This morning facebook alerted me to the fact that seven years ago I was deep inside a medina in Fez, reluctantly posing for a rather ridiculous photo with my hub, while dressed in traditional Moroccan garb. This strange Sunday morning awakening prompted me to read back over many of my blog posts from the time, which was quite fascinating. I'm pleased to report I made myself laugh out loud quite a lot while reading them... I guess it's to be expected that one finds one's own jokes funny. Still, it would be a worry if this were not the case!
It also taught me that there's some sort of Anniversary Laurie and I are meant to have had on 16th May, which apparently we were celebrating by way of a high end oyster extravaganza of a lunch at the restaurant underneath Grand Central Station in Manhattan seven years ago. This is weird coz while I do vividly remember the lunch experience, and how special it was, I have absolutely no idea what that date celebration was all about. To the best of my current knowledge our 'start-up' Anniversary is 5th June, which is exactly the date we fly off on this trip. This marks twenty years since we first 'got together'. I know it does, so I wonder what that 16th May date was all about... Possibly that's when I first 'met' him, which was to 'say hello' - Maybe that was the launch of his photographic exhibition in Sydney's Darlinghurst. Isn't memory odd? Or rather the way we assign value to certain memories and organise key dates in our minds.
Thanks to facebook, I also get to see lots of images of amazing places my friends visit, as most of us do these days. I know I'm not alone in that. Lately, there's been quite a rage of palaces appearing in my newsfeed. It's prompted me to think "Oh, we won't be seeing any of those where we're going. No palaces... None at all." For a moment, I felt sad and somehow deprived.
Then I realised that we'll see numerous mansions instead, many plantation houses, and a walled fortress wrapped around a city. So, that's OK. Apparently, the Ramparts of Quebec City are the only remaining fortified city walls in North America, if you discount Mexico entirely. The building of the walls began in 1620, which is obviously a very long time ago. Our trip will involve quite a bit from the 1600s, given we're spending ten nights in Quebec and five nights in Boston and Salem.
I can't recall when most of the plantation mansions we'll be visiting in the South were built, but I think they're mostly from the mid 1700s. I am realising that we have nowhere near enough time down South. There is so much to see, and we've only got six nights in total. For some stupid reason, I had the impression that's all we needed. I think I was reading the wrong reviews at the time. Dammit! I guess most people aren't necessarily built heritage freaks like me, or at least not as much as me. Or is it because most Americans writing the reviews of these places are accustomed to having a plethora of grand architecture everywhere, hence it doesn't seem as compelling as it does to an Australian. Who knows?
Meanwhile, one of my Mother-in-Laws came over today, and suggested that we look into United Airlines Club Lounge facilities for our five hours in LA, and everywhere else we are going. Thank Goodness for her wisdom. She's 80 something, but still on the ball. I'm looking into it now, and while it will cost us some significant bucks, I think, based on the fact this is the first time we're doing a major trip with our 12 year old, we should consider it.
So much travel prep work to do within the next five days, in addition to our day jobs - Eeeeks... But we will get there. It will happen. And we will fly.
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