"To move, to breathe, to fly, to float
To gain all while you give
To roam the roads of lands remote
To travel is to live"
-Hans Christian Anderson
During the time I spent with the COC program, I had the opportunity to wander the streets of Paris on my own. It was during my solo walks that I was able to deviate from the map, and just meander to whatever caught my attention. What a pleasure it is to not be in a hurry, and simply soak-in the atmosphere. This is something I rarely experience when I travel, because we always have a destination and plan. Although I will often stop (albeit briefly) to smell the roses (literally!), it is definitely in not my nature to wander. I really had to make an effort to NOT plan every moment! After all, vacations are rare and expensive -- usually we want to fill our days with as much of the place as possible. I did learn that, with the extra time I had on this trip, not having a plan or destination can be just as fulfilling. That being said, I don't think I will change my travel style much in the future. With only a week or two for the normal vacation, I will still want to see as much as possible, just maybe at a slightly more relaxed pace.
One thing this trip confirmed for me (as if I didn't already know it!) is that I prefer sharing travel experiences with others. Peaceful wandering aside, I always had more fun with an other person -- or a whole group of people -- with whom to see, do, laugh, explore, and learn. Below: The "Advanced" French Conversation class at Place de Vosges, from left to right: Christina, Jessica, Saul, Tristan, Rebecca, Iris, Me, Eloy, Christie, Rebecca and Robert. Whether we were in our smaller group for the class, the larger group of 25, or just with one or two of my classmates or professors, we always had such fun together. I know that we were very lucky to have had such a great group of people on this trip. Not every group of this size (and with ages ranging from 19 to 60, though most were in their 20s) would be as cohesive as ours. Every person who participated in the program this summer was there to PARTICIPATE. Smaller groups would form, but they always seemed to morph without forming cliques. I think that, over the month we were together, I probably spent time with smaller groups that were composed of different combinations of all of the students and professors. It was such a pleasure to get to know each one of these people.
More of France with Mark!
Several of our group were fortunate to extend their travel after the program ended on July 12, and I was one of those. As y'all know, Mark joined me for another ten days in France. It was so nice to have the extra time to be able to share my experience with Mark, my favorite travel partner, acting as a tour guide for some parts of the trip I was re-visiting, and exploring together some places neither of us had yet visited. Here we are in the Champagne region, at the ruins of Vauclair Abbey.
Back Home
I've been home now a little over two months. Shortly after returning from France, our family traveled up to Bellingham, Washington, for Molly to attend her WWU orientation. We spent a day in Seattle, visiting the EMP (Seattle's modern music museum), Pike Place market, and enjoyed a nice dinner with Mark's aunt, Tina.
Traveling with family vs. traveling alone -- both present unique pleasures and challenges. We always strive to balance our time to maximize the fun for each person, splitting time among museums and attractions, outdoor fun, shopping, etc. I treasure every chance we get to travel together.
With Sam in his third year at UC Davis and Molly beginning her first year at Western Washington University, the times we can all take a trip together will be fewer and farther between. I hope that we will have many fun family trips in the years to come (and that Mark and I will get to enjoy some more travel as a couple, too)!
