish even simple tasks when the only Spanish I know is to tell them that I don’t know any Spanish.  The next thing I learned was that you need to get a handle on the currency.  Imagine my shock when I went to draw money from an ATM and the receipt comes back telling me that I have taken out $400,000 and my balance is $6,348,000.  Takes some getting used to when the sign says the soda is $800.  Good news, we’re getting that one under control with some improving math skills.  Lesson number three was that I may need the hair coloring after all.  When entering their state park, I was reminded that it was senior day and that since I clearly looked older than 60, I could get a discount.  The good news is that I entered the park almost for free, $7,000 vs $25,000 for the full price crowd.  What a deal.  Oh yeah, that’s just $4 after you do the math.  Then there was the papaya trick.  Turns out that papaya apparently smells like vomit to those without the right gene.  Of course if you can’t smell in the first place.  Needless to say I got to eat all the papaya, Kathryn and Bailey may have the smell gene but not the “I can eat papaya” gene.

 

What I really learned that was important is that Colombia is not the country so many Americans imagine it to be.  Where I pictured small little rural towns tucked far apart, I discovered Medellin with 3,000,000 people and nothing like I pictured it.  They have their own music and art, a beautiful city with an incredible transit system and a culture rich in its history.  The street vendors sell incredible juice drinks and the food is delicious.  Where we see drug cartels, they have done everything they can to rid their city and country of the problem.  Now if we would stop being such a demanding market for those drugs maybe things would improve even faster.  I am proud of Kathryn’s ability and willingness to step out of her comfortable life style and immerse her self in another culture and truly become a citizen of the country.  It is through her eyes that I can now learn all these lessons, especially the important ones.

 

Colombia journal day two:  And more lessons learned

 

Today proved to be an amazing day.  We spent the better part of it at a University held Aeisec event.  I got to watch and see what the group does and how Kathryn recruits.  The students who gathered to talk to the various delegates about their countries spent most of their time with us practicing their English and staring at the three Americans.  The number one question was always what do you think of Colombia?  With each new response I found myself naming something else.  I think I am most moved by their desire to know more about us.  It was a unique experience and a great way to better understand the Colombian culture.  Each group had a new place they wanted us to see.  They have so much pride in their country and they are a beautiful people.

 

In the morning, before the Aeisec event, we toured the downtown shopping district.  It is called Hueco (sounds like Wacko) and indeed lives up to its name.  It is a cacophony of color and noise as you weave through the streets full of kiosks and vendors.  I was overwhelmed but delighted.  From the number of stores carrying nothing but them, it is apparent that shoes seem to be the biggest commodity.  They were everywhere you looked with tennis shoes being the major variety.

 

We ended our day at the home of Kathryn’s boyfriend.  The hospitality was inspiring and the meal delicious.  We had practiced how to thank them and compliment the meal in anticipation and it was not premature.  The meal was authentic and served restaurant style which is how it is done in Colombia.  With some tasty Colombian beer and then fine Colombian coffee, the kind that would bring my wife to her knees, the meal was a feast.

 

One final lesson and one important to share.  When traveling by taxi, bus or auto, it is important to keep one’s eyes closed and all body parts inside the vehicle.  I would call it traffic but the word does not come close to conjuring up the proper image.  In Italy all roads lead to Rome.  In Colombia, all roads lead into your lane.  Leave eighteen inches and a motorcycle, one of a million on the streets, will occupy it.  Leave four feet and a bus will occupy it.  The motion is continuous and the speed menacing, but somehow it just keeps flowing.

 

And day two comes to a close.

 

 

Colombia journal day three:  Passing on the curve

 

We got to Kathryn’s school around 8 today.  We had taken a taxi and were not even out of the car when the chants of Kati, Kati, Kati started filling the air.  As we passed through the gates, she was literally mobbed by a host of small children.  What a way to start your teaching day.  Maybe kindergarten teachers get this treatment in America but not so much beyond that.  Here the value on education is so high and the opportunity to have someone teach them English is just so appreciated.

