(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)
That may seem like a strange thing to say in a travel blog, as my part of the world enters another extended pandemic lockdown. But even if the quantities are extremely limited so far, the arrival of the first vaccines certainly fills me with some hope. Enough hope that I actually signed out some travel-related books during a recent trip to the library.
My first travel book? A guide to the Netherlands! We really enjoyed our 2014 trip, and we’d like to explore some different corners of the country the next time. As for *when* that might happen, it’s far too early to say. But after not reading a travel book for almost a year, I think it’s significant that I actually picked one up this month.
In fact, I also checked out a website for the small-group tour company I used for my Latin American trips in 2014, 2014 (again!) and 2016. It’s still far too early to think about when something like that might happen…but the fact that I looked is encouraging.
As I begin to consider the possibility of travelling again, my next step will be refreshing my memory on the details of some of my recent trips. While broad impressions always stay with me, some of the finer details can get lost in the shuffle. Once again, this blog makes that task pretty easy. I’m looking forward to rediscovering some of those experiences. Today’s post contains some favourite photos from Chile (the one at the very top is Volcán Osorno, taken from Puerto Varas) and Argentina!
I’m also about to embark on some language training. It may not be strictly essential, but it definitely makes great travel experiences easier to have. This time, I won’t be relying on free apps to learn! I’m a little apprehensive about being in a language classroom again, after more then 30 years, but it might provide the structure necessary to truly progress.
In the meantime, there may be some very dark months ahead. Quite apart from the serious health crisis we are facing, there will be a lot of “everyday” personal disappointments for all of us. For example, although it was only going to be for three nights, I still had to cancel our planned winter getaway due to the latest lockdown. I’m going to do my best to keep looking forward, knowing this current state of affairs won’t last forever.
Stay tuned – in addition to some general travel stuff, I’ll be sharing some previously unpublished photos and stories from my 1999 adventures in Bavaria and Bohemia!