July News from Rick: Vivid Memories, No Back-Up Needed
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| Vividly unforgettable: "taking a virtual stroll with Monet along the banks of his water-lily pond, painted lovingly onto a vast canvas at the Orangerie." |
Dear Traveler,
I'm just five days into my latest trip — vividly-spent in Paris and Chartres. I just enjoyed a dreamy evening, all alone with the Gothic statues of Chartres cathedral. The setting sun brought life to the expressions on their delicately carved faces. As I stood there, quiet and unrushed, it almost felt as though they were struggling to share with me the stories they've told eight centuries of pilgrims. I took some of the best photos I can remember — then celebrated with a "salade de gésiers" of bouncy lettuce and chicken innards, washed down with a life-is-good carafe of red house wine.
Back at my hotel, as I sorted through my intimate moments with those statues through the viewing screen of my camera, I accidentally erased everything on my memory card. Lesson learned: never cull-out photos with a wine buzz.
Considering the images I'd lost, at first I was depressed. Then, I decided to let my memory of those images be a reminder of the richness of the travel experiences I've enjoyed in just a few days. Biking through the vast and fanciful garden of Versailles...tasting duck and mango at the same time...thrilling at mountain climbers rappelling down the side of the Eiffel Tower...learning to open a crayfish properly with the chef at a great new fish restaurant on the Left Bank...empathizing with Napoleon's gloom after Waterloo and France's enthusiasm for de Gaulle after WWII in the army museum...checking out the new, lovable little electric car Renault has on display on the Champs-Elysées...taking a virtual stroll with Monet along the banks of his water-lily pond, painted lovingly onto a vast canvas at the Orangerie...and thinking how impressive it is that little tiny children here already speak French...
Yes, my photos are gone, and from now on I'll back things up more carefully. But, photos or not, memories like these will stick with me forever, and vividly.
In this month's Travel News we'll bring you a mix of the practical and the unforgettable, with articles about improvising in Greece, red tape in Berlin, Byzantine mosaics in Ravenna, traveling with kids, the practicality of earplugs, and the subversive thinking behind my new Mediterranean Cruise Ports book.
Tomorrow it's on to Amboise. My trip is just starting and it's so clear, the memory stick that really matters is the one atop my shoulders.
Happy travels,
Rick