Confessions of a European traveler
 

Just for fun and in no particular order....

I abuse my luggage.

I cannot read a street map (no matter which way I turn it).

I require gelato in my diet almost every day while abroad.

I am giddy when I speak in a foreign language and the person understands me. Even if it is only "thank you".

Before buying clothes I determine if I will be able to take them with me to Europe.

I am not a good photo taker and always leave myself out of pictures.

I like my passport to be stamped.

I don't like taking taxi cabs.

I believe some people spend more for a week at Disneyland than I do for 2 weeks in Europe.

That's enough for now. What about you?

I believe more than one long, fancy restaurant meal per trip is a just too much time away from the "real Europe."

I love cracking the code to the local mass transit system.

I carry on my baggage (always within the legal limit). So that's me you're all yelling about when there's no room in the overhead.

I will pay whatever it takes to buy a pair of cute shoes that I can walk in for hours.

I wear jeans in Europe.

I won't be caught dead in disguise with a fanny pack.

I buy cheesy fridge magnets to commemorate my trips.

I gawk.

I have taken only one decent picture in all my travels.

Sometimes I get confused when I wake up and look at the ceiling. It’s never the old familiar one.

I’ve never been able to stand and eat my lunch. I don’t have the guts to try it.

When I am tired I babble in Italian when it should be French, Spanish when it should be Italian. I can also swear up a storm in Spanish.

So what's the difference.
Form a german point aof view:

>I cannot read a street map
I have a few GPS's supposed to tell me where I am. Sometimes I don't succeed.

>I require gelato in my diet almost every day while abroad.

while at home. Unfortunatly all the italian ice cream parlors close during winter and sell gingerbread instead, arrgghhh.

>I speak in a foreign language
I try to speak any language and they don't understand whatever.

>Before buying clothes
Before buying clothes I determine if they're worth the money. Who cares what others think.

>and always leave myself out of pictures.
Agreed, those clothes just don't fit. ;-)

>more for a week at Disneyland than I do for 2 weeks in Europe.

Disneyland is far to expensive. I can spend 2 weeks in Europe without spending ANY money. Just have to fill the fridge first. ;-)

I walk more in one day in Europe than I do in a week at home. I use this to justify my increased wine/cheese/olive/gelato intake.

I create my own guide book before I leave, obsessivly monitoring message boards looking for tips on unique things to see and amazing places to eat.

I only do carry-on and plan my wardrobe to be as light as possible and offer multiple variations on outfits.

I take hundreds of photos (including my meals!), but only have one or two of myself in every trip.

I always try to take the train or metro into town rather than a taxi from/to the airport.

I'm willing to pay a little more for a "room with a view".

I dress to blend in and I'm extremely flattered when spoken to in the local language rather than English.

I try to take at least one international trip per year and for the last 17, I've been somewhere in Europe at least every other year.

While I love big, long fancy meals, I'm also more than happy to sit in a cafe with a glass of wine and a plate of cheese.

You're so right on about that daily gelato fix..I lie to my wife about this...I always promise to limit myself to one a day. I've never, that is never, kept that promise in Italy (or Croatia, for that matter). Oh, yes, there are several ersatz gelato shops here in L.A. I've tried them once each, never been back . I love saving it for Italy..just as I never order a lobster here, only when I frequently visit the "homeland"...Massachusetts and Northern New England..only opting for genuine Maine lobsters , prepared by people who know what they're doing!Only place I've found that can come close is Australia, and their species of Rock Lobster. In fact Costco every now and then features it.
As for street maps, I'm an incurable map freak, and love to conquer them by finding the most obscure street, or village on the country maps...
I know people who spend more for a weekend in Vegas than I do for three weeks in Europe, anywhere....the same autmatons who seek out the latest and most ridiculously expensive restaurant fads here in L.A....I can eat far better for two weeks in Italy, rural France, and certainly in bargain places like Croatia, Turkey, Morocco or Romania for what they spend in one night.
As the old saying goes.."to each his own:..or as the trattoria mama says .."Sacisse his own"..

