A Journey

My life has consisted of countless journeys.  I’ve travelled to India, South Korea, Maldives, Australia, Italy, Spain, Slovakia, France, Mexico, Brazil, Sweden, Scotland, Switzerland, all over the USA and way too many others to bore you with here.

Each journey has had its surprises of lost luggage, flight cancellations, bad weather, dolphins, sharks, missed taxis, food poisoning, parasitic infections, muggings, and hospitalization.

The journeys have been both spontaneous and planned with military precision.  I’ve packed everything but the kitchen sink and paid extra luggage penalties.  I’ve also gone with just the contents of my hand bag.

I’ve travelled on ferrys, planes (both big and small), trains (1^st and cattle class, day trip and overnight), sailed a yacht across the English Channel from Portsmouth to Cherbourg and a catamaran in the Indian Ocean.  I’ve driven overnight from Germany to Italy speeding down the autobahn and getting ripped off by an Italian toll booth operator. 

I’ve missed flights by seconds. I’ve missed flights by days.  I’ve been upgraded to first class for free.  I’ve stood on a packed train for 9 hours from Paris to Amsterdam more than once.

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting one of my very best friends on a flight to Australia.  She had the misfortune of being seated next to me 14 years ago and our conversation, started that day, has never ended.

I’ve cried through an entire journey returning to the land of my birth to attend my grandmother’s funeral.  It seemed the journey would never end and my tears would never stop.

I’ve sat in front of people who kicked my seat and drove me to distraction.  I’ve eaten the strongest cheese and freshest baguette with my mother and daughter returning from a dream trip to Paris.

I’ve smiled and giggled and had my expectations wildly exceeded on the journey of my honeymoon.  My heart was swollen with love and the promise of the brightest future.  I can’t remember ever being so happy in my entire life.

I’ve met so many interesting and some irritating people.

I’ve taken many journeys.  The greatest journey is the one I am still on:  the most unpredictable of all journeys.  My life.

There is no map.

I often get lost.

Not everyone is helpful when asking for directions.

I don’t always like where I am.

I don’t always know where I am going.

I take wrong turns.

I keep walking.

I’m not sure how I’m supposed to get there and the transportation is sometimes unreliable.

I’m travelling with an amazing group of people.

I am often surprised by what I find along the way.

The scenery is pretty good.

There is no tourist guidebook.

Some sites are massively over rated.

Tomorrow will surely bring a new adventure.