Explorer

The first time I went to Europe, I decided to fly to Paris for a long weekend by myself.

My friend Ann, whom I've known since kindergarten, was living in Paris at the time and had a place for me to stay.  I ordered my passport, booked my ticket, and was ready to go.  I remember nothing about that first international flight or even my first arrival at a customs hall - I probably stayed awake to marvel at the ice caps near Greenland.

Je parle un peu français, mais non tres bien (I speak a little French but not very well) with a shrug and a smile is my ticket to smooth traveling through French-speaking countries.  That, and a smattering of the language I learned in Mrs. Orfanos' class in junior high school, with Chris McDonough making faces at me and giggling through 101 and 102.  Believe it or not, this has served me well traveling through French-speaking countries for many years.

Arriving in Paris, I jumped in a taxi with my single suitcase and went straight to Ann's office.  She sent me to her apartment and I crashed for a few hours for a nap, and then consulted the Metro map she carefully explained to me and ventured out on my own, with the map and my camera in my pocket.

The last time I had been on a subway system was in 1988 on a summer school trip to Washington, DC. In Paris, it was easy to pick a few easy-to-recognize landmarks and walk from there.  I started wandering through the Tuleries on my way to the Louvre; I stopped and bought panini and chausson aux pommes (flaky apple pastries I crave as I type this).  I snapped plenty of pictures and had time to enjoy and relax and observe.  

People watching is fantastic in Paris, and even in the coldest part of January, the people are sitting outside at the ubiquitous cafés, sipping coffee and tea.   By the time I met up with Ann for dinner, I had a feel for both the city and my own independence.  I was in my mid-20s at the time and had never been outside of the U.S., although I had dreamed about it often.

The next time I visited Ann in Paris was a year later, when Delta had their short-lived "Escape Plan" - members could join for under $100 and have access to trips around the country, and even around the world, on short notice.   On a Tuesday in March, I discovered that the international Escape trip of the week was to Paris for $250.  I left two days later for a long weekend. 

I have a soft spot in my heart for Paris; I have never found the French people to be any more rude than Americans in large cities.  Granted, I took care to dress to fit in and spoke French when possible.  At a Metro station once, I didn't realize that I needed to keep my ticket to exit.  I dug through my purse and my bag and could not find that little mint-green ticket anywhere.  Waving with a smile at the guards holding machine guns at the gates, I explained my predicament as best I could with a mix of French and English.  I must have picked the right guard, because he smiled back and let me through the gate without a hitch.  Telling the story to Ann later, she said, "Only you would ask the guys with the machine guns to help you.  And you'd be fine."  

Before I had my son, I always built in extra travel days on business trips to Europe; now I get in late and leave as early as possible to minimize my time away from home.   Before 2009, I had fantastic side trips from Paris, and Rome, and Nice, mostly with my friend Cristiane from Rio.  One of my favorite trips was one when we took the train to Lyon to explore the ruins of Odeon, built in the early- to mid-second century.  You can almost hear the ghosts in the amphitheater.  

Having the privilege to travel has afforded me insights into other cultures I would not have otherwise.  Taking the opportunity to wander by myself in cities I've never visited before is exhilarating: Brussels along the Grand Place; Paris, spoking out from the Arc de Triomphe; Rome, at every gelato place and tiny church; Barcelona, along the beach; and even Times Square at midnight, when it's most alive.   I fell in love with Rome not while I was touring with my group of colleagues in between meetings, but the day after everyone left and I could map my own day sunning at the pool in the morning, overlooking St. Peter's, and chasing Raphael paintings in tiny cathedrals all afternoon.  

It has always been my dream to travel; now that I have a family I still love to go but want them with me when I do.  On the other hand, I'm not quite brave enough to plan a trip with a 2-year-old to Europe yet.  When we do, I'll teach him about the places and people I love, and I hope that he is an explorer too and finds his own corners of the world to wander.  

Travel is the best way to open one's eyes, heart, and mind to everything in our big world.