It's a beautiful day outside. For some reason I was thinking about my post-college trip. I was the first daughter to graduate from college. My reward? A 3-week tour of Europe. Yup!
I went with one of my really good friends in college. What's funny is that she and I had never traveled together before. But we both had just graduated from school. We were both jazzed about getting away from everyone and everything. We needed a break. Europe was calling to us.
I just looked on-line and very tour I took 15 years ago is still available. That's right! The SAME EXACT tour is still being run. Here it is
There was such beauty that spread before us as we drove throughout Europe. There was so much greenery. There were still vast spaces of countryside. I remember one point as we were in the bus driving towards the mountains. It seemed like we were driving towards a postcard. The blue of the sky seemed too blue. The snow on the mountaintops seemed too perfect.
What I remember feeling was so carefree. I took each day as a new adventure. We had an itinerary but the actual events that would unfold were a mystery.
Our first night, me, my friend, and two gals from New York got left behind at the Eiffel Tower. Our mistake? Trying to walk back to our hotel (my friend's idea). We ended up getting followed by some drunk American boys. I ended up hailing a taxi.
Giggling to ourselves the next morning as our tour guide announced in the bus that the "group" that had been left behind at the Eiffel Tower had made it back safely. He said "Take this as a lesson that we will leave you behind if you don't meet at the designated time." Since we'd just started the group, no one could figure out who got left behind. He-he-he!
We bought sandwiches & drinks at a sidewalk cafe and walked around Paris. We walked to the Louvre. We saw Notre Dame. Then we drank wine. Oh...how we drank wine throughout the tour.
Actually being able to go topless in the French Riviera. We had a group 10 girls all in a row. It was crazy fun because we were all such conservative types (accountants, teachers). I'm sure none of us would have done this stateside.
Accidentally bumping into a guy friend of mine. Yup! He was backpacking Europe for the summer. We both just happened to be in an artsy square area in Rome at 10pm at the same time. Go figure!
There were about 20 of us who took a romantic trip on the gondolas in Venice. What's funny is there was only ONE married couple on the trip. The rest of us were single. But it was neat seeing Venice at night on those gondolas. The guys (gondolas drivers?) sang for us, so we could just imagine how magical it would have been to be with someone we loved.
There was a purity when we stopped in Vienna. Of course, we couldn't help but sing songs from "The Sound of Music."
Munich was very different. It was clamoring with people. We visited a local beer place for dinner -- all 50 of us on the tour! When we sat down we ordered a stein of beer each. Little did we realize how large these steins would be! I remember being thirsty that night. I decided to guzzle that huge beer. I drank it up and pounded the stein on the table. The rest of the people around me looked at me in shock. Then they too threw back their beers and pounded their steins on the table. Hoo-ya! What fun! What was the funniest sight was seeing an older (and totally drunk) lady come up to one of the guys on our tour and try to pick him up.
What was the BEST was falling asleep in the cushy beds in Hopfgarten. They had down comforters. Down pillowtop mattresses. Down pillows. It was amazingly comfortable. The next day we took chair lifts up the mountainside. Since it was summer, it was amazingly green. There were cows grazing beneath us. We could see SO far because the air was so crisp and clear. What's funny is that we found the BEST little local bar (that we overtook). Who knew that there such a fun bar in that town?
Our stay at Mt. Pilatus was amazing. We took a train up to it. It was some sort of holiday & we were surprised to see a wonderful fireworks display that first night.
There was a pretty and not-so-pretty side of Amsterdam. We took a bicycle ride through the countryside -- past the windmills & tulips. We visited a farm that manufactured cheese. I can remember that there were chickens running all over this place. We did visit the "red light" district. Actually, our hotel was IN the red light district. Crazy eh?
Now WHY did I write about my trip to Europe? Because I heard a particular song on the radio this morning. What? "Walking on Sunshine" Why'd that song remind me of my trip? Because that was the "wake-up" song that the tour guide would play first thing when we'd start our drive on the bus each day.
I used to think maybe you loved me, now baby I'm sure
And I just can't wait 'til the day, when you knock on my door
Now every time I go for the mailbox, gotta hold myself down
'Cause I just can't wait 'til you write me you're comin' around
Now I'm walking on sunshine, whoa oh
I'm walking on sunshine, whoa oh
I'm walking on sunshine, whoa oh
And don't it feel good
And don't it feel good
I used to think maybe you loved me, now I know that it's true
And I don't wanna spend my whole life, just a-waitin' for you
Now I don't want you back for the weekend, not back for a day, no-no-no
I said baby I just want you back, and I want you to stay
Walkin' on sunshine, walkin' on sunshine, yeah
I feel alive, I feel a love, I feel a love that's really real
I feel alive, I feel a love, I feel a love that's really real
I'm on sunshine baby, oh, oh yeah, I'm on sunshine baby, oh
I'm walkin' on sunshine, whoa oh
And don't it feel good
I'm thinking that I want to do something like that for the kids when THEY graduate from college. What do you think? Do you already contemplate the day when YOUR children graduate from grade school? High school? College? I want my kids to feel those carefree moments that I did once they complete their education.
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