Stu

Linda,
funny you mention the expense of trips to Disneyland.
Some friends of mine, a family of 4, just got back from a weeklong cruise from NYC, which stopped only at Miami, Cape Canaveral, and the cruiseline's 'private island' off Florida, for an afternoon barbecue. The ship had about 2500 passengers, and my friend reports that there were long lines for dinner, the laundry facility, the on-board shows, the breakfast buffet. The cost? For the whole family, over $6000 base cost, plus the extras on the ship like beverages. This was a major dent in their family budget, by the way.
Despite the dollar to Europe ratio, I keep thinking of all the places in Europe they could have gone for a week, especially since they happen to have a large bank of FF miles for free plane tickets.

Back to the topic:
I go to Europe and feel the need to buy myself a present that is much more expensive than I would think of indulging in in a typical week at home.
I tell myself that the trip itself is the gift, but I rarely listen to myself on that one.

I look at the maps in American Way magazine everytime I'm on a plane to fantasize about where else I'll travel.

I check my frequent flyer mileage daily to see what's been posted in my account.

I strategize about earning more frequent flyer miles towards my next European trip.

While I'm wearing clothes, I ask myself if they'd be included in my wardrobe on my next trip (as though the clothes care if they stay home or not!)

My vacation to Europe starts from the moment I enter the airport for my departure.

I'm disappointed when my passport doesn't get stamped.

Elaine: I know what you're talking about. These are the same type of people that say they NEVER would be able to afford a trip to Europe!! LOL. I think some of my co-workers (and family) think I'm rich because I go to Europe once a year. They just don't realize if you plan acordingly, it is affordable.

I'm not good at small talk unless the subject is "Paris"

My souvenirs are my photos, cheesy pens and magnets, and scarves

I always bring cookies from Monoprix home

I have more Paris map books than any local

My husband bought an auto tag with "I -heart- Paris" for my car

I wanted to name my dog "Chloe" or "Zoe" but she just didn't look like one

I start saying "Bonjour" as I enter a room about a month before my trip

The local cell phone towers look like <i>Eiffel</i> Towers to me

I have many trips to Europe planned in my head and wish I had the money to take all of them NOW!

I require a glass of wine at an outdoor table at about 5:00 every day.

I too spend too much money on gifts for myself!

I can wear clothes more than once without washing them - and I don't think anyone notices...

I read this forum even when I don't have an upcoming trip...

Linda L.....I'm a LindaL too.....but I hope that your middle L isn't the same name as mine........mine is not very dignified!!!

Simone 1.....I too, suffer from ceiling confusion. *Have trouble eating while standing *and cross-babble
Whew, I was beginning to think you were my seperated twin...but I do have taken a few good photos.

Stu....Very wise to stay away from gelato while home...then you may indulge during your trips abroad...without becoming too broad!!
There are things I don't eat at home...justing waiting for the splurge!!

My travel passions....

I love maps...all kinds of maps...I think I have 10 different ones for Paris. I look at them &amp; remember all the places on all the streets that I have visited.....they become diaries.

I love following the map to the next location &amp; discovering the little Inn at the end of the road....the first glimpse of our room....

Checking out the view from our room...I have a collection of photos of
views from our rooms.

Wine lists....how different they are in every country/city.....discovering that a glass of champagne is a bargain in Paris.

Collecting all the little cards &amp; writing in my journal....later going back for a memory stroll.

((*))

All of the above. What a wonderful thread.

I have this soft white heather long-sleeved T-shirt that I love to travel in. When I find myself reaching to wear it at home on a cool morning, I think 'oh, no, mustn't waste it.' When I need a special lift or I'm having a bad week, though, I teach in what I fondly call my Swiss travel shoes. Brings a bounce to my step and a boost to my mood.

And I'm forever purchasing dumb stuff like scotch tape or plastic straws when I travel, and I get such a rush whenever I use them here. Go figure. I need counseling. Hope my colleagues don't see this.
J.

My life consists of three phases: planning a trip, taking a trip, editing the photos and writing up the journal from the trip. I am always in one of those phases, I HAVE to start planning my next trip before I'm done printing the photos of the previous one or I go into withdrawal.

I always do carry-on only going over, but can rarely manage it on the way home.

I can't walk past a store selling luggage or the travel section in a bookstore. I feel like an alcoholic in front of a bar.

Every time I think of buying something that's not totally necessary I stop and ask myself if I woulnd't rather have an extra day (or part of a day) in Euorpe instead. I save almost all my discretionary spending for Europe.

I can walk 12 miles a day for three weeks straight on a a trip, but at home I'm lucky if I can go 3 miles twice a week.

