You triggered many great memories. I can’t believe you hauled that guitar and hard case around though - you should get a ribbon for that - but when I saw that masterful Dm bar chord in the group photo, well it all makes sense.
Lovely, Terry. My husband and I, on the other hand, decided to get married, finish university, start teaching, start a family and dream of going to Europe. Haven't yet really done the tour but we've touched on bits. Memorable 3 or 4 years ago was a Baltic cruise from which we took a one-day train trip to Berlin even though it cost us plenty. So glad we did. It was after the wall came down, of course, and we had a fabulous guide all around the city seeing places we had only heard about. Travel does open the eyes!
I missed that step in my young adult development; instead I married and took an MBA and my wife and I had our first kid at 24. My two younger brothers did the European tour and I think I was mildly resentful the rest of my life. I doubt failing to do the tour actually affects the eventual career path to author but may affect perspective. Fifty years later I began to make up for lost opportunity, traveling and writing. I published my ‘autobiography’ last year which includes a few scanned photos improved with photoshop.
Great post, Terry! I still have my Canadian flag patch somewhere...
Travelling should be a prerequisite for any writer. Aside from experiencing the guitars and the beer and the Mediterranean Sea, living day to day in new cultures forces you to see things in different ways. I believe that the more perspectives you can see and understand -- not necessarily agree with, but understand -- the better writer you'll be. (And probably the better person you'll be, too.)
On a side note -- how silly do I feel now to have paid extra 30 years ago for "bright, long-lasting photos" when all have desaturated to smears of black and white and tan?
Loved this trip down memory lane. Thank you. Only thing I’d add was the incredible appreciation for Canada that I also gained and felt so keenly when first stepping off the plane at Mirabel….
Only you, Terry, could put into wonderful words the adventures that many of us had! Thank you for the memories and for reminding us to look back on the old photos that are stored somewhere.
Love this. Reminds me of my own golden time hitchhiking across the USA, and not that long ago (2006-2010). Wild adventures, for sure. And more recently in 2016 hiking El Camino de Santiago across Northern Spain. We think alike :)
You triggered many great memories. I can’t believe you hauled that guitar and hard case around though - you should get a ribbon for that - but when I saw that masterful Dm bar chord in the group photo, well it all makes sense.
Thanks, Dave. Hope you’re well.
Lovely, Terry. My husband and I, on the other hand, decided to get married, finish university, start teaching, start a family and dream of going to Europe. Haven't yet really done the tour but we've touched on bits. Memorable 3 or 4 years ago was a Baltic cruise from which we took a one-day train trip to Berlin even though it cost us plenty. So glad we did. It was after the wall came down, of course, and we had a fabulous guide all around the city seeing places we had only heard about. Travel does open the eyes!
I missed that step in my young adult development; instead I married and took an MBA and my wife and I had our first kid at 24. My two younger brothers did the European tour and I think I was mildly resentful the rest of my life. I doubt failing to do the tour actually affects the eventual career path to author but may affect perspective. Fifty years later I began to make up for lost opportunity, traveling and writing. I published my ‘autobiography’ last year which includes a few scanned photos improved with photoshop.
Great post, Terry! I still have my Canadian flag patch somewhere...
Travelling should be a prerequisite for any writer. Aside from experiencing the guitars and the beer and the Mediterranean Sea, living day to day in new cultures forces you to see things in different ways. I believe that the more perspectives you can see and understand -- not necessarily agree with, but understand -- the better writer you'll be. (And probably the better person you'll be, too.)
On a side note -- how silly do I feel now to have paid extra 30 years ago for "bright, long-lasting photos" when all have desaturated to smears of black and white and tan?
Thanks, Graham. I think you’re right about the effect international travel can have on a writer’s development. Glad you enjoyed the post.
Loved this trip down memory lane. Thank you. Only thing I’d add was the incredible appreciation for Canada that I also gained and felt so keenly when first stepping off the plane at Mirabel….
An excellent point and completely true for me, too. Thanks for making it.
Only you, Terry, could put into wonderful words the adventures that many of us had! Thank you for the memories and for reminding us to look back on the old photos that are stored somewhere.
Love this. Reminds me of my own golden time hitchhiking across the USA, and not that long ago (2006-2010). Wild adventures, for sure. And more recently in 2016 hiking El Camino de Santiago across Northern Spain. We think alike :)
You might enjoy my Camino piece: https://michaelmohr.substack.com/p/buen-camino-my-unexpected-walk-across
Michael Mohr
"Sincere American Writing"
https://michaelmohr.substack.com/
Hey thanks, Michael. I'll have a look at your Substack.
Do :)
Ahhh...those were the days, Terry! Another opportunity to sit back and wax nostalgic.
Hope all is well!
Paul