Louisville Medicine Volume 70, Issue 10 | Page 22

TRAVELS AROUND THE WORLD
( continued from page 19 ) Boston area , while he was in a training program , was followed by an assignment in Louisville and a permanent home . Most of our travel in the early years consisted of local excursions and visits to family , but we always tried to see what the locals took for granted . Wherever we went , we tried to find something unique , which led to a few adventures . As our son got older , our trips got longer , but he also spent a month every summer ( from ages 4 to 14 ) with my parents to enjoy the lovely weather and the experience of being in “ the village ” surrounded by family . We traveled as a couple , on our own or on tours , and later added our son and one of his friends so he could have his own experience . The “ plus one ” trips were to Disney World , Bermuda and Hawaii . He also came with us to Club Meds in Cancun , Ixtapa , and on the Bay of California in Mexico . We also toured western Ireland and Amsterdam , Delft , Bruges and Brussels .
Ron ’ s frequent trips to Asia with General Electric opened us up to leisure trips to Hong Kong , Japan and Korea . A FIGO ( International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics ) conference in Singapore gave him a chance to show me one of his favorite places , while I attended meetings , and he got to be a tourist . I was allowed to join him on one business trip to the DomoTechnica ( the international trade fair of household appliances ) in Cologne , Germany . The weekend before , we spent in Paris , then took the train to Cologne and then flew to Venice ( in the middle of Carnival ). We celebrated milestones with trips : medical school graduation was marked by a chateau and cathedral tour of the Loire Valley anchored by Paris , followed by England . We marked our 25th anniversary with a week in Kauai , and our 30th with a cruise and land tour to Alaska . Our 35th anniversary brought a cruise down the Rhine and Mosel Rivers during Octoberfest , and for our 45th we took a tour of Sicily . Five years later we celebrated by touring Croatia and the Dalmatian coast .
After my dad died in 1988 , my mother became our “ plus one ” on tours of the Cascade Loop , Victoria and Vancouver ; a trip by train , bus and boat from Montreal to Gaspe , and then down the St . Lawrence . We took trips to Niagara-on-the-Lake for the Shaw Festival and a week on the grounds at the Chautauqua Institution ( Ron claimed that having my mom along insured that at least one person on our trip thought he “ hung the moon ”). We traveled by train through the Canadian Rockies and then across the Plains to Toronto . We also joined a group from our church to trek from Venice to Rome visiting all the pilgrimage churches , soaking up all the history and pasta we could .
As a physician , I was also able to travel . I was honored to be a Citizen Ambassador in the People to People Program in 2009 . As a member of a delegation of OB-GYNs led by one of my heroes , John Sciarra , we visited hospitals in Beijing , Nanjing and Shanghai and toured as many historic or cultural sites we could schedule . I also started participating in medical missions to Nicaragua , sponsored by GLMS and Hand in Hand Ministries - a total of nine trips , until COVID-19 and the political situation ended the annual encounter .
In Duomo , Florence
I really enjoyed the opportunity for “ immersion ” into a culture , not just sight-seeing .
Our trips , of late , have alternated between escape and enrichment . As retirees , my husband says “ vacation ” is an obsolete term . In The Village Effect 1 , Susan Pinker emphasizes the benefits of face-toface interaction in creating healthier communities . This prompted our move from a houses-only suburb to the New Urbanism community of Norton Commons . We also realized that our various travels meant more , if they were connected to people , history and culture . For that reason , the Chautauqua Institution experience struck a chord . The feeling of being in a village , with lovely homes and gardens in close proximity , with transportation limited to pedestrians , bicycles and the circulating tram , encouraged social interaction and a slower pace . The abundance of available activities , which included lectures , classes and performances , was enticing but not mandatory . Poking around the excellent bookstore , browsing in the boutiques , watching the boats on the lake , dining in the cafes or at the venerable Athenaeum Hotel or just people-watching on Bestor Plaza , the hub of activity , could be enough for us . It really was a place where there was something for everyone . The kids ’ club had activities and events for the youngsters . There were sport facilities aplenty , art and music instruction , and thought-provoking courses on current events , history and literature . The library was welcoming , and performances by the resident orchestra , conservatory , dance program , opera and theater , as well as a cinema , were supplemented
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