Editor (Sara)’s note: For the first time in saratreetravels history, we are proud to welcome a guest blogger to our travel universe – my (tied-for-) favourite travel partner and mother, Mary!!
What a year!
Sara and I talked about doing a major trip, but her idea and mine of a major trip were two different things. When she asked me where I would like to go, I stretched it to my biggest dreams I could imagine of what I could do in my lifetime. I suggested wild things like a train trip across Canada, or sitting on the beach in Hawaii (which by the way was slowly being covered by lava). I stretched even farther to the Alaskan cruise up the West side of our fair country.
Imagine my amazement when I received the email from Sara who must have chuckled at my ‘amazing dreams’. My dreams were so small. She sent me an agenda that saw us flying to Rome. “Now” she said “what would you like to see now?”
Editor’s note: Small?! Absolutely not how I would describe my mom’s dreams… her life has been my inspiration to dream big!
Now my vision was set farther. Europe was never in my thoughts for a trip I could ever do in my lifetime. Now I had the ticket, just had to come up with an agenda. Sara asked me, “NOW what do you want to see?” I threw out things that I had dreamed of, again, never expecting to see them happen: The Coliseum, the Vatican, Pompeii, Venice, maybe a side trip to Ukraine to see dad’s family again.
Sara took my ideas under advisement, and came up with an agenda of almost three weeks. I got my boat cruise (not the Alaskan Cruise, but on the Danube which I had planned with a friend who had passed away before we could see it). I got my train trip (two actually), I walked the Coliseum (oh yes, it was at the end of our street in view of our hostel) and the Vatican. I walked Pompeii and marvelled at the amazing lost city. I took a gondola on the canals of Venice and visited the lace museum in Burano. We experienced the amazing city of Vienna and the Matyas heritage in Budapest including public baths and the Matyas church and castle.
Wait, what’s that we spy from our front door? Could it be… ??!!
Exploring the ancient mysteries of Pompei
Aboard a gondola for a canal-eye view of Venezia
El Museo del Merletto (The Burano Lace School & Museum)
As a grand finale, we took a train to Lviv, Ukraine and then drove to Lanchyn where I was able to once again see my dad’s village, walk the roads that he walked, sit for dinner with his family.
What an adventure! I am so grateful to have had this chance to see all I did. Kudos to Sara who planned all this in spite of writing exams and doing those things required to complete her MD. Challenge should have been her middle name because she most certainly meets the challenge. However her middle name is even better: Hope. Without the Hope, we don’t have energy for future plans. And so I say “Thanks for the memories.” It was an awesome experience of a lifetime!
saratreetravels 
I have loved reading all of the posts about your amazing trip. You both write so well.
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Thank you so much for reading, Pat! 😊
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Love to read about your travels! With the little kiddos it’s hard to sit down and chat, at least now I feel I know a bit more about the trip. And I love the photos, so special to see where family is. A dream for us all! Do they speak English? If I ever go I may need to learn Ukrainian…eek! Challenge!
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No English at all … I was very dependant on Mom as tour guide here! I haven’t heard her speak Ukrainian in so long, so it was really amazing to hear. It was also amazing to hear people ask her, “Ah, your accent is so beautiful, you’re from Lviv?” And she’d respond, “Nope, my beautiful northern Manitoba accent!” 😂😂
But I had my basics (mainly food words haha) and it was encouraging to see how even after just 1 week, I felt more comfortable in restaurants etc.
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(To repeat my query from your previous post … how have I not written comment yet?)
How much fun would that have been to spot the Coliseum in the midst of your hotel’s neighbourhood. So very cool.
Hey Sara … I think I saw another Venizian tourist wearing that lovely grey dress of yours! haha
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