The Rear View Mirror: Ship, Taxi, Plane, MINI, Home

The Rear View - Indeed!

Usually, when the last day of vacation arrives, I have a good breakfast, put on my traveling blinders, and focus solely on the steps required to get home. There is no talking, just the need to keep moving towards the destination. Today, along with my feelings of happy things to come in the next weeks, there was also a bit of regret and bitter sweetness. As I dragged my bag down the ship's hallway one last time, I looked forward to seeing Roxy, sleeping in my own bed, getting back into a routine, and seeing my friends at home.

In the cab it struck me that I was, once again, leaving behind some of the best friends in the world. Some who have been in my life for so long now that they are more like family. There are others who were rediscovered or newly found who also contributed to making the last week a spectacular blur of warm breezes, blue seas, bling, dancing, laughing, eating, and drinking. I am often in awe of my tribe and the fun that follows them.

At the airport, I was a little regretful of my decision to skip next year's February cruise. There are two main reasons for this decision: I was not thrilled with the itinerary in that I have been to Key West and to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. The other is that while I love leaving reality behind for a week, there are other parts of the world I would like to visit.

Our Next Big Adventure: The Greek Isles

The travel agency we use to book our cruises (Concierge Travel) also does excursions such as an Amazon Riverboat Cruise, Trips to Machu Picchu, and cruises to the Galapagos Islands. These trips are definitely not as large as the RSVP cruises, and they are a bit more pricey, but I am eager for some new experiences. John, Jay, and I will be taking one of these smaller ship excursions this summer when we visit Turkey and the Greek Islands. So, while I may be jealous, envious, and petty about not having a winter 2013 vacation on the books, I have a lot to look forward to in the coming year.     

My bitterness, however, did not stop there. Upon arriving in Raleigh, the temperature was a cold, rainy 40F (5C) with a stiff breeze. That night there were also snow flurries. The only silver lining to this cloudy day was that I arrived home around 2:00 PM, had the entire day ahead of me to unpack, and Monday was a work holiday. Yay for me!

But the cough and cold were not giving up so easily....