Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Top Five: Vacations

5. Cross Country to New York, 1965. My parents, brother Tom, and I drove from LA to NY to pick up my oldest brother Dick from his mission in New York. I was 14, and it is the first big road trip I remember going on. The mountains in Wyoming, historical sites like the Abraham Lincoln site in Springfield, the NY world's fair, the Cumorah Pageant, and an unending parade of Best Western's are all highlights from the trip. And my brother's dry commentary all the way out and back. We went in a station wagon, so I spent a good portion of the trip lying out in the back--this was pre seat belt era.

4. Cyprus, 1986. One of our vacations while living in Saudi Arabia. Peggy and Afton were in the US attending Kelly and Julia's wedding, so during an Eid break Sam, Kevin, and I took the short jaunt over to Cyprus. I'd checked in advance and found there were two member families in the whole island. We contacted them both and got together for a Sacrament meeting, the first one in several years there. And the one family, headed by a British peacekeepng soldier, had me teach the missionary lessons to a friend. Too bad I couldn't baptize her, but hope it took later. Beautiful beaches and mountains, fascinating castles and layers of Greek, biblical, Crusader, and Islamic history, tinge of excitement from the political division of the island, all contributed to a great time.

3. Boston/DC, 1998. With Peggy, Shelly, and Dallin. Historical sites galore in hot District of Columbia, Revolutionary sites around Boston, family history and Woods Hole visits in southern MA, and the highlight for me to the Plimoth Plantation, an open air reconstruction of the Plymouth Rock colony, where our Hatch ancestor first came. I loved how the people were trained to be specific inhabitants of 17th century Plymouth. Willing suspension of disbelief brought me quickly to talking with them as if they were residents of a foreign country, not actors. When can I go again?

2. Thailand, 1982. Peggy and I went alone, our first vacation during Saudi Arabian time. Left the three older kids with neighbors (the Alvarez family). Floating market, Buddhist temples, tuk tuks, open markets, LDS chapel, Nana Hotel, train ride down to Hua Hin, cold showers in the cheap rooms at the Railway Inn. Chicken satay from roadside vendors, all so exotic and luxurious to be on our own for the first time in five years.


1. Germany, 1982, 1986, 2007. A collage of three trips, and includes neighboring countries like Benelux, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, and the Czech Republic. American cemetery in Luxembourg, Tivoli garden and Legoland in Denmark, Anne Frank house in Amsterdam, stake conference in Berlin with Elder Wirthlin, Neuschwanstein castle, mission cities and people like Sister Specht, Afton's baptism in the Bern temple, Kevin's injury to his arm, Interlaken! and the Swiss Alps, the lion at Lucerne, Bodies exhibit in Prague, battling porn in the Munich airport, Oktoberfest. Aaaaahhh, wunderbar!

So, what's your favorite trip?

3 comments:

Suzanne said...

Too many to name...let's see...

Yellowstone with hubby for our 10th anniversary....very romantic, chipping our way out of the back of Dad's truck when the back camper window iced over...hehehe

Disneyland with my kids when they were older....teenagers could go off by themselves for a while, but V was still young enough to have all the Princesses sign her autograph book. We also went to MB beach and Ward. I felt like such a grownup navigating the California Highway system.

Kaylene said...

Cool!

Peggy said...

I LOVED our trips to Boston, Thailand, Denmark, Germany, East Germany, New Zealand, Greece -- on and on and on.

Wonderful Saudi experiences!!

As a child my very favorite was simply waterskiing early in the mornings on the glassy water of Lake Mead. I remember going to bed at night and skiing in my sleep. I can still smell a perfect morning to go waterskiing.