Before and After

When I was writing about hot chocolate the other day, it reminded me of the best hot chocolate I have ever had IN MY LIFE. It was when we visited the Eiffel Tower. We were cold, we were damp, we were tired. And we wanted a hot drink. So we ordered hot chocolate. Like everything else in Paris (cheese; tiny, tart oranges; strawberry tarts; fresh croissants) it was delicious. Beyond compare.



And when I think about that experience, I realize my life has shifted. Before hot chocolate on the Eiffel Tower. And after.



Before, I had never been to Paris. Now I have. I had never been to Europe, never cruised on the Rhine, the Mosel and The Seine. Now I have. Never tasted sparkling wine on a river cruise ship bedecked with Christmas lights as we cruised along with the sun setting red and gold and purple in the sky. Now I have. Never had a meal in a castle, walked streets hundreds of years old, bought a scarf in Germany, saw a windmill in the middle of a green, green field. Now I have.



My life is different now. I have had hot chocolate on the Eiffel Tower.



And this is why I travel.



That before and after.



Because without the before? You can't really appreciate the after.