 

We spent the day with several classes ranging from year sixes up to the soon to graduate class of elevens with their proudly worn class of 2012 jackets.  We would do our presentations to the class and then they would break into groups and we would help them with their pronunciations as they read fairy tails in parts.  They were so shy but would then warm up and beg our help with the words.  They struggled in particular with past tense words as the “ed” is so difficult as well as the “th” sounds.  I am afraid that we lent a Midwest slang and accent to the whole process but they were so gracious.  They in turn tried to help us learn some Spanish and some hard pronunciations for us like the rolling double r sound.  They would all ask us to say the word and then roar in a great cascade of laughter.  Bailey even was asked by one of the year nines to present a quick math lesson.  She did not disappoint.  The day was an incredible experience and we talked about it for hours.

 

In the late afternoon we were driven along with Sister Irma and another teacher, Claudia, to a small town in the mountains.  The town was Santa Fe and was reached by driving over the mountain above Medellin.  The road was like any other mountain road, curvy and hanging on the edge at many points, but what an experience to take this trip Colombia style.  I spoke in an earlier journal entry of how insane the taxi and bus drivers are in the city, but this took it right to the edge.  Who would think of passing a vehicle uphill and on the curve?  The answer is apparently everyone!  I had the honor of the front seat on the way to Santa Fe and I just had to give up even watching and believe that they were so calm about it, that they make it seem completely normal.  To add further chaos to the mix, there were hundreds of motorcycles trying to share in this craziness and people casually walking the road as well.  All this while the busses and cars whizzed around at 50 miles an hour.  On the return trip, now in a bus, we got to witness some local color as one of the riders asked the bus to stop.  We were thinking he was merely exiting but he instead relieved himself on the side of the road and then climbed back aboard and we were back on our brake squealing ride.  All in all it was a beautiful trip and truly scenic and another of those days you must have in a foreign country to truly even begin to understand their way of life.  I’ll just never face a curve the same way again.

 

Colombia journal day four:  Butch and Sundance would have been proud

 

We headed for El Retiro early and traveled the hour into the mountains via bus.   We met up with the owner of a guide service and spent the morning with him learning about the region and actually ended up helping them with the town’s marketing campaign.  We were interviewed on film and then Kathryn interpreted for the viewers.  The region is known for its coffee, yes the fine Colombian kind.  You know, Juan Valdez.  We could not leave their offices without ample samples of some.  It is truly fine and that coming from me, a slouch at coffee drinking.  After a brief tour we were loaded onto our horses right in the town square and we were off.

 

Our guide, no habla inglas, was more than helpful.  Kathryn again stepped into the interpreter role and between the two of them we were well taken care of.  After a short ride down a back road, we entered the mountain meadows.  Sounds easy, but we were at the top of the mountain and spent the next hour working down steep grades to get to the valley below.  This is where my reference to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid comes in.  After all they ended their bank robbing careers in Colombia, so it was an easy step to feeling like we were in the movie.  The scenery was spectacular and after crossing a mountain stream repeatedly as we rode across the valley floor, we stopped for lunch in a meadow half way up the next ridge.

 

After resuming our ride we eventually worked our way through a long canyon and then back out of the mountains.  Now we could have just ridden back into town, but our guide decided we had done a great job for americanos and brought us to a cantina, where we tied up the horses and had our selves some Colombian drinks.  I would not do the name justice but it was a lot like tequila but much smoother.  After lingering about for almost an hour, expecting cowboys to saunter in at any minute, (and two actually did) we mounted back up and rode the rest of the way back to the town square.

 

Now this would have been enough to make the day a success, but more was in store.  The two gentlemen who had worked with us earlier, met us with Colombian coffee and a huge bouquet of flowers for Bailey and Kathryn.  After a tour of the markets in the square and a round of smooth Colombian cervezas, we had to bid them good bye.  They had practiced how to say good bye, and in halting English, told us it was a pleasure to meet us and of course asked us to come back.

 

This was the Colombia I was looking for.  We hold such a biased view of Colombia here in the states, but today and in fact all of the days so far, have shown us a beautiful country with proud and gracious people.  Where people told us to fear for our lives we in fact are having the time of our lives.  I will, with everyone I talk to, tell them what Colombia and its people are really like.  Today was like an exclamation mark.

