Traveling
In my last two blogs I wrote about travelling to the North Pole and to Antarctica. These are probably two of the more unusual destinations I’ve visited in my life. Now that the Pandemic is no longer considered a global emergency people have decided to travel again, and travel agents are preparing for a surge of summer activity.
Where are we all going? Personally, I’ve always enjoyed cruising. At the end of summer, I’ve scheduled a river cruise from St. Louis to Philadelphia. Cruising is great – you don’t have to pack and unpack every day, the scenery comes to you, and Daveen prefers a cruise without any waves, so a river cruise is perfect.
Last year we enjoyed a ten-night cruise on the Columbia River. Most of us are familiar with Lewis and Clark, the explorers known for leading an expedition through the Pacific Northwest. It’s hard for me to imagine a world in which a Boeing 747 could not fly you anywhere you wanted to go – even across the country or to another continent. And no Ferraris or Teslas or freeways or even maps – just horses and canoes and improvised wagons.
But because we have access to modern transportation, I’ve been fortunate to travel to many destinations. Some I’ve enjoyed visiting many times. These include:
- Edinburgh, Scotland. Fifty years ago, my dad introduced me to the annual Edinburg Festival in August, and I have returned often since then, usually seeing four or five theater performances in a single day.
- New York City. You might sense a pattern here. I mostly visit New York to attend the theater on (and occasionally off) Broadway.
- The perfect family vacation. Daveen and the children visit the beach. I remain in my hotel room fully dressed, covered with suntan lotion, and reading a book. No sunburn for me. (I was on the big island for the 1991 solar eclipse. Just as the moon began to block the sun, a cloud cover moved to obscure the view, so after considerable time and expense I found myself watching the solar eclipse on CNN).
If you don’t want to expose yourself to coughing strangers on an airplane right now, you might sponsor a “travel party,” where everyone attending describes one or two of their favorite vacation spots and shares a few photos and videos. Could be an interesting evening, and you’ll have even more ideas for your next vacation.
Meanwhile, I’m off on my next trip. It’s only 3 miles via car on easily navigated roads, to the Beverly Glen Deli for lunch with one of my sons.
Happy travels.
Alan