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were traveling for business, education, government, or pleasure. Some had a hard time staying sober but it was all in good fun. People could stay in the plane until it was time to take off or could come even to the plane to get us. While things have changed today for good reason it still can be a vacation in itself if we sit back and deal with whatever comes our way.

The big ships which sailed to Europe were beautiful and mysterious. It was like being in a floating island. While the ocean is always vast and fulfilling being in the middle of the Atlantic is a whole different feeling. The ships had the best of decor, swimming pools, outdoor entertainment, indoor entertainment, church services, doctor, or anything else one wanted or needed. The food was varied and delicious with excellent service twenty four hours.
There were people from all over the world to interact with but sometimes most people just enjoyed meditating on the Atlantic. My first ship was the Andrea Doria, luckily not when sunk. I sobbed when I found out it had sank. It was like part of me sank in the deep Atlantic. The other ships I sailed in like La France, DA Vince, Michelangelo, Aurelia,
Independence, and others healed my sorrow of Andrea Doria as well as gave me the opportunity to experience the beauty and mystery of the Atlantic and the people sailing.

Train provides such adventure and a vacation in itself. Several of my college friends decided to buy a pass and go all over Europe. We had a bed and a bathroom we shared and we never knew which country we were going to wake up in. It was so much fun when we picked up new passengers to run out and buy snacks. It was crowded and noisy but so very enjoyable.

Going by bus is also a unique adventure. Some of my college friends and I went across the U.S. by bus and we really felt the vastness and unique beauty of our country. The buses in Europe were full of people talking, yelling, singing, and sometimes playing instruments. In the city it was hectic but going by bus to different villages was like a comedy. Some were coming from work in the farms and brought their tools with them like shovels. Some brought chickens, ducks, fish, and all kinds of food and drink they shared. I understood Italian and one or two dialects but the different dialects were impossible to understand. Somehow language didn't matter with body language because my American and European friends were having a great time laughing, eating, drinking, and even singing.

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