 

Just a side note, I was originally going to title this planes, trains and automobiles.  We have now traveled by plane, train, taxi, bus and horse on this trip and we add paragliding tomorrow.  We only need a boat and a motorcycle to hit them all.

 

Colombia journal day five:  Fly like an eagle

 

To try to use words to describe what it is like to run off the edge of a mountain and then magically, serenely float into the sky is a pointless endeavor, but I will at least make the effort.

 

The day started early, as every day does here but today we are having some real anxiety issues that will need to become adrenaline if we are to go through with this day’s activity.  We are scheduled to paraglide from the top of one of the mountains above Medellin.  Our only solace is that Kathryn has already done it.  She is convincing us that it is a must to culminate our Colombia adventure.  With her guiding us, we set off for San Felix.  We will be over three thousand feet above the city of Medellin nestled in the valley below us.  The views we know will be spectacular but how do you overcome that pit in your stomach, aching to have you turn back.

 

We arrived in San Felix around ten and then waited for our pilots to arrive.  We watched as pair after pair dropped into the air from the peak above us.  It seemed so graceful that it gave us hope.  The pilots arrived about 30 minutes later and escorted us to the peak.  There we sensed the reality of it and the anxiety returned.  After another almost painful 20 minutes, we were told they were ready for us.  Fortunately they are so quick about the maneuver, “winds right we go”, that before we can even think about backing out we are strapped into our “chair”, a few quick instructions, “run then sit and I’ll do the rest”, and we are screaming toward the edge of the runway.  I use that word as it sounds so much more reassuring than edge of the mountain, a whole twenty yards away!

 

And then there is silence.  We are aloft and the sensation is to finally know what the birds feel.  I can feel the wind rushing through my canopy, my wings, and I see before me the entire world drifting far below me.  My thought was that we would start to sink earthward, there is gravity you know, but instead we start climbing higher.  The pilot effortlessly glides us over the landscape and picks and chooses where he wants us to go. We cross a canyon, sail over a waterfall, and silently slide past a village nestled high in a mountain valley just below the peak.  We pirouette and soar several times over the landing area before eventually gliding in to a soft landing just a few feet from where 30 minutes ago we had lifted off.  Jubilant I reach my hands to the sky and cheer for the sheer pleasure I have just experienced.  This 30 minutes will live a lifetime in my memories and will rank high as another great adventure shared.

 

Colombia journal day six:  What will I leave behind

 

Where do I begin with so many memories of this Country.  One that comes to mind immediately is the views of the city of Medellin nestled in the valley.  The houses rise up the mountain side to dizzying heights.  So high that the buses do not reach them.  The people must take gondola cars to reach the upper neighborhoods.  At night the lights from the city begin to glow in the downtown areas and then creep up the mountain side like a bowl being filled with milk.  The sight is so beautiful that you find yourself transfixed as it unfolds.

 

I will also leave behind the small villages, crowded around their town square as well as the rush of activity always present in that square.  The vendors with their colorful carts, the beautiful churches and the cantinas, all crowded around the square.  I will remember with fondness the two gentleman, Carlos and Franklin, whom we met in el Retiro.  They were so proud of their city and so gracious in taking us in.  When the evening finally had to end, we were saying goodbye to two new friends who insisted we had to come back.

 

I will miss waking up to the clouds rolling over the mountain tops and the noise of the city as it awakens.

 

I will leave behind the school children and their enthusiasm to learn English.  Their innocence and shyness just drew us in.  We left there with memories and images that will stay with us forever.

 

I will miss the street cafes and the delicious foods they serve.

 

I will even miss the metro and the hueco shopping district.  The sight of the metro teeming with people as it runs alongside the city streets in the night is somehow magical.  The fact that it can so quickly deliver you to the city’s sites, is so efficient.

 

But most of all I will leave behind the friends we made and the sights they were so proud to show us.  Colombia surprises you at every turn.  It is not what we are led to believe from the news.  I can forgive the media, for they only present the bad news from other countries, but one has to travel there and let the people and their culture surround you.  Stop being the tourist and try to become the citizen.  The surface peels away and the true nature of the country emerges.  I always feel just a little more worldly when I leave. I only hope that we left behind a better image of ourselves as well.

