Kindness of Strangers

Maikael is chomping at the bit to see the new Indiana Jones movie, whose release date shares an unfortunate spot on the calendar with my 30th birthday.  Had it been any other day, I’m confident Maikael would have been the first in line to see the new flick.  Sure, we’ve heard all the jokes about Indiana Jones and the Walker of Doom, but Indy Fever is hitting our home full throttle. 

Last night we watched Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, which I hadn’t seen in years.  Because we’re going to Petra, Jordan, on our trip, which is portrayed as the site of the Holy Grail in the film, Maikael has been eager to watch this movie again.  This is just my speed of research.  I’d rather ooh and aah over the ancient city built into the pink cliffs (”Do you think we’ll get to walk through a crescent canyon to get there?” I asked Maikael) than meticulously research the top budget accomodations in the greater Petra area.  

This point of view may come as a surprise to many of you, who know me as the consumate planner.  But the fact is, I’m easily bored by details.  Planning the broad strokes and imagining the possibilities of our itinerary was much more interesting to me than researching individual countries.  Unfortunately, the latter is the stage we are at in the planning process, and I find I have very little energy for it.  In reviewing our itinerary, I’ve noticed that we’ve included a number of countries that I know very little about (most of what I currently know about Petra is derived from celluloid).  But rather than being scared, I find the prospect thrilling.  I’d rather go into most places without my impressions being colored by a guidebook, and make discoveries based on my own experiences. 

Maybe it is the sheer scope of this trip that has taken away some of my need for control.  It is impossible to plan the ins and outs of an eight-month trip, so why bother trying?   We are currently focusing on planning the first few legs of our trip; namely, Portugal, Italy, and Turkey.  There is a growing part of me that just wants to show up and see what happens.  And it’s a bit unfortunate that we’re landing in Europe in the throes of tourist season, where budget accomodations can be hard to come by without advanced reservations.  So I’ve accepted that some amount of advanced planning will be required.  But in the meantime, I think I’d like to curl up on the couch and read Under the Tuscan Sun.