Let's start at the very beginning.

   

     I was born to a tenacious woman who was bitten by the proverbial travel-bug when she was quite young. My mother was a flight attendant back in the 70's, when it was just as glamorous as a profession as was starring in movies. When I was a toddler, she quit what remains her favorite job to be home with me, something I regret for her, every single day. She has these fascinating stories from those years, which she tells better than I ever could. So, if you know her, ask her...she'll freely tell you, and fondly reminisce.
     There is one story, however, that I'd like to share about me. When I was a child, I was calm, quiet and obedient (don't laugh, it's absolutely true! Ma will vouch for me!). Ma took me with her to Europe when I was a little girl, and we were walking through Heathrow Airport in London. I was wearing her long red coat; although it dragged on the floor, she didn't want me to be cold. She was lugging multiple suitcases, and so I was instructed to respond to her as she talked to me incessantly. Monosyllabic responses were acceptable, so I apparently said "Hmm" every so often! Suddenly, she realized I hadn't "Hmm"-ed in a while, so she turned around and saw me a distance away. Well, she saw her red coat sprawled out on the airport floor with what she hoped was a sprawled out little girl in it. I don't remember this at all. Nor do I remember traveling with her to the US, to Europe, to various parts of India and Asia with her early on in my childhood. And of course, the travel opportunities slowed down drastically after she left her Airline job. So, with the exception of visiting the US for one summer when I was thirteen, most of my travel memories are limited to a couple of places in India.
   Since my teenage years, I did a bit more traveling,  but nothing that moved me - pun intended. I've been in the US since 2000, and in the past 15 years, I've lived in Southern California (Orange County) and Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh and the Lehigh Valley). I have been to 12 states and driven through several more. I went to India 3 times, but none of them really count, for reasons I won't go into now. Above all, I've always held this strong need to go to Europe. Blame my mother's stories, or the wander-lust-ful Bollywood movies I've watched since I was young enough to tie my own shoelaces.
     A month ago, I got to live that dream. In a matter of two weeks, I drove through Belgium, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and France. In a matter of two weeks, I was forever changed. Sanjay, my wonderful traveling companion, humored what he called an "ambitious plan", did the driving when I was afraid of the steep drop-cliffs or just wanted to nap, carried my stuff everywhere, and was basically, in every way a lifesaver. This trip would have been nothing without his presence.
    I don't know what my ultimate intention is for this blog. For now, it is a place to jot down memoirs. Many of my friends and family have asked me to share details. This is a way for me to do so, and I'll cherish the opportunity to relive those moments. Someday, if and when I have children, I now have stories for them, like my Ma had for me. Maybe decades from now, I'll have a daughter or son planning a trip looking through my lens. If nothing else, someday, I know I'll read my own words and laugh, cry and be able to live these moments over and over again. Could this blog evolve? Maybe. Maybe not. But I'm not going to while away today worrying about tomorrow. Perhaps that's the biggest lesson I learned in a matter of two weeks.