 

 

October 7,2011
Seville, Spain

We have left Seville after three days of getting reacquainted with Kathryn. I know she is still the same but she is clearly more worldly now. I know that is a cliche but it is true. She almost struggles with English now when we speak. She is thinking spanish and searching for the word usage in English instead of the other way around. What a different view of Spanish you get when immersed in the culture and yours is the language no one listens to.

Seville is beautiful. Really old world. Cobblestone narrow streets with shops and restaurants everywhere. One minute you are in a modern store the next at the foot of a monument (their words) dating back to the 11th century. The Muslim influence is everywhere. Even the orange trees, they are everywhere you go, are a transplant from the Morrocans.

We visited at length with Kathryn’s Spanish mother. She has had a major influence on Kathryn and all in a positive way. If Kathryn was liberal in her beliefs before, she has expanded her tolerance to a new and higher degree. She sees the world in a entirely new light.

We are riding the train now to Barcelona and enjoying the changing landscape of Spain. At 160 mph, I am envious of what this old world culture has. Damn our countless super highways, gas guzzling cars and ear deafening semis. The town centers are truly centers of activities. No malls, just plazas and social events. The country side is country, not cluttered with towns and burbs. Don’t get me wrong, I am still coming home and will become part of the system again, but it is nice to see the view from the other side of the street.

So on to Barcelona and yet another look at the Spanish culture. I cannot wait to get there and start the next leg.

October 9, 2011
Barcelona, Spain

We are on our last night in Barcelona and we have bid our travel agent, aka, Kathryn, a tearful goodbye, but not before touring the Castel and the Barcelona Olympic Village. Both were awesome and worth the walking it took to get around. We were able to take a gondola up to the Castel and the views were spectacular. The Olympic Village was impressive as well and was used for the 1992 Olympics.

We spent our first night in Barcelona doing a little shopping and then took in a flamenco show. We got to experience yet another mode of transportation by taking the subway home. We have now used a car, plane, bus, taxi, train and subway. Just have to find a boat. Saturday was spent sleeping in and then heading back to the town center for some serious shopping (Kathryn got me the european look). The rest of the day was spent touring the Gothic Cathedral and later at night the First Church of Guadi. The later church is still under construction (at least three years to go) and was begun in 1900. The architecture takes your breath away in these cathedrals. We completed the day with an incredible dinner in a cafe near the Gaudi Church. Such generous helpings of delicious food and then a complimentary shot of raspberry schnapps when we said we had no room for dessert. The waiter insisted.

This is my observation so far. The people of Spain are drawn to their city centers. Their history and culture is there and these are truly centers in every sense of the word. Our hotel was located on the Mediteranean Sea but the area was not populated like it would be in the states. It is simply somewhere to go. We build parking edifices in our downtowns and then wonder why no one uses mass transit. We build huge shopping malls and big box stores in the suburbs and wonder why no one goes downtown to shop. Though we will never change because it is our culture, the city center here is incredibly alive, attractive (witness the Guadi buildings downtown) and accessible and I. will certainly miss it when I get home.

We leave tomorrow for France. The train will take us to Bordeux but this time we will be on our own. Kathryn was our savior every where we have gone so far. Though Deb and I did single handedly manage to secure a taxi ride back to the hotel after seeing Kathryn off in hers, I would be lying if I didn’t admit to some fear when we tackle the rest of Spain and then France on our own. We have at least learned a lot of survival techniques from our time with Kathryn as our guide.

October 12, 2011
Boudreau, France

We are leaving Bordeaux and saying goodbye to yet another beautiful city. Though the hotel was very close to the train station, it was a good thirty minute walk to the downtown area. But the walk was easy and there were many things to see along the way, including the Miroir of Eau. This was a public fountain with a thin sheet of water over a one block area that reflected all of the buildings. Periodically there would be a mist effect that made the whole thing look like it was floating. We vowed to come back to it at night to see it under lights. The effort was worth the reward. It also afforded us the chance to take in a tavern on the boulevard and enjoy some leisure time waiting for dark.

