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

My airplane trip was quite eventful. First, I was fortunately in Boarding Group 2,  which in theory is a good thing.  The reality of my flight however, was that there seemed to be about 200 people in Group 1.  I was in a good position, as “Person #1” in Group 2, but it was fraught with peril  because I immediately realized that with so many #1 folks, overhead space, particularly in the front of the plane, would be at a premium. I was in Row 7, located immediately behind Business Class, and I knew that speed would be critical to ensure adequate overhead space for my carry-on. Things were moving well, until I threw on my seat, my huge work bag of notebooks, an 18 month calendar (I’m in my 60’s—I’m old school)  my iPad and far too many pens that would be necessary for any four day conference.  I can only say, that I thought I  had zippered the bag.  Sadly, I did not, which resulted in EVERYTHING coming out of it and cascading onto the floor.  It...

 With a mask on my face, I’m embarking on my first business trip in nearly three years..and it’s a big one. I’m flying to San Diego as part of a “New Jersey team” for a five-day conference to discuss early learning policy and implementation and frankly, I feel out of sorts.   I fit everything into a carry-on.  How can that be?  We have been fortunate enough to take some trips as the specter of COVID ebbed and flowed (all travel happening during the ebb periods) and I have found that I nearly always had to take the “luggage sit-on” approach to zipping closed my suitcase.  I recognize that San Diego is warm and consequently, I do not need the multiple hiking layers and bloody hiking boots that take up so much room in a suitcase, but I’m still worried—and for anyone who has spent any time at a multi-day conference, you know what I mean.   The hotels in which they are held can only be described as sub-arctic.  For someone like me who is usually cold in the...

We spent the last day of our Grecian vacation in beautiful Delphi at the ruins and Temple of Apollo. It is amazing what the Greeks built more than 1000 years before the birth of Christ. We then had a delicious lunch at a local taverna in a lovely little mountain town called Arachova, where we ate wild boar, a specialty in this part of Greece and lamb, which seems to be a specialty everywhere in Greece.  As I reflect on what we have all described  as a “trip of a lifetime,” below are a few things one should to do before coming to this beautiful country: 1. Travel with a nurse. I was clearly off my medical “mo-jo” because except for a bottle of Aleve, I brought no medicines with me on this trip. I usually bring some cold tablets, but this time, I didn’t bring a thing. This was a problem, because in the last few days, I came down with a terrible cold. Thank God for Judy!  Besides handling my falling mishap, she appeared to have a “Hermione Granger” type bag filled with medic...

We spent our last day on a Greek island on the beach of Andiparos,  that is surrounded by  blue-green water and has little huts to protect our aging skin.  We had our farewell dinner in Nousa  with our incredible guide, Doris, who was nothing short of a miracle worker for every aspect of the trip.  No stone was left unturned.   When we returned to our beautiful  “wellness” hotel that night, we learned that in order to set the appropriate amount of ambience, adequate outdoor lighting was frowned upon. Doris had just dropped us off at the hotel and we were on our own til morning when she would return and shepherd us off to our next adventure.  As we were walking back to our bungalow, I missed a step and came crashing down hard on my right knee (the one of course, that needed significant physical therapy earlier in the year) and on the left side of my face. While we later learned that the cut was quite small, there was a fair amount of blood. I wasn’...

 Our last day in Santorini was lovely. In the morning, we went on a long hike on the cliffs of the island which, in light of the heat and our already exhausted calves, had a bit too much elevation. We were rewarded-like every day so far- with an incredible lunch.  Consistently, the food, while simple, is so fresh and delicious. Zorba’s, our go-to Greek take-out place at home is sadly a thing of the past.  I have been collecting recipes like crazy to recreate some of the things we have eaten.   We then spent the afternoon on a catamaran circling and swimming in the blue waters of the Aegean Sea surrounding the island. The day ended with another view of Santorini’s sunset— as beautiful as the night before.  It’s impossible to believe that this show happens every night.  As perfect as the day was, there was a hiccup before boarding the catamaran. Due to the pretty significant island winds, my Elizabeth Bennett hat, which I was beginning to realize looked ridic...

 We spent our last day in beautiful Crete hiking through the island’s second largest gorge. There, along with a huge number of robust German hikers, we shared the path with about 100 sheep, a dozen goats and a shepherd who shared with us his just-picked walnuts. Other than the Germans, our experience could have taken place 500 years ago.  The evening was memorable as we spent it with a family on their farm, who still makes their olive oil the way in which their ancestors made it a century before. There, along with their two children and a varied assortment of relatives and friends, we learned how to make “dako,” the Greek version of bruschetta and of course, olive oil. We ate outside, along with the whole family, a delicious meal, where everything, including the lamb, either came from their farm or that of their neighbors. We all agreed that it was a night we would never forget.  It was a late night and we knew that we had to leave our hotel at 6:15 AM in order to drive t...

 We arrived yesterday in the beautiful city of Chania, Crete, along with our wonderful guide, Doris. To be honest, prior to the planning of this trip, the only thing I knew about the island, other than it was a part of Greece, was that the guys who used to run my office’s parking lot were from this island, and the older man’s wife, also from Crete, made very good baklava.  To be honest, except for some good desserts, I really wasn’t expecting much. Boy, was I wrong!  The island is a treasure trove of history dating back to the. Minoans, who inhabited this land thousands of years before Christ.  Their history, like lasagna, is built on layer after layer of invaders, including the Venetians, the Ottomans and the Arabs from Spain.  Plus, the place is so damn pretty with narrow little streets, beautiful flowers and of course, the sea.   We are staying in a charming boutique hotel that was once the home of a Venetian sea captain in the 1830s. Our porter walked u...