Janine Talbot
The time difference – six hours for Budapest and ten and a half (yes, half) for India temporarily threw us off upon arrival, but it was a much more difficult adjustment coming home. Ironically, we gained time coming back but our bodies wouldn’t hear it because we had spent 20 hours flying and in airports.
Let’s go back to the beginning of our journey. Our first stop was Budapest, Hungary where Second Born, our host for five days, has been studying for the fall semester.
She played tour guide and showed us some incredible views followed by delectable desserts at a couple of Budapest’s finest cafés.
In Budapest, there was a post war feel to some of the structures. It made for a strange combination to have our baby girl (who suddenly has a very mature air about her) guiding us around a city that seemed like it was almost stuck in another era. She led us to some awe-inspiring sights such as St. Stephen’s Basilica, Buda Castle and Fisherman’s Bastion. We also shopped the outside Christmas markets, which, despite the chilly air, was a whole lot more fun than going to any mall.
We walked almost everywhere, thankfully, because while in Budapest we ate like we were walking everywhere. The days flew by much too quickly but it was a joyous reunion with Second Born that I hope will help get me over the hump of the next couple of weeks until she returns home.
Then it was off to India for the second wedding of The Love Couple. We were treated like royalty in a hotel whose décor and atmosphere made us feel as if we were floating through the halls of a palace. I was so overtaken by the beauty of this place that I almost forgot to swipe the soaps.
We were fortunate to see one of the wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal. On the morning of our visit, the Taj loomed out of the shadows of heavy fog. I had only seen this amazing sight in photos or on television up to that point. Standing on the grounds of such an impressive mausoleum made me feel very small. Not small enough to fit into a size 10, but still, small.
While we ate like we were walking everywhere in India, we didn’t. We were driven everywhere. The food was irresistible even when it had more kick than I was used to. Now I want to learn to cook like that, but make up for it by walking.
We also got to participate in the India wedding of First Born and The Groom. Spouse and I dressed up in authentic Indian wardrobe for the wedding. I felt very confident in my salwar kameez, which is much less difficult to maneuver than a sari (wisely recommended by The Groom’s mother). Spouse looked quite handsome in his outfit and he loved it because the pants felt like pajamas.
It was a very moving, auspicious ceremony complete with a 90-year-old priest reciting sanskrit vows that Spouse, Father-In-Law and The Groom had to repeat. They had absolutely no idea what they were saying but I’m pretty sure by the end the couple was married. Again. Or as my son-in-law puts it, really, truly, definitely married now.
This was an adventure of a lifetime and one I know most people don’t have. We wouldn’t have either if it hadn’t been for our kids. They forced us out of our comfort zone and through a trek we would not soon forget. So much for living vicariously through them.
Our trip was exciting, exhilarating, exhausting and unforgettable. Thank goodness our kids indirectly forced us to move off the couch and into this crazy experience, though we may have made up for our couch time while recovering from jet lag.
— Janine Talbot lives in Saco with her husband Chuck and their dog and cats. She writes about adjusting to the empty nest and not voting her spouse off the island at www.momofmanywords.com. Contact her at janinevtalbot@gmail.com.
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