Is taking a trip and taking a vacation the same
thing? I don’t think so. Going on a trip means you’re leaving but you may be
leaving on a business trip or to tend to family matters so not every trip is for
the pursuit of pleasure. A vacation to me means you are “vacating” the premises
for rest, relaxation, fun, all pleasurable activities. And when you return
home, you are rested and relaxed and while you might be thrilled to be home
with your own bed and kitchen availability, you are not tired. You are RESTED
from the vacating of everyday worries and concerns!
Since this is my party and I can cry if I want to,
I’m going to tell you I’ve had some fabulous vacations over the years. But one
of the best was a trip to Nova Scotia just a couple of years ago with two of
our best friends and A-Plus travel companions. Now there was a glitch or two in
the beginning (The upgrade we paid for was for naught. We got bigger seats but
they were out of wine and the meal as I recall was cheese crackers and an
apple.) We were not amused.
Landed on-time in Halifax on time, the rental car
was ready, the hotel on the harbor comfortable and we took off leisurely the
next morning to drive 3 hours to a remote resort we had researched. Drive was
fun, scenery nice, weather very comfortable as we left 90 degree weather for
50-70 degree weather. But as we continued the scenery became a bit more rustic,
a lot more rural, and we began checking the map. We were on target and just about
to give up, Oz appeared. We turned down a road and everything was green and
lush and there were flowers everywhere and an ornamental fence surrounded most of
it. We had arrived. (Mr. Oz was there, his huge jet parked on the small airport
right in front of our condos. He visited with us at dinner one evening. Music
swell!)
We were on the Northumberland Sound right on the
Atlantic and the view was spectacular. Our accommodations were all and more
that had been promoted and the hotel, golf course, spa, and dining was great.
It was lovely and we all rested and ate and slept in and toured near-by quaint
villages and towns. The guys golfed on such scenic fairways and greens they
didn’t seem to mind a bogey or two. It was hard to leave.
The vacation ceased when we were late into Detroit,
missed our connection in Memphis though we were there in time to see our plane
shut its doors. A woman who looks like every nasty guard you’ve ever seen in a
prison movie had her arms crossed saying “Not going to happen.” There was not
another plane until morning.
No rental car was available to hold all our luggage
so our enterprising husbands hired an Ethiopian mini-van cab driver and he
loaded us up and we were home about two hours late. It was a grand finale,
don’t you think? The perfect ending.
