It's late. And the half-moon just came up over the mountain. A part of me is wishing I were camping out tonight...sleeping on solid ground. Resting on the earth. The crickets are so loud out there, it's deafening! Instead, I am inside, here, writing, as I listen to the night through the window. This is my last one here for awhile. Other than a weekend visit to Quebec City, I have been in the Catskills for about 9&1/2 weeks. It's time to leave. It turned September 1 about an hour ago. One more day of packing, and I'll be on my way...
I never got a chance to write about Quebec City...this is a travel blog, after all! I was enchanted. I went there 2 weeks ago to celebrate a friend's birthday...a Leo. He flew in from Boulder and we drove together to another country. Once it sunk in that we were going, I got really excited about the idea that you can just get in your car and drive to another nation. As an American, that's quite a novelty...and a first for me! Everything fell into place: Someone we never met, who's last name was (and I'm not kidding) "Cool", lent us the keys to her apartment for the entire weekend. That adorable apartment happened to be very central with an amazing view over the city. We spent the first evening upon arrival witnessing a FREE Cirque du Soleil performance. We spent the second night with a really friendly group of locals at a microbrewery. We spent the 3rd night witnessing a second Cirque du Soleil performance "Totem" and after, the largest digital screening in North America (a memoir of Quebec's History). We attempted to converse with locals in their native language, had great conversations over cappuccinos, crepes, pastries and pizza, and had a blast walking all over the city during the day. We even visited the oldest grocery store in North America, which was quaint and full of variety. The trip lifted my spirits and wet my whistle for more travel and more...French! It was so odd to be in a French speaking region where everyone is smiling at strangers and could care less if you speak the language or not! Also...the strangest thing of all...the Quebecois seem to LOVE tourists! It was a surreal experience.
Anyway, back to right-here-right-now...(geez, this is a long entry)! I feel kind of guilty that I haven't camped out once this entire summer! How sad! I hope this fall will make up for that somehow!
There's so much more to write, but I better catch some winks, since I have a night of driving ahead of me. I am taking a cross-country roadtrip (my 5th this year, to be exact), tomorrow to Colorado, via Chicago. My travel companion this time is an Italian Israeli who just got out of a 10 day silent meditation retreat. I'm sure this will be an interesting adventure.
As for me? Am eager to get out of NY, am feeling a bit scattered in pieces and am looking forward to reassembling myself to something that resembles...well, me. Tonight I had dinner with a friend from Chile who asked me, "What do you really want to do (with your life)? Visualize it and dare to dream it!" I immediately realized how scary and exciting this question is. Goodnight.
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