Gelato and/or crepes are necessary on a daily basis if you want to walk 12 miles a day.

I would much rather stay in 2 star hotels and eat pizza every day for three weeks than stay in a 4 star hotel and eat at fancy restaurants for one week.

Bailey: My middle name starts with a &quot;G&quot; for Gayle. The &quot;L&quot; is for my last name. cls2paris: I, too, wear clothes twice without washing them!! As long as they don't smell and are not dirty, who cares? I totally relate to the walking 12 miles a day in Europe but taking the car 1/4 mile to the store at home. I really would be thin if I lived permanently in Europe.

I'm a map addict. Before going to a new place, I study maps incessantly so as to commit every route I might take to memory.

In Europe, I'll stay in a hotel with a bathroom down the hall if it saves me some money...but I wouldn't do it in America.

In Europe I try very hard not to &quot;look American.&quot; Most of the time, people think I'm German. Until, apparently, I smile my &quot;American&quot; smile (=with all my teeth showing is a giveaway, so explained an Italian cab driver).

I'm a sucker for stray cats and take pictures of them. Used to pet them until I picked up ringworm once.

I use my trips as an excuse to eat things I forbid myself at home. (Don't we all?) And then happily walk it off.

I like traveling alone best, because then I can do WHATEVER I WANT.

I can spend all day in a single museum.

The artwork I want to see most (and have missed twice b/c of renovations :-( ) is the Alexander Mosaic in the Museo Archeologico in Naples. I will cry in front of it. I know.

I leave extra-nice tips for cute, flirty European waiters. ;-)

I'm not a morning person...except in Europe.

I don't go a single day without fantasizing about a future trip at least once.

I forgot one--I actually save little things like train tickets, receipts, brochures, hotel soaps, etc. and keep them in a box--often these things conjure up memories better than any photograph.

I start planning my next trip to Europe about two weeks after I arrive home from my last trip.

I have an entire shelf in my library for travel books.

I have a page in my daytimer devoted to travel websites.

I practice Spanish at least 1/2 hour a day (sometimes more) even though everyone in Spain laughs when I speak (but it breaks the ice and they do appreciate my attempt).

I go through my photo albums on Europe whenever I get too down and it starts raining too much here (Seattle).

I intentionally buy products from Italy, Spain and France.

I miss my dog so much when I'm away, I've learned to say &quot;Can I pet your dog&quot; in Spanish, Italian, and French (in France once the young man I asked informed me--in English--that I could pet him too!)

I listen to music in Italian, Spanish, &amp; French almost every day.

I wear the pink tennis I bought in Italy with confidence and laugh when I see them in the recent release shoes at Nordstrom.

I read books set in Europe, some even twice (The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruis Zafon is my current favorite.)

I rent DVDs set in Europe (Bad Education is my current favorite).

While I have friends that collect diamonds, I'm much happier spending whatever money I can on my past and next trip to Europe.

Yikes! No wonder I hang out here: you guys are a lot like me.

I usually start to plan where I want to go &quot;next time&quot; while still away from home &quot;this time.&quot;

One of my hobbies is searching for the perfect-under-9-pounds-and-expandable rolling carry-on. Oh, and it has to cost less that a hundred bucks. I would go to 76. Haven't found it yet. :&gt;

I have shelves and shelves of travel books and drawers of maps. I often find doubles of maps when I go to pull the maps out for planning. I get this from my mom. Years ago, we were sitting together planning a trip to Italy, with maps spread all around us. My dad, a WWII veteran who served in Italy, entered the room and said, &quot;Your mother has more maps of Italy than General Mark Clark had before the invasion.&quot; He was probably right.

I don't want jewelry; I don't want clothes; I don't want furniture or a new car. I want a trip. Always.

I too save my travel clothes for travel. I might want to wear it now, but it works so well in Europe, that I will save it. And save it.

I'm a travel snob. I think people who go to Las Vegas and Florida and similar places aren't nearly as smart as I think I am.

Shoes: save them, too. These are too perfect for walking in Europe to wear out just hanging around here.

I come home from France or Italy with a suitcase full of food. Salt, pepper, oils, vinegars, spices, pastas, mustards, and tuna in olive oil. Lots of tuna in olive oil.

I save my best hotel soaps, from the occasional stay in a fancy hotel, for the guest bath and special occasions. Right now, the guest bath has a round soap from Hotel Park Villa Grazioli. I didn't think the hotel was worth the money (not my dime) but love that soap.

