A miracle - that’s the best way I can describe my first trip abroad and you’ll see why. When @ericvancewalton posted his latest prompt for the #memoirmonday blockchain memory project my mind was all over the place.
“What's your favorite way to travel and your most memorable trip?”
I’ve been on many memorable trips, in fact each of them had something worth remembering, but the most memorable was the one I never thought could happen. I grew up in a communist country where trips abroad were not allowed. Back then it was not ‘where did I put the bloody passport?’ because you couldn’t have one. Trusted party members could sometimes apply for a passport to go on an organized trip to a neighboring communist country. And hand the document back once they returned. People like me coming from a ‘dubious’ background had no hope in hell to get one. None. The only option was to risk your life crossing the border illegally. Some did, many more dreamed of doing it.
Milan 2022 - Leonardo da Vinci, one of the first people to imagine people could fly someday
Then 1989 came and suddenly everyone could get a passport. It meant the world to us, although most people couldn’t afford a plane ticket and you still needed a visa which was extremely hard to get.
It was also a time when many Western countries tried to do some reparatory gesture for the poor easterners. This is how, in 1991, I got a scholarship for a month-long summer course in Perugia, Italy. In the space of 18 months I went from not having a passport to sitting in a cafe in this wonderful Italian town sharing jokes with students from all over Europe. For most of them it was just a normal holiday, but for me it was incredible.
I am ashamed to say that my very first act as a free person traveling to Italy was lighting up a cigarette inside the airport, right under a big 'No Smoking sign'. Smoking was still legal back then, but apparently not there…
Another memorable moment of that trip was going to a bank, a real bank, and getting my scholarship money. One million lire, which was the equivalent of some $800. Obviously, I’d never had that much money in my pocket ever, but what was extraordinary was having foreign currency in my pocket. Before 1989 you could go to jail if you were caught having a single lousy foreign coin in your house (which I did!). Walking out of that bank was surreal and I decided to celebrate the moment by doing something I’d seen in movies - I sat down at a nearby terrace and ordered a drink.
Speaking of things you see in a movie, I just had to put my bare feet up on the dashboard while a cute guy was driving us to the fabulous beach in Rimini. The summer romance is not worth mentioning as that was not illegal under the communist regime, but driving to a beach on the Adriatic coast on a whim was priceless.
Florence 2016 - Exhibition featuring one of da Vinci's flying machine ideas
Don’t think I squandered my first trip abroad on some guy. Together with the other Romanian girl on a scholarship there we took day trips to Florence, where we waited in line at the Uffizi, or to Assisi, which is a splendid little town to visit even if you’re not religious. Sadly, I don’t have photos of that trip because I did not have a camera back then.
It was all fun and games until the most terrible news broke - Gorbachev was under house arrest as some guys in Moscow decided they had enough with this ‘Down with communism’ nonsense. The moment went down in history as the August Coup, which may or may not have been staged. It may sound ridiculous now, but, at the moment it seemed like all the freedoms we were just discovering could be lost again. I panicked and for a couple of days I seriously entertained the idea of staying in Italy, with no money or decent prospects. I was not going back to a country that might bring communism back, that much was clear. Thankfully, all was well in Moscow by the time I had to return.
Florence 2016 - It's been too long
It was with a heavy heart that I came back to Romania and most of that return trip I prayed that it would not be my one and only visit abroad. It took a lot of trips to shake that feeling. I dreaded coming back because for many years trips abroad were rare. It was only after we became EU members and we didn’t need a visa anymore that I allowed myself to relax. Now, I’m happy when, at the end of flight, the crew makes sure to ‘welcome home’ the passengers returning from a trip.
To me, travel will always be about freedom. As recent years have shown, we take many of our freedoms for granted. During the pandemic, losing the freedom to move was what hurt most. I still remember the news stories gleefully describing how all the major cities in Europe are empty at night, thanks to the efforts of local police forces to keep miscreants indoors.
Milan 2022 - Free, as all kids should be
As luck would have it, the return to freedom meant Italy once again. The 2022 summer holiday to Italy had already been booked when my kids decided they’d love to see a concert in Paris. We made arrangements so they could fly out a day early, enjoy their concert and we’d meet up in Milan the next day. Never mind the heat, the luggage I hauled around for many hours and their delayed flight. It was all worth it. Free people flying from different cities to a rendez-vous at the Duomo in Milan.
It was glorious!
That's a long period since your last time abroad! But I bet it helped even more to enjoy every moment of it and feel it with your whole heart. Which often leads to unforgettable memories :)
Freedom is sweet! To go and come as you please, and to have and hold what you desire, who doesn't want it? Beautiful memories you shared, and I enjoyed reading your post.
#dreemerforlife
I guess those who were born in the 21st century will never understand the struggles their predecessors went through just to get a passport. It is quite unfortunate to see how a narrow minded government could inflict so much pain on its citizens unknowingly or probably intentionally. Though I was not born in the 21st century but I heard of horrific stories about what it takes to step into another country. I'm glad everything is far behind now.
Pop in from #dreemport
#Dreemerforlife
So many struggles just to travel out and see the world. I can only imagine being in a country where you can't travel or explore, a country without freedom. Thank God for civilization
#dreemport