While most people are donning masks, in some instances sheltering in place, and have cancelled trips due to the pandemic, there are those who are departing for other shores. Mary Lou, for example, has travelled through Europe in the last couple of weeks and — shudder!
And she has enjoyed the fruits and facilities of each region. She has been Africa, too. The city of Luxor in Egypt is built on the ancient city of Thebes and my wonderful spouse saluted the pyramids. In the Dutch capital of Amsterdam, she took in the canals and beautiful houses. Let it be known that Mary Lou did not visit the Red Light District, but she did travel along with others who were on bicycles, the Dutch environmental equivalent of our honking step-ladder-to-get-into half-tons with four doors and the length of the Queen Mary.
She will burst into applause at the flamenco shows and at times she lets out a sound reminiscent of an indignant sea gull that just lost its piece of pizza to a fellow gull.
She sits on the couch, iPad on the coffee table, ear buds sprouting and does minute visits conducted by a tour guide. These are live tours. Some trips are more crowded than others, and she says there are always lots of Canadians. No doubt our fellow Canucks are trying to get a break from the cold and snow from the comfort of their living rooms. Mary Lou enthuses over the tours, saying that you almost feel you are on one of the trams and right in the middle of the action.
And there is a bonus — she does not have to be continually packing and unpacking suitcases, separating clean from unclean apparel, and pressing clothes wrinkled from use and time spent in luggage. Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments.
