In 2000, two friends and I went on a much-anticipated, well-planned trip to London, Paris, and Champagne. The night before we left one friend presented each of us with a diary, so we could keep track of our trip. My first thought was, “Crap. Now I will have to do work.” But of course what I said was, “Thank you! What a great idea.” Had I been on my own, after two days I would have abandoned the diary to the bottom of the suitcase, but I couldn’t very well do that, with PS saying each evening, “I’m going to write in my diary now.” So I had no choice but to do the same each time she said that.
Well, that was probably the best travel gift I’ve ever received. Not just that specific diary, which I have re-visited many many times when looking back on that fabulous trip, but the whole discipline of recording my trips. For the next twenty years I have kept a travel diary of each cruise, tour, and road trip I have taken. They are all sitting in a box, back in Milton, waiting to be unearthed and re-read, once I get home.
I started this blog for two reasons: (1) as a record for myself to look back on, reminding me of details I might have forgotten, bringing back memories of a big adventure in my life; and (2) to keep friends and family back home apprised of my life, so I didn’t have to write the same letter to a dozen different people, recounting the same story again and again. I would say the former is the more important of the two goals.
Because of this blog, I haven’t been keeping a more specific travel diary for each of my trips over the last couple of years, letting this blog be the record. But it’s not quite the same thing. Nobody but me is going to read my little journals, so I can say what I want in them — like describing the absolutely dreadful little man on our first cruise up the Elbe (seriously, I can’t repeat in public some of the things he said or did – horrid little man) — but this blog is public, so I feel I have to rein in some of my opinions and obervations. I miss those more detailed accounts. So, starting with my cruise next week, I’m going back to the paper-based book for the trip, plus a few blog highlights here on my website.
But, one of the other benefits of those journals is keeping track of where and what I eat. A couple of years after that first trip to France one of the other ladies on the trip called me one evening to say she was at a dinner party and someone wanted to know the name of a restaurant we had dined at in Reims. I was able to look it up then and there, and she went back to the table sounding very knowledgable. Truly, I think about meals, and food, and dining out so much that during lockdown I actually kept a photographic record of all my meals, with a daily count and descriptors of each (before anyone gets too judgy, remember, it was COVID, we all did nutty things).
To summarise: I like travel journalling but haven’t done it recently; this blog is to help me remember things from 2021/22/23; and I like tracking food and restaurants. So, below is (primarily for my future reference and likely of interest to no one but me) all my meals from the Ireland trip.
PS. Thank you, PS, for starting me on my travel journals journey over 20 years ago!
Your travel journals and blog are treasures. Thank you for your example.
Recording great meals brings all senses into play. ( remember the Indigiinous chip since I have the pictures! Cheers!
I’m disappointed you didn’t include the wines and gins that you consumed with each meal. Just saying. Says the judgemental one who only does journaling via Facebook.