At the end of the semester I received a large gift wrapped in calendar paper: three month’s worth of days. Each day is a gift certificate, good for 24 hours, to be used any way I choose.
I am taking three week’s worth of the certificates to Europe, where I will ramble around, stopping as often as possible to gape and wonder. I plan to use my eyes a lot. I’ll carry a camera and try to remember to use it. I placed a little sticky note on the camera: Your jaw is dropping again, please close it; the locals are staring.
The trip is a gift from my brother, large enough to include bringing one of my daughters and my grandchild. My life is full of unmerited favor and love, which explains why gratitude is splashing out of my eyes.
If you live in Europe, please look for me. I’ll be wearing still brown hair with newly added highlights, large-sized sunglasses, and a wide-brimmed hat. I’m the small woman rambling with her feet and her mouth.
I hope to send some postcards now and then, as well as read and comment on other people’s blogs. If not, I have days and days of summer left to do just that.
In the next three weeks, if I’m not here on my blog, it means I’m there.
Until we meet again here, thank you for your months of reading, commenting, and liking. I like you back.
year-struck 
Enjoy the Grand Tour. Where are you planning to go? To be honest there really are lots of gape-worthy places in Europe. I hope you enjoy them. And don’t forget while on your grand tour, when you hit Ireland that you have access to information on Irish issues available from a native. I not only speak (bad) Irish – just like most of my fellow-country-personages – I also speak the real Irish language e.g.
Question to Irish person: “Will you do ….(insert unpleasant task)?”
Answer of Irish person: “Oh, I will. I’ll definitely do that.”
Translation – “No way! Are you joking? I wouldn’t do that in a million years.”
It’s all in the tone. Irish people are pretty friendly, laugh a lot and are sarcastic as hell. It’s a winning combo. Watch Father Ted and pack a raincoat.
I took you advice for Ireland and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I had no idea though that it could be that cold in June! 🙂
Unseasonably freezing even for Ireland.
Have a very beautiful and enjoyable trip.
I did, ShimonZ. Thank you.
Bon voyage. Your concept of a “calendar” is priceless. I will try to use my gift certificates wisely here at home. Keep us posted!
I hope you are enjoying your summer and have some time off from teaching.
Please, please, please write often – I’d love to see Europe through your eyes!
As you see, all of my writing comes after the fact. 🙂
I hope you have an absolutely wonderful trip. I also hope that if Dublin is on your itinerary that you might get in touch?
I’m sorry that we couldn’t get in touch when we were in Dublin – it was just one rainy, cold Sunday and then off on the rail tour.
How lovely! Have fun in Europe!
Thank you so much.
Fantabulous!!! Bon Voyage. Live large, and remember that there is no such thing as too much fun. And eat lots and lots of really good chocolate….they have that over there, y’know!
I took your advice and ate lots of chocolate. My mouth thanks you, my thighs not so much.
Have a wonderful trip!!!! Better yet, take me with you so I can make sure you do!
They should have travel tours for bloggers. That would be fun.
I’m in!
*clapping hands*
so happy for you to have this adventure … hope your days are filled with one wonderful new thing after another, until you are simply smothered in wonderful from head to toe. Have fun!
one of my favorites parts of your adventure is the three generations — priceless!
The three generations was the very best part of the trip.
Oh, I hope you have a delightful time! We’ll see you when you get back.
It was truly delightful. Now it’s nice to be back.
Have a great time! You will come back fertile (with blog posts only!) and hopefully exhausted from having a great time.
Thank goodness we can speak of fertility only in terms of blog posts now. 🙂
Enjoy every wonder-filled moment. What a lovely and thoughtful gift. And a lasting memory for 3 generations.
Thanks, Pat. It was wonder-filled.
How wonderful! Have a great time. I can hardly wait to hear all about the adventure.
By now you have heard of some of the adventures. I hope to post many more.
oh, so happy for you, ms. yearstricken. have fun strolling and gawking, haha. 🙂
am excited about the stories you’ll bring back with you. take care and happy wandering… 😉
I had great fun strolling and gawking; it’s a great wide world out there.
even greater that you’re back, ma’am. get the stories rollin.’ am all ears (or eyes?)… 😉
Have fun! (The exclamation point is my bon voyage present to you.)
I was so glad you gave me that exclamation point. It came in handy every time my grandchild saw a PIGEON!
I hope you have a wonderful time!!!
It was wonderful. Thank you.
How lovely. I was wondering where you were but was so behind on my reading that I had missed this post. Enjoy!
We enjoyed ourselves immensely. Thanks.
Bon Voyage my love! I adore you and your blog!
I hope to read all about your trip soon!
You are such a dear. Thank you for your kind words.
I can hardly wait to hear some of your observations/experiences…what a miracle in the making…to share time discovering new things along side your daughter and grand daughter…a beautiful moment! I lift up a prayer for safe travel and good health.
Thank you for your prayers. We had a safe trip, were in good health, and had great fun.
Wow, this is going to be good…
It was even better than good.:)
I hope you are having a wonderful time. I look forward to reading about your adventures.
We brought back such great memories. I’m thankful to have been invited on the adventure.