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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2009 21:04:38 GMT
I took my first independent trip when I was 17, and I must give credit to my parents for trusting me, since I was travelling all alone, long before mobile phones, the internet or anything but sporadic postal contact. I didn't even have a credit card -- just traveller's cheques.
I had bought a 3-month Eurail pass (they were cheap back then) and I was determined to go everywhere that I possibly could across Europe, not to mention taking as many night trains as possible to save on accommodation.
It was an amazing summer. I went to Narvik, Norway and Lisbon, Portugal. I even took a ferry across the strait of Gibraltar from Algeciras to Ceuta, just so I could say that I had touched Africa. I went to Vienna and Geneva and Copenhagen and Amsterdam and Madrid. Back and forth so many times -- there were plenty of night trains back then; travel was a lot slower.
I learned so much about different countries that summer that it changed me forever. It was "only" Europe but it made me realize that people were different and people were the same everywhere. It made later trips to other continents much less frightening.
It was also that summer that I decided that I would move to Paris as soon as I controlled my own life, and that is exactly what I did.
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Post by spindrift on Feb 5, 2009 21:05:36 GMT
How enterprising that you did it when you were only 17. I was in my early twenties before I struck out by myself.
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Post by happytraveller on Feb 6, 2009 7:47:50 GMT
Wow, great story ! Something I have never done unfortunately, and I do regret it !
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Post by spindrift on Feb 6, 2009 10:10:57 GMT
I forced myself into my first independent trip. I gave an ultimatum to a boyfriend I was in love with, to marry me or I'd go to Australia. Of course he wouldn't be bullied by me so I had to buy a round-the-world airticket to Sydney. I found it very difficult to actually board the flight out of Heathrow but once I got to New York I began to enjoy myself, went on to Mexico, then Australia and South Africa. I stayed away from England for several years but my feelings didn't change and I was still in love with that guy. That taught me the lesson that we can't escape from ourselves.
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Post by distantshores on Jun 11, 2009 21:27:57 GMT
WOW! I was very impressed by your story k2. I wish I had done something like that when I was young. And then I read spindrift's story and go WOW WOW! For a young girl to take off like that and go around the world and stay away for several years..... I would love to hear the details as to what you did all those years, but only if I may ask! What an adventure!!! I admire your bravery! And you are right... we can't escape our ourselves.... and seldom our problems! Please tell more if you would k2 and spindrift. I'll listen intently.
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Post by traveler63 on Jun 12, 2009 0:14:46 GMT
I early retired in June 2006, Kirk was already retired. He was working part time at a wine store and in mid month(same June) he said you know I'd like to learn more about Italian wine. Why don't I talk to a couple of our reps and see if we can put something together for a trip to Italy. Ok, good idea. And so, began our Italian Adventure. We put together with no help from anyone a 25 day trip( only our second trip internationally) which began in Northern Italy (flew into Milan). We did train, plane, boat, car and bus. We spent about time in the Piedmont region , Torino, Asti. We trained from Asti to Venice, Florence, went by car to Siena, and ended going from Siena to Rome by bus!!!!. That was an experience. We stayed in bed and breakfasts, 2 apartments, a small hotel in Florence and an Agroturismo in Siena. We stumbled into a Palio in Asti, learned that our host in Siena raised horses for their Palio, found a complete walled town ouside Siena where we had black and white truffles in an array of pasta. We had a wonderful tour of Castello Banfi, in Tuscany. Rome was outstanding, but I have to tell you that our tour of the Vatican and the Museum was the most wonderful event of our lives. Kirk had a contact that arranged for us to have a private tour. We did not know at the time we arranged the tour, but our tour guide was retired from 57 years service to the Holy See. He is what is known as "the Pope's Man". He would be one of the men that carry the Pope in and out of the services. His name is Felice Novelli, and we get a Christmas card from him every year. We are not Catholic nor are we extremely religious, but having a tour with Felice was inspiring.
Hope I haven't bored you but this trip was our first major one and we have not looked back since.
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Post by imec on Jun 12, 2009 1:50:37 GMT
Great story T63! I love Banfi wines btw.
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Post by distantshores on Jun 12, 2009 2:32:19 GMT
That was fascinating traveler63! Thank you for sharing. Kirk and yourself did some wise and careful panning beforehand and you in turn had a wonderful vacation. Good for you!
