What is this?
This is not a diary. I kept a diary for two weeks in the 5th grade. I still have it, somewhere. In a couple of sentences per entry, I noted the film on menestration (spelled like that) that the girls had to see in class and how regular class was preempted by the celebration of the first Earth day, 1970. Oh yeah, and Billy Leuty wanted to kiss me. Then nothing… an entire blank book. So. Studies have shown that I cannot keep a diary.
This is not a journal. I did some journaling with the book The Artist’s Way about 10 years ago. Pages and pages of words that just flowed out of my brain and onto paper. I do not have that notebook. Scared me to read it. All of my fears, worries, anxieties, and, oh, a few blessings sprinkled in, piling up like yesterday’s news, shredded. Nope, no journal.
This is a letter to you all about my first and lasting love, travel. My name is Julie and I love to go. Anywhere. From that first eye-opening trip to Soviet Russia with my babushka at 17, I was hooked. I told baba I was going for a walk, ’cause she was driving me a little nuts, and I was the only one under 65 on that tour. Not far from the hotel, I met a nice guy in the park, rode the subways to the music store, bought Russian music for my mom, and come back late, in trouble, but with a marriage proposal. Did I care that they called security to go looking for me? Nah. I had an experience that blew my mind. (OK, today, maybe not a good idea, safety wise, but that’s another topic).
After a career of 15 years as a travel agent, and then a career of almost the same length married to Mr. Engineer, a former NASA guy who ensures airplanes are safe from the dreaded wake vortices and has to travel around the country and to Europe to do so, I have been blessed to keep having travel adventures. From riding a camel at the pyramids, to swimming with the pirahnas in Ecuador, to teaching a class for 6 weeks in Maui, to enjoying over 20 cruises, I have pretty much loved every minute of it.
However, besides fond memories jarred by blurry photos, I really don’t have the details remembered, as if I’d kept a diary or a journal (and we saw how well I’ve done with those.) So, this blog is my way of recording, sharing, and maybe inspiring and teaching anyone who has the same passion for going places as I do.
Right now, I’m in the midst of planning:
- a 5 week trip to Switzerland, France, and Germany with Susie the 1st 10 days, 2 on my own, then George and Morgan the rest
- a 10 day trip to France with George, Morgan, and Anna, George’s (and mine, too) granddaughter for her 16th bday
- 5 days in Albuquerque for R.A.D. women’s self-defense training
- 8 days in LA with Morgan for LEAP camp
- Oh, and on Friday, we go up to Annapolis for one night to train with Grandmaster Pellegrini, founder of the Combat Hapkido I practice. We come home late Saturday night, then I leave for 5 weeks on Sunday morning. Crazy!
My intention is to bring you along with me as I plan and execute these tricky travel maneuvers. I’ll post pics, maybe video, and try to be more faithful than Diary Julie or Journal Julie.
Wanna come along?
Practicing Travel 
Julie
I will go along with you :). I am looking forward to hearing about your travels and seeing any photos along the way!
April 26, 2010 at 10:47 pm
Yay! Come on! I think the cool thing about the blog (for me) is the connection with everyone back home while we’re so far away. I’m gonna shoot for a pic a day, at least!
April 26, 2010 at 10:57 pm