Journey Map

 “Look kids, there’s big Ben” was the first thought that came to my mind when I heard my 12 year old son say “Let’s go to Europe, I want to see the castles and the Big Ben!” my son was yelling excitedly… I could only imagine our trip turning into another national lampoon’s vacation story – my son insisting on visiting the castle, my daughter wanting to shop for ‘European’ clothes and my husband constantly fidgeting with his iPhone checking his emails & browsing! My first thought was – No Way!! – I don’t think I can spend 3 weeks like that! I would rather have my lazy Sunday to myself, watching my favorite TV show and sipping on wine.

But I happened to mention the idea to my close friend, M. I thought M would think it was an outrageous idea and tell her son (who was my son’s best friend) to talk my son out of it. Oh .. But how that idea backfired on me?! She started convincing me of what a wonderful idea it was. “Our kids are best friends, they will love being with each other. Imagine all the time we will have to ourselves…you and I will go shopping, our husbands can share their boring stories of work and technology” she said “It’s going to be a perfect vacation! Let’s do it!” That's just how M was - spontaneous, ebullient, carefree and   vivacious. Me on the other hand... I had always been more cautious than I needed to be, timid about trying out new things and constantly apprehensive of the future. She was the life of the party , I would be in the corner avoiding any eye contact .... she loved roller coaster rides, I hated them...she loved designer clothing and expensive accessories and I couldn't for the love of God get myself to buy a pair of designer jeans much less a LV bag or Chanel purfume.....I always wonder how on earth we became the best of friends?! 

                            


Don’t get me wrong, I loved M and her quirky ways – but a three week long vacation? How could we possibly afford to spend that much time and money? My husband, S, was not going to be very happy about this escapade we were planning behind his back!

When S got home that night, we all sat down for dinner. There was silence for the first 15 minutes, it did not seem to bother S at all. Am surprised he did not realize that our kids were not quarreling over any topic today, that they seemed to be on their best behavior.….how could he not sense something was unusual? Oh well, that is just how men are. They would rather enjoy their meal than notice their surroundings or family! I broke the news about the plan to go on a three week long Europe vacation very gently to S. “ Am guessing M had a hand in all this?” he said, raising his eyebrows.  He knows how persuasive M can get when she likes an idea – and frankly, am not all that hard to sway either. To my surprise, S actually liked the idea – “Well…okay, only remember, don’t go overboard with the budget “he cautioned me.

M had done a good job of pitching the vacation idea to me. She had actually managed to get me a little excited about the trip. It was not that I was not looking forward to some “ME-time”, but I was apprehensive about the duration – 3 weeks is a long time away from home and my son had dietary restrictions .. so finding the right food for him was not going to be easy and to add to all the drama … 4 kids ! Four kids would not have been so much of a challenge if they were meek, calm and innocent like when they were little babies, but these kids were on the verge of adolescence…raging hormones ….. bubbling with rebellion!         

I had my doubts about the whole idea, but decided to go along for the roller coaster ride anyways. So there I was –talking to M about getting together over the weekend to start planning this ‘thrilling’ vacation. My son and his best friend had already decided that UK had to be on the top of the list of places to visit, M had to go to Paris if we were going to go to Europe, and I was thinking, we are going to Europe … this may be the last time we can afford such an extravagant trip, might as well visit Italy, Germany and Switzerland as well! “Hold your horses”, M said, “we might be getting just a tad bit ahead of ourselves here….there is this little something called the BUDGET…..remember?” We both sighed, of course….we were not going to get our cake and eat it too! So, I suggested we talk to a travel agent and request some catalogs so we could narrow down exactly where we wanted to go.

The catalogs were definitely helpful… besides giving us an idea of all the sightseeing we wanted to do, it showed us some of the local attractions and lodging we might be interested in. M and I sat down and narrowed the list to the key locations we all just had to visit. Now this was getting real….we were really going to do this! I was feeling anxious yet jubilant, just the thought of spending three whole weeks from the usual grind was getting my spirits up.  I was looking forward to some rest and relaxation, maybe…just maybe….me and S would get a chance to slip away and revive our romance.

It was the day before our flight…. We were done with all the planning and the packing, the discussing and the arguing. I had made a long check list of all the things we had to carry. I was under the impression that I was so systematic and organized – because I had two lists – one, ‘must haves’ and second, ‘like to haves‘. I had clearly set a baggage limit and instructed my daughter to not carry her entire wardrobe. But apparently all the items from the ‘like to haves’ list sneaked to the ‘must haves’ list a day before the flight, and I had a room full of luggage – it was as if we had packed our entire home into bags! After negotiation rounds longer than the ones US diplomats had with Syrian diplomats, me and my daughter reached an agreement. We somehow managed to get to the airport on time. I was glad to see M , all ready for a carefree vacation, dressed up in her LV bag and wearing her sun hat and D&G goggles. “Oh c’mon M” I said, “are you seriously getting on a flight looking like that? Its

7PM, who needs shades and a hat this hour of the day?” “Woman, don’t muddle up my vacation vibe” she said. “My ‘ME-time’ has begun and I shall dress just as I please”.  So there we were - all eight of us on our trip to Europe; some of us a little overdressed for the occasion.  

Each day on that trip was a reminder of the most amazing bonds I share with these people. I have no idea how three weeks went by……we drove around, ate in some wonderful restaurants, visited some of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen .. and to my surprise, M was right – the kids got along so well with each other, we barely noticed they were around. My son got to visit the castle, M got to take pictures at the Eiffel tower, S got to see Stonehenge and I got a bucket load of wonderful memories.  Maybe we did not get to do every activity that we had planned for, but the beauty of the trip was in the little moments – the 80’s music blaring in the family van we rented, driving our kids crazy; the quiet and serene walks on the beach with my husband; the beautiful architecture and sculptures in some of the museums; the girly gossip M, my daughter and I indulged in …. nothing can beat those moments! So much for my imagination that the trip would turn out to be a scene straight out of a National Lampoon’s movie!