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 12, 2009 3:08:11 GMT
Oh my goodness, T63, you do deserve the name "Traveler"! What a wonderful story. You all really took the plunge into traveling! In so many ways your Italian tour sounds like the "if I could only take one trip ......" kind of excursion. Wow.
I have to ask -- what is a Palio?
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Post by tillystar on Jun 12, 2009 14:02:54 GMT
I also love your trip T63, it sounds magic! My first trip was also when I was 17. A friend and I saved hard for a year (I worked in Burger King, a nightclub and Knickerbox all at the same time at one point!) and we booked a two week package holiday to Crete at the beginning of the tourist season. It was the same price as a flight in the days before easyjet and gave us two weeks to find jobs and accomodation. We were too busy partying to find accomodation and so ended up squatting in an unused apartment in a block of holiday lets while we worked in Hard Rock cafe. We got found out and kicked out, ended up in a police cell for a night and then decided it was time to leave Crete. We spent two months travelling around the greek islands having lots of adventures: odd jobs on boats, selling fish out of an old van, falling off mopeds and in love several times each  . Money started to run dry so we went back to Crete and worked for the last 2 months of the season back at Hard Rock cafe, this time we brought ourselves a tent to live in. It was a great summer. Mobile phones are wonderful. We didn't call our parents for the last month of travelling around. When we got back to Crete and went to pick up our post from the poste restante the manager came out shouting at us and dragged us to the back room to call our parents who had called there to see if we had got back yet to collect our mail Wow, she was scary. I never failed to call home again after that! |
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Post by traveler63 on Jun 12, 2009 15:40:34 GMT
Bixa: A Palio is a horse race in the center of town. It is generally bareback and no holds are barred. Totally without rules. The one in Asti happens in September and has been going on since 1258. The one in Siena happens twice a year, it is world famous. There are districts, within Siena and they have beautiful costumes and flags. This one has been going on since the middle ages too. Check this picture out. It is one of the district costumes in Asti. api.photoshop.com/home_b720b413e253456899cf073f86ba1d1a/adobe-px-assets/beff4298eed244718a7a98c27d41b6db |
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Post by tillystar on Jun 12, 2009 16:04:16 GMT
Oh Wow, it must be amazing "stumbling" onto one of those.
I didn't know what they were until literally a few weeks ago and when I watched the most recent James Bond and was like Wow what is that, need to investigate, that looks amazing!
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Post by Jazz on Jun 12, 2009 20:16:48 GMT
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Post by traveler63 on Jun 12, 2009 21:25:13 GMT
Jazz:
Oh yes. We are now putting together a 28 day trip to Paris in September. There will be side trips to several places, and we will be on a hunt in Paris for the best, chocolate, foie gras, patisserie, wine bar.
I have many great stories about our stay in Italy. One quick one; when we stayed in the bed and breakfast in Azzano de Asti, which is a hill town outside of Asti (only about 50 people live there) the young couple we stayed with were so great. Her name was Viviana, she spoke very little English, some German, some French and a little Spanish. I speak very little Italian, quite a bit of Spanish, a little French, thats it. So, every morning, she would come to fix breakfast for us, with her Italian-English dictonary, I would look at my English Italian dictonary. Somehow, between our gestures, dictonaries, and smattering of languages we were able to communicate and we had a great time.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 12, 2009 21:38:07 GMT
Oh! Thank you, Jazz & T63!
Even though I saw those pics when they were first posted, I didn't make the connection. I really enjoyed looking at them again with this extra knowledge.
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Post by distantshores on Jun 12, 2009 23:16:03 GMT
Your last story was fascinating to read T63! I would have enjoyed that myself. Has anyone seen the movie "Under The Tuscan Sun"?
