The saga of me, a cruise, a notebook, and a plastic card

This is not a blog I expected to write: a saga about me, a cruise, a journal, and a plastic card.

When I’m planning a trip, one of the first things I do is buy a new notebook for keeping notes  – and when I need a new one while on long travels it becomes a souvenir and I always take ages in a foreign city to buy the exact right one.

For a recent trip to Europe I bought a notebook with a Maori motif on it. I had no sooner put in my suitcase than I went to Christchurch, NZ and went to the Art Gallery. 

Although the fabulous galley is