PS – I am attracted to it for obvious reasons and thought i would rename my travel blog PS as its much easier than barmatelliandfriends. I looked up what it officially means and as with the joys of the internet I can find offical versions that make it fit what I want it to say. My favourite was “an additional remark which provides further information on, or to, a sequel”. There is a lot of information and a constant stream of sequels and that’s the thing I like about PS the most, it’s that it’s a simple little way of saying – wait there’s more. There is something else to see or do or write about. A never ending post script. So PS we are off again on a new sequel but pps , if that’s even a thing, I wont change my blog name just yet because I do not know how so you will have to keep coming back here for now.
It’s been a big project all that planning. All that preparation. All those 2020 credits now turned into places, dates and times. It’s a lot.
It’s nearly 7 weeks actually the longest time WH and I have ever spent away from home. Away from the kids. Away from the grandkids. Away from whanau and friends.
WH was saying that he fears it may be too long as I have a tendency to get homesick after about week three. I say, maybe. Maybe I will and I will get strategies to deal with it so next time I can go for 3 months and entrench myself in a small little French village and tiki tour around. Maybe I will get too homesick and never go away for this long again. But I don’t think so.
I am on the plane now in the first leg of the journey. We are flying Singapore airlines in the privilege of Business Class whereby I best not complain about how long the flight is, or any other factor of long haul flying but i will say often my third movie of our first leg. ARE WE THERE YET?
We have a 5 hour wait on landing and then we fly another 11 hours to Istanbul. I am looking forward to everything about it. To be in a different culture and all that that entails of people, place and purpose. After a couple of days we join a Viking cruise for 8 days through to Greece. We haven’t cruised with Viking before and although my reticence of cruising has long since passed I still have concerns about how it will unfold. Whilst the brochure says we don’t need formal and there are no sprawling food courts nor hi-de-hi camper activities, I approach with nervous caution.
Then it’s Athens to Mykonos because we have never been and sometimes there are just places in the world that you want to go to because you hear about them so much. Then you see the postcards or the piece in the movie or the article online and you connect to that. I’ve been there and it’s real and I’m lucky.
Then to Marseille where I once went for work and I never saw much at all. Everything is different when you aren’t in the mindset of work so it will be interesting to see. Then to Arles, just because I found a very cute little airbnb. I hope it’s worth it. Than to Ruoms, just because. To Charolles because I saw a picture and a restaurant and it looked pretty. Then to Mersault to another airbnb to explore Burghandy.
But wait there’s more as I have said 7 weeks is a long time so it’s to Lyon and watch the All Blacks play Italy. Then to use the rest of the credits we hop on a river cruise up the Rhine or it may be down, I am not sure of the lay of the land nor the geography. From Basel to Amsterdam. Then last but not least its the quarter finals in Paris and then home.
I shall sign off now simply thinking or more like contemplating how travel has changed over the years. Sitting typing on an iPad, a blog, connected to wifi. I think contemplating is what people nearing 60 are good at. At least I am.