Showing posts with label Arthur Frommer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arthur Frommer. Show all posts

Friday, January 2, 2009

Reconnecting


One of the things I love the most about retirement is having the time to reconnect with and visit with old friends. While I was in St. Louis over the holidays, I had the pleasure of visiting with my friend Ruth and her extended family. Ruth and I have known each for more than 40 years and were the best of friends in college. We connected immediately when we met because I’m the oldest of 9 and there are 12 kids in her family. It was fun to meet someone who came from a family larger than mine.
We traveled extensively together throughout the States and all over Europe. We actually used Arthur Frommer’s book, “ Europe on $5 a Day” as our bible during our European Adventure in 1970. It’s hard to believe it, but we actually got a room and our meals for less than $5 a day!
Now the EuroRail Pass and sightseeing were extra. While it’s always exciting to expand your circle of friends, there’s just something reassuring about hooking up with people who have known you forever. It’s just so comfortable to sit around and reminisce. With a true friend, you can pick up the conversation just as if it were yesterday, even if you haven't seen her for 15 years!
Is there someone from your past that you'd just love to know what happened to them?
If so, you might want to try locating them through http://www.classmates.com/ or http://www.reunion.com/ Check out the websites closely as both charge a fee.
(In the photo, left to right: me, Ruth, her sister Snook, her daughter Bridget, and brother Tim)

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Meet Me in St. Louie

One of the joys of retirement is the flexibility and time to travel more often to visit family and friends. I'm in St. Louis (my hometown) this week to celebrate my mom's 83rd BD and attend my niece's baby shower. It's been a fun week, dining out at some of our favorite restaurants -- the Pasta House Company and Rizzo's. Fall in St. Louis is the best, with cool temperatures and highlights of gold, red and orange coloring the trees. I had a wonderful time reminiscing with my friend Ruth who I had not seen in almost 20 years! We traveled together a lot during college and spent a month in Europe in 1970 using Arthur Frommer's Europe on $5 a Day as our bible. It wasn't easy, but doable and we visited 14 cities in 28 days never spending more than $5 for food and lodging. That's when I fell in love with traveling. If you're retired, don't forget that the cheapest days to fly and those with the least air traffic are usually Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. I've found the best travel bargains on those days using www.cheaptickets.com