The madness of packing, everyone
rushing around, trying to squash all the bags in the back of the car, so
stressed that all they can do it laugh... roadtrip!
I have been on countless
roadtrips...
... Around the beautiful South
Africa, the quiet and quaint West Coast fishing villages, up garden route to
see the Spring flowers, stopping at wine farms and any unique farm stall, driving
up North to Kruger National game reserve, backpacking through the park,
watching the sunset while elephants, giraffes and buck drink from the
waterhole...
... Up to Namibia (so many
times!), along the straightest roads, stretching unendingly into the horizon,
flanked by orange sandstone mountains and golden sand dunes rising up out of
the desert floor. I love driving over the Orange River, stopping on the bridge
between the two countries for a photograph, then standing under the scorching
sun in winding lines for hours waiting to get our passports stamped. Hot, dusty
air breezing through our open windows, stopping in a small, abandoned mining
town, to our favourite German bakery for delicious pastries to eat under the
shade of trees. Spending time with family, playing card games with my cousins
late into the night, so much laughter, so many memories...
... Around Europe – Germany,
Austria, Italy, Swizerland! The breathtaking countryside, rolling green hills,
snowcapped Alps, driving through tunnels under mountains... Walking through
Munich at night, a Starbucks cup in my hand, admiring the fountains, the busy
streets, the glockenspiel, dancing and spinning about as the clock strikes. Salzburg
– Mozart’s home town, beautiful in every way – I remember standing in awe in
the Royal rose gardens, taking a horse and carriage ride around the city, the
wheels rattling over the cobblestones taking cable cars up to castles that seem
to be on every hill, exploring those stone corridors, fascinated by the suits
of armour, ancient weapons, marionettes, surrounded by such rich history! And Venice! No place like it on Earth – the walkways
over the canals, rooftop gardens, weaving through tight passages between towering,
crumbling buildings, pushing through the crowds of tourists, crushed in San
Marco square, hearing hundreds of church bells tolling, the wavering flicker of
candles burning in the sanctuaries, the marble statues and ceiling paintings in
the cathedrals, eating gelato every day, riding a gondola down the Grand Canal,
sitting at the edge of a pier on the island of Lido, feet dangling, listening
to the water lap against the stones, snacking for supper, watching the sun sink
below the Venice skyline into the waters below. Magical. Driving around the
famed Lake Como, dipping our hands into the water, driving around the Colosseum in Verona, standing in the stone courtyard staring up at Juliet's famed balcony, then up into the Bergamo mountain
regions, like a dream, a distant dream...
... And of course those days and
days of driving all around the USA! This is where all my roadtripping began and
I am still astounded when I hear the story – my brother and father drove in an
old van filled with all our possessions while my mother, sister and I, a
newborn baby of nine days old, took a train ride from San Diego, Southern
California, to Philadelphia – West to the East coast. Since then we have driven
through/across/to nearly every state. Days spent watching the countryside
change through the car window, watching those billboards, turning off the
highway, stopping at Cracker Barrel and other curio stores, eating fast foods,
annoying each other in the backseat of the car. I remember the “small town”
feel of big town Chicago, Illinois, the lighthouses watching over a frozen Lake
Michigan, standing in the spray of Niagara Falls, ski’ing in Yosemite National
Park, staring at the reflection of El Capitan in the dark waters, skating on a
frozen lake, licking dripping icicles, taking shelter in Native American
tepees, the thunderstorms of Orlando, Florida, swimming at the beaches of the
Gulf of Mexico, the charm of Charlotte, South Carolina, the Golden Gate bridge
rising out of the mists and rain, the eternal bustle of New York, the busyness,
constant sounds of moving meet, standing in the shadow of the Empire State
building, wandering through Central Park, riding the subway, holding onto the
ferry railing as we sail past the Statue of Liberty, visiting all the famous museums
(of course) in Washington DC, running up the stairs to the stairs to the
Lincoln Memorial, the tulips in front of the Capitol building, the themeparks
in Los Angeles, the wonder of Disneyland and Disneyworld too many times to
count, wrapping my scarf tightly around my neck as we build snowmen in St
Louis, going up into that silver arch, passing through Texas, Tennessee,
Georgia...
... But there are still a million places I still want to visit – so many
places I dream of discovering in the US, old world Europe, travelling through
Asia – India, the Indonesia islands, Thailand, Japan – and up through the
diverse continent of Africa!
I have come to realize that what
makes all of these roadtrips special (and so memorable – the laughter, the irritation,
the complete catastrophes, the horrible weather, the most wonderful moments!)
is that it was because of the people that went along with me – or who took me
along! It’s my family, my friends, my loved ones. Tomorrow morning my best
friend and I will drive back home and nothing excites me more than the thought
of hours of new adventure just waiting to happen... happy roadtripping!
