Mom taught me the love of travel. For her, travel was more than seeing sights. It was a privilege. Travel embraced all of me and created permanent changes that rooted deep.
Mom and I went on several trips together over the years. Our trips were unforgettable. They often included her refusing to leave the front desk or ticket counter of any given establishment until she got what she wanted: a lower price, more towels, more pillows, a quieter room, a room with a view, or early check-ins or late checkouts. Nonstop orders to staff were part of her routine. On one trip, I rescued her from drowning. In Koblenz, Germany, I came in from a walk and heard her call out to me. I discovered her in the bathtub with water up to her neck. The water faucet was not working, and water filled the tub. A small, frail woman, she couldn’t get out. I called out for help, and a stranger helped me pull my naked, eighty-five-pound mother out of the bathtub just short of drowning. She had saved me many times, and I interpreted this experience as payback.
Mom was a diva; however, upon meeting her, some might think she was a poor homeless woman, alone at times, traveling the streets of Europe and beyond by herself into her eighties. Her ways were simple, her actions calculated, and her travels cheap. She flew stand-by with one carry-on bag and stayed at youth hostels, guests’ houses, and used all manner of ground transportation. She made lodging reservations for the night of arrival only because she tapped into the locals, which helped her discover the most economical way to find housing and transportation. She negotiated for low prices, including walk-up tickets outside of the Vienna Opera House, Yankee stadium, Broadway, or whatever venue she desired, and most often landed premier seats.
She was her own travel agent and guide with maps and journals at her side. Her meals were simple. She usually ate a hardy breakfast, where she stayed, often sticking an extra bagel in her bag to snack on for lunch and enjoyed an early dinner with the locals. She loved to experience different cuisine whether Turkish, German, Swiss, Caribbean, Soul, or whatever culture she visited.
“Mom,” I asked, “what do you do if you miss your stop or lose your way?” Her response, “I just ride the rail to the end of the journey and turn around and take it back.” Her confidence, strength, and fearlessness were unmatched. She wanted to see the world, and that she did. She made thirty-six trips to Europe and visited thirty-five different countries in her lifetime. She often traveled by herself if no one was able to accompany her.
Mom did research and pulled her bag behind her as she rolled into cities. By accessing tourist information centers, she began her quest for negotiation opportunities. She arrived at places with no reservations but always found a clean, cheap, safe place to stay. If the clerk would say it was three hundred Euros, Mom would say that was not in her budget and somehow manage to get an acceptable price. She never accepted the first price offered. Arriving at a five-star hotel in Brussels, she approached a desk clerk dressed in a tuxedo who informed her the room rate was two hundred euros. She told the clerk that was not in her budget and managed to get the room for eighty euros.
Talking often to the locals to help point the way and stopping anyone at any point of time with her questions, Mom’s way of traveling enabled her to be flexible and take in whatever she wanted to do in the moment. The locals were friendly and accommodating. and they loved helping her.
Mom and I traveled to Paris together in 2015, our last trip together. Paris was everything and more. We visited the Eiffel tower, Trocadero Gardens, the Arc De triomphe, and the Eternal Flame of Remembrance. Lit on November 11, 1963, and never extinguished, the flame of remembrance was one of mom’s favorite stops on our trip. We toured the Paris Supreme Court, Sainte-Chapelle royal chapel, and the Palace of Justice; a historical gem of architecture depicting religious and political influences.
We visited Channel and other stores displaying fashion at its finest. We shopped at the Galleries Lafayette; a luxurious shopping venue—one of the most beautiful stores in the world. The Art Nouveau with its stained-glass dome and eighth-floor outdoor rooftop, complete with a panoramic view of the city, was breathtaking. The Lafayette came with fine caviar and Champagne along with heavenly chocolates and security guards that accompanied us as we tried on the new apple watch which had just been released. Versailles Chateau gardens, spectacular, and one of the largest gardens in the world, served as a welcome rest for Mom as we sat on a bench and ate our lunch from a nearby take out. Mom rested her feet and took in the view while I toured the gardens. I returned and found her stretched out and taking a nap on the bench.
We attended mass at Cathedral Notre Dame and Basilique de Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre, a memorable time for us both. Europe’s magnificent cathedrals, a crowning jewel, were always special stops of ours through our years of travel together. Incredibly ornate, majestic, and stunning with beautiful stained glass, architecture, art, and a pipe organ paradise.
Determined to make the most of the trip and take in as much as possible, we took a train to the beautiful Old City of Strasburg. With its majestic cathedrals dating back to the Middle Ages, fabulous German/French cuisine, vibrant atmosphere, the old city square, and rooted in culture, one could not help but to fall in love with this charming place rooted in culture.
The physical exertion of touring was beneficial. I climbed the three hundred and thirty steps up to the observation deck of the Place de la Cathedrale, a magnificent, breathtaking view with the Black Forest as the backdrop.
On to Trier, Germany’s most ancient city, with a stop at one of Europe’s famous bads. The word “bad” is bath in German. People come to the bathhouses to bathe in thermal healing waters, sunbathe in the nude, sit in the sauna, steam room, and simply relax for a bad nude experience. The reason for visiting many of the bads is to have a naked experience. However, I was set on experiencing the bad in my clothes, unlike my mother, who stripped her clothes off and entered the spa. For an unforgettable experience, I recommend it as a bucket list item.
Europe has its issues, but it has an edge on the United States in many ways. It was interesting to observe the cultural differences. I noted that the Europeans healthy and active lifestyle included men and women riding bikes to work dressed in business suits. I rarely saw an overweight person. And the human body is considered a thing of beauty, almost as if it were art. Women sunbathing topless is acceptable at most beaches and common to see. Famous for their fashion, Europeans dress to impress, however in other venues they embrace a clothes-free culture with non-sexual overtones.
Moderation did not necessarily hold true in Germany where beer was consumed like Vodka in Russia, where if a bottle was opened, it must be entirely consumed. Drinking German beer with the locals was not for me, but Mom loved a good German beer. She never drank to excess but indulging in German beer with the locals delighted her. Clinking of glasses, storytelling, and good laughs were a way of life for Germans. We frequented beer gardens, toured landmarks, visited old cities, experienced German cuisine, and visited with the locals wherever we went. We could always find friendly people and good conversation by visiting beer gardens after long days of touring.
Our next stop was Koblenz, Germany, located on the edge of the Moselle River, where it meets the Rhine. This was one of my favorite stops on this trip. It was a history book that took us back in time. Tugboats, freighters, cruise ships, sightseeing boats, and more could be observed cruising up and down the Rhine. We took one of Europe’s largest cable cars up above the city for a spectacular panoramic view. What met us at the top was amazing. The Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, in existence since 1000 BC and Europe’s second largest fortress, sat high above the Rhine and Moselle Rivers. We visited St. Castor Basilica 836 AD, saw the old city wall built in 1334, and walked through some of Europe’s most beautiful gardens. The Rhine valley, nestled into the landscape, was a tranquil site. We visited Boppard, a city lining the valley at the tip of Germany.
As we neared the end of our trip together, we traveled to Frankfurt, Germany before boarding our flight back to JFK.
When in doubt, take the adventure!
Until next time – read, write and learn…. J