We spent most of the day touring the shopping district and several cathedrals. They are big into the spires here and twin spires seem to denote the larger cathedrals. Pretty spectacular and they provide great landmarks as you are walking. We arrived on the main square just as a labor march formed up and I had all I could do to keep Deb from joining the protest. All in all we had a very eclectic day with a Spanish breakfast in a little cafe run by a very proud and friendly spainard, a french cafe lunch and an Italian supper. In between we tossed in a few pints at an English tavern. I must admit it was nice to hear spoken English, but like Kathryn, I almost didn’t understand it.

I guess my observation of Bordeaux is that it still had all the similarities with the cities in Spain. Life centers around the downtown area with it’s shops and cafes nestled in between the cathedrals. Bordeaux was more modern than Seville but less so than Barcelona. It hit me more from the aspect of it’s role in WWII. We visited a museum dedicated to the resistance and it really hit home. So unlike watching a movie of the same event. Here you could walk the same square and touch the walls of the buildings and for a moment, just a moment, have a real sense of how it felt.

We are a few hours from Paris now and our co-travelers are from Australia and very familiar with Paris. That means good conversation, great information and all in English!!!

October 12, 2011
Paris, France

We arrived in Paris around 4:30 and could already see the Eiffel Tower from the train. What a sensation. I am so jealous of the younger generation who now travel the world via a backpack. Why have I waited so long for this opportunity to be part of a much larger world than the one I grew up in.

Our trip in from Bordeaux again pointed out the virtues of Europe’s rail system. We shared a very comfortable compartment with another couple from Sydney, Australia (Phil and Jeanette, for the record) and the four hours flew by. What a comfortable way to travel.

We managed to squeeze in a nice dinner at a French bistro called Le Chartier and then walked up to the Basilque du Sacre Coeur. This was a huge white cathedral high above the city with an incredible view of Paris down below. It was a tough uphill and many stairs hike but worth the effort. We found a funicular (cable car) and enjoyed a nice scenic ride back to street level and then, after a successful map walk with encouragement from the IPad, we were back at the hotel and resting up for the busy two days ahead.

October 13, 2011
Paris, France

We spent a long first day touring Paris. We spent most of it walking and probably covered at least six miles. Our friends from the other day warned us not to get distracted as Paris offers something different around every corner. What a true statement. Every building is more incredible than the last and then suddenly you are standing in front of the Louvre, next minute you are graced with the elegance of the Eiffel Tower and another corner brings the Arc de Triomphe into view.

We did break up our walk with a city bus tour. It was one of those hop on and hop off services and it gave us a chance to get an overview for exploring later. Though we saw Notre Dame, we will tour it tomorrow along with the Louvre. We focused on the Arc of Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. We climbed to the terrace atop the arch and viewed the city from up high. Really an incredible monument. Both massive in scope and yet almost art like in it’s sculptured facade.

The Eiffel Tower is an entirely different story. The wait was about one and half hours but the experience was unbelievable. The structure is so massive and yet so totally delicate. It takes your breath away standing under the legs. Needless to say we decided to go all the way to the third deck. It is aptly titled “the summit”. Now I had been on the replica in Las Vegas and was impressed with the height, but this is the real deal and twice as high. The summit deck is above 1000 feet and the lattice work style leaves you feeling very vulnerable. I will admit that I had a serious case of vertigo going on but I survived. The views of Paris, simply breath taking. From the top, you get a completely different view of the city. The network of boulevards becomes obvious and the structure of the buildings look like puzzle pieces in a giant mosaic. To have shunned the line and the cost for that matter would have been a travesty. I can now mark it off my bucket list but would repeat it in a heart beat.

We finished the day with a boat trip down the Seine and then a nice meal in a sidewalk cafe. We directed our walk back home past the Arc de Triomphe one more time to view it in it’s splendor under the night lights of Paris.

Yesterday we were in Paris, today we experienced it. I look forward to tomorrow and the chance to see the Louvre and at least some of it’s incredible art.

