Mickey and I decided early this spring, shortly after Gordon’s passing, to return to La Quinta for our first trip together sans Gordon. A quiet kind of tribute journey … the three musketeers reduced to two. Our time here is short and although poignancy may hang in the air, we are still both buoyant with humour as we revive memories of our early years of friendship and the many global travels we shared over the decades. An early morning sunrise walk in the peaceful Santa Rosa Mountains soothes our souls … There are so many precious memories to savour as we reminisce when walking along these well worn trails or hopping around the boulders of Joshua Tree National Park. Mickey never ceases to crack me up … her sense of humour remains contagious 😂. We sip Gordon’s favourite Sauvignon Blanc at the various desert happy hours in La Quinta, Joshua Tree or Palm Desert. The desert has long been our Webb family favourite for golf getaways or short winter breaks at the PGA Residence Club villa … many memorable holidays were enjoyed over the years with extended family and friends often invited to join us. The desert ambiance is comfortable, familiar, soothing.  A great spot for some quality time with Mickey 😊. 

Returning to a country for the third time has been an experience tinged in nostalgia. Memories resurface of a twenty four year old me, motoring throughout Austria with my boyfriend Brian (we married a year or so later) and his parents, Norm and Edith … Brian had long wanted to treat his parents to a cultural tour of Austria, home to all the various famous composers, Beethoven, Strauss, Haydn, Mozart. Norm knew every piece of music they had ever written … he was a virtual virtuoso …. his extensive knowledge of classical music and his collection of albums was legendary in Brian’s family. I was a total classical music neophyte. We coached along throughout the bucolic Austrian countryside in 1975, visiting the former homes, now museums, of Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn … Norm was often moved to tears, as we walked through the homes, viewed the pianos and violins once instrumental in creating the music he so deeply loved … music that sustained him his whole adult life. I think it may have been his only ‘hobby’ and he excelled at it! It was a magical trip for me too … I well remember the me of decades past, a young woman so full of wonder and hope, so in love with travelling, exploring … new adventures around every corner. I like to think I have retained some of that youthful verve 😙! The body may be showing its age but the attitude remains reasonably fresh 😊.

Flashing forward to my mid fifties, I was again exploring Vienna but this time with a group of friends … I toured the palaces, museums, music halls with my good friends Mickey and Gordon and the rest of the Springbank Travel Troops. It was in many respects, a two week long party throughout Austria and into the Czech Republic. Lots of happy hours where local delicacies were consumed by us all … from the ubiquitous wiener schnitzel and street side stalls serving grilled wurst of every variety or the myriad of pastries such as apfelstrudel, palatschinken, sacher tortes …. washed down with frothy cappuccinos or tasty local white wines. The cafe culture has always been central to life in Vienna and we certainly tried many out after full days of exploring the historical sights … certainly a different experience and perspective from that of my first visit … diversity always welcome in my world.

A dozen or so years later, I am back with my dear friend Linda Mackid. It has been a more sedate trip in some respects … thoroughly enjoyable in its own way. Linda had two back to back knee replacement surgeries in the last few years, resulting in painful sciatica issues as a side effect. Although it curtailed how much exploring we could do, we adapted and explored differently. Linda is a world class trooper with a healthy attitude despite the lack of mobility. Hop On/Hop Off buses and cabs came in handy. Deva Premal’s concert was a highlight for both of us … Sanskrit chant satsangs are by far our favourite kind of concert these days! We did enjoy more classical fare as well, Vivaldi in the beautiful Karlskirche church and Mozart in the stunningly beautiful Musikverein Concert Hall.

Enjoyed lots of great food wherever we stopped. Linda’s favourite .. wiener schnitzel, mine .. gulasch. Surprisingly, we did not consume too many of Austria’s famous pastries. A favourite stop was at an ‘heurigen’ wine garden where we tasted a variety of Austrian white wines that are rarely exported outside the country. On another day, Belvedere Castle to view Gustav Klimt’s famous ‘The Kiss’ … followed by yet another great lunch stop at the palace cafe.

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Our Airbnb apartment in central Vienna was simply lovely … shabby chic elegance throughout … a warm home to savour both our morning coffee or enjoy a glass of local wine in the evenings and some days, crash in our comfy beds for a most welcome nap 🙂

There is no denying the aging process and remembering the verve of a youthful me at 24 , the still somewhat me in denial about the aging process at 55 to the reality at age 67 that time ticks on and muscles, joints and energy may not always be what we wish them to be! But what does remain unchanged, is my intense nomadic tendency to savour and relish walking the cities and towns of whatever country I am in, endlessly exploring, chatting with locals, learning about our differences but more importantly, celebrating what unites us … I hope I never lose my sense of wonder and awe, captivated as I can sometimes be, walking through nature trails or gazing at an amazing piece of art or wandering the hallways of churches, castles and palaces, steeped in the history of bygone days. My gypsy spirit is alive and well … travel continues its hold on my senses, still a strong gateway for exploring both my inner and outer landscapes.

Lovely view from our living room window … will surely miss this.

On the last few days, Linda and I finally stopped to enjoy a food stand wurst sandwich … Austria’s idea of fast food 😊 … delicious! Before heading to the airport, we stopped for cappuccinos, eggs benny and a green smoothie at Cafe Schwarzenberg, one of, if not the oldest cafe in Vienna. A most fitting final Austrian meal 😊.

Auf wiedersehen Austria, tschuss Linda’s Austrian family (love them like my own❤️) … til we meet again.