Anticipation!

“Well," said Pooh, "what I like best," and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called.”

          ~A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

     Lanny and I love to travel. Even before we were married, we traveled to some wonderful places... like Vancouver to visit his brother, and New Orleans to visit my best friend. We have a long list of places we want to travel to, and soon we will be traveling to one of them. As always, before we leave,  I must sit down and plan out the trip.

     I get out maps (we usually have a recent Atlas of the US, where each double page is the map of a different state, all placed in alphabetical order.) I have the computer close by too. Depending on where we are going and how we are getting there (flying? or long distance driving? Do we need to rent a car when we get there? If we are driving, what is a reasonable amount of driving for the area we will travel to?) I try to figure out where we will stay and make reservations ahead. I have a great need to plan out the trip, sometimes in great detail, so that we can enjoy our travels without spending time searching for a place to stay. Or worrying there might not be room in the inn. And making sure we take in as many experiences we can.

     We are going to take a short trip soon, so I am in the planning stages for this. I have been spending lots of time on the computer looking up places to stay, planning the route, and even looking up good places to eat. The internet has provided such great resources-- I can find reviews of restaurants ahead of time and figure out which restaurants are worthy of consideration. We have had some real flops too, of course. But usually these problems were caused by a lack of planning...

     The planning phase of each trip is most enjoyable to me too. I pour over maps to plan out each location, and discover what there is to see at each location.  There are wonderful websites devoted to this and I can see photos of scenic areas, read about historical events, discover new places to visit, and read restaurant and hotel reviews. All of this info goes into the planning of our trip and increases the anticipation of the real thing... so much so that I can enjoy each trip twice-- once in the planning of it and again during the actual trip!

     On the other hand, some of the most memorable moments of our travels have been surprises.  Several years ago we drove to New Mexico. This state is marvelous for meandering, and I had looked up all kinds of fun places to visit. We sought out a real ghost town, and drove a couple hours to find it. We drove out to the Zuni pueblo (a pueblo is sort of a town or village where a particular tribe lives, and where they maintain the cultural events and traditions that make each pueblo a unique place and experience) which was a long way off the beaten path, and had a wonderful guided tour of the mission church there and the surrounding town buildings, as well as a great description of some of the sacred Zuni rituals. The woman who gave us the tour also told us where to find the best hand crafted jewelry, all made by local people. This was not a planned activity-- I had just read about the pueblo and that tours might be available, and we ventured out. It was a wonderful morning spent with someone who was culturally very different from us, and we learned a lot.

     We left the pueblo, located in what can only be described as "the middle of nowhere", about 11 am, having spent the morning learning about Zuni customs, seeing sights that not many non-Zunis get to see, and buying some wonderfully crafted pieces of jewelry as souvenirs. It didn't dawn on us how hungry we were until we were an hour or so outside the pueblo. We were driving in southwest New Mexico, and there was not a restaurant to be found. Or a town for that matter. We were not on an interstate. We had a few snacks in the car, but they were not going to fill us up. We drove some more, our tummies rumbling.

     Then, alongside the road, across the street from a horse corral that looked like it belonged on a gun-slinger 50's TV show, we drove past a little low frame building with a red sign out front that read, "The Enchanted Swiss Gourmet Bakery".  Huh? Lanny slammed on the brakes, we turned around and went back. The place was empty except for one other couple, who were apparently locals by the way they chatted with a tall, thin man with a heavy German sounding accent. It turns out he was the owner of the establishment and had emigrated from Switzerland twenty-some years before. He did all the baking, and he made us some great sandwiches. Then he served up a couple pieces of hazelnut torte that were out-of-this-world delicious.  It was so good, and so unexpected, that three years later we still laugh about it and remember the meal.  The rest of the trip was wonderful, but what we talk about and re-enjoy over and over are the memories of the day we experienced the Zuni pueblo culture and ate at the Enchanted Swiss Gourmet Bakery.

     So... the keys to great traveling that we have discovered are:
     1.  Lots of planning will assure that we have a place to stay and take advantage of all each new location has to offer.
     2.  Be aware of the cultural aspects of the places we are to visit and try to be open to new experiences related to them.
     3.  Be open to new experiences and be surprised!

     I'll keep you posted on how this trip goes!