I have a large bowl where over the years I have put currency from some of my travels. It’s fun to spread out the coins and bills as a great way to remember past trips and special moments.
Looking at the Austrian currency, I fondly remember a trip to Vienna with a friend. It was one of my first trips to Europe. We took a local bus to Schonbrunn Palace and as we did not want to wait for the English speaking tour, we joined the German speaking tour. We looked about at paintings or artwork when everyone else did and thoroughly enjoyed it, even though we did not speak a word of German.
Schonbrunn is a gorgeous palace with beautiful gardens. We loved the pastries (sacher torte a specialty) and Viennese coffee at Demels and other pastru shops. Vienna has many other memories including walking about the beautiful city and meeting friendly Austrians at the Giant Ferris wheel in the evenings. It was great fun and a marvelous introduction to Europe.
The currency from Hungary reminds me of my journey there in the early 1980’s while it was still part of the USSR. As I was on a tour, there was no time to wander about by myself. I remember so much gray (it was a November), but also having great fun at a disco, marvelous food and Tokay Wine and Budapest being a beautiful city.
Coins from Denmark remind me of Tivoli Gardens, a magical amusement part in Copenhagen. The city has many beautiful parks, especially Kings Garden. I took a mini tour to Legoland (great fun). And I can taste the fabulous open sandwiches, great desserts and fondly recall the friendly people.
In addition to looking at your photos or reading about your favorite places, it’s enjoyable to look at mementos of your travels. Ask friends about their mementos – share your love of travel with others. Even if you cannot travel to a place you dream of, keep dreaming. It will become a part of you.
Be an armchair traveler … learn all about your favorite places. Study their language, cuisine and culture. You might learn more than tourists who travel abroad but never become travelers.
Most important, have fun and be creative as you “journey” to a favorite spot … even if for now, it is a dream.
Savor your journeys… real and imagined.
Journeys with Eileen Diane 