The first three months we were in Europe: Avignon, Rome & Aachen Germany with trips to Nimes, St. Remy, Aix-en-Provence, Uzes, Arles, Florence, Siena, Gaeta, Amsterdam, Cologne, & Maastrict. We saw the sites, hungry for history, art & architecture. Eating our way through astounding bread (truly a revelation, a meal, a nutrient packed wonder), masterful cheeses, wines, flatbreads, pastas & stews.

Walking, walking, walking everywhere and a brief splash in the river beneath the Pont Du Gard. The Romans! Oh, the Romans. A growing awareness of the breadth and depth of their Empire.

A wonderful, heart warming visit from my mother and daughter over the Christmas holidays.These months summed up thusly: adjust/enjoy.

90 days completed, we made our exit east from the Shengen Area to Thailand, spending time in hectic, hot and welcoming Bangkok. Starting there and continuing in Chiang Mai we relaxed into the heat and the amazingly affordable bodywork. 

To be continued...

I was starting to feel penned in. Bored & stuck. I went away for the weekend, and used some of the tools I’d gathered through the years. Rest, walks in nature, unwinding my body, meditating. Then I used my favorite tool from my training as a Somatic Movement Therapist. You create two imaginary quadrants on the floor. You imagine one scenario, say, leaving your partner. Step into the quadrant and allow all the body sensations to emerge as you imagine that possibility. For me, a collapsing forward, a terrible sadness. But I explored the possibility of travel in the other quadrant before, and felt a tremendous freedom and joy…So I stepped out, came to neutral, then stepped back in, imagining my partner with me on the road. As I gripped his imaginary hand, feeling calm yet joyful,  I knew this was the solution. The vision to hold on to. I want my man AND I want to experience the world through travel.

We got married within a few months, and began to dream into our traveling. There were many pieces to grapple with, many internal permissions and external arrangements. Now, ten months later, we are three weeks from beginning our Grand Adventure.