Planes, Trains and Orthotics: A Middle-Age Woman's Guide to Travel

 We have been busy since arriving in Normandy. Yesterday, we spent the entire day visiting the towns and beaches notable for the D-Day invasion. To walk on Utah and Omaha beaches and see the American Cemetery’s flag ceremony while listening to “Taps,” was very moving, even 80 years later.  Thanks to Gold Beach Company, we had a wonderful tour guide, Victor,  who provided us with a wealth of knowledge about those eventful days. We all agreed that upon our return home, watching “Saving Private Ryan” (for the 10th time) and “Band of Brothers” ( me for the third time, Bob for the 150th time) is a must.  The next day, we decided to get up early and head to Mont St. Michel, a huge 8th Century abbey on the west coast of Normandy, located about 1 1/2 hours from Bayeaux.  Unlike the day before when we were expertly chauffeured around Normandy by our man, Victor, we were on our own and that meant the bus was coming out of the hotel garage to get us there.  As we were uncertain of the roads, we d

Just to keep everyone up-to-date: My suitcase weighed in at JFK airport at a lean 48.5 pounds giving me 1.5 pounds lee-way for buying some mementoes.  As we are visiting both France and Italy, that’s not going to work.  Unbeknownst to Bob, sometime between now and our next flight, I will be moving things from my suitcase into his in order to maximize my future buying opportunities.   We landed in Paris and hit the ground running.  As it had been a few years since we have been to “The City of Lights,” and our memories are not what they used to be, we did a morning walking tour to provide us with a review of where the major sights are located. Because we were absolutely exhausted, we then took a tour that can only be described as the “Cliff Notes” version of the Louvre.  For those who have never visited the largest art museum in the world, you need to be prepared upon arrival because it is not for the faint of heart.  The building is massive with multiple wings and approximately 625,000

Our nephew is getting married to his lovely fiancé next weekend on an estate in Tuscany, Italy.  Bob, my brother-in-law, sister-in-law, niece and I are first heading to Paris and then on to Normandy to learn about the area’s importance during World War Two—-a bucket-list check-off for us all.  But this blog is not about sightseeing or the military tactics used on D-Day. It’s about all the preparation that has gone into being ready for what I can only describe as the event of the season—at least for our family.   Our nephew Brendan is marrying a woman whose family is from India, and as a consequence, much of the three day celebration will reflect a traditional Indian wedding.  We are all so excited to be part of these wonderful wedding traditions so different from our own families.  For example, I doubt that the Tarantella (my side of the family) will be played and danced to and nor will we hear a  haunting rendition of “Danny Boy” sung by some “over-served” family member on Bob’s side.