08-08-08

Today I sit here in wonder and awe. Did I really just finalize plans to leave on a 12 day Mediterranean cruise? And am I really the same person who said for most of my life, "I will NEVER leave the United States"? And no, I am not the same person at all. The name's the same and the home address is the same, but a different person arrives home after each experience! Travel changes one's life, in ways unimaginable!

It was just over a year ago when I took my first journey across the Atlantic Ocean, with Jenny and Bernie there for support. Scared and bewildered by what had possessed me to venture so far on the transatlantic cruise I was on, sailing from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, destined to visit 9 European ports. My dream had been to see Monet's Garden in Giverny, France because of the years I taught about Monet to the children. Many times I had read "Linnea in Monet's Garden" and wondered what it would be like to walk through the famous gardens that inspired his beautiful paintings. And suddenly I was headed that way, and that dream was going to become a reality! And in retrospect, that piece of the trip was the turning point of my life. If that dream could become a reality, what else could I see and do in our world? So many times we are let down by the reality of our dreams, but in Monet's garden I was met by everything I'd expected and more! The beauty of the flowers and the scents were incredible, something no book or picture could capture! And that experience of my senses will be forever in my memory!

Taking a cruise for my first exploration of Europe was the perfect decision! Not only was I going to have the opportunity to visit the garden, I was going to Norway, and would see the fjords that I had also taught about for many years. The Viking Ship Museum, with the ancient vessels, would be a place I would be thrilled to see in person. As I thought about where I was headed I realized that many places I'd admired from the safety of my life, were going to be destinations I'd never dreamed I'd see, along with places I had never heard of. What an adventure I was on, and in the safety of a cruise ship, where they planned the tours that kept us 'safe' (such a major concern of mine) and took us to famous sights. Although reluctant to venture that far from home, I felt like quite the adventuress to make the trip. I was sure that the 17 day Transatlantic cruise to 9 ports would be my one and only trip to Europe so I was glad I was seeing so much! Oh, how wrong I was!! It was only the beginning of a whole new life and a whole new Mitzi! Okay, well not a whole new Mitzi, I still leave home each time with trepidation and anxiety, but I do leave and that is the amazing new part of Mitzi.

My journeys since this first trip have been many and varied and filled with incredible sights and incredible people! Travelling alone is a challenge but opens the world for others to come in. There are lonely times but they don't last and the new friends who have become part of my life are a treasure! What adventures I've had! I look at the hundreds of pictures and at times get goosebumps at the fact that I have really been in the most amazing places imaginable! And the people who have become part of my life are from all corners of the globe! Connie and Bob, Roebin and Pauline, Elaine and Simeon from the first cruise remember the scared Mitzi. Tue, the young Danish man in Copenhagen who rescued me when I was all alone at a white tent behind the airport, who I now see on each trip to Denmark... Cesar from Portugal has become a dear friend who is happy to be my personal tour guide around Europe. He worked at the tour desk on the ship, speaks several languages, and we became friends in a very short time. We have had some amazing adventures, including my being shown Portugal first hand, and Paris where his French was invaluable, and in Switzerland where he made my birthday a dream! Our laughter alone has brought amazing joy to my life. And then there are Terry and Peter, my friends I met on another cruise who invited me to join them with Terry's parents and cruise to Antarctica and spend Christmas with the penguins! And Carole from New York who was such a character on the bus that we became fast friends and toured Etretat and the Benedictine Monastery together, eating crepes and walking on the rock beach that Monet painted, after sharing our fascination at the key and lock museum. :-) And Melissa and Brian from Canada who were so kind on one of the loneliest cruises and Melissa is always filled with valuable information about every place I head. Anne and Ian, from Wales, were delightful dinner 'partners' and I look forward to visiting them there someday! And there is Nestor, the Argentinian tango and folklorico boleodoro performer who performed at the tango club we went to in Buenos Aires and then joined the ship to perform and became my friend, along with the other 'gaucho' Cesar. Our emails are infrequent, but always bring smiles as I attempt Spanish and use the dictionary to translate his letters. And Diana and Alec from Suffolk, England who will be forever friends as we meet in different places around the world too. And Hernan from Argentina, who worked with Cesar and stays in touch and I never know when I will be on another ship he is on and able to enjoy his delightful company with great stories of the passengers and the life of a ship purser. And Judy and Sharon who I met at the hotel in San Diego before the Mexico cruise. And Sharon from Canada, who was also on the Mexico cruise alone, and really touched me on that trip and we email at what seems like perfect times! And the list goes on and on...people who were strangers, who now are my friends!

And the places that dreams are made of! Brugges, Belgium still remains my favorite place in the world and I don't think it is just because the waffles are incredibly delicious, or the chocolate beyond anything I'd ever tasted, the charm and romance of the city, where I took my first canal boat trip, seems to be the perfect example of Europe as I pictured it!

My friend, Murray, created this blog, along with my flickr website so I could share my travels and my stories as they happen. And until the next trip I will be reminiscing about the fabulous places I have visited and the amazing experiences I have had. It doesn't seem real, yet it is and hopefully it will inspire others to take a chance and make the unbelievable happen! Single or married, there are so many adventures in the world to enjoy and make us grow!

The world I taught about for so many years, is now my world!