Saturday, March 28, 2009

My Kind of Travel and It's Nice To Be Back Home

This post is partly about being home and party about travel. I think they are connected and related. They seemed so when I first wrote and then I read it again a day later and don't know.

Still I'm keeping what I wrote and just adding these two paragraphs in case some 'splaning is needed.

I am back home after being away for almost 2 weeks and it really is nice to be home. I did keep waking up last night wondering where I was and who was next to me though.

This was a trip where I stayed with a friend for half the trip and with my mom the second half. There was a lot of scheduling -- lots of friends to see and lots of people for my mom to show me off to! It was nice on the whole, but I spent all yesterday catching up on my sleep.

I think I like the kind of travel that is all about exploring a new place. Getting in the car and driving. Getting to 4, 5, or 6 pm (depending on the light) and looking around for a place to stay. I should add I do not like to spend much money on motels when I am traveling by myself. Really, what's the point? If I'm out antiquing all day, at night all I need is a place to sleep, a TV to keep me company and a good reading light. Pretty standard whatever the cost. Now that does open one up to some very odd accommodations!

I have stayed at a motel with glitter on the ceiling. Lots and lots of glitter amidst the stucco. The bedspreads were a satin-y fabric. It did not rent by the hour, but I wondered about its former life. I stayed a night and then moved to the local Best Western.

In Maine, before the season got going, I stayed in a little stand-alone cottage with a porch. I think it was $40 for the night. You couldn't reserve it ahead of time and you had to pay in cash, but all those things worked for me.

After the summer season, I discovered a one-bedroom condo on Lake Michigan that was cheap if you just walked in, no reservation. It had a kitchen, so I ate in. The balcony overlooking the lake was so wonderful I stayed an extra day just to play with paper, watercolor pencils and crayons.

I have just learned about an art weekend that is not too far to drive, and I am thinking about the possibilities. Yes I could fly. It might even be cheaper. But what funny, funky places would I miss if I just went from point A to point B?

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