Thursday, August 9, 2007

Conclusions

Well, it's been over two weeks since we got back and already it feels as though it was years ago. The trip met every one of my expectations. We had no major hassles, we saw everything that we really wanted to, we found a pace that suited us both and overall, had a fantastic time. We snipped at each other as any travelers together 24 hours a day for 42 days would, but the fact that spending time apart wasn't an option seemed to make it easier to sort things out on the infrequent occasions that we did get ratty.

There are so many conclusions that I could draw from the holiday, but here are a few. It was too short, but always would be, I suppose. On the other hand, 6 weeks is a long time for Erith not to see her mum and her friends, so at the end she was very keen to get home. Other conclusions?
  • Erith will likely travel when she's old enough and I'm certain that she'll be a very competent traveler.
  • You need a lot of time to see Europe. To see anywhere actually, but especially Europe.
  • Erith and I have the power to make good weather - we did it for 6 weeks running.
  • I couldn't stand doing that trip without Erith - I'd have spent the whole time feeling as though I'd lost the opportunity to open her eyes to the world a little bit.
The bottom line is that I'm thrilled with the way the whole thing came off - it was a really special time for a lot of reasons.

The most important conclusion is one that I knew before we went on holidays, but that was confirmed to me every single day. Erith is a really fantastic kid and I love her dearly.

I guess that's it - the trip's over and so is the blog. Thanks for reading.

4 comments:

joan carr said...

I checked out the blog site and enjoyed the ending and your overall conclusions about the trip. It's wonderful that it was so comparatively trouble free (after all what's a wrecked suitcase in The Big Picture?) and that you both have such great memories of those 42 days. I've gone every step of the way with you in my mind and you're not the only parent who has a dearly loved kid who has just been on a big trip!

Marcus said...

Joanie, there is something deeply satisfying about traveling with kids. Despite it being so much fun, you almost feel as though you have a responsibility to expose kids to differences in the world. It's got to be the best duty I've ever had.

olph4rt said...

It is over all ready? Remember to keep in touch, everyone!

Anonymous said...

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