Travel With Betsy

Before I left for my trip, a friend of mine asked me, “What’s the one thing that stands out for you when you travel? Is there one thing that you enjoy the most?”

I had to give this some thought. There are so many things that make travel meaningful for me, that it would be hard to pick just one thing. But, as I review my experiences, there is a common thread that bubbles up to the top. “It’s the food.” Some of my fondest memories of trips revolve around eating….or not, the locations of places that I have eaten, the experiences I have had while eating, the people I have met at restaurants, the food itself, and sometimes all of these things together. I like to “connect” with people and places and fully immerse myself in the culture of the areas that I visit. Food is such a big part of the local culture that it acts as a “connector” in many ways. It helps one understand the lifestyles of the local people and their history and, many times, reflects the forward progress of the local area through the variety of restaurants and foods that area available. Food can tell you a lot about an area…..and is just plain fun!

On the first days of the trip here in Berlin, I have already made some connections through food. Berlin, as it turns out, has a wide variety of restaurants available. In the last years since the wall was taken down, Berlin has evolved as a real culinary center. Every type of ethnic food that you can imagine is available and there are several Michelin rated restaurants now. In fact, Mike thinks there are more Michelin rated restaurants here than in any other city. I’m not sure if that’s true or not, but it’s quite an impressive collection. Berlin is making positive forward progress in food while managing to keep its traditional roots in place as well. Kudos!

Last night, we went to a typical German restaurant, a pub really, for our first dinner of the trip. I had forgotten how hearty the German food is…..and the beer. We both had a mound of spectacular “comfort” food, each of which was enough to feed a family of 4 and still have leftovers. I had one of those dark beers that the Germans are famous for. Tasty stuff! This was some of the best German food I have had, and I have had a lot……and cooked some as well. YUM!!

Here’s the part about “connecting”. Yesterday, Berlin hosted the Berlin Marathon. Runners and bikers from all over the world converged here to participate in this race. The numbers were impressive. While I was waiting for Mike to arrive and for my hotel room to be ready, I walked to the Unter Den Linden, the main drag here in Berlin, to get a lay of the land and view some of the race. I did more than view the race. I became part of the community of people who were cheering on the runners. I found myself clapping and cheering as the fatigued participants passed by. There were some interesting people in the race. Most people were running, but there were some people on bycycles as well. I saw two men with no legs on specially made bycycles pedaling to the finish with their hands and arms. It was easy to get swept up in the excitement! I was standing near the end of the race. There was music playing, a group of cheerleaders with pompons calling words of encouragement, someone from a local radio station with a microphone calling out words of encouragement, and lots of clapping as participants moved forward. It was very moving.

When we went to dinner last night, some of the runners were in the restaurant having dinner. They continued to carry on the enthusiasm of the day….singing and laughing. Every now and then one of the men would break into a loud chant. The others would follow suit and laugh. I found myself cheering them on, congratulating them and encouraging them to celebrate their success. The people next to us, who were close enough to touch, were also engaged. The German pub atmosphere promotes this kind of raucous celebration that pulls people in. That’s what I mean about food and connecting. I felt like I was a part of the celebration. Fun times!

Today, we spent some time walking the city of Berlin. We visited checkpoint Charlie, the checkpoint of movement between east and west Berlin. We viewed many monuments to the people who were persecuted by the Nazis and read stories of people who were killed trying to escape from communist East Berlin. We walked past pieces of the Berlin wall that were still standing. There were also pieces of the wall on view that had been given to artists around the world to use as a canvas to share their thoughts about the past and the future of Berlin and the world. We walked past the Reichstag. All very moving. We will learn more about the history of Berlin as we tour this week, and I have a feeling that we will be moved in ways we can’t even imagine right now. But, it’s more than the memorials and buildings. There is a feeling here of a place that has taken a tumultuous past and is using it to move forward in a positive direction. This also pulls you in, but in a different way.

So, in answer to my friend’s question about what stands out for me…..I still like the food answer. But, maybe it’s something else, too. And, maybe it’s different in each place. I’ll be thinking about this as we travel on. I’ll let you know if I change my mind.

Well, here I am, ready for another great adventure!

Thanks to years of traveling for work and accumulating frequent flyer miles, I was able to start this leg of the trip in Business Class. I have to say, it beats the heck out of sitting in coach. I also have to say that I have now exhausted all of my American Airlines points, so this will be the last time I can do this with American (or Air Berlin, with whom I am traveling to Berlin), unless, of course, I get another job that requires travel. Could happen….probably not.

As you might guess, I am taking advantage of all of the benefits and amenities afforded one with Business Class status. As such, I am at the airport in Miami and sitting in the “club” reserved for Business Class customers and other important people. I’m having a beer and some snacks and really feeling pretty darn good!