I have to put all the bars of soap I bring home in a different bag from the one that holds all the food.

This is unbelievable -- so many of these comments reflect my own thoughts and behavior.

Isabel, your comment: &quot;Every time I think of buying something that's not totally necessary I stop and ask myself if I wouldn't rather have an extra day (or part of a day) in Euorpe instead. I save almost all my discretionary spending for Europe.&quot; Yes, that is exactly me. A co-worker is always commenting on my trips saying she could never afford to go to Europe. I point out the $5 cup of Starbuck's she has every morning, and I tell her to put that $5 away (among her many other extravagances) and she, too, could do as I do. It will never happen. We all have our priorities, and mine is clearly for travel.

Carry-on luggage, at least for the flight over, is a necessity.

Early to bed, early to rise, to get in a full day is not my normal routine at home, but fits the bill when away.

I have a large Rubbermaid tub filled with maps and on a rainy day I love to study them.

I get obsessive about learning the public transportation systems (metro and buses) wherever I go. My friends now insist on taxis. Yes, it's easier, but not in my nature.

Ah, daily gelato. An indulgence for travel. At home, I have ice cream only three or four times a year.

My only shopping sprees for clothing are shortly before trips.

I must keep a journal and get it online here and on my website immediately upon arriving home. Laundry can wait.

Photography is my main interest while traveling and it takes all my spare time upon arriving home for a couple of weeks to get them all as they should be.

Small talk is not in my comfort zone unless the conversation centers around travel.

Gotta love those kitchen magnets.

Hi,

My name is Ira and I'm a Travelholic.

I spend an inordinate amount of time on travel boards; sometimes I don't mow the lawn because I'm online.

I can spend 18 months planning a 3 week visit to Europe.

I buy a box of macarons from Pierre Herme' or Laduree and eat one a day in order to extend my Paris visit.

I am now planning my next trip, and I haven't finished unpacking from my last one.

((I))

I seldom take photos but have lots of cards, postcards, ticket stubs, programs, etc.

I love foreign grocery stores &amp; come home loaded down with goodies from them as well as kitchen gadgets.

Love the sourvenirs in museum shops the best &amp; am guilty of buying dog biscuits &amp; carrying them around to give to some pooch whose owner OK's it.

I'm ever on the look-out for the perfect travel blouse.

The sinking value of the dollar doesn't stop me going. Nothing stops me going.

Almost forgot, I'm hooked on foreign pharmacies as well. Lots of goodies to stock up on there.

The chocolate I buy at the airport to use up my euros lasts less than a week when I get home.

I watch television when I'm traveling. Even really cheesy television.

I'm only in my hotel room to sleep, shower, watch TV, listen to the radio, read guidebooks, stare out the window, chat with my family, and do nothing at all between spurts of activity.

I dress exactly the same way in Europe as I do at home. Casually and lacking any sense of style.

I believe the French people who lie and compliment me on my French and tell me my daughter looks like me.

If I go on two trips in a row and don't hear anybody speaking French, I start feeling restless and unsettled.

Ohmygoodness... me too. To most of the above. I will check my luggage going over. I do enjoy taxi cabs.
I dress nicely anyway, I can pack in seconds.
I indulge my francophilia by decorating my bedroom with French &quot;stuff&quot;...
I was single. When I met a fellow, if he didn't like to travel to Europe...or, worse, had disparaging political stupid views about Europeans, he was let go.
So? I met a European (German) who adores France and Spain...Italy is OK.
Life is sweet.

I love how each city I visit smells different from any other place in the world...

I sometimes get so engrossed in my surroundings that I end up absolutely lost...

As time goes on, I worry about the &quot;americanization&quot; of the countries of the world -- the countries in Europe seem to be losing a lot of their individual character, and the city centers more and more seem to resemble malls in U.S...

good gracious... I am not alone. What a wonderful thread!!

I carry business cards from hotels and restaurants in my wallet years after my trip. I have several pages of travel related websites in my address book. When buying new clothes I always consider their travel worthiness. I'm the only person I know who can recommend several hotels in Venice without referencing notes.

When in Europe I have an endless fascination with grocery stores, post offices, and laundry mats.

i love to watch local TV, cheezier the better.

i am a luggage-checker and a taxi-taker.

