One of the privileges of advancing in years is to look from one’s own experience at how the world used to be, and how it is today, and to observe with authority on what has changed and what hasn’t.

Best of all is to revisit a place that was special in one’s youth, but never revisited until recently. There is a shock when one realises that one’s memory has rewritten the place, usually to make it bigger or better than it is today. Or perhaps it is gone. Sometimes, happily, it is unchanged and still lovely, and one is captivated all over again. One way or the other, the memories come back.

Here are some examples from our travels.

Rome

When I was in Rome in 1976, I asked a fellow traveller to take a picture of me. We happened to be passing an old, Romanesque building. I had no idea what it was, but the statues and the steps made it a great photo op.

In 2010, when Jan and I went to Rome, I realised we were walking by the same building. Turns out it’s an exhibition hall. Anyways, remembering my original portrait, I had her repeat it.

Like most buildings in Italy, it has seen a lot of cleaning and polishing and perking up since the seventies. Wish I could say the same for myself. But….we are both still standing.

Florence

One of the biggest tourist attractions in Florence is the Ponte Vecchio – a medieval construction that has been wooing visitors ever since the Middle Ages. When I visited it in 1976, we found it at sunset, and it made a big impression on me. I remember calling Jan from the Post Office – we had only started dating a few months earlier – and raving about how cool it was. I was always proud of my photos of it.

It wasn’t until 2010 that Jan and I visited Italy together, and by happy coincidence we arrived at the Vecchio Bridge at sunset. Same shot, but now with my life’s partner there to be in the picture, and to see it for herself.

Venice

By the time I reached Venice in 1976, my travel plans diverged from the people I had started the trip with. I spent my last afternoon in Venice on my own, mostly just walking around and getting a feel for the city. The solitude was pleasant, but for the first time since arriving in Europe I was conscious of being truly on my own and far from home. At sunset, the townspeople were absorbed in the Italian ritual of the evening stroll. I happened onto a street full of people, all walking and socialising with each other. It had a warm, congenial feel to it, and I quickly I lost my sense of aloneness.

We found the same street in 2010, and it was fuller and even more lively than it had been 34 years earlier. The people watching was good all day long.

Paris

The first trip Jan and I took as a married couple brought us to France. We celebrated Jan’s 27th birthday in Dijon, and then headed for Paris.

In those days, we pinched pennies. We stayed on the fifth floor of a cheap pension in the Latin Quarter. It was sketchy even then, but had a marvellous view of the city. We were glued to the window, and I took more than a few pictures from up there.

While planning our 2013 trip, I played with Google Streetview and managed to find the same little square with the street winding off towards Notre Dame. Trip Advisor reported that the hotel was still in business – with appalling reviews, even for a one-star “one-night special”.

This time, we chose a better class of hotel, but made sure our walking tour took us by the place. The hotel had in fact closed, and the building appeared to have been converted to flats. A restaurant still occupied the ground floor. There was no mistaking the little semicircular “square” in front. The cute wrought-iron railing matched my photos, and while the view at street level was limited, there was just a peek of Notre Dame  in just the right spot.

By looking at my photos, we figured out which window had been ours. The street is cleaner, and the restaurants and shops are decidedly perkier. Best of all, the street retained the same charm that had captivated two novice newlyweds many years before.

.

.

Jan’s Birthdays

In 1980, we were young and wide-eyed and a bit wet behind the ears. Jan’s face, while chilling at the Pantheon, says it all – it was all one big beautiful world to explore.

In 2013, we are a bit wiser, and we tire a lot more easily. But there’s still a lot of world to explore, and Jan still looks happy. I’m thankful that we are still out there travelling together. It is a great adventure, and it continues. I have a lot to be thankful for.