Travel is . . .

. . . Not difficult if you are traveling alone

First of all, you tend to be more open to conversations with strangers and consequently meet more people than when you travel with another person.

Secondly,some people are just amazingly kind and inclusive. They'll invite you to sit with them at dinner, a show or a cocktail party. You always have the option of refusing.

I just spent a week on the new Holland America ship, Nieuw Amsterdam, reviewing it for a couple of publications. The ship is gorgeous, the officers and crew gracious. I blogged about the ship on www.allthingscruise.com.

Some strange things happen when you travel alone.

On the very first day, at boat drill, I met a woman,about my age and definitely height-challenged as I am. Because we both hover at around 5 feet (I'm actually 5' 1") we were positioned in the front of the line.

She said she's traveling alone, "so am I," I echoed, and a friendship took hold. We met for breakfast, had dinner together a couple of times and saw one of the ship's shows together. I believe we will keep in touch.

Then I took a shore excursion to El Yunque National Forest in San Juan. A young boy sat next to me on the bus with his parents two rows in front. He was from the Orlando area and knew the high school my grandsons had attended. Coincidence enough? No, he was born in the hospital in which I volunteer and where my youngest son was born. At one of the photo op spots I introduced myself to his parents and discovered his mom is the niece of a long-time friend with whom I'd had dinner 10 ddays earlier.

That night at dinner, my new friend and I were seated with a couple from California. After a lengthy conversation about food, cruising and books, he mentioned he'd lived in my exact Chicago neighborhood at about the same time I lived there as a young teen.

Coincidences? I am not sure. I know if I wasn't open to friendly overtures I would not have had as good a time.

A smile, my mother used to tell me, never hurts.

Travel is . . .

. . .Seeing an old friend

I flew to Turku, Finland for the float out of the Crystal Symphony luxury cruise ship in 1995. It was very exciting and walking through the ship with my hard hat on, I knew she was going to be a beauty.

I saw her again today, when I visited and saw the changes the cruise line has made. She does not look like a 16-year-old vessel. With a new pool deck and lounge area featuring charming orange and turquoise hues, a new lounge - Luxe - which doubles as a disco and features furniture designed by Philippe Starck, and redone Silk Road and Prego restaurants.

I first sailed on the Symphony in the Baltic, and unabashedly enjoyed the elegant ship and our luxurious cabin. One evening, when we returned to the ship tired and chose not to dress for dinner, our butler picked up a movie for the DVD player and popped popcorn for us instead.

Oh yes, butler service is tough to get used to, but I forced myself.

It was really one of the first luxury ships I'd sailed on and maybe that's why it is so memorable. Whatever the reason, and although I have sailed another time or two on Symphony and her sister Crystal Serenity, it was charming to visit with an old friend.

Travel is . . .

. . .Sometimes painful

The television film from Japan, as I watch the Sunday evening news, is brutal. It has been almost three days since the monster earthquake and resultant tsunami destroyed so much of that beautiful country. Three days and thousands of deaths.

Painful.

It has been many years since I visited Japan - 17 exactly - but I will never forget the view from our lovely room at Tokyo's Park Hyatt Hotel. We looked out on Mt. Fuji, occasionally misted over, but always discernible if only by its unique shape. And to us, the entire country was unique. I play that scene of beautiful serenity over and over in my head as I watch the gruesome sights on my television screen.

I really loved Japan.

I thought Kyoto and Osaka were charming andwas mesmerized and awed by the Atomic Bomb Museum in Nagasaki. The countryside, people, shrines, the vertical growth of Tokyo were all remarkable.

It was an experience of the senses and the end of a 14-day stay in Asia. The three days in Tokyo were a highlight I will never forget.

When I view the horrendous destruction the storm visited on the country - and the damage to Hawaii and the Northern California coast - I am once again made aware of the power of nature. It is absolutely daunting.

And painful.

Travel is. . .

. . .Trying not to sound like a know-it-all.

Friends of mine are planning a major trip next year to celebrate a major event in their lives. The scheme involves a cruise from Barcelona to Italy and back to Barcelona. They are excited beyond words and I am excited for them.

I have sailed on that itinerary several times and love it. But when you encourage friends or family to see things you've enjoyed and use phrases like "oh, it was wonderful, beautiful, marvelous (you fill in the adjective)," you're taking on a responsibility. I don't really relish that aspect of travel advice, but I do have a tremendous enthusiasm for the getting-up-and-going part of travel.

I recommended several things that were key for me in Barcelona, like the Picasso Museum, a stroll on the Ramblas and the amazing Gaudi architecture, then I suddenly stopped short. Let them experience what they want.

Sometimes there's the generational experience.

My late husband and I did a 4,000-mile car trip in 2007. We included a visit to Little Rock and the Clinton Library, the home shown in the "Designing Women" television show and historic Central High School. We went on to Memphis, explored every inch of Graceland and Beale Street and loved the music.

One of my sons and his wife are planning to do that trip this spring. Elvis was important in our lives. He was a contemporary and his music is eternal. We were both Clinton fans, and who could not be impressed by the site where integration took hold?

I hope my kids enjoy their trip. They both know how much we enjoyed touring and the drive itself, so good luck.

But I do try - not always successfully - to not be a know-it-all.

Travel is . . .

Remembering . . .

I haven't blogged for a while, the end result of a couple of family medical challenges, thankfully resolved successfully. And while I haven't traveled since sailing on the two-day instroduction of Disney Dream in January, and am having some withdrawal symptoms, I will be hitting the road soon.

There are some places that are seasonal, in other words more pleasant to visit at one time of year than another. Keukenhof Gardens, in Holland is a case in point. The Gardens are only open to the public from March 24 to May 20. First visitors are admitted at 8am and the Gardens close at 7:30pm.

Keukenhof was originally the herb garden of the Countess of Holland, Jacoba van Beyeren (1401-1436). "Keuken" means kitchen in Dutch.

I guess I visited the Gardens some dozen or so years ago. The absolutely exquisite riot of colors, the rich reds, oranges, blues and lilacs, the vibrancy of the greens and the total beauty of the area were magnificent and memorable. And when I think of spring journeys, that's one I treasure most.

I don't pretend to know the names of all the flowers and plants, but - as with so many things in life, I know what I like - I loved the Gardens and wandered for hours. Tulips of course, in every imagineable hue, were the most dramatic.

The theme of this year's exhibit is "Germany: Land of Poets and Philosphers," and many of the Gardens will feature inspirationsal German twists. The flowering bulb mosaic of the Brandenburg Gate will require more than 100,000 bulbs.

Past exhibits have honored New York City and Amsterdam.