This is really irritating - I've tried to post to this thread several times and it's never worked. I'll try again.

I'm glad to see that many of my secret behaviors are duplicated in others. :)

I also find myself asking the &quot;how will it travel&quot; question when purchasing clothes.

I have a stack of Magellan's catalogues on my desk (many outdated) with the page corners folded down to mark all the little doo-dads I want to buy.

I order (and receive) tons of brochures and catalogues from various travel operators and government tourist authorities - even though any trip planned with the operator or to the destination would not be for several years. Actually, I have gotten many good ideas for travel destinations just from the pictures in these brochures - places I wouldn't have considered before.

I purchase all sorts of language CDs to prepare for my trip - and end up not using them at all. Luckily I've never yet had a problem resulting from my laziness.

I've noticed that when I talk about my travel plans (one of my favoritte topics) the eyes of the person I'm talking to begin to glaze over - and this person is usually the one who's going on the trip with me.

I also wear jeans in Europe.

Sometimes in the middle of my trip I'm overcome with sheer joy of being where I am, and I start to laugh and giggle to myself - this usually results in people sidling away and giving me stares like I'm crazy.

Thanks for starting this thread, it's nice to know I'm not alone.

I start obsessively planning a trip 6 months in advance. I know realize this isn't so bad. Whew! The rest of the time, I'm only thinking about where to go.

I have a system of coffee, coffee, alcohol, coffee and alcohol, alcohol each day while on vacation. At home a bottle of Sherry will last me for a year.

I scrunch every article of clothing I look at in a store just to see if it wrinkles. Clerks follow me around with clothes steamers if they've seen me before.

I can get into long conversations with perfect strangers in the luggage section of any department store. I suspect that they are Foderites when they too, are only &quot;looking&quot; and know more than anyone should about the pros and cons of luggage without actually selling it.

Whenever I buy a pair of earrings they must have a fastener that forms a complete loop before I really consider them. That way they won't come off if I fall asleep on the airplane. I never fall asleep on the airplane.

If a friend goes on a trip they know that I will listen to their stories long after everyone else has changed the subject.

We have a wall that is left intentionally blank so we can tape a paper map of the place we are going to next. That is in addition too, the 3-D maps in our home office.

When a non-traveling friend had to pack a suitcase last month, I offered to help. Partly for the thrill of packing but mostly because there's a part of me that just can't stand a poorly packed suitcase.

We have &quot;travel themes&quot;.

I also weigh my mail lady down with packages from government tourist boards.

My 'bookmarks' are 90% travel-related.

I read other people's travelogues as if they were best sellers.

All of my clothes are travel-worthy.

I order food that I have no idea about just because it is 'local'.

I collect 'float pens' of the places I've been.

I wear a moneybelt because I would be crushed if I lost even one Euro of my travel money but one of my favorite experiences was 'shaking hands' with someone when my hand was in my pocket (empty).

I own the world's smallest picnic kit and I love to use it.

I am currently planning two trips, one in 2006 and one in 2007.

Laundromats are a cultural experience.

*Always* have an idea for your next trip(s) in the planning stages.

Do you guys realize that we are a distinct minority..that is, us frequent overseas travelers. Stats put out by the State Department show that only 23% of Americans have traveled overseas, and half of those have only ventured overseas three times or less.
As for the research, I do mine (aside from the internet) at the Beverly Hills Library (superb) and at my own private library, sometimes referred to as &quot;Biblioteca Barnesandnoble&quot;.....
Stu

I love to grocery shop. In Europe I cruise slowly thro their shops &amp; read every label. I buy small pkgs/tins just because they are in a different language.

As with so many here, I can walk many many miles in one day w/out no ill effect but I complain if I walk a 1/4 mile at home

As another poster said, I also miss my dog &amp; am always on the look out for dogs &amp; am especially happy if I see terriers.

I eavesdrop like crazy anytime and anywhere so I can find out what people talk about &amp; how

I always look at men's shoes. I have a bet that I've never lost---that here in the US I can always tell a european man from his shoes

I buy tons of postcards for family/friends and write the one required cheesy line: &quot;wish you were here&quot;

When I walk down the streets &amp; see a particuarly beautiful view I tell myself firmly: &quot;Never ever forget this moment.&quot; It works. Even today I can remember my 1st trip to Paris..my last morning there I took a brisk walk around at 6am -the streets were empty..the sidewalks &amp; air fresh from an early morning rain.

