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This text was revealed first in Journey Awaits on Oct. 13, 2019. It was republished on this weblog on March 26, 2021. I’ve up to date it in the present day. 

 
Franklin D.
Roosevelt as soon as mentioned: “I feel we think about an excessive amount of the great luck of the early
chook and never sufficient the dangerous luck of the early worm.” Sure, sadly, luck
has two sides to it. For vacationers who put themselves in international or new lands and
in the course of many unfamiliar actions, luck comes into play many extra
instances than regular. Generally a journey day seems good. Generally it turns
out dangerous. How will we navigate such differing conditions?

You Can’t Management Every thing

One of many
worst days of our life occurred in 2018. My husband and I have been at Washington
Dulles Worldwide Airport in Washington DC to board a flight certain for London
the place we have been to catch a connecting flight to Ljubljana, Slovenia. Our tickets had
been purchased on the unbelievably discounted value of US$250 per particular person however we ended
up paying greater than ten instances that, even after the refund.

Whereas we
have been en route from Phoenix, our airline Primera declared chapter. All its
flights have been instantly canceled. Understandably, I used to be terribly upset. And
you don’t need to be close to me when I’m! However my husband mentioned, “It’s simply cash.”
After we arrived in London, he instantly seemed for an English pub on the
airport. The Scottish/Irish fellow delighted in a basic English breakfast he
had been lacking. Clearly, he had already put every thing behind him.

Don’t Be Stymied. Go Forward with Your
Journey Plans

With out
hesitation, we went forward with our journey plans as a result of the Slovenia journey might
not be postponed. It was depending on the schedule of our two hosts whom we met
on the street within the Philippines a number of years earlier. In actual fact, we hosted them in
the US two years later.

The residences
they’d reserved for us have been totally booked earlier than and after our go to. Our room
at her B&B was on the foot of the Ljubljana Citadel, in entrance of the large
every day farmer’s market in Previous Ljubljana. In Bled, his house was proper on the
well-known lake with postcard scenes from the balcony. We couldn’t have requested for
extra. And it was a reunion of nice associates. Our
week in Slovenia was priceless, even when it price us $3,000.

Be Simple on Your self: You Are Allowed
to Make Errors

From our
base in Innsbruck the next week, we wished to discover extra of Austria. We
determined to take the four-hour prepare journey to Vienna, keep in a single day, then cease
at Salzburg, halfway on the best way again, the following day. On the Hauptbahnhof, I obtained a
brochure from the ticket counters whereas Invoice purchased a bottle of water on the
retailer. Combined indicators gave us virtually zero time left after we lastly discovered every
different once more. That’s how we obtained on the mistaken prepare, the one going within the different
course. As an alternative of Vienna, we discovered ourselves in Munich.

In brief, we
obtained to Vienna mid-afternoon as an alternative of earlier than lunch as we had deliberate.  I used to be so pressured. And also you don’t need to be
close to me when I’m! Expensive husband mentioned, “Cost it to expertise; we’re allowed
to make errors.” We made it to St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the Mozart Home, the
Opera Home, Karlskirche, the Hofburg Palace, and the Museum Quartier, lacking solely
Schonbrunn Palace from our Vienna bucket listing.

However we had
to “run” from place to position. It was nice that they have been so shut to every
different. We even ended the day with dinner full with sacher torte at a
Viennese Espresso Home. We most popular to go to the Lodge Sacher for the unique
however, as luck would have it, they’ve an outlet in Innsbruck, Café Sacher. 

There Are Many Good Folks on the
Highway

Our subsequent
base was Oberstaufen, Germany. That is the place dangerous luck began to show into good
luck. After certainly one of our lengthy day journeys, we missed the shuttle bus again to our
resort. Drained and hungry, I should have seemed so determined after I discovered the
subsequent one was an hour away. And also you shouldn’t be close to me when my tummy grumbles!

With out
being requested, a German couple, who have been additionally ready on the station, rounded
every of the stops, studying every poster (all of them have been in German), and searching
for an out there various for us. They didn’t discover any, nevertheless it didn’t
matter. With the gesture, I completely forgot I used to be hungry.

The
following day, we determined to take a look at Lodge Ludwig with its two rows of distinctive
home windows in Steibus, a village near Oberstaufen.  It turned out that the couple we met have been staying
at their trip rental proper in entrance of the RV campground we discovered subsequent to
the Lodge. They invited us in for drinks.

The
attention-grabbing factor was the person spoke little or no English and my husband spoke
little or no German, so the wives have been gesticulating lots. Earlier than we parted, they
prolonged us an invite to go to them at their residence in Uberlinger, Germany.

The day
earlier than we left for France, we discovered the prospect. At their deck overlooking the
legendary Bodensee Lake, we loved a typical German lunch. Then we toured the
resort metropolis which was hardly touched throughout WWII due to treaties. An hour
of starvation was such a small value to pay for this GOOD
LUCK in capital letters.

Let the Good Instances Roll

“When it
rains, it pours” had become “Let the great instances roll.”  Dangerous luck turns into good luck, generally as
shortly because it comes. And when our hearts fill with gratitude for the great luck,
extra of it occurs!

In Paris,
France we have been even gifted with a wonderful improve from a studio to a
one-bedroom house. For one romantic week, this elegant Parisian residence was
the bottom for a lot of of our day journeys to the highlights of Paris. In
Brussels the next week, we didn’t anticipate so as to add one other degree to our
journey experiences. I used to be at all times only for sightseeing. However on this Belgian capital,
I become a meals tripper: beef carbonnade, moules frites, fondues, waffles,
goodies, and beer.

What issues
most, and what we will management, is how we react to others, issues, and
conditions.  When dangerous luck strikes, we should always
shortly decide up the lesson and transfer on. And when good luck occurs, we should always give
free rein to precise our gratitude. It additionally helps to journey with individuals who stay
optimistic. As you possibly can see, I’m blessed to have one of the best touring companion…and
husband.

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