FIRST IMPRESSIONS

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

First impressions are often a let-down.  No matter what the brochures, books, travel agents and your friends say, don't expect to immediately grasp the appeal of a place.  Places, like people, grow on you.  You can't help but visualize what some places will be like from what you've heard or read, while the actual place is always somewhat different.  In essence, if your vision is of your children frolicking on some pristine beach in the sunshine, don't expect to even find the beach or see the sun when you first arrive.

The charms of most places are subtle and less obvious than we are led to believe.  I can still remember my first impression of Vail, a small mountain town I had nothing but raves about over its beauty, mountains and abundance of flowers.   

After surviving the hair-raising landing, the exorbitant taxi ride from the airport (there was no bus), the crowded streets of Vail village and a night in a sordid pension (the only affordable vacancy we could find), I was hardly in a position to notice the flowers or appreciate the mountains.  In the end we stayed two months. 

 The same thing happened when we arrived in Avon, a town a little further down I70.  One glimpse of the place and I was ready to leave.  There were too many hotels, too many gift shops, too many tourists and too small a beach.  Within a day we had all fallen under the spell of the place and remained camped there for two blissful weeks.

More Fun Facts and Information:

http://amazingvoyages2.blogspot.com/