{"id":4861,"date":"2021-03-14T16:03:28","date_gmt":"2021-03-14T16:03:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toonsarah-travels.blog\/staging\/?p=4861"},"modified":"2021-03-14T18:36:14","modified_gmt":"2021-03-14T18:36:14","slug":"my-love-of-travel-some-special-moments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toonsarah-travels.blog\/staging\/my-love-of-travel-some-special-moments\/","title":{"rendered":"My love of travel: some special moments"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It feels as if I have always loved travelling, but where did that love come from? Not my childhood experiences, for sure, although the seeds may have been sown then. My first holidays were of the \u2018bucket and spade\u2019 variety, on the Kent coast within easy reach by train of our London home.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Black
On the beach at Westgate-on-Sea, 1961<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Later, when my father learned to drive and bought his first (second-hand) car, we went further afield; but still almost always in Britain, usually a self-catering cottage in Cornwall or Wales. A holiday overseas was considered an unaffordable luxury, but there was one exception. My uncle was in the Royal Air Force and spent a couple of years stationed in Germany, so my first ever trip abroad was to visit him and my aunt in Brueggen, near Dusseldorf, when I was 10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After that my next adventure was the school\u2019s French Exchange when I was 14. This meant ten days in a small French village north of Paris: ten days speaking the language; sampling the food (including horse meat and my first black coffee, now the staple that gets me through the day); and several days out in the capital which made a huge impression on me. To this day I would name Paris as one of my favourite cities in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Three
At Niagara on the Lake with school friends Helen and Barbara, 1973<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

When I was 17 I was lucky enough to be able to take part in a camping trip arranged by my school \u2013 to Canada! This meant scraping together every penny I could from my Saturday job, plus what I could beg from my parents. But the effort was worthwhile, and looking back I think it was this trip that shaped my love of travel. In those days (early seventies) for a teenager from my background to have the opportunity to see Niagara Falls and the wilds of the Algonquin Park and (on our way home) enjoy a day in New York City, was just incredible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it was only when I met, and later married, Chris that I found my ideal travel buddy and started to make foreign travel a regular part of my life. Our first holiday together was to Prague and Austria (where Chris had spent a year living and working), and this was followed in 1981 by our honeymoon in France (Paris and Besan\u00e7on). The next year we chose a trip to New York above the need to install central heating in our new flat; and a pattern began to emerge \u2013 from then on holidays were to be high on our list of priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Young
Outside our (budget) honeymoon hotel in Paris, 1981<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Young
New York in 1982<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

At first our budgets kept us mainly confined to Europe, but gradually other destinations became feasible: Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Jordan. By the nineties we had discovered the delights of driving in the US: exploring the wonderful national parks and indulging our shared fascination with small town America. From 2000 onwards our horizons widened further; and we have now visited all seven continents, including a memorable trip to Antarctica in 2003.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"White
At Dead Horse Point, 1993<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Special moments<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Tina invites us in this week\u2019s Lens Artist Challenge to share \u2018moments that take your breath away\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have had such moments all over the world; indeed, I can\u2019t think of any holiday that hasn\u2019t included at least one. Here are just a few:<\/p>\n\n\n\n