October 14, 2011
Paris, France

Beautiful sunny day but cool. We slept in a little this morning and then after breakfast in the hotel, we walked to the Louvre. The size of this building is impossible to describe. Once the palace for the French kings, it sits majestically spread out along the banks of the Seine like a lion with it’s paws outstretched. As you look down the long gardens boulevard, you can see the Grand Palaise and the Arc de Triomphe gracing the end. As we went inside we had to decide which wing we would tour. The decision was not really that hard as we wanted at the very least to see the Mona Lisa painting. We accomplished that and quite a bit more in the four hours we spent inside. The building with it’s multiple levels within a single floor, had us so turned around it took us nearly fifteen minutes and two guides just to find our way back out. The Paris city streets were actually easier to navigate. We managed to see many famous paintings by Italian and French artists as well as an incredible display of ancient and medieval sculptures. We spent quite some time in the Egyptian section where many sarcophagus and funerarie artifacts were displayed along with their jewelry items and calligraphy tablets. Even having now been there, it is hard to imagine the amount of total items that are being displayed or stored.

Once we left the Louvre, we took the walk along the terraces on the Seine and worked our way to the island where Notre Dame is located. Built in the 1200’s, it is one of the most iconic cathedrals. We climbed the towers to the rooftop and even got inside the bell tower. I must admit I was looking for Quasimodo to appear at any moment. A gentleman I was walking with reminded me that these were the same stairs walked by Napoleon himself! That truly puts perspective on the age and significance of these buildings.

So eventually it all had to end. In my effort to be romantic, we finished our Paris trip with dinner at the Trocadaro Cafe including some wine and creme broule while watching the illumination of the Eiffel Tower just across the street. After dinner we walked out on the terrace and took way too many pictures of the tower but it was still nearly impossible to turn away and head back to the hotel. I must have stopped a half dozen times for “just one more look”.

I did make a wish in Paris and it was that both Bailey and Kathryn will get to Paris in their lifetime.

October 15, 2011
Leaving Paris

We boarded the Eurostar for London this morning and are now underway. Just a few more hours in France and we will tour them from the window of our train. It was quite cold this morning, 37 degrees. Probably time to reflect on our hotel stays. Best location had to be Seville with us right in the heart of the city. Fanciest I will give to Barcelona as well as best towels. Barcelona managed to make us use the subway system as it was way out by the beach but that helped us handle the Metro in Paris. Bordeaux receives the award for the most comfortable bed. Apparently Spain does not believe in people sleeping together, at least not in hotels. Either that or they figure a twin bed is a cozy sleep for two. France on the other hand espouses to the bigger is better and far more romantic. Our hotel in Paris will get the best shower so far award. There was more room in the bathroom than the bedroom but all in all a pretty good location and a nice staff. It was by far the quaintest of the lot.

October 15, 2011
Crossing into England

We just cleared the English Channel via the Chunnel and are now on English soil. I was thinking about the two countries we have just left and felt like making a few observations.

When you are an American about to travel abroad, you hear so many opinions about the people you will encounter. I had been told that the Spanish people would be the friendlier and that the French might be far less so. I found little difference between the two. Their cultures are different in part due to the climate as well as the locale, but both were friendly and helpful. When you are over here you tend to stick out because of the clothes we wear even before we open our mouth to speak. We are tourists and as such will be treated with some degree of indifference by anyone not involved in tourism. I know that we behave no differently toward tourist in our own country. It does make you commit to behaving differently once you go home. The problem is, how long does that last? If I had to describe a difference between Spain and France, it would be that the French, and that would be in Paris, were more serious and business like. But as I stated, locale effects culture and we were in one of the largest cities in the world when we were here in Paris. The one striking similarity that I observed is that they enjoy the act of eating out in the same manner. They actually make it an art and take it very seriously. In America it is all about the speed of the service. In Europe, it is all about the slowness. Everything slows down when one enters a restaurant or cafe. The courses are spaced out and to ask for the check is almost insulting. One must have some more coffee and wine before they are allowed to leave. I will miss this aspect along with the ability to walk to everything you need. Life slows down here and they seem to live longer.

October 15 2011
London, England

We are here. We have now been in the capital of three countries, Madrid, Paris and now London. Not knowing quite what to expect, we take the taxi always watching for familiar sites. Other than recognizable names, we don’t see anynthing until we are almost to the hotel, and then there is Buckingham Palace. It really does take us by surprise. After checking into our hotel, the best so far in pretty much all my previous categories, we decide not to waste any time. We hopped on one of the many tour buses and started to journey around the famous sites. I think the most impressive are Big Ben and the Tower Bridge. They are after all so iconic and are what you think of when you are picturing London.

We ride the bus around and then get off at Trafalgar Square. From here it is a reasonably short walk (everything seems reasonable now) to Big Ben and the London Eye. The sight of Big Ben is mesmerizing. I am again taking way too many pictures. After a walk across Westminster Bridge, we are at the London Eye. The timing was perfect as we got on just as the sun was setting. By the time we reached the top, it was night and all of London lie lit up below us. What an incredible mechanism and awesome sight. You are told how slowly it moves, one revolution takes 30 minutes, but it is back around all too fast.

We finished our evening with dinner in a London pub near our hotel. We were warned to enjoy the food everywhere else and though ample it lived up to that billing.

October 16, 2011
London, England

We got up early today and walked through James Park by Buckingham Palace and then back down to the Eye where we picked up our boat ride for the tour on the Thames River. It was quite a long trip and went all the way from Big Ben in Westminster to the Olympic areas out in Greenwich. London will host the Olympics in 2012 and you can see signs around the city of the building going on.

On the way back up river, we got off at the Tower of London and did the guided walking tour with a real Beefeater. It was very entertaining and quite a lot of history. The beheadings that took place here are hard to fathom. Especially when they include the likes of Anne Bolynn, the wife of Henry VIII, a would be queen in Jane Grey and Saint Thomas Moore. I guess when you piss off the royalty it doesn’t matter too much who you are. Very gruesome!

We spent the next hour or so taking the scenic river walk including Winston Churchill’s residence at 10 Downing Street on the way back to Trafalgar Square where we grabbed fish and chips at a local pub and then hit a second pub for a late night dessert.

October 17, 2011
Heathrow Airport

I managed to convince Deb to take the underground, or tube as it is called, to the airport. Of course this did not come without a dry run last night just to walk her through the steps. She is sitting across from me, clutching her bag as if she is sitting between five finger George and Jack the Ripper. In reality we are surrounded by men in business suits and a gaggle of school children all in their prim and proper uniforms. Oh well, small steps. By the end she actually felt we should encourage Kathryn to use this diabolical mode of transportation as she travels Europe later on.

I guess all good adventures eventually do end and so will ours. Unless something incredibly exciting or noteworthy happens in our flight home, this will be my last entry.

As we sit here waiting for a plane, I wish it were some how the train instead. I can’t tell you enough how nice it is to travel that way. Besides the scenery, check in and out is so uncomplicated and the ride is so comfortable. Best of all, the train affords you time to reflect as you watch the country side slide by outside your window.

Compare this to a plane. You are crammed into a too small seat and carried up to an altitude where everything is obscurely tiny if you have any view of it at all. My views have generally been of the engine which allows me to wonder if the screaming noise will eventually end in an explosion as the whole works comes tearing off. Conversation, are you kidding, I have to compete with the screaming engine. This is one area where progress is not so impressive, other than the fact that they can get an unbelievably heavy and ackward looking machine to actually fly, I don’t even believe that I save time. The train takes me to the center of the city where I can walk or metro to my hotel while the plane drops me off somewhere in the nearby countryside. From here I can load everything I actually am able to retrieve from the conveyor belt and throw it into a cab to pay by the agonizing minute, try sitting patiently in traffic with the meter running, just to reach my actual destination. But who am I kidding, I doubt they will figure out how to run trains across the ocean anytime soon so I will stop my whining and accept “progress”.

When we set out to do this, we were going to just do two cities in Spain. As it expanded to five cities and three countries, I am sure people questioned our sanity. I know I did! In retrospect, I do not regret it at all. I know that we certainly didn’t see everything available within a city, but we saw wonderful things and so many diverse cultures. If one is willing to take the risk and just step out into the adventure, you can experience so much within a short amount of time. I am exhausted but fulfilled. I will have memories that last my remaining lifetime and what a shame if I had been so close and missed the chance.