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Post by Jazz on Jun 13, 2009 0:37:56 GMT
T63: I look forward to your stories of Italy and any other of your travels. Yes, September in Paris is very beautiful. Since you are going for 28 days, will you be renting an apartment? For this discussion, maybe we should go to the Europe Branch. Imec is going with his family very soon and there is a thread, anyportinastorm.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=europe&action=display&thread=1523&page=1You may want to start a thread with your own questions. Distant, I saw the film "under the Tuscan Sun'... good, but I prefer her books. |
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 13, 2009 1:37:40 GMT
II learned so much about different countries that summer that it changed me forever. It was "only" Europe but it made me realize that people were different and people were the same everywhere. It made later trips to other continents much less frightening. Kerouac, do you realize how much this comment sets you apart as a real traveler? So many people are perpetually frightened by anything different that any trip away from home is a turn-off because of its strangeness. Tilly, I loved your story but have to say I read it with a great deal of envy, as I did K's. If I'd had the fortitude to strike out like that at that early age, I think my life would have been different and better. |
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Post by tillystar on Jun 13, 2009 9:35:36 GMT
I don't know Bixa, it was great no doubt, but the same stubborness and rebelliousness that led me there so young has also led me to do some really stupid things in my life too.
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Post by traveler63 on Jun 13, 2009 12:36:12 GMT
Jazz:
Yes, we have rented an apartment. This is the second one we have rented. We will be about a 10 minute walk from the Opera Garnier. It is on the rue Marsollier.
I have read K2's, spindrift and all of the other's account of their trips. Wow. I really admire that you all were so independent. I grew up in California, a shy backward young girl. There would have been no way that I would ever have had the courage to do what you all did so young. I did my "traveling" when I was young by reading book after book. I really didn't take my first plane trip until I was in my early 30's. Kirk and I were married here in Tucson 40 years ago. When we were younger, we did do some traveling here in the U. S. and in Western Canada. It has only been in the last 4-5 years that we have been able to travel outside of the U. S. so we are really novices. We have been fortunate to have great luck in our travels finding interesting ways to do it. We really have found that we like doing it independently rather than with tours.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 13, 2009 14:19:38 GMT
I don't know Bixa, it was great no doubt, but the same stubborness and rebelliousness that led me there so young has also led me to do some really stupid things in my life too. Yeah, lucky for me that I always stayed on the straight & narrow and never did anything really stupid.  (& most of the stupid things I did, I did more than once.  ) |
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Post by spindrift on Jun 13, 2009 19:51:40 GMT
Distantshores - here is my story in brief: In New York I stayed with friends who showed me around the usual sights but most importantly took me to clubs and nightspots such as 'Sardi's' (I think)...which was just a continuation of my London life.
I then few to Mexico City where I had a friend who turned out to be engaged so I hopped on a plane to Acapulco, stayed there for a while at Las Brisas hotel then returned to Mexico city were I lived for about 6 months but couldn't get a job due to strictly enforced rules aimed at foreigners like myself.
Next I went, via Tahiti to Sydney where I found a job and stayed for nearly two years. Boy - do I love Sydney. I should have stayed there. Instead I planned to return to Europe via the Trans Siberian Railway, Vladivostok (alone of course) but at this moment in time I received an invitation from a bf who lived in South Africa inviting me to join him on a big game hunting safari in the Zambezi Valley. As I was hesitating he said 'If you don't take this opportunity to come hunting now, you won't get another chance, it's to be banned'....so I changed my plans immediately and flew to Johannesburg. We were only four going hunting in Zimbabwe and I must scan my pics of this amazing event. It wasn't an organised hunt with a White Hunter in charge. It was just us. My bf had been brought up with big game hunting as an everyday event...we hired some Africans for tracking when we reached the town nearest the place where we would camp. My, was it dangerous. I was a real greenhorn in those days. I learned a lot.
So then I stayed in Johannesburg for nearly 2 years and got a job with a big company...where I had one hell of a time.
Eventually I returned to London via Turkey and skiing at Courchevel...but that's another story!
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 13, 2009 21:01:11 GMT
I hope this doesn't embarrass you, Spindrift, but -- the more I know about you, the more you impress me!
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Post by distantshores on Jun 13, 2009 23:44:49 GMT
What a fascinating time in your life spindrift! Better than most novels. I find it fascinating that you had a bf in So Africa!!! And then to go on a big game safari besides. What you did as a young girl would be the experience of a lifetime for many of us. What did your parents think of all this? Did you stay in touch with them, or... I am very impressed! So would you do it all over again if you were young again?
I got an email from a friend in Belgium who has friends who rode the Trans Siberian Railroad from Moscow to Peking. They videotaped along the way. I'm hoping I get to see some of it. Along the way they watched the landscape change as the culture changed. It also went from Caucasian to Asian during the trip. I would find that so awesome to experience all that!
