The safari Matt and I went on in the fall of 2018 was unforgettable.
I remember the song cover of “Africa” by Weezer had just gotten popular. When I think back on the lyrics, “gonna take some time to do the thing we never have…” we really did.
We took photos of a herd of elephants in their element, a leopard feasting on its kill and lions mating.
We got to stand up through the roof of our safari vehicle as we sped through the dirt roads in the Serengeti, wind in our face while we took in the land.
We danced in a group with the Masai Mara people and they showed us their traditions and way of life.
We talked and dined by the campfire every night with new friends and listened to the lions make their sirens call just near our camp.
It was a one of a kind vacation and the opportunity to see the people and places in Tanzania was genuinely a mutual exchange of heart and mind.
I was reflecting on our most recent international travel and it felt almost as if just like in the videos I was watching back that we were roaming the downtown streets of Oslo strolling through Christmas light tunnels and finding impressive new burger places.
Next, we were riding the Swiss countryside trains through the foggy mornings and sunny afternoons. I recall the disappointments of fog through our train window as fondly as those warm sunny afternoons on a quiet train. We laughed at the irony of the fog and basked in the sun melting all the snow away outside the train.
Then all of the sudden you and I were climbing the heights of the Swiss mountains until we were at the highest point in Europe, slip sliding together through perfectly carved out ice tunnels. I reminisced about the times we celebrated our love by toasting our evening espresso and champagne chocolate truffles and dancing in the low light of our Swiss chalet. My mouth watered thinking about the breakfast we made for ourselves the next morning as we opened our windows to the crisp air of the mountain our room faced.
I listened to the saxophone playing that I recorded just outside our window in Zürich soon after we went wandering down the alleyways and met both crowded music-filled streets as well as the quiet lonely evening shopping district streets.
I giggled at the self deprecating humor you place on always being given a hard time at airport security.
Finally, we ended up in the swanky neighborhood of SoHo in London where we share so many memories rambling through the streets, looking in the shops, having coffee and talking our way into the jazz clubs. Looking at the bright red double decker buses that are so iconic of London reminds me of the magnets we collect from our travels and keep in our home that we share together.
The pure excitement I felt the entire week before and leading up to see the Harry Potter play was electric and I still feel that spark when I think about that time.
The adventures Matt takes me on are awe-inspiring and memorable in a visceral way for me. Having a traveling partner means having a companion to discover with. It incites memories of childhood that are similar to the joy I felt as a child.
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