I go bread crazy.

I always remember to bring my own washcloth

I feel funny handing over my room key to the front desk person

-I read this forum at work once a day - breaks up the monotony
-I can't help but think of all the places i've been to in Europe each year while I'm in my classes at school in the evenings.
-I tend to buy special perfumes at each country to remind me of those places when I'm back in the US.
-I buy chocolates in each country for the same reason - and also coz i love chocolates! Especially European.
-I eat desserts for lunch and dinner when I'm in europe. Flan...creme brulee...gelatto...even if I'm stuffed I force myself because I love European desserts!
-Usually don't buy expensive gifts but when I do (like I did in paris this yr) I console myself by thinking hey it's Parisien! chances are not many ppl carry that purse or wear that perfume! :)
-I love to look at my pictures over and over after I return from my trip.
-Blow up a few snaps frm each country n frame them for my bedroom.
- I can't read a map to save myself!
-Love to ppl watch in Europe and see what they're wearing, how they talk...
-get overly excited when someone says they went to Europe and tend to want share experiences for the next one hour!
-plan my next trips for the n ext few years

LOL, sure glad to know I am not all alone!!!

I can't add anything to the travel addiction as all of you have listed all my problems, or hobbies, whatever the case may be. Except for one question. Doesn't anyone have dreams while sleeping about travelling? I do, constantly and have since I was a child. I remember I was about ten years old and dreamed I was at a market along the seaside in Greece. Beautiful marble stairs going from the beach up to the market. Shopping stalls everywhere. Dream was in brillant color. And I to this day have never been to Greece. Anyone else?

I guess I'm not so unique after all. A lot of you share my thoughts.

I cannot have enough travel books or maps of Paris.

This past trip to Paris I was mistaken for French and Italian, not once as an American (Yes, I love my country)

I have a box at home that has my passport, leather gloves, wool scarves and little plastic containers, labeled, for grooming needs. These items are just for traveling not for everyday use.

I keep my unspent Euros in my wallet and look at them from time to time with joy in my heart, waiting with anticipation to spend them on my next trip abroad.

Yes yes yes!!!! I do, LoveItaly.

Sometimes dreams are set in places I have been, but some in foreign locations I have never seen. The most amazing part of this is when everyone is speaking French (which I do not speak and cannot understand). How do I do that?

LoveItaly, I often dream(but rarely happy ones!) about trips, especially when I have one impending shortly. I leave for London in two weeks, and so far I've dreamt I've forgotten the plane tickets, boarded the wrong flight, and everybody is speaking the wrong language(French!) when I finally arrive.

I'll watch a movie, no matter how bad it is, set in a foreign location just so I can see the background scenery.

I begin to plan my next trip even before I've left on the current one.

And I confess to most of the other posters'addictions as well.

It's a vicious cycle from which I have no wish to depart.

OK, suze, think we can qualify for group therapy? LOL. In my dreams when I dream about Italy, well guess what the language is. If I could only do so well when I am awake and there ;;)

Oh whoknew, we have to get you to have happy dreams!! Watching a movie no matter how bad it is for the foreign scenes, I raise my hand that I do that also.

In my dreams I am never travelling to get somewhere, I am always &quot;there&quot;. The dream when I was about ten years old was like Greece must have been centuries ago, the women wore togas etc.

When I dream of Italy it as though I am there, but in present day Italy.

And when I dream of Scotland it doesn't seem to have a time period...I am walking through the moors where there is a lot of heather, a bagpipe is playing, a stone castle in the distance.

In all my dreams I am happy and peaceful and I don't know how to explain it but somehow I know it is a dream...but it seems so real. And no I don't take drugs, LOL.

And, get this, because I am fighting a slight cold I laid down to read a book this afternoon. I fell asleep for about 45 minutes. And I had a dream. In my dream our CAPH here on Fodors was standing on my right. We were waiting for a ferry boat to go across some great sea like the Adriatic. Now I have never met dear CALPH. But there we were, tote bags in hand, waiting to board some foreign ferry. The ferry was late. She had on a beautiful cream colored top and was so much fun to be with. I have no idea what CALPH looks like but in my dream she had dark, short wavy hair and brown eyes. Probably in real life she is a blonde? Anyway, dreams are interesting and sure beat fighting airline security lines and crowded airline coach seats. Happy travellers everyone!