Travel Memories with My Mom
With my mom on the cable car in Madeira, Portugal
My mom lost her battle with Parkinson’s last week, a disease she fought for over 30 years. The last year or two have been particularly hard. So while I am so very devastated by her loss, I am grateful that she is no longer suffering. I am forever grateful to neurologists Dr. Michael Okun and Dr. Kelly Foote at the University of Florida Shands Hospital who, in September of 2012, gave my mom the gift of another 12+ years with us through their innovative and life-extending deep brain stimulation surgery.
I took over my mom’s care in 2019 when I moved back to the US from London, so we had a lot of time to say goodbye to each other. A blessing, really.
My mom is the reason I started selling travel and became a West Palm Beach travel agent. Those nursing home bills weren’t going to pay themselves.
A lot of my conversations with my mom these last few months were around our travels together. Our favorite trip, hands down, was to Hong Kong and Bangkok. We had never had dim sum before that trip to Hong Kong and were delighted by the metal carts, rolling up and down the aisles of our hotel’s restaurant. One night for dinner at a seafood restaurant recommended by our hotel concierge, we had the biggest and freshest scallops we’d ever seen. We laughed at how cheap the Star Ferry was. Like the Staten Island Ferry, the Star Ferry is the best game in town. Crisscrossing Victoria Harbor by ferry is an absolute delight. I think we rode that ferry every single day. (My mom’s dad used to sell all the outboard motors in Brooklyn so she always loved a boat ride.)
In Bangkok, we stayed at a 5 star hotel for pennies on the dollar. I had discovered Thai food in Chicago after college and my parents were so impressed that I knew exactly what to order, everywhere we went.
My mom told me I should go back to Hong Kong and Thailand after she died. I am working on that.
On a trip to Madeira, I hired a private driver to take my mom and me and her two friends all around the island. An island that is truly in the middle of nowhere, closer to Morocco than it is to Portugal. We couldn’t believe that we could buy wine in the supermarket for 3 euros. The picture above is from our time in Madeira.
My mom came to visit me in London twice and we did all the touristy things, including tea at The Ritz. I remember we went for Moroccan food during one visit and the meal and the service were so surprisingly amazing. Moroccan food! So exotic for a gal from Brooklyn. My mom never said no to excursions like this, calling everything a “taste adventure.” (My mom was an amazing home cook and completed the entire Grand Diplome cooking course by mail in the 60s.)
When I was younger, we spent our summers camping in the Catskills and Lake George, playing cards, roasting marshmallows, riding horses, and taking hayrides. I miss those days—when the weather feels a certain way…a little chilly, a little crisp…we still call it “camping weather.” During one memorable trip to Maine when my dad was doing his reserve duty with the Coast Guard, we drove around every night on the hunt for all-you-can-eat mussels. I will never forget those metal pails!
On our last big trip together, before airports became too problematic for my mom’s mobility issues, we went to the Abacos in the Bahamas. I hired a private chef one night and we still talk about the huge and delicious stone crabs we had as appetizers. (They were so impressive that my uncle brought the claws home and shellacked them.) We can’t remember the main meal, but we can really, really remember that stone crab and the mustard dipping sauce.
So my message this week is to travel together and have those little taste adventures together. Create core memories with your loved ones. Go places that aren’t on your radar…places that will surprise you. This could be a quick jaunt to Maine or a longer family trip to Hong Kong or Thailand or Portugal. Or anywhere really. There will never be enough time with your family. The days are long, but the years are short.
xoxo
About Krista
I’m a Virtuoso travel advisor based in West Palm Beach, Florida. Prior to moving to Florida to take care of my elderly mom with Parkinson’s Disease, I spent over 11 years living and working in London, England, selling financial data. My career and personal travel have taken me all over the world. To date, I’ve been to 78 countries. Now I bring the joy of travel to others as a Virtuoso travel advisor and West Palm Beach travel agent. I offer a 30 minute complimentary vacation consultation for anyone looking to plan their next trip.
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