Where In The World

Do you have the desire to see the world, but not the pleasure of doing so? Have you been bitten by the “Travel Bug” or is it preferable to be in the comfort of your own home? I am a mixture of both: there is the love to see new places and things, yet it is peaceful and comforting to be in my own surroundings. Lately, globetrotting has been on my mind. Perhaps I am thinking about traveling because my eldest has taken a trip abroad, solo, for the very first time. Maybe, because in a week, I will be visiting my former roommate from London. Although she lives in the USA, her home is far enough away for me to have to fly. The mixture of memories from our adventures together, combined with the fact that this will be the first long trip I have taken in 21 years, for fun and by myself, is exciting!

When my siblings and I were young, our parents introduced us to traveling, domestically and abroad.  The first trip I remember taking, not counting our yearly drives between Manitoba and Ontario, was to Alaska.  My father was an anthropologist. Alaska was central to all the research he had done for his PHD and the work he continued to do. Although I had lived in Kotzebue, AK at a very young age, I did not remember being there. Dad wanted us to see Alaska before the beauty was destroyed by a pipeline that was supposed to be built.

The summer of 1976 we left our cottage early to spend three weeks in Alaska. I was eight years old at the time and my memories are a little fragmented. These are the pieces of our voyage that I do recall: 

 
On our way to Alaska we stopped in Vancouver to see friends we knew from previous years We ate salmon and corn on the cob  An indoor pool was visited, where I jumped off a high diving board for the very first time

In Kotzebue, we watched Nadia Comăneci on the television as she won a gold medal,  at a house I don’t remember, but memories of the couple who owned it linger

Kivalina is the place I remember most A village on a small island  My family stayed in a house, that felt like home,  On this island, we…

…drank TANG  and played with the kids, from the village, under the midnight Sun

…Picked wild blueberries 

…looked for puppies under the houses

…Walked to the furthermost part of the land, that seemed like the edge of the world, and looked over an endless sea – Russia the nearest country

Last I remember how we spent a day with my namesake (my father’s best friend),in his boat on a river, going ashore and skipping rocks

Anchorage,  I don’t recall whether it was in the beginning or the end We were invited to dinner at someone’s house A friend of my parents or a friend of a friend?

The ferry took us to Seattle It felt like many days We probably stopped and saw some towns, But I only remember finger crocheting  a hairband

Over the years, our parents enabled us to see a world greater than our own back yard.  These are some of the  the places we went, but not all.

At age 11, France

In a cable-car we climbed up a mountain, where I stood at the top of the world with my very first camera.             

It was at the panoramic view of Mont Blanc where discovered that I am somewhat afraid of heights.

We drove past fields of poppies in the Loire Valley that my mother wanted to capture with her camera lens.

Escargot, turtle soup and crème caramel, were some of the delicacies tried; the first and last of these new tastes weren’t desirable to me.

Great Britain

I had just recovered from at terrible case of the chickenpox that only a 13 year old could have. As we traveled,  my sister and I shared a bed where (much to her chagrin) I left my scabs behind.

Through the highlands of Scotland we walked.

A “haunted” medieval castle was a place to stay, where we ate  dinner like the gentry in the Middle Ages…with our hands.

Then in Ireland, not a rest stop in sight. Some of us peed (unknowingly) in a patch of stinging nettles, just off the side of the road… can you imagine?

Hawaii…

…the very next year, an island state my grandparents had sailed to years before.  Their journey to Hawaii is where their love story began. My Ana and Apa took my family and my uncle there to celebrate a big anniversary.

We toured in a van, eight of us in all, to see the island and a volcano.

I recall a  pink hotel, attempting to surf, hours on the beach, and an excursion deep sea fishing.

We were fortunate.  The love to see and experience new places and cultures carried on after the family trips of my youth ended. In my late teens and through my twenties I loved traveling; this was during the late 1980’s-1990’s. Life was a lot different then: no social media, cell phones, or instant connection.  We actually had to write letters or postcards.  My correspondence typically started out: “I’m so sorry I haven’t written in a long time…” If our loved one’s were to hear our voice, the telephone office was the place to go: we would stand in line and wait until it was our turn to make a call.  I don’t remember why this was.  Some countries had readily available pay phones and a collect call could be made. 

Now, as my daughter is traveling with no one we know, no cellular data, and only the possibility of Wi-Fi connectivity there was some anxiety on my part. I heard from her within the first 24 hours.  My mother would go weeks without hearing from me…If I had only known the unease I must have caused!

As summer is starting, many of you hope to travel. With the rise in gas prices and airline issues this might not be possible. Although it is not the same as going on your own adventure, I will share some accounts of my trips; this will take place over several months with stories sprinkled in between (hopefully not just my own). For now, I invite you to play a game with pictures from some of my past excursions. This game called is called “where in the world”. It can only be played from my blog. Go to the comment section at the very bottom of the story. Depending on how you are viewing this, you might see “leave a reply” or “leave a comment”; this is where tell me the location you think the picture was taken. The photos are numbered. This what to do, if you want to guess: 1) write the number of the photo and 2) write the location where you think it was taken. There are no prizes, just the satisfaction that you are right! Good Luck!