The Surprises of Travel - 10 October 2007  | | Palau de la Musica Catalana |
For me, one of the special pleasures of travel is a surprise, at the least expected moment when, no matter how researched my destination, or how well-prepared my trip, a positive event takes place which makes the trip memorable. Such a moment can be spectacular or moving, joyful or simply "human": an encounter with a special person, an adventure into another culture... They are all a thrill I associate with travel: those which my clients tell me about when they return, or my own.
Recently, clients from New Jersey went to Greece, on an escorted land tour: very unusual for them because they prefer to rent a car and explore on their own. The surprise was that all their traveling companions on the tour were Australian; a welcome circumstance as they are planning a six-week vacation down-under next fall! They received all kinds of hints, pointers and advice. I will thoroughly enjoy helping them put it all together.
One year, recently, we had wound our way through southern Germany and enjoyed all the extraordinary baroque architecture of the region. We were driving back towards the French border, and around lunchtime, stopped in a small town, just south of Stuttgart for a bite to eat; as we were coming out of the café, I peeked inside the large church on the main square. The interior was wildly baroque, with those painted stucco cherubs jumping out of the ceiling everywhere. It also happened that a full symphony orchestra was rehearsing for that night’s concert: the surprise was that they were performing a most contemporary symphony – the effect and the contrast were astounding.
The last time we were in London, we contacted a man with whom we had become friendly when he lived in Connecticut, as director of New Haven’s famed International Festival of Arts and Ideas. He insisted we pop up (as he put it) to Newcastle for the day: strange idea... all the way to the north of England near the Scottish border – and after all, our minds were full of the antiquated idea that there is nothing but coal in Newcastle! As we really wanted to see him and his family, off we went on the fast train. What a spectacular city! We visited the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art located in a converted 1950s flour mill, saw up close, and admired, the 55-foot tall Angel of the North who greets visitors and natives to the city as they arrive. We also climbed Hadrian’s Wall, a stone fortification the Romans built across the width of modern-day England, and we played with local sheep and goats.
As well as I know Paris, my native city, there are still many surprises there! We had tickets to hear a famous Iraqi oud player at the Institut du Monde Arabe. It boasts a contemporary auditorium with a superb sound system: the surprise there was the seats, undescribable! The architect who designed the Institut (Jean Nouvel) incorporated seating of Mercedes car seats: they were so comfortable, it was difficult to get up and leave at the end.
And there was also the Palau de la Musica Catalana in Barcelona (a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recently restored), the dog-walkers of Buenos Aires who walk up to 30 dogs at a time (a city ordinance limits the groups to that number!). There was also the Sidney (Australia) park ranger who taught us how to play the didgeridoo on a length of PVC pipe, and we will never forget the charming 12-year-old Czech boy who interviewed us for a school assignment, when we were strolling around Prague’s main square; his English was first year English, it was simple, yet quite correct: he wanted to know if we liked his city.
To be successful traveling, we need to keep an open mind and to allow other cultures to penetrate our consciousness. Visits to Europe are always energizing, yet I especially enjoy cultures very different from mine! Moroco and Peru, to name only two, were very special. This fall, we are about to leave for Turkey for another special experience, and next spring will find us in Jordan and also Egypt.
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