THE TRIP

If I sound ungrateful for my trip to Japan, I don’t mean to. It was a wonderful, and expensive, gift offered to me by my son and his Japanese wife – a once in a lifetime experience. It was so nice to meet my DIL’S gracious parents, to visit her very pretty home on the outskirts of Osaka, and to take in the beauty of her country, of which she is rightfully proud. Flowers abound everywhere, the artistic buildings and temples are awesome, the Aquarium fascinating, and I would have been more than willing to spend the whole week exploring the Mount Fuji area....from the ground, on foot. The shopping, although not at all one of my pastimes, is also fabulous, according to those who enjoy such things.

I was tired and not in terribly good form before going there. My DIL, once a tourist guide for her people, set a pace familiar to Japanese: stop, photos, and move on. I don’t believe we spent 2 nights in the same hotel, or even the same town! The truth is that I can hardly remember much about what we saw, and please don’t ask me WHERE we went. There was little time to meander and absorb the sights, the people, or the culture. When visiting a new place, meandering is the one thing I’m really good at, and that I relish most.

The company, however, was fabulous. My son is a comedian born, my DIL very sweet (and terribly organized), the couple with us are nice kids, and their 5 year old son, although very energetic, was an eager beaver who kept up better than this old gal!

By the time I got home I was totally exhausted. The 2 days delay in Chicago, sleeping 4 hours on a lawn chair in the sterile zone of the O’Hare Airport, didn’t help. We did meet some very nice people during the layover; seasoned travellers who told me that I would remember more of the trip as I look at my pictures. I presume they mean much later, because it isn’t happening yet!

I do recall that when I finally got back to my house, where I was welcomed by two very delighted doggies, and shortly after snuggled under the blankets in my own bed, I was sooo SMILING!!

Luv from the Bush in Quebec.