Much has happened since I last wrote. I travelled to Europe and saw a world of beauty and wonder that lit up my eyes and filled my soul. But I'm not sure if I learned more about the world or my place in it.
My eldest sister and I made this trip together to visit our other sister in Belgium. I am the youngest of the three, a fact that I am rarely allowed to forget. They both still introduce me as their "little" sister, though I am taller than both of them. Much of our travels involved me following behind the two of them as I snapped pictures and took in the sites.
The trip was a camera buff's dream come true; the buildings are old, quaint and full of detail. I literally took about a thousand photos. There is nothing like a cobblestone road to set an idyllic tone for a photograph. There is also nothing like driving on a cobblestone road to rattle your fillings!
We saw Brussels, Bruges, Paris and London in much the same way, with me tagging along, relying on my "big" sisters to guide the way. Finally, in Amsterdam I broke away, keen on following my own path for once.
I promised my sisters that I would meet them back at the train station before our departure time. I could see a bit of panic in my oldest sister's eyes as she thought back to some of her last words to our mother, "Don't worry, I won't lose Jennifer in Europe." The middle sister seemed more than happy to be rid of me (she's eight months pregnant and had my two-year-old niece with her, plus I tend to get on her nerves at the best of times) so the scales tipped in my favour.
The only thing I had to do was find the train station and meet them at the agreed upon time...in a strange country...by myself...even I wasn't sure I could do it! I did, however, and I think I proved that the "baby" of the family has finally grown up.
To be fair, the last time that the three of us vacationed together was about 20 years ago, when I really was a baby (just play along)!
My trip was a permanent reminder that there is a whole world out there - full of possibilities and ready to be explored. I saw black ladybugs with red spots for goodness sake! But the most important part of my trip was reconnecting with my sisters as adults.
It was the trip of a lifetime but it's good to be home, even if the weather here is more like London's than London's was when I was there!
