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Published: June 18th 2019
Odyssey 2019
Hand in hand, we made our long journey together.As the saying goes, all good things--including this odyssey--must come to an end, so today we packed our suitcases for tomorrow's flight from Paris to Orlando. Our direct flight departs Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport at 2:40 PM local time, and is scheduled to land in Orlando around 6:30 PM.
During the past sixty-four days we've traveled thousands of miles (with over a hundred of them on foot), taken almost 1,100 photos, and blogged more than 32,000 words. Of course, we suffered our fair share of aches, pains, and bumps in the road during our journey this year, but the memories of so many amazing sights--and especially the moments spent with dear friends--more than compensated for any setbacks and disappointments we encountered along the way.
This final blog entry is mostly an attempt to highlight some of the many memories of our trip. I apologize for the large number of photos, but they can be viewed quickly by scrolling down each page. Finally, we want to thank all of you who shared your comments during our journey--we appreciated them very much!
And now for some parting words from my lovely wife, who soldiered on through thick and thin,
Bon voyage!
April 16, 2019 · Orlando, Florida but always with a smile on her face:
As the Chinese proverb reminds us, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step", and on our journey this year many steps were climbed, cobblestones walked, and obstacles overcome. One of the challenges of traveling for me is giving up the comforts of home--trying to cook in six different kitchens, some larger and a few much tinier than mine back home.
I also managed to cope with six different washers, dryers, dishwashers, etc., with instructions in as many languages; and let's not even talk about the different currencies with which we had to deal! But in the end, no regrets, except perhaps for the chances we did NOT take! Wherever we went, the places we experienced became a part of us, and we found a way to make it work. I've learned that everyone smiles in the same language. :-) And I'm sincerely grateful for all the wonderful people we met along the way.
Life is unpredictable, like my stumble and fall near Notre-Dame, on a street where I've walked many times in the past. But there is an old Yiddish saying, "Man plans and God
Our odyssey begins
Flying from Orlando to Frankfurt, Germany laughs"--none of us knows what our lives hold in store from day to day. So we must enjoy every moment, and find happiness wherever and whenever we can.
Happiness for us is planning a journey, to new places, and then sharing the experiences together. Thanks to my wonderful husband for holding my hand on the many trips we've shared together. Winnie the Pooh once said, "How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so HARD". Until our next odyssey then...
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Cindy
non-member comment
Great photos
What an adventure. Love the "streetwalkers" captioned photo.