Seizing the Moment: A Life Lived Through Extraordinary Experiences
My maternal grandfather was born in 1890 in Minsk, White Russia (now Belarus). In his mid-70s, he decided to take my grandmother to Minsk for the first time. They scheduled a trip but then canceled it due to myriad mundane excuses. The trip was rebooked for the following July; my grandmother died that June.
Embracing the Brevity of Life
Prioritizing Cherished Memories
I was 20 at the time, but the postponement impacted me emotionally. I vowed not to put off for tomorrow the places I had the time and money to see today. I promised not to play Russian roulette with time. As I approach my 80th birthday, I've harvested many cherished travel memories. Memories matter more to me than money. Money, of course, has significance in our lives partly because of what it buys. However, my material appetites have been modest. I don't own a yacht because I can't afford or want one. Ditto for a Rolls-Royce. I never stay at five-star hotels because I think of myself as a three-star person. I want to enjoy material pleasures that are compatible with who I am, not who I am not.
Immersing in Cultural Celebrations
I've had the privilege of experiencing vibrant cultural celebrations around the world. At Oktoberfest in Munich, I sat with men in the Paulaner tent, consuming schooner after schooner of beer and never having to use the bathroom. My admiration for the bladders of German men is still quite profound. In Amsterdam, I stood cemented in place, taking in the excitement of Queen's Day (now King's Day) – a street party celebrated on water, with the canals filled with boats decked out in orange, the national color of the country. The crowds lining the canals were so packed that movement was not an option, creating an encapsulation of New Year's Eve, Mardi Gras, and the Fourth of July.
Navigating Bustling Urban Landscapes
The streets and sidewalks of Hanoi are jammed with people on motorbikes masquerading as moving vans, carrying riders and bulky boxes filled with possessions. The bikers don't stop for pedestrians, and the traffic lights are casually obeyed. Getting across the street safely is an exercise requiring steel nerves. The trick is to walk at a consistent pace in a straight line and trust in the bikers' skill to whiz by without knocking you on your tush. Your reward in making it to the other side in one piece is the opportunity to see entire families camped out on the sidewalks, enjoying a nighttime barbecue.
Embracing the Juxtaposition of Cultures
Istanbul is a captivating city where Europe and Asia stare at each other from across the continental divide created by the Bosporus Sea. It's a place where the old and new merge, where the sacred and the profane exist as compatible companions, where minarets mingle with massage parlors. One night at our hotel, '60s rock and roll music blared from a disco nearby until 4 a.m. An hour later, the sound of the call to prayers could be heard beckoning people to their mosques.
Navigating Historical Wonders
Petra in Jordan looks like the setting for the film "Lawrence of Arabia," though it wasn't. However, "Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade" was filmed there. It's an ancient city carved from red, white, and pink sand cliffs in 400 BC. A 5-mile narrow road takes tourists through the canyon-draped temples and tombs. It's not pedestrian-friendly because of the constant cavalcade of recklessly driven horse-drawn carriages and crazy camel jockeys that careen through the canyon.
Immersing in Vibrant Nightlife
In Buenos Aires, I remember taking a midnight taxi to a tango palace named Confiteria Ideal, worried that we'd be too late to enjoy the music and dancers. It was a wasted worry, because the band didn't arrive until 2 a.m. We left at 6 a.m. when the palace closed, captivated by the vibrant nightlife.
Navigating Bustling Cityscapes
Shanghai is the third-largest city in the world with an estimated population of 30 million. It's the only city I've visited that made New York seem slow and New Yorkers laid back. Pedestrians walked at such a madcap pace that just watching them exhausted me. The "Shanghai Number 1" department store in the heart of the city was ridiculously large and attracted massive numbers of shoppers, dwarfing even the grandest of American retail giants.
