So what’s wrong with a nice quiet beach holiday
Good question and one I ask myself every now and again. I remember a couple of trips to Blackpool when I was a kid. (as one of 10 kids trips were are rare occurrence so they were remembered) There is even a picture of me on Blackpool beach all ribs and skinny arms. The place was around 90 minutes from where we lived so not exactly an adventure but when you are 8 or 10 any trip is exciting.
If you know me you know I like new places I think I have only been back to the same place two or three times. Bangkok is one and there is something about the place it used to be very dirty and smog ridden full of un-metered taxi’s and Tuktuk’s which are three wheeler motorbikes. These days the smoke has gone and there is an underground and a monorail. The “water taxi’s are still exciting you literally jump onto a boat and roar down the river to the stop you want and jump off. Health and safety would not allow it in most country’s but it is one of those experiences you need to try once just to be able to tell people how scary it is.
So back to the question, it came to mind as we are 3 days from our next vacation. A Mediterranean cruise which combines the best of what we need. We get to see different places but only have to unpack once. We used to try and cram a weeks adventure traveling around then a week in the same place doing nothing but it would seem those times are long gone. We have done holidays where you just keep moving and are in a different place every other night which means you never really unpack you just rummage around your bag trying to find things and wondering why you though it was a good idea to bring 3 jackets to a place which is 100 degrees. I met a woman in the US who says when you travel all you need is a toothbrush and a visa card which is a challenge but worth considering. Not sure I have ever had a holiday where I have either run out of clothes or regretted not bringing something.
It is different for business travel that I have down to an art form a single carry on can support me for 2 weeks and despite what Judi thinks putting things into plastic bags to organize them works for me. Having a house full of saved bags is somewhat of a drag but you need a stock to work from. These days I have progressed from shopping carrier bags to these new vacuum bags where you squeeze the air out. There is a down side which is that you can get far more into you bag so it gets heavier. We have a golden rule on packing and cases. “You can take what ever you want as you are carrying it” it was concocted when Judi wanted to take 6 pairs of shoes to Santorini. This is a small Greek island and we spent two weeks in t-shirts, shorts and flip flops. Six pairs of shoes I think not but if my darling wants to take something then of course she can she is carrying it.
Santorini was probably our only “beach” holiday if only because it was so small there was actually nothing to do. I hired a car one day and it took me only a couple of hours to complete a full lap of the place. The biggest stretch of tarmac was the airport runway. A day out was to go to the main town 30 minutes away and watch the cruise ships disgorge all their passengers into the jewelry shops and café’s. Ironically we will be those people in a couple of weeks as it is one of the stops on the cruise. So I will return to a place I have been before. This time though I know exactly which jewelers I will go to. It is one we went into on our first visit which had some really unique gold items which at the time were well out of my price range. They probably still are but I have regretted buying Judi a necklace at least once a month ever since. So this time I will buy something just to get it out of my system. Don’t worry about spoiling the surprise Judi is still not reading my blogs. (Word has just told me blog is not a valid word spelling think they need to get wit the times)
So off around Europe on a boat for a couple of weeks, I have a plan to blog about where we are every day so allocate some time to check for updates. I will also try and post pictures on Picassa but don’t worry I will include links. Listen to me it sound almost like I know what I am doing with all this technology. The reality of course is that I am at the limit of my capabilities and hanging on by a thread. The phrase “I am not technically gifted” springs to mind.
What is interesting about this trip is that it is less than a week before we travel and there are no piles of clothes around. Judi normally starts laying out clothes (and shoes) at least a week before they go into cases. Not this time although that might be because there is actually nowhere to put piles in the place we are in it is too small. In the States we had a whole bedroom devoted to this. It became a staging area where cases and clothes were stored and exchanged for other cases and clothes as we finalized our requirements.
This morning Judi even told me she has yet to book a taxi to the airport. The airport is Domodedovo which is the one serviced by the express train. I think if she is using a taxi then it is because the cases will be big. The train station is 20 minutes away from the flat which might be a drag too far although I did it on my recent adventure.
I have not got around to answering my question yet (sorry for the rambling)
I think there are so many interesting places in the world it would be remiss of me not to at least try and see as many as I can whilst I can. I am knocking on a bit now and I have this vision in my head of me in some old peoples home staring at the wall and when I eventually am physically there I will be remembering all the wonderful places I have been and the silly things we did and smiling inside.
I do not deride people who choose to return to familiar places again and again and secretly wish I could do that.
Maybe the next holiday will be lying on a beach somewhere (maybe next to a temple or a medieval fort or old city wall)