August 2008
We have all returned, it seems, from various assignments during the busy month of July. Some of us were lucky enough to venture to the exotica of Thailand, others cruised the Mediterranean, while others got to discover one of the wonders of the world at a dizzying altitude in Machu Picchu, and some people crossed the old Iron Curtain into magical St. Petersburg.
For me, I took my bag and wandered through the streets of London, Paris and Rome, bumping into teachers as we enjoyed all sorts of weather. There were rainy days in London (surpise!), nicer temps in Paris, and glorious Mediterranean sunshine and evening light in the piazzas of Rome.
It was a great season of travel, and I reminded a young colleague of mine, Judy Baumgartner, that she had been traveling with us as long as the company has been in existence. The year was 1978 and a few of us had begun an adventure that has turned into a wonderful journey. I got to bump into Judy in Paris with her group and her amazing tour manager Geoffrey Ferrari, and we remarked and reflected on all the changes that have taken place in the past thirty years over dinner near the Arc de Triomphe. The day after someone lost their passport in her group...Some things never change... but with luck and fortitude and a few well acted scenes, the student and teacher literally willed their way through border patrol on the Eurostar. All down to the fantastic experience of Judy and her team. Thank you Judy! I also rode the Velib bikes in Paris, and have to say it is the greatest system of short bike rentals in the world. However, not recommended without a helmet! Parisiens still find them semi optional. Bit like smoking really!
In the meantime, I should say that I took my usual stroll in Rome that started in Via Giulia, wandering through back streets to Piazza Farnese and along the market square in the Campo dei Fiore to look at what was Pompey’s Theatre. It was here that Julius Caesar was dealt the deadly blows in 44 B.C., because at that time, the Senate had moved temporarily from the Forum to Pompey’s Theatre while it underwent renovation. I looked all around the restaurants in this particular locale, and sure enough, all of them had Caesar Salad on the menu. In startlingly good tradition, the butcher shop that sits by this spot was only too happy to demonstrate their own skills with knives! The guys were actually pretty friendly, honestly, and claimed to know nothing about Caesar or salad!
What wonder travel is.
See you out there somewhere.
Peter Jones
President and Co-Founder, ACIS