Here’s a brief run down of our travels for the next few weeks. Mike actually left last week to meet his good friend in Italy…said he needed some male bonding time before spending the next few weeks with the likes of me…..Hey, what’s up with that?!!

Anyway, I am on my way to our first destination in Berlin to meet Mike. I’m still having some trouble with my back, so I decided (along with the schedulers at American airlines) that I would break up the trip with an overnight stop in Miami. Again, thanks to the Marriott boys for having dependable and consistent hotels in every location. I’m racking up points as we speak! YIPPEE! There are a few free hotel stays in my horizon.

I’m happy to report that I did not need to visit Mt. Sinai Hospital in Miami on this trip, as I did on the January adventure. No men, and I really didn’t have enough time to get into any real trouble….(but, wait, the trip is just beginning).

I will say that I did encounter a family of 7 this morning at the Marriott that were traveling with more luggage than I have ever seen in my life. I have 1 bag and a carry on for about 1.5 months of travel with varying weather and levels of formality. People really need to learn to pack better.

But, I digress…back to the actual trip. On Monday, Gene and Carrie (that you met in a prior trip) will be joining us for a time. Together, we will visit Berlin, Hamburg, Prague, Vienna, Bolzano and the Dolomite region in Italy, and Venice. Mike and I will stay on to see Rome and then hop on a ship where we will see the Canary Islands, St. Kitts and St. Martin before heading back to Miami and then home.

WHEW!! I’m exhausted already, but in a good way…

As it turns out, I was the primary party planner for this trip. Surprise! What a job! First, there’s the overall plan…where do you want to go and when. Then, there is the task of filling in the holes. There is so much to do in all of these locations, but of course, one can’t do everything. So, choices must be made, then hotels arranged and reservations for fun activities completed. It’s really a lot of work. With this level of activity, I really don’t need to seek out employment. I can just plan trips into eternity! One thing I can say is that this type of trip requires all of the skills I have gathered in my years of working…organization, common sense, a sense of humor…..definitely a sense of humor….HA!

Gene and I were still making hotel reservations and car rental arrangements at 5:00 pm on Thursday, the day before I left. Finally, I talked to Gene and said that I just really need to be done now. He made the final reservation. OOPS…..I heard from Gene this morning in my Marriott hotel room. He’s still working on the car. Can’t do any more right now. I’m sure he has it well in hand! Thanks, Gene.

In the short time I have been away, I have already heard the stories of about 3 people. I don’t know if I have mentioned this before, but everyone talks to me…..perfect strangers sit down next to me on planes, shuttles, etc. and tell me about the most intimate details of their lives…..just pour their hearts out. I must look very friendly…..or very dumb. Maybe they think I am deaf and I won’t hear them. Whatever, I still hear the stories. Truth be told, I enjoy it unless I need sleep…

On the way to our destination on the last trip, I sat next to a Syrian woman who literally talked to me for the entire 5 hours trip about how horrible Obama is and what a great country she lives in. She showed me pictures, introduced me to her family, gave me her first born…..

On our way back, I sat next to a young Pakistani man. When I sat down next to him, he looked at me and said, “My life is really messed up.” Oh boy…..he had just gotten married to a Pakistani woman a few years older than him. It was an arranged marriage. He had met her twice. He wanted to know if I thought it would be OK. I told him I didn’t know, but it could certainly work out just fine. I felt sorry for him. Poor guy.

So, on my shuttle ride from Santa Maria to LAX yesterday I met a few more people. No real sad stories this time, just stories. By the way, for those of you who live in the central coast, the shuttle is the way to go. Door to door service in about 3.5 hours…great!

First, there was a woman who was traveling to Rouen to take french lessons. She will meet her friends there and will stay with a french woman who speaks no english while she attends classes….real immersion. I have wanted to do this for years, and I now have the information to make this happen! Very exciting! As we were talking, the woman in the seat behind us piped in to tell us that she was a high school and junior college teacher of french and spanish. She is fluent. I think this is a sign that I should be doing a french immersion…..on my list for next year!

The second person was going to Hawaii to visit her grand daughter and help her to celebrate her 1st birthday. As you have all probably heard by now, we have just had our 2nd grandchild. So, there was lots to talk about.

The third person was a an older man that rode on the shuttle with me. He actually found me at my check in gate. He was going out of an adjacent gate and thought he would sit down to chat with me. Nice guy…and interesting. He has done a lot of work with the space program and was involved with the space museum that was supposed to go up at Vandenburg. Heard all about that. He is also recovering from lung cancer that was treated this year, which has cramped his style. He’s still not feeling like himself. But, he’s still out there doing things. I give him a lot of credit.

This last one gave me pause for thought. You never know when you will not be able to do the things you love because of health, money, circumstances, etc. So, when you get the chance to do what you love, you really need to take the opportunity to do it. You just never know.

So, from the airport in Miami….”Following My Bliss”…

See you in Berlin…..