Last week I wrote about the first five of my top ten travel moments. I left off with a tease about my encounter with a celebrity rocker, in front of whom I almost left an unforgettable impression – by setting myself on fire.
So here they are – the final top ten travel moments.
5. Reunions with high school friends in February and college friends in October in the most gorgeous guest house in Savannah – 109 West. Much wine was consumed, many memories resurrected and many new wonderful ones made.
4. Traveling by riverboat through Holland and Belgium with Tauck.Traveling with Tauck is first-class all the way, and wandering through rivers in Belgium and Holland on a riverboat made me feel like a pampered princess traveling through a storybook.
3. My flaming encounter with uber-rocker Robert Plant. Yes, it seems that I just about set myself on fire right in front of the former lead vocalist for Led Zeppelin, whose voice I had climbed the stairway to heaven with many, many times. We were in New Orleans for JazzFest and had gone to see a photography exhibit of John Glenn, who pointed out that Mr. Plant himself was at the bar. We were standing around in a group chatting, when he walked by and a guy in our group said hi. Next thing you know he’s talking to me! Then he leaned over, stroked the back of my hair, twice, and said, “Watch out, love.” I thought he had just been overcome by my beauty and bewitching conversation, because that happens so often. Okay, so that has never happened, but it still could, right? But alas, it seems that I had leaned too close to a rather monstrous candle and was seconds away from pulling a Michael Jackson. Thanks, Robert, for saving my life. Or at least what passes for me as a hairdo.
2. My surprise birthday trip to Blackberry Farm. For my birthday last year, I wanted my husband to surprise me with a trip and boy, did he do good. He whisked me away to a charming cottage in this magical place in Tennessee where they treat you like royalty and the biscuits are the best I’ve ever had.
1. And now, my top travel moment of 2008. Visiting my daughter in Paris over Thanksgiving. She spent a semester there with the Duke in France program, and having her show us her favorite spots, navigate the Metro, and speak fluent French to everyone was a magnificent experience. Of course, Paris bathed in lights for the holidays just added to the experience.
Here’s hoping that we all have many happy travel moments for 2009!
