Ramie does an amazing job of organizing our vacations. The time, effort and attention to detail mean most of our adventures are stress-free and highly enjoyable. But sometimes things go wrong or we derivate from the plan for a variety of reasons. So many of our fondest memories come from just these moments.
The primary reason the memories are fond is because of a simple concept . . . ATTITUDE. We always chose to make the best of any situation no matter how dire from a badly sprained ankle (on Day 1) to hydrophobia. We always seem to end up landing on our feet, figuratively anyway. Here are a few such stories . . .
The Loreley Adventure
High above the most dangerous section of the Middle Rhine is a lookout that provides stunning views amid a fantastic legend. Loreley Rock reaches a height of 433 feet and is accessible via a 6-minute bus ride, starting from the Tourist Center in downtown St. Goarhausen, up first windy and narrow roads then wide open plains and rolling hills. The view is beyond spectacular, so much so that we missed the final bus back down to the village.
As the sun began slowly setting and darkness began to creep, we pondered our next move and remembered how treacherous the drive up would be on the way back down on foot, to say nothing of how long the 2½ mile walk would take (turns out an hour+). The tourist center woman was not at all cooperative (in fact quite rude) but a young German couple came to our rescue. After apologizing for eavesdropping (very sweet), they let us know of a more direct path to take. They patiently guided us to somewhat hidden stairs that go straight down the mountain face.
OK, full disclosure . . . the walk down 360 relatively steep steps were brutal but considerably better than any alternatives. Keep in mind, we aren’t the type of family that would even consider calling a cab. But the walk itself actually created a wonderful bonding moment for us as we were sharing the experience together and it afforded us great access to the statue down on the water. In the end, it also produced one of my favorite pictures of Ramie and Tia.
Seeing Rome on Crutches and a Wheelchair
Ramie and I went to Italy for a second honeymoon and she severely sprained her ankle within the first hour of our arrival at our hotel. What could have been a disaster ended up creating some unique opportunities and a few hidden bonuses. First off, Ramie is tough as nails . . . after spending that first day in bed she didn’t miss a beat thereafter as our hotel graciously provided us with crutches and a wheelchair.
Some of the moments that occurred as a direct result are:
- That first day, with Ramie insisting I get out of the hotel and explore on my own, I walked 6.9 km (4.3 mi) in half a day. I was free to go at my pace (I walk pretty fast) and take pictures and film from anywhere I wanted. Starting at the Porta Pinciana I walked through most of the southwest portion of Villa Borghese before making my way down the hill to the Piazza del Popolo, over to the Spanish Steps, through the Colonna di Marco Aureli on my way to The Pantheon (my personal favorite in this area of Rome). From there I backtracked through the Trevi Fountain and the Piazza Barberini till I reached our hotel just south of the Porta Pinciana. Click here to see my full Rome journey which included (20) stops definitely worth visiting.
On the Reel
Spectre (2015)
Starring Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz and Léa Seydoux. Directed by Sam Mendes.
The 25th entry of the James Bond series features Rome prominently, particularly during the nighttime car chase where we get glimpses of both the Vatican City and St. Peter’s Square. The scene is 3½ minutes on screen but took 2 days to film.
- When we went to the Vatican, because Ramie was in a wheelchair, we were shuttled to an alternative entrance that led us through many sections of the Vatican that are not accessible to normal tours. They graciously let us take out time to view some amazing antiquities, beautiful art and unique views of the outside of the grounds.
- At St. Peters we were diverted away from the 2-hour wait line at the entrance to a side entryway thus allowing us to take our time and still stay with our tour group.
- Since one of our interests in going to Pisa was the view from the top of the Leaning Tower we instead decided to go with our hosts, as well as the main tour guide, to the amazing hilltop town of Orvieto. Ramie even did the underground tunnel tour entirely on crutches. I wish I was half as resilient as she!
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Hydrophobia Over Cochem
Full disclosure . . . I have a slight issue with heights. In Cochem, we took the Cochemer Sesselbahn chairlift to the top of the Pinner Cross to soak in the spectacular views of the Mosel Valley and the Reichsburg Cochem Castle where we had just been. Unfortunately, I freaked out on the way up and there was no way I was going down the same way. They let us know there was a crisscrossing path down the side of the mountain but that they couldn’t attest to what kind of shape it was in. Turns out that was an understatement.
Without going into too many grisly details there were a few moments where I saw my life flash before me. Though parts of the path were paved the concrete was crumbling and actually gave way underneath my feet in sections . . . and those were the safe areas. Most of the path was dirt and rocks. Don’t get me wrong, it was fun, exciting (though in hindsight probably not the best choice) and an absolute thrill. My pace was such that I actually beat Ramie and Tia to the bottom and was waiting for them as they hopped off the chairlift.
How Far Did You Say this Hike Was?
Ramie is always on the lookout for great hiking trails whenever we go anywhere. The last stop on our way across the country from Boise, Idaho was a visit to Tia at Virginia Tech. Ramie made the mistake of allowing me to choose a place to hike during our 2-day stay. There is a 270° lookout along the Appalachian Trail in Catawba, Virginia called McAfee Knob that is infamous for its vista views of the Roanoke Valley. If we had known that it was at an elevation of 3,197 feet above sea level, 4 miles each way and very rocky in areas we may have looked at alternatives. I’m glad we didn’t . . .
The trail was fascinating the entire way with incredible rock formations, several great lower level vista views and some running water. While it was a bit exhausting (we definitely slept well that night) at times it was well worth the journey. Rocky, our miniature poodle, set the pace toward the ultimate payoff at the top. The view is as spectacular as advertised. In the end, I’m glad we didn’t opt for an easier alternative.
On the Reel
A Walk in the Woods (2015)
Starring Robert Redford, Nick Nolte and Emma Thompson. Directed by Ken Kwapis.
This “finding yourself”, based on real-life events, comedy adventure has two old friends vow to walk the entire Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. Beautiful nature photography throughout this light, somewhat slowly paced, gem with McAfee Knob featured on the promotional materials including posters.
Are You Sure We’re Going the Right Way?
Since I had the time Ramie put me in charge of mapping out our car trip from Boise, Idaho back to North Carolina. For the most part, I did OK but I made a mistake on Day 2 that, while not ideal, led to a nice surprise. As we were working our way east through Idaho on Hwy 50 we passed over a bridge that, at a quick glance, seemed to have a pretty good view over the edge. Unfortunately, it was snowing and the pullover was on the opposite side of the highway. About an hour later we figured out we had actually missed our exit and needed to double back.
I remembered the view down from the bridge and we were able to easily turn into the small parking area just beyond the overpass. Very glad we did because the view of the Snake River from the edge of the lookout was spectacular. It’s basically a 350-foot drop straight down. There is a fenced off area but also a less secure section that provides the best vantage points. As with much of the Snake River, pictures can’t begin to do it justice.
Conclusion
These were just a few examples of when we had wonderful, or at least memorable, moments as a result of some misfortune. Luckily we are all wired positively and forever flexible come what may. It certainly helps when you’re away from home since there is so little you actually have control over.
Hope you enjoyed these tales and we would love to hear from you some of your adventures that went bad but turned out wonderful!
