Years ago, I stumbled upon a Peanuts cartoon that really stuck with me. It showed Charlie Brown briskly walking across lush grass while Snoopy clung tightly to his back. The accompanying caption read, “In life, it’s not where you go, but who you travel with.”
I’ve never agreed with the first part — because, let’s be honest, the destination does matter — but the second part? That’s everything.
Decades ago, my late husband, Paul, became my favorite travel companion. However, convincing him to embark on a journey with me was at first no small feat.
It wasn’t that he lacked a sense of adventure, but the thought of leaving his two young sons behind gave him pause. Tyler was seven, Adam was ten, and we’d all been together for two years at that point. I knew if I could just get my sweet, devoted partner to take the leap, something truly special was in store.
After much deliberation, Paul finally agreed to a Mediterranean cruise. To ease into the journey, I planned a couple of days in London before setting sail from Athens. And so, following a ten-and-a-half-hour flight on a roomy British Airways 747 out of Los Angeles, and an extended cab ride out of Heathrow, we finally arrived at our elegant hotel in Knightsbridge.
My exhausted body craved sleep, but Paul? Why, he buzzed with nervous energy.
“I wonder what Adam and Tyler are up to,” he mused, gazing out a picture window as if he could see them all the way across the Atlantic.
Smiling, I grabbed my laptop to check the boys’ carefully curated itinerary. “Well, let’s see. It’s a school night, and they’re going to the movies with your dad. If for some reason he bails, Costas is on babysitting duty.”
Paul was nodding, but I could still see the flicker of concern in his eyes.
All day long, we found ourselves laughing. It was as if the weight of daily life had melted away, and from then on, we became true travelers, free to embrace whatever came next.
“They’re fine, honey. I promise. And we’re here. In England. Can you believe it?”
At that point, he turned to me, his face softening as the tension eased just a bit. And in that moment, I knew this was just the beginning of our many adventures to come.
We were up and out early the next day, exploring part of the time with Mimi, my vivacious friend and colleague who had organized our cruise out of Athens aboard the opulent Crown Odyssey.
We had a blast, a highlight being a quick but memorable tour of Harrods’ legendary food hall.
Paul’s excitement grew with each passing hour, his usual caution replaced by a childlike sense of wonder. He reveled in the novelty of the city’s old buildings as we discovered hidden gems and indulged in another nation’s food, including an authentic lunch of fish and chips wrapped in newspaper.
All day long, we found ourselves laughing. It was as if the weight of daily life had melted away, and from then on, we became true travelers, free to embrace whatever came next.
Too soon, our magical London stay ended, and we were off to the ancient Greek capital and the sumptuous Mediterranean. We went straight from the airport to the magnificent ship, our floating home for the next ten days. The excitement swelled as we mingled with other passengers in the grand lobby after we had collected our credentials and our stateroom assignments.
Later, we took the elevator of the towering Crown Odyssey to our luxurious upper-deck suite, a stunning space with an inviting sitting area and an outdoor deck where I knew we would spend many magical moments, especially at sunset. Our suitcases had arrived before we did, and as we were about to do some unpacking, there was a knock at the door. A stately man introduced himself as our personal butler for the duration of the cruise, and then he asked if we had any preferences for between-meal snacks.
“Paul loves shrimp cocktail. Me too,” I said without hesitation.
The butler disappeared but returned within minutes, carrying what can only be described as a miniature glacier — an elaborate ice display piled high with plump, glistening shrimp.
Paul’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.
We enjoyed our feast outside on the deck, savoring the moment as the ship gently pulled away from shore. The sea stretched before us, a brilliant blue body of water filled with endless possibilities.
After a while, I nudged Paul and teased, “Hmmm. You haven’t mentioned Adam and Tyler for a while now.”
He shot back, a mischievous grin spreading across his handsome face, “Adam and Tyler who?”
And with that, our journey had truly begun.