Thank you spindrift! This was very nice of you to share this.
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Post by distantshores on Jun 13, 2009 23:49:58 GMT
I also love your trip T63, it sounds magic! My first trip was also when I was 17. A friend and I saved hard for a year (I worked in Burger King, a nightclub and Knickerbox all at the same time at one point!) and we booked a two week package holiday to Crete at the beginning of the tourist season. It was the same price as a flight in the days before easyjet and gave us two weeks to find jobs and accomodation. We were too busy partying to find accomodation and so ended up squatting in an unused apartment in a block of holiday lets while we worked in Hard Rock cafe. We got found out and kicked out, ended up in a police cell for a night and then decided it was time to leave Crete. We spent two months travelling around the greek islands having lots of adventures: odd jobs on boats, selling fish out of an old van, falling off mopeds and in love several times each . Money started to run dry so we went back to Crete and worked for the last 2 months of the season back at Hard Rock cafe, this time we brought ourselves a tent to live in. It was a great summer. Mobile phones are wonderful. We didn't call our parents for the last month of travelling around. When we got back to Crete and went to pick up our post from the poste restante the manager came out shouting at us and dragged us to the back room to call our parents who had called there to see if we had got back yet to collect our mail Wow, she was scary. I never failed to call home again after that! tillystar.... your story is quite fascinating as well. To be only 17 and to take off like that and travel. My 17 year old daughter did the same thing. I could have killed her!!! Not really! But I was a bit upset at the time. :-) Daughters!!! |
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Post by distantshores on Jun 13, 2009 23:53:47 GMT
I forced myself into my first independent trip. I gave an ultimatum to a boyfriend I was in love with, to marry me or I'd go to Australia. Of course he wouldn't be bullied by me so I had to buy a round-the-world airticket to Sydney. I found it very difficult to actually board the flight out of Heathrow but once I got to New York I began to enjoy myself, went on to Mexico, then Australia and South Africa. I stayed away from England for several years but my feelings didn't change and I was still in love with that guy. That taught me the lesson that we can't escape from ourselves. So what ever happened to the guy you were still in love with? To threaten him to marry you...or else!!! What a marriage proposal!!! I chuckle every time I read what you wrote! Do you really believe it was all the emotion that caused you to do what you did? Obviously you had the BF in So Africa as a spare!  |
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Post by distantshores on Jun 13, 2009 23:57:46 GMT
I don't know Bixa, it was great no doubt, but the same stubborness and rebelliousness that led me there so young has also led me to do some really stupid things in my life too. Yeah, lucky for me that I always stayed on the straight & narrow and never did anything really stupid. (& most of the stupid things I did, I did more than once. ) We definitely need to start a thread " Stupid Things I've Done In My Life"! I love romance novels!!!  Don't these stupid stories always involve people of the opposite sex!!!  |
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Post by spindrift on Jun 14, 2009 19:17:54 GMT
Distantshores: Hi! I still want to do the TransSiberian express journey. Then perhaps take a boat to Japan. Actually, I have not changed. I am still doing the same mad things. Mostly in the Himalayas. When I set out on my first trip to Sydney I did stay loosely in touch with my mother. As for the guy I was in love with - well - I bumped into him when I was on my return journey to england. He happened to be in Courchevel at the same time. I met him in the main street. I cant' believe it , even now! I started up with him again but a short while later he went off skiing in the Pyrenees and met an American girl called 'Frog' (can you believe that name?)...so I had to give up on him and finally he married someone else. I lost that one! As for the bf in S.Africa....well what can I say? ;D Hey Bixa! I've just seen your comment!  Distantshores: it wasn't emotion. I just HAD to go to Australia if he didn't marry me, because I SAID I would....I had to follow through. That's me. And I had bfs everywhere. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 14, 2009 19:32:06 GMT
Nitpicker here. The Trans-Siberian express goes to Vladivostok, not Beijing. It is the Trans-Mongol express that goes from Moscow to Beijing, via Ulan Bator.
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Post by spindrift on Jun 14, 2009 19:37:52 GMT
Didn't I say Vladivostock (and taking a boat to Japan?)
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. Money started to run dry so we went back to Crete and worked for the last 2 months of the season back at Hard Rock cafe, this time we brought ourselves a tent to live in.
)
Don't these stupid stories always involve people of the opposite sex!!! 
