An Unexpected Landmark of a Trip

I arrange for time off work so I can fly to my mother's 90th Birthday party in London.  My brothers and sister-in-laws have been planning this event for months.  Venues were scouted, plane tickets booked, guests invited from far and wide. We were especially crafty in obtaining emails and addresses of my mother's friends without her knowing. My brother snuck some photos of her address book and emailed it all to me. Others I found through social media or friends of friends. We even managed to stage a surprise visit of her brother who flew in the day of the party from the US.
It quite something for me to be involved in making arrangements for an event miles away on another continent.

It was also a new travel experience for me.  I am used to planning holidays to tourist destinations, taking into account everyone's different wishes for accommodation and activities. Of course it is impossible to make everyone happy and things get tense.  This time we left the boys behind, used airline miles to books the tickets and traveled with my brother.  Ironically, I watched the movie "Crazy, Rich Asians" on the way over to London.  It became a reference point for my trip, as I discovered another way to travel.... with family.
Our first travel perk came with an eight hour layover in JFK airport.  We decided to splurge and use the DELTA lounge to while away the

hours.  At the entrance we were greeted with cocktails, and a choice of comfortable seating and WiFi.  It turned into a long lunch with umpteen visits to the buffet and coffee bar. Waiters continued to bring us free drinks and we were feeling quite relaxed by the time we boarded our transatlantic flight.  The next few days were spent catching up with my mother and brother in London, my brother from Brazil, and my other brother from the US.  We ate out, shopped and celebrated the new year together.
My youngest brother had suggested a quick trip together to Dublin using his airline miles...just for fun.  And it was fun to travel with my brothers!  Firstly because my brother knows how

to travel in style.  After dropping off the rental car we bypassed security at the airport by entering through British Airways first class lounge as my brother's guests.  I felt quite spoiled by the full cooked breakfast and even tried the black pudding with my eggs.  My brother ordered salmon.  Next we had to accommodate my sister-in-law who had recently broken her foot and couldn't walk.  She had a special scooter to get around, crutches and a reason to pre-board.  No waiting in long lines for us.  Instead we were welcomed aboard by name, well my brother's name, and given bulk head seats with plenty of leg room. Then we all boarded a double decker to our hotel with a top class view of the city. 

First stop in Dublin was the Hairy Lemon pub for a light lunch, then a tour of the castle and then more food in the city's popular Temple Bar district.  In our two days there we managed to visit several pubs and the historic Guinness Store House. Some of us walked, others took Uber.  Being a little late getting started in the morning, I asked my brother to find a breakfast place and we would meet him there. I shouldn't have been surprised to find my family ordering their hot chocolate and lattes in none other than the Bewley's Cafe. This place is magnificent and very old. It is a Dublin landmark that opened in 1927 and recently underwent a million-dollar restoration.  The place has a real fireplace ablaze by the doors, dark mahogany finishes and famous stained glass windows.  After googling the furnishings, I wondered briefly if we could afford this place.  But as my brother ordered salmon and eggs with decadent hot chocolate adorned with gold treats, I settled back into my padded velvet booth and enjoyed my coffee.

Before taking a taxi back to the airport I fit in a quick visit to the Cathedral and some shopping while my brother toured the Jameson Distillery.  Much of my mementos of the trip have to do with Guinness  and Dublin's pubs. So I picked up a coaster as a souvenir.  I was surprised to find that despite being here only two days, and with my sister-in-laws mobility issues, we were still able to visit all of the landmarks on the map.  In fact, it had been a trip where we were able to experience all the best of Dublin, and that was wholly due to the generosity of my brother and my siblings desire to spend some quality time together.
My eldest brother later reflected on our time together, "we will come to see this celebration as a very special time, and give thanks for all the effort and love that went into all the preparations."

This trip has been a landmark for me.  I will no longer look forward to travel purely for the sake of traveling.  Those sight-seeing trips of discovery have been spoiled for me.  I now want to go with someone I cherish and want to spend time with.  And as we travel together I let them into my life for a time, as they open up theirs to me.