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The Shadowpurr-r-r Journal
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ShadowPurr Travels...
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I'd like to tell you about some of my travels and the values I believe come from experiencing different parts of the US and foreign countries. For 10 years I was a Group leader for Student and Teacher tours of the Caribbean and many countries of Europe. These travels included England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Spain, France,Italy, Greece, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Many people questioned my taking students and said they would not want to travel with a "bunch of middle and high schoolers." But I found the experience to be quite the opposite. I enjoyed seeing Europe through the eyes of young people. They would see much more than the adults. Also the trips were jam packed with activities and extra sightseeing to keep the kids busy. I saw so much more on student-based trips than on adult itineraries that included more time to brouse and shop. I like to get in some shopping but if I'm going to Europe I want to see and do as much as possible and learn all I can. Traveling with students opens up many questions and funny experiences too that make a trip memorable. I wouldn't give anything for those years of jam-packed itineraries. Since 1990 I've been traveling with friends and family. I've been on a month-long fact-finding trip to visit churches in 15 Republics of the old Soviet Union as it was termed then. I've traveled for 3 weeks in Australia and New Zealand, and for two weeks in Holland, Belgium and France. I've made two trips to Canada, one emphazing the Montreal/Quebec area and the other starting in Toronto and taking the train trip across the Canadian Rockies to Vancouver. I've hiked and driven through parts of Colorado with my sister three times pretty much covering the state. My sister and brother-in-law and I drove through Glacier National Park in Montana reveling in the spectacular scenery.My husband and I enjoyed five-day visits to Santa Fe/Albuquerke, New Mexico, San Marco Island in Florida, and a trip to Bermuda with it's island beauty.I also traveled to New England to see the fall leaves in Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusettes. We were two-weeks early on the fall foliage but still had an interesting historical journey. I've also been to New York several times to see the sights and new plays on Broadway. Listing all these destinations is not to brag. Really I had to save up very frugally to take these trips, but my point is that everytime one ventures out into new territory there is much to learn. Those who never take an adventure miss a lot in my opinion. This past summer my husband and I decided to forego the visit to the Smokey Mountains which we've traveled several times and do something different. We decided to hit the Outer Banks, see the lighthouses and some of the small towns and fishing villages. Boy, were we surprised and rewarded. We hadn't considered that the topmost part of NC was almost in Virginia--seat of our early government. Some of the towns we went through were steeped in early American history, with homes and buildings preserved from the 1700s. Historical markers were everywhere. We'd like to go again sometime and see more of this historical side of North Carolina. Often on a new adventure one's eyes are opened to new horizons as happened to us. Lessons of life are learned on every trip whether it's in Europe or in one's own home state. Rolling with the punches when the itinerary changes is a good lesson to put into practice. Relating to the others and being a friend to all on a group trip is important. Adapting to time zones, money systems, trying new foods, experiencing new cultures, traditions,languages, and customs, the list goes on and on. But this is what travel is all about. I love it and I love learning. I just can't imagine my life without travel. Happy travels to each of you... Alice G. Duckett
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