What a weekend

I've always loved to travel...at least from the point where I started doing a significant amount of it for work. I've been extremely fortunate to have done significant travel on my company's dime. I've been around the word (literally) and have been to a majority of the continents (except South America, Africa, and Antarctica). Of late, I've spent some significant time in India and the Philippines. By no means am I one of the top tier travelers, but I've done a lot (approaching three-quarters of a million program miles on America Airlines), and have enjoyed it immensely.

One of the most memorable trips was a layover weekend in Paris several years ago. I was traveling from France to Singapore, and thought I'd spend a weekend seeing the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and L'Arc De Triumphe. It was as wonderful as I expected. However, I was alone (and single at the time), and swore that I would return with my loved one (assuming I would ever have one) by my side.

Angie and I are approaching our 5th anniversary in a month and a half and the plan was to spend our anniversary in Paris. Unfortunately, for several reasons, this is not going to happen. However, with the training that I was sent to last week, we did have an opportunity to spend a weekend in one of my other favorite cities, San Francisco. I've been there a couple of times, but never really got to experience the city (at least not since a family vacation back when I was 12). I have to admit, it was an amazing experience. Why, because Angie loved it so much. She has not traveled a lot, and has not experienced many of the world's great cities. In fact, you can probably count the number of times she's been out of Texas on both hands, and most of them have been to New York with me.

And that was the great joy in this weekend. Seeing her amazed by the mountains, the sea, the Goldengate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, Lombard Street, the hills of San Francisco, the architecture, the shops, and the sourdough bread at Bodin. That was the joy for me and I still can't wait to experience Paris with her. I guess it's the WHO you are with that matters more than the WHERE you are.

SL