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Travel: Well, Why Not?
At the age of 24, close to Shackleton’s age, I caught the travel bug. I’ve been infected ever since. At that moment I stood stunned by King Tutankhamen’s golden death mask, oddly alone with it for a moment during the 1978 King Tut exhibit in Seattle, Washington. Our busload of students had scrambled ahead, leaving me to stare in silent wonder at this glowing ancient treasure. A pauper-poor schoolteacher at the time, I remember thinking, “I’ve just GOT to get to Egypt someday, somehow.” I still haven’t been to Egypt; odds are I’ll make it, though. It’s on the top of my travel bucket list, and we’ve hesitated only because of…
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Venice, Italy: Water Taxi Ride
How to get ourselves (and our luggage) from our cruise ship to our hotel, in a city without streets? Our destination: The lovely Hotel Concordia, steps from San Marco Square in the heart of Venice. I had reserved a water taxi for six. We waited for our launch, concerned, as small boats zipped in and out in front of us and waves rocked the dock beneath our feet. The tiny launch that finally pulled up was a moving target, and I worried she might sink once six robust Americans with suitcases climbed aboard. Then we pulled out, and…… Ah, Venice. We instantly fell hard for this ancient, sinking city, as…
