THREE REASONS WHY WE TRAVEL
Explorateur: ek-splawe’r-a-tur/one who explores; an adventurer/adventuress, the action of traveling in or through an unfamiliar area in order to learn.
Psssst…
Seems like forever ago now, but “Do you remember when we thought nothing of picking up or planning out a destination to travel to basically anywhere we decided we would like to go visit for a weekend, a couple of weeks or even months if you were reallllllly fortunate?” “Yeah, me too.”
As I look back fondly to that ago, “You know the one before the world appeared to stop before our very eyes.” Yeah, that one!” Just imagine then, how grateful I was to be able to travel to a dream destination of mine before the ban took effect and my very own explorateur wings became severely clipped. “Yeah, those wings, and the wings of many.”
In January of 2020 before COVID-19 became the main topic of conversation among the masses and the main topic of our nightly news on TV; I made my trek and traveled to ‘Paradisiacal’ Portugal.
“Now speaking on the record for me personally, I love traveling for three reasons.” They are short, simple and sweet:
1. The experience
2. To meet and/or interact with new people
3. To learn
Being a tour guide myself, it only stood to reason I needed to intentionally ferret out a tour guide who would usher me to the best places for food and naturally wax and wane nostalgic about the behind the scene tidbits.
Enter: Francisco Afonso of: The Authentic Experiences
http://www.theauthenticexperiences.com
If, or when you get to Portugal you must tour with this guy! He knows his city well, and takes deliberate delight in showing off the this’s and that’s. I was, to my surprise, sampling dishes I would NEVER have tasted left to my own devices. Francisco is the quintessential host & guide; not to mention the fact he’s not so bad on the eyes either ladies. I was grateful not only for the opportunity to go, but also the introduction to: Francisco’s Portugal and the folks I met.
Lying along the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula, Portugal, was to be my first-ever european touchdown. I traveled up and down the dotted coastline where I learned how cork trees were grown, how and when the actual harvest is executed and of course, the many, many uses for cork. “Seriously, who knew!” 🙂 I tasted a number of their local wines and olive oils, petted a couple of Portuguese horses (the breed is The Lusitano) and hung breathlessly on the spectacular, picturesque views of the coast.
But what I quickly discovered, what actually stood out the most for me was the PEOPLE I met and interacted with. They were so endearing and ready to share their information of what they were most proud of, “Oh, and by the way, you really must go to…and did you know…and go see/do this before you return home.” “You must!”
Below is a photo of beautiful Cascais. “Laugh with me when I tell you,” I worked on the pronunciation of that one city quite a bit before arriving.
Listen to how it’s pronounced:
https://www.rightpronunciation.com/languages/portuguese/cascais-29795.asp?id1=24&page=16
It took some time to get that name just right.
So, here we all are with the pandemic STILL on the scene and doesn’t appear to be finished with us by a looooonnnng-shot. Did you notice though somehow the world continued to spin and here we are about to stumble into fall already?
Traveling to the scenic state of New York (specifically the Finger Lakes Region) where I reside; is still being kept to a minimum. As much as I wanted to believe we could open our tours up to the general public; in good conscious we felt it inadvisable. We honestly believed it was better to err on the side of caution in the long run; than to jeopardize anyone or their loved ones and feel it was the most responsible measure we could take as a company until…more certainty and more CLARIFICATION rule the day. We sadly decided to temporarily shut down for the rest of the season.
“Okay, so you might be asking if not now…then when”???
“Lest you think we haven’t and still are missing all those smiling, excited faces of yours these past few months THINK AGAIN!” We genuinely miss celebrating those occasions that are so very important to you. But what we can tell you with assuredness is, WE HAVE NOT BEEN IDLE! Instead, we have been taking this time to create even more new experiential tours for next season, and if we do say so ourselves, “We’re pretty confident you’ll be pleased.” So, YOU were always on our mind (hmmm wasn’t that a song?) and we’re hoping you will agree to stick it out with us until everyone is able to travel freely once again and not be so fearful.
“Let’s raise a glass or two by looking forward to celebrating new experiences, meeting and interacting with new people, and learning what makes a destination tick very soon.”
To 2021 people.
“Traveling is not something you’re good at. It’s something you do, like breathing.” ~Gayle Foreman
Take a moment and let us know if you have been or are planning a trip to Portugal, or better yet: The Finger Lakes Region in 2021
Tell us on https://www.facebook.com/fingerlakesfoodtours
