River cruising and exploring the world alone at 80-maybe now 81

[jacksonnh]

This is from TA and worth a read-

 

In Paris-----On my own------at 80!

Aug 10, 2014, 10:32 PM

Yes, you did read the subject line correctly. I recently spent three weeks in Paris in an apartment I rented online and I will be 81 years old in a few weeks. So many people I know find it hard ----almost impossible----to believe that I actually did the whole trip all by myself . But it all worked out beautifully, with a lot of thanks due to all the travelers who have posted their tips and suggestions on TripAdvisor Paris Forums in the past two years.

 

I read every single one, cross my heart, and took page after page of notes.So it's only fair that I thank all those who gave their time to wishful travelers like me and now it's my turn to do the same.

 

My background: I lost my husband suddenly five years ago to a massive cardiac arrest. We were married 55 years . In those early months, I found myself thinking--------Why am I still here? What am I supposed to do? I don't know how to be on my own. And one day a little voice in my head responded sharply, " Well, you had better learn how. " So I turned my mind to learning and I decided to begin traveling to places I had only read about in books. My first trip was a riverboat cruise in Europe in late 2009. Since then I have gone on tours to Australia and New Zealand, Tuscany and Rome, and South Africa. But in late 2012 when I signed up for a seven day cruise on the Seine out of Paris, I decided to splurge and treat myself to an apartment rental for ten days prior to the cruise because seeing Paris was a fantasy I had cherished since high school French class. That's when I started reading all the Paris posts on Trip Advisor.

 

Well, what happened was this: I purchased a 7 day Paris pass when I arrived there which is good for almost all its museums and historical buildings. It's rather pricey but I knew I would get my money's worth out of it-----and I did. The first day you use the pass is the start of the seven day period for which it is good. Of course that means no day off from museums if you want to get your money's worth. I bought a Navigo Decouverte and used the Metro always. I generally could do only two museums a day but, let's face it, I was 79 years old and I'm sure younger people could do three or even four museums each day, if they timed it right.

 

Does that sound like fun? No? You got that right; it was exhausting. By the time I had used up the whole seven days of the pass, I could have told you which attractions I had visited----I had made a list and checked them off----but I couldn't remember one from the other. Which one was the Musee d"Orsay again? The one with the Monets? Or was that "L'Orangerie? Yes, of course, I went to the Louvre. Isn't that where you can see Napoleon's Tomb? Oh, no that's the Mona Lisa.

 

You get the idea. What a waste. What a shame. I LOVED Paris, what I saw of it as I scurried by the outdoor cafes, the great plazas, the inviting parks on my way to yet another museum. And now you can understand why as soon as I got back to the US, I said to myself-------I am going back to Paris as soon as I can. I am going to work on that high school French so I can have petite

 

conversations with the patrons in the cafes, so that I can wander the neighborhoods , go into churches and just sit, and, best of all, be stopped by Americans looking for directions

 

And I did. I got lost almost every single day but all-----I say ALL----- the Parisians I spoke to were

 

charming, friendly an helpful so getting lost was part of the adventure. I will admit that, although I approached them speaking French and they answered me in French, it generally took only a few minutes for them to offer, gently and politely in English, "I think perhaps you prefer to speak English?" After my first week there, i always responded, "Actually,I prefer to speak French. Before coming

 

to Paris, I spent a few hours almost every day working on my French but it's not very good " And talk of polite! Do you believe that several responded to the previous statement by telling me "Oh,mais non! Votre Francais est tress bien."

 

By now, you can probably tell the end of MY story. I go online every day and practice my French so that when I go back to Paris again next spring, the Parisians will think I am one of them when we chat in the cafes. A bientot

[Floridiana]

Chapeau! (= Respect!)

[luv2cruise450]

How great that you have not stopped traveling and exploring even tho you now travel solo!

I wish you continued adventures wherever you travel to!

Happy and safe journeys ahead!

Bon voyage! Bonne chance!

 

Betty

[Familygoboston]

How wonderful!

Here is a paragraph from my aunt's travelogue about her recent trip to the Acadian Congress, held every 5 years, this year in Maine and New Brunswick, :

 

...there were about 150 Caissies from New Brunswick, mostly, a couple from Quebec, and their most distinguished member as a lady by the name of Marie Xxxxxx, who travelled all the way from Australia, at the age of 88!! We were very much looking forward to seeing her again, as she had attended her first Acadian Congress in 2009. This lady had first discovered her Acadian roots a few years ago, when she started to research her genealogy,

 

Marie's family who settled in Australia... they had lost touch of their past, until Marie's discovery of all her "cousins" in New Brunswick and the U.S. She decided in 2009 that she had to travel to discover a new Hemisphere, and meet all her "new family". Her own family in Australia tried to dissuade Marie from making such a trip at her advanced age of 83, but she was determined. She flew first to Vancouver, British Columbia, changed planes and flew onward to Dieppe, in New Brunswick, where she was met by her new friend, Vincent, who then drove her to Caraquet to attend the 2009 Acadian World Congress.

 

I asked her if she had plans to attend the 2019 Congress in Dieppe, and her reply was that she probably wouldn't, because she would then be 92! I told her I'd be looking for her there! I hope to have the endurance and courage to attend that one myself, as I'll be 86!!

 

More proof, that you are only as old as you feel! All my well traveled aunts (70s and 80s) insist they are only "middle aged", which makes me a 50 yo adolescent ;):p

[Babcia7]

Your post made me cry, and laugh! Your adventurous spirit reminded me of my Mom, who loved to travel around the world and experience different cultures. She passed that desire to explore the world on to me...and I think your description of your travel is how she felt, and how everyone should embrace the experience of visiting other countries. I hope when I am 80 I will still be continuing my exploration....Thank you for your wonderful post!

[CPT Trips]

Reminds me of my FIL . . . all the continents, solo, except Australia between 80 and 85. Still going strong at 90, just not traveling - his new wife has bad knees:)

[mrobstad]

Inspirational! Recently, I've been thinking of branching out from ocean cruising by adding land tours....but as a solo, it's often cost prohibitive. So, I've been looking at airbrb.com and having lots of gun dreaming of my retirement, three years away. I, too, too French in HS and would love to become more fluent. I popped into Paris for two days many years ago, and I found the French to be welcoming and appreciative of my efforts to speak the language! Great post!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[suspaul]

Loved your post! Good for you, traveling solo is very freeing, doing what you want-when you want. Sleeping in or getting up early to see the sunrise, it's your choice. Paris is my all time favorite city, and I too have gone a few times alone, I never felt sad, blue or lonesome, how could one, you're in Paris...or Berlin or Rome, wherever you choose to visit. You're an inspiration and may you have many more interesting travels and journeys. Remember, Paris is waiting for your return in the Spring.....ah Springtime in Paris!

Edited September 12, 2014 by suspaul