Tag Archives: writing

Life’s Miraculous Journey – Part 5

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Continuation of my Travels with Rob to la Belle France

In the cheerful breakfast room, the sunlight makes the fresh daffodils on the tables glow like miniature suns. While I am still savouring an extra cup of strong coffee, Rob returns with the car he has rented for our sightseeing tour. It is a small Renault, and Rob’s head almost touches the roof, and his knees are on the steering wheel. Settling comfortably into my seat, I am joyful and excited about our sightseeing trip.

Rob is nervously manipulating the clutch to get out of the tight parking spot when suddenly, the car jumps into reverse, almost hitting the vehicle behind us. I am instantly on the alert.

“Are you familiar with the controls of this vehicle, Rob?” I ask, trying to keep a calm tone so as not to shock him into further erratic moves.

Slightly annoyed, Rob answers, “Yes, Mom, but the clutch seems stuck. “

I hold my breath until he maneuvers the vehicle onto the road. There, it stalls momentarily and then starts bolting like a bucking horse. Luckily, there are no other vehicles on this quiet side road.

A bit jerkily, Rob enters the main traffic route leading through the city. In the morning rush hour, it is congested. We move along smoothly for a while, and I relax until Rob slows down at the bridge entrance.  Suddenly, the clutch seems to get stuck again. The car jerks into reverse, almost hitting the vehicle behind us. An instant cacophony of a multitude of honking horns adds to our panic. Rob’s face and knuckles are ghastly white from shock, but he immediately manages to regain control and safely crosses the bridge, moving along with the traffic. My heart, however, continues to pound wildly with fear. I feel faint but dare not say a word lest I might cause another disturbance. I have visions of Peter bemoaning the loss of his wife and oldest son in France. I am so nervous my mouth is parched. I want to leave this erratic vehicle and walk along the quietly flowing river to our right.

“Rob, can we stop for a while? I need a little walk, I whispered in a hoarse voice.”

****

Wonders of Travel

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This is a long story which I will spread over several posts. I hope that you will enjoy it.

Traveling with Rob in la Belle France

When we travel, we must expect the unexpected. The most memorable events of our journey are often unplanned. In retrospect, we can laugh about stressful or embarrassing situations. They are the stories we tell your friends. For over 25 years, I hardly had the opportunity to travel far, especially alone, without my husband and family. Our budget was stretched to the limit by the financial demands of raising five sons. However, we had a constant stream of visitors every summer from far and wide, who had interesting stories to tell.

Then came the time when our sons flew out of the nest. One by one they discovered the joy of traveling in the big wide world. Our oldest son, Rob, fell in love with Italy, and our second son, Rick, with France, or rather with a beautiful girl from Paris. To our great surprise, he was the first of the boys to announce wedding plans. The marriage was to take place in a small village close to Paris called Saint–Etienne–Roilaye

This announcement caused great excitement in our quieted-down household. Since our budget would not allow for two tickets to Europe, my husband, Peter, magnanimously decided that I should be the one to go. I was overjoyed. Our oldest son, working in Germany as a civil engineer, supported his father’s decision wholeheartedly. He offered to take me on a short sightseeing trip to the castles of the Loire before escorting me to the wedding.

“You deserve a real holiday Mom,” he declared, “and since you are proficient in French, I feel comfortable traveling to France with you. “

His invitation extremely touched me. It exceeded my wildest dreams. When the boys were still in diapers, I started envisioning all the exciting things we could do together. Traveling was high on that list. Now my dreams were coming true! All the maternal sacrifices of the past were forgotten in an instant. What wonderful prospects lay before me! Since I was far from proficient in the French language, I practiced speaking it from dawn to dusk until my German accent took on French overtones, and strangers asked me if I had recently moved here from eastern Canada.