I am just returned from an overnight trip to Prague where I dropped my Mother off for her return trip back to Beverley. She had been here 10-days and it was her 5th such trip since my Dad passed away. My Mum can talk the hind legs of a donkey and if you had a chance to chat, she would tell you how she has travelled the world because of me. And she has.
It all started back in the late 1970’s with trips down to the Midlands to drop me off and pick me up at Aston University. That shifted to Leeds and then to Glasgow as I continued on with my PhD with the British Geological Survey and University of Strathclyde. It became Aberdeen when I started my career as a Geologist with BP. Then, when I was moved down south it was Surrey and Basingstoke visits. In between, we invited my parents for a week away in mid-Wales as well. Then came the “world’ bit. We moved to Houston, TX and then to Dallas, TX before heading back to Basingstoke. Together with Mum and Dad, I discovered just how long a drive it really is from Houston to the Grand Canyon! Nevertheless, we did visit Monument Valley, the Grand Canyon, along with much of Arizona, New Mexico and west Texas to boot! Mum always recalls Tombstone with some fondness. I’m not sure why!
The
Of course, I returned to Texas and spent another 17-years there. Ever year, over they came for a month and we would visit Galveston, Padre Island and other beautiful locations. Mum tried new foods and drinks like Crawfish and Hurricanes. The Hurricane was devoured with gusto but then Dad had to walk Mum around the block for half an hour to sober her up!
The Cast
On my return to Europe, the visits continued but now to Brno and Prague and other parts of the Czech Republic. This last trip we spent a day in Vienna.
Yes, my Mum is well travelled. She is even planning a trip to Turkey with her older sister later this year. Not bad for a woman close to 80-years old who smashed her wrist to pieces just 4-weeks ago and still carries a heavy and painful cast, who is half blind from glaucoma and has had monthly injections in her eye to break down a blood clot there, who has bad legs and now has an open wound on one leg that will not go away and who for the last 30 or so years has suffered from debilitating colitis.
She is a brave and adventurous woman my Mum. She is a travel queen and Dad would be so proud to know she still travels albeit without him.