All right, all right, dear blog readers! Self knows she is really pushing it with all these “Escape” photos! But of course it’s because, having just returned from a period in Venice, she has tons of pictures! Tons! She took 100+ photos a day! Lucky she downloaded most of them to her laptop before her camera disappeared with her luggage (from the vaporetto stop at San Toma’ — BWAH HA HAAAA!). And there’s only so much she can post about “Game of Thrones” and Jaime and Brienne without sounding ridiculous!
Which brings to mind the conversation she had with a professor who was on the same flight from Venice to Frankfurt. Self was in a state. All she had with her was her handcarry and her purse. She kept mentally running through the contents of her suitcase. She confided in this very composed woman, precisely because she was so composed. Also because she was traveling with her 12-year-old daughter.
“Look on the bright side!” the woman said. “Right now, I’ve just finished grading, and I have 198 students who hate me.”
Self gawked, then stammered: “Do you really have 198 students who hate you? Wh — why?”
The woman laughed, and told self a story about how she went to Siem Reap two years ago — “Really?” self interrupted. “I’ve been to Siem Reap!”
“And,” the woman continued, “there was a young girl who asked me if she could have my shoes! That was the first time anyone ever liked my shoes that much!”
“What were they like — your shoes?” self asked.
“Oh, they were kinda expensive sneakers, and they had glitter,” the woman said.
“But, Mom,” her daughter burst out (She had glasses, thick black-framed glasses, and she was slightly chubby — i.e., this daughter was adorable), “You had to walk back to the car barefoot!”
“And at least you still have your passport,” the woman said.
Self had to admit that was true.
“Because if you didn’t have your passport, they wouldn’t let you on the plane,” the woman continued. “And you’d have to go to Rome. There isn’t a U.S. consulate in Venice.” The woman paused and then said, laughing: “But on the other hand, you might have appreciated a little time in Rome!”
OMG! What a conversation! After that, self wanted to fall on her knees and kiss her U.S. passport! She couldn’t wait to get on the plane so she could order a glass of champagne!
Stay tuned, dear blog readers. Stay tuned.
Kanlaon 
3 responses to “Weekly WordPress Photo Challenge: Escape 5”
Always a silver lining….
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I understand completely – I felt just like that every time I pass customs and get back to USA soil –
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Also, I told my seatmate on the plane (another fabulous woman — resident of Mumbai) that from now on, I would like to try boarding for foreign climes bringing nothing but a purse. I’d buy everything I needed in that foreign clime. Then, when it would be time for me to return to the States, I’d give everything away, and I wouldn’t feel bad! Just imagine how it feels to breeze through Customs, knowing you don’t have to wait by the baggage carousel!
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