Connie’s Corner blog today is by guest author, Dee Durham (my Mom). I asked her to share her thoughts on vacationing with three generations such as our trip to Europe in 2008.
The downpour that we experienced last weekend here in Phoenix, Arizona was unbelievable, even for us Oregonians. At one time, I was sure that it was not even possible to get from one side of the street to the other without swimming. I tried to think of when I had been in rain like that before. What came to my mind was when we were in Luxembourg (2008) on our Legacy Trip. Connie has written about that trip, but she didn’t say that it was raining so hard we could not see out the windows enough to spot a parking place, even if had there been one.
Too much rain. We all voted to return to Trier. We figured that it couldn’t be raining any harder on the Mosel River and we might as well find a place to settle in and experience some afternoon coffee and a little piece of cake while we watched the river traffic go by.
We were on the outskirts of the City of Luxembourg when Rachel told us to stop! We couldn’t leave without some kind of memento. She spotted a shop which looked promising and Connie swooped into a recently vacated parking spot. We jumped out, hoods and umbrellas up. The church, which she wrote about, was across the street. We were enjoying the quiet beauty of the church when Rachel rejoined us after purchasing some post cards. Her assessment of the shop brought us all back into the real world. “You should see the good-looking guy working in there,” she whispered. Way to go, Rachel!
I learned so much about my two granddaughters on this trip. I learned how caring they could be and I learned that both of them had hidden talents that were very unexpected. It was Jessica who consoled Rachel when her boyfriend phoned her to tell her that he had done something really stupid. She was in tears and Jess sat with her arm around her and talked softly until the crisis passed. That was a side of Jessica I had never seen.
When we went to the Alte Pinakothek in Munich to see the old paintings, it was Rachel who became our tour guide and explained each picture better than any brochure ever could. It turns out that she had just taken a course in college which enabled her to see and understand those paintings. Even her mother was amazed and I was so impressed. From a social butterfly in grade school to a competent young woman…..what a change.
When traveling with three generations, it really is important to realize that each person has his/her own likes and dislikes. My favorite castle was Burg Eltz on the Mosel. The two girls didn’t care for it at all. Everyone had to be very patient when I wanted to go to Zell am Mosel where they make a Riesling wine called Zeller Schwarze Katz. A favorite of mine. We were all enthralled with the little old man who had a wine cellar next to the Mosel River and explained to the girls (translated by their grandmother) all about wine tasting. He also told us stories about being a boy during WWII and hiding in that very wine cellar while tanks from the opposing armies lined up on the banks of the river and shot at each other.
I enjoyed playing with my granddaughters when they were small, but, believe me, nothing beats sitting with them in the Ratskeller restaurant in Munich, enjoying a good meal and sipping wine. Granddaughters as adults! What a joy!
When we put them on the plane to go home to their jobs, we all cried. We knew that they would get home all right, but we also knew that we would miss them. What Connie and I would do after Jessica and Rachel left is a story for another time. The important thing was that three generations can travel together and have a really wonderful time.
Leave a Reply