My travelling experiences began with a phone conversation with my friend, George. As we chatted George told me how he had been to the local motor association to collect some maps of Canada and the US. When I wondered why he would need these, he said that because real travel isn’t recommended right now, he wanted to retrace some of the road trips that he had taken with his wife, Jean. George and Jean were great RV travellers and the conversation got me thinking about some of the road trips that Lyle and I have done in the past.
In particular, I remembered the three summers that Lyle and I bundled up our two young children into our small motor home, bunk beds, a cramped kitchen and a bike strapped to the back bumper, and set off for San Diego where Lyle was to do a summer university course. Our trips were in the summer and George and Jean were winter snowbirds, but our itineraries had much in common. It was good to remember. George still likes the idea of travelling. If it wasn’t for COVID, no doubt he would be cruising the Caribbean this month. Instead, at age 94, he is retracing memories, and oh yes, he is also doing a virtual walk along the Santiago Trail in Spain. George, you are an inspiration!
My next travel experience was only a few days later when Lyle and I were flipping through the TV channel guide. Lyle came across a program featuring cruise ships. Now in the summer of 2020, Lyle and I had planned to take a Baltic cruise. Obviously this was put on hold, and this past year, we were disappointed when we needed to cancel. I am quite sure that we will cancel again this year. In the meantime, the TV program of this past week followed the exact itinerary of the cruise that we had so carefully chosen nearly two years ago. It was great to see the different ports of call – Copenhagen, Talin, St. Petersburg, Berlin, and Stockholm. Not only that, this week we did it all in just one hour instead of the proposed twelve day cruise. Nevertheless, I am still hopeful that we will be able to take our chosen cruise in real time in 2023.
The highlight of my fortnight of travel was again a phone call – this time with my sister, Jill. I mentioned to Jill that since I had completed my UK virtual walk, I was now walking on the Cabot Trail. Jill, who lives in Australia, remembered a trip of years ago when together we had travelled to eastern Canada. I had only vague memories but Jill, who is diligent about recording her trips with both photographs and diaries, pulled out the appropriate travelogues. As she read her journal entries, we spent a great hour or so reliving that memorable trip. We began in London, Ontario where daughter Jennifer was studying and headed south. So far we have covered Niagara Falls, Boston, Salem, Maine, Halifax, the Cabot peninsula and PEI. On our next phone call, Jill has promised to read about our time in Quebec City and Ottawa. I can hardly wait.
Although this kind of memory and virtual travelling isn’t quite as much fun as the real thing, it is relatively inexpensive, worry free. and I haven’t even had to leave the house. I know that Lyle and I are fortunate to have seen all the parts of the world that we have done. Still, I am looking forward to the time when I can once again pack a suitcase and hit the road. Travelling is so much fun!
There is a picture with this post. The sun is shining and the Caribbean sky is blue. I am sitting on the sea wall in the foreground. A large cruise ship is in the background. Oh, those were the days! So many memories! Hopefully we will be travelling again soon.
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| Sue in front of a large cruise ship |
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