The Savoring No. 027 European Travel, Letting Go & Cliffhangers

"But what if silence wasn't scary," she thought.

The last time I was on a plane was in July of 2023. It was a two week trip with JJ and our youngest son, Colt. We went to Rome, Venice, Lake Como, Zurich, Paris and London. It was a wonderful trip full of amazing moments that are now some of our favorite memories. A month later my life would be turned upside down.

I try to keep the two separate in my mind, but their proximity in time have created a connection. “That was right before…”, is how many sentences now begin. I look at photos from our trip and I see what I didn’t know at the time. I was sick.

Two weeks ago, JJ and I boarded a plane back to Europe. It was a trip to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. Our actual anniversary was last September, before I was able to safely travel after my stem cell transplant. My immune system still needed time to build.

I was so excited to finally begin feeding the starving wanderlust in my soul. I long for adventure. I am someone who loves home. But, like the changing of the seasons, I like to go away and explore and return with a new appreciation

We have always done the big cities and this time I insisted we not. We book-ended our trip with large cities because they make it easier to fly in and out, but the travel in between was meant to give us time to rest and restore.

At home, we work nonstop. No time of day sacred. We try to keep space, but questions still arise well into our personal evening time. “Did you remember to …”, “can you meet tomorrow to …”. We begin before 7:00 a.m. most days. We go, go, go and far too often, go some more.

Instead of exploring cities and monuments and museums, I wanted to find rest and relaxation. I wanted silence.

I’ve gotten uncomfortable with it over the years. Especially the last two. When nothing is occupying my mind, the anxiety creeps in, the scary thoughts. So I’ve gotten adept at keeping it busy with podcasts, Instagram, Netflix, audio books, work. Noise.

I wanted to reclaim my comfort in the quiet. Slow down. Sleep when my body asked for it. Sit with only the sounds of nature. Chase away the scary thoughts. Find strength in silence.

Our first couple of nights were in Munich. The first busy bookend.

We spent a day touring Dachau, a must in my opinion to understand history visually and not just something you’ve read in a history book or seen in a movie. It is jarring no matter how much you know. It brought me to tears. It made me angry. It humbled me. How could humanity have allowed for something like this. How could any individual have participated? How did it begin so slowly no one noticed until it was too late. Could it happen now? Is it?

We left Dachau and joined family, our niece and her husband and young daughter who live in Munich, at their favorite biergarten. It was the perfect distraction and a restoration of softness and joy after a day of heavy contemplation. A mug of beer and a giant freshly baked pretzel tossed into large bins that were snatched up as quickly as they landed was on the menu. It was Labor Day in Munich. The garden was packed with laughter, music and lightness.

The next morning we hit the road in our rented car for The Dolomites. The first of our relaxing middle locations. But first…the Autobahn. I anxiously googled, how fast is 160 kilometers per hour in miles, while JJ sped along. It’s 100 for those of you interested. When we finally exited, I exhaled.

We finally exited the autobahn and began the climb up the mountain. I wish I had taken pictures for reference but my hands were occupied clutching the handle in the car. I held my breath and braked nonstop from the passenger side like I did when our boys were teens and learning to drive.

We rounded one final bend that put us on the inside of the curve and not the outside and the navigation said we were minutes away. I was about to exhale when I looked up to see a dog running out of a driveway in front of us and the car ahead slamming on its brakes.

And that my friends, is what they call a cliffhanger. More on our trip next week.

This Quote
“Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.” - Anita Desai

It expands you, it educates you, it creates love in your soul. Whatever our beliefs politically, religiously or otherwise, travel reminds us we are all one.

These Travel Shoes
These shoes were the greatest purchase I made for the trip. They offered style in the form of an oxford look and the white soles made them stylish and super comfy.

This Landing
These yellow fields were everywhere as we approached for landing into Munich. I looked them up and I believe, if the google is correct, these are rapeseed fields. Unfortunate name, but beautiful.

This Guy
As I mentioned above it was Labor Day and the Biergartens were hopping. We ran into locals all day dressed for the occasion. This guy across from us on the train might have been my favorite.

My Guy
Speaking of Biergartens JJ felt right at home. I don’t drink much beer but I will admit I put one of these down myself and it was delish.

This Show
Miss Austin. I am loving this series about Cassandra Austen, the older sister of Jane Austen. After Jane’s death, Cassandra finds and destroys many of the letters Jane wrote which creates intrigue about what was in the letters.

This Travel Tale
I love to road trip solo. As soon as we got home from our vacation, I stumbled up on this newsletter and it inspired me to plan a road trip. Otis and I will be heading to the great state of Texas in early July. It will be solo, then family, then more solo time. I love the open road and I ALWAYS love a trip on the horizon to keep my spirits high.

This Clean Face Mask
I love good skin. My grandmother used to have monthly facials and washed and moisturized her face twice a day. She taught me the importance from an early age of taking care of my skin and I reap the benefits now in my 50s.

I am a big fan of Oliveda products and this mask is one of my favorites. I wanted to be outside in my garden today but it’s gray and drizzly so it’s a green face instead of thumb today.

These Coming Soon Babies
We are getting our winter garden cleaned up, torn out and the soil amended to plant and we were just about to pull out the final garden box when we spied this. We looked around and saw mama sitting in the tree watching us. This box will have to wait to be planted after these babies make their way into the world and up to the sky. Stay tuned …

This Documentary
American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden. This is a fascinating look behind the scenes of the hunting down and killing of Osama bin Laden.

Do you have travel plans this summer? Where are you going?