I keep a journal, as a matter of confession I keep a few journals… Spiritual, Prayer, Travel, General Stuff. I suppose it could be argued that my journaling is a little over the top. Now we’re keeping a blog site, which parenthetically is not that easy to do, so that we can share some of our experiences. We’re also hoping that through this experience the people that visit this humble little site might see something that interests them and will possibly head out to see the sights too.
I like to ask why. I’ve liked the basic interrogatives from the first day I learned about them, but “why??” is one of my favorites. Travel, especially now that we are entering an age in life that makes some things physically challenging, is not always easy. For Glenda and I there is a desire to see and experience different ways of life, different places and to learn what went on historically and culturally in other places around the world. Tours are good for information and taking the guess work out of the equation of travel, but tours take the experience of discovery away from the traveler. Speaking for me, being on a tour is (not always) like putting a bridle and saddle on a horse. Here we are, this is how much time we have, here’s your little tidbit of time to explore and we’ve done all the work for you… thanks bunches, why not just watch a film? Now this isn’t fare to those that organize trips, we know some folks that are absolutely spectacular at it. “Ships and Trips” has helped us out over and over are great people to work with, but… help me with the concept, why are you doing this?
Our “meanders”, as we call them, have come up with some real gems. It’s hard work, you have to think ahead, do some planning… but it’s worth it. Go on a tour once and a while, book tours while your meandering, but do give it a go alone too. Next time you get a chance to just take off give it a try. Take the bridle out of your mouth and just go north. When you live in Florida almost every is north, unless you speak Spanish or like diving. There will be bad experiences but like the hotel Wilmina in Berlin and the Carillon Historic Park in Dayton, some things will be “WOW” opportunities. Sitting on the piazza in Italy, the platz in Germany, the sidewalk cafe in Paris sipping your drink, watching the world pass by and thinking “this is really great” can be yours. Wear multi coloured socks, hang a camera around your neck, look like a tourist … wait, don’t do that, it won’t work well for the experience. But do something!!! Anything!!! There’s a world out there, much of it interesting.
