Cinco de Mayo

Tonight I celebrated Cinco de Mayo with about 20 of the marvelous people from my Europe trip. Every couple of months we gather together--and we continue right where we left off....telling "remember when?" stories of the amazing helicopter tour of the Swiss Alps, the holes in the ground that we had to learn to pee in while in certain parts of Italy and, of course...the food!! We ALL remember the food. "Remember that berry strudel in Rothenberg?" "Remember the cheese fondue and Chardonnay in Gruyere?" "OH OH--how about the cherry tomato stuffed fish heads in that bar in Koblenz on the last night of the World Cup?!"
I was telling a friend last night that I go to these gatherings because these people share my very best memories. I didn't go with anyone I knew, so my most cherished stories from the best trip of my lifetime, are shared with these people.
We spent 24 hours a day together for 21 straight days traveling across Europe. Dawn to dusk, breakfast, lunch and dinner... And we truly enjoyed every minute.
A good number of these folks are gearing up for the Greece trip in June or the Spain and Portugal trip in October. These trips are with Joe Calwell, the guide who did our Europe trip.
I am unable to do either of Joe's trips this year...maybe next time.
But I'll tell ya, after a few hours of talking travel and adventure with these people, (and a couple of blue margaritas) I came home determined to plan my next trip abroad. I have such a desire to see Budapest, Vienna and Prague....and the rest of Italy...and Australia...and more of France...and...you name it!
You just have to have someone who can share all the memories and adventures and pictures with you...someone to whom you can say something like, "Remember when we ate that peach?" And they smile and say, "Yeah...that was so cool!"