Laughter, Travels, and Tears

By E. W. Howe

This story came from his wheelhouse of sources and thoughts. There were so many good experiences that offsets a lot of the grief. Hoping that you, the reader, will benefit and gain healthy strength for your families. He will put down these words as nonacademic author.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 9, 2020
• ISBN: 9781684563456

Book preview

My Life and Times—Travels

I’m trying to write a book on injustice done to my beloved as a hospital patient, but in all sincerity, it’s not fun. What would be more fun would be to write about my wonderful life with her. My loved one was extra special to me. She was always doing her best to help someone, including me. All the additional destinations we visited, we planned together. Oh yes, the good times, happiness personified. We went dancing many times. She would locate the big-name bands and orchestras. The jitterbug was her favorite dance. There was the standard routine: the foxtrot, the elegant waltz, the Latins. We had lots of laughs trying them. As much as we could, we lived the good fortune, with chances to travel to places we’ve never dreamed. We took our kids whenever we could. We made it to places like New York City, Washington, DC, San Francisco, and many more. DC—one could and should write a complete book to cover it.

Yes, New York City, also known as The Big Apple. Frank Sinatra much recorded New York, New York—the city that never sleeps. It’s a glorious city. So much to see and enjoy—from the glass buildings throughout Manhattan to all the Broadway shows and restaurants galore, most very high quality. There is so much and then some. This is a service-oriented city. First, they make tourists welcome. It’s a massive market; they do with class.

We spent considerable time in the World Trade Center. Little did we or anyone know what was to come. We worked our schedule for reservations atop the tower with the (view) restaurant called Windows on the World. The boys, aged ten and sixteen, were with us. Oh, the excitement! You could see forever—way up the Hudson River Valley and up toward Boston. We were up 110 stories. Looking out of a window from our table was the Goodyear Blimp! Amazing to be on an even level with that marvelous mode of travel. The revolving ticker was projecting on lit-up signage, Happy Birthday, Bob. I would sum up the visit to the Towers by saying there wasn’t anything like them even though they have since been replaced. There are no words for the loss of the towers. The city is resilient to no end. Books and movies are made of her.

There were several trips to Paris, France. We often spoke of Paris as having the most to offer outside the US. Paris is definitely a city of the world. As tourists, we were trying to touch all the bases possible with the best guidance. We carried guide books, Michelin and American Express. The metro area is very vast; as one can tell, there is a lot of ground to cover.

Let’s start at the Eiffel Tower—almost a thousand feet high. It was built in the early 1800s to show the strength of steel. It’s located and placed to stand out in full view no matter your location in Paris.

The main street through Paris is called the Champs-Élysées. It was designed way before automobiles and is still functioning. It’s a majestic tree-lined avenue with luxury shopping places all along. The Arc de Triomphe stands at one end, a historical monument.

Armies marched in victory.

We move on to the Art Presentation, in particular the Louvre. This very popular museum gets populated with browsers almost every day. It’s packed with every type of art. The Mona Lisa, always the star; thousands of other art pieces. We then took in an evening show at the Moulin Rouge night club. It’s always packed. Now that’s a high-class night club!

Let’s not leave out Notre-Dame Cathedral. It’s built over and into the Seine River. Its outer walls are supported by large braces called flying buttresses. These braces are likely a hundred feet in length, extending out of the cathedral walls over the riverbanks. The other draw is the very high bell tower of the church. Its historical significance, besides the toll of the bell reminding parishioners to come to prayerful events, includes the movie Hunchback of Notre Dame. People spend hours inside. Aside from praying, they marvel at the most impressive stained-glass windows. Imagine, hundreds of years old with thousands of panes, each one emitting color intensity. They are truly a very pretty color—second to none.

Our concierge directed us to the Paris train station, to the Le Train Bleu, the huge restaurant above the trains. We were on reconnaissance for the next day, going down to the south of France. The trains draw lots of people, all of whom are hungry! We were quickly seated. The ambiance included massive frescos painted on the walls and ceilings. The menu prices were economy-marked; the servings hot and typically flavored. An added coincidence was that our waiter was from California—no language barrier. My wife always made it fun to work through the dinner menus; she loved studying all the French words.

Ambiance is mostly the theme—along with all hotels being clean and well maintained. The food service competition is quite professional, each restaurant striving for the best culinary presentation. They have a head start on US experience—probably a couple of hundred years.

We enjoyed Paris immensely. Upon leaving, one hopes to be able to return someday.

The next day, we boarded the speedy train for south France, the Riviera, and on to Monte Carlo, the little principality located at the foot of the French Alps. We were treated to tours daily—to Nice, Cannes, and other notable