"Europe '04-'05" by jelw

My niece Tracy and I set off to for her first trip abroad. I had a feeling years ago that she would be the one to break my in-laws family mold. Their consistent motto seemed to be, if I didn’t loose anything there I have no reason to go. They all seemed to have an ingrained sense of nationalism. Now there is nothing wrong with being proud and happy with were you are. I just longed for a traveling companion. I had my eye on my eldest niece. She is bright, interesting and a great conversationalist. She challenges me mentally and vertically. This proud Auntie is happiest dusting off my traveling shoes.

Torrential rains, fog and winds have delayed the majority of flights from 2 to 4 hours. Ours somehow managed to make it out on time.
The two of us find our seats. I am hoping we have a single young man in the adjacent seat, for interesting conversation with my niece. Do be careful what you wish for. He is single & young the term interesting may be an understatement however. He sits & places his mp3 earphones on. For the most of the 7-hour flight he proceeds to use his plastic cup as some kind of demented percussion instrument. When he is not squeezing and banging it he gnaws it ala a puppy with a soda bottle. But wait he stops, adjusts his mp3 and Da Da it’s the Air Guitar, drumming and drink cup band revisited. Eventually we escape the one-man band and find our way into the airport. My journal entry reads, “It is now 4:15 am EST, I would have just turned off VT to grab 2 or 3 hours sleep.” We sit awaiting our transportation to our hotel.

We make our way through the lovely streets of Roma on our first night. Necks craning as we almost run so we may experience as much as possible during our brief visit. We arrive at the Pantheon and the Trevi fountain. I am watching my nieces face praying to see a sense of wonder wash over her. I am not disappointed. She has already fallen in love with this magnificent city. Even the many screamers with their flowers and photos that are “not for sale, just for an offering” don’t faze her. Like a duck to water she is a natural born traveler.

You are right there in the water, on the water, at the waters edge.
Moving, rolling, floating with a rthym that belongs to Venice and its 100's of isles.

The magnificent Alpine pass as you travel from Italy to Switzerland. The Dolomites. The Black Forest further on. This is a magical area... Abandoned castles and palaces on mountain tops, chalet nestled in the foothills. You can discover ancient towns with streets wide enough for a horse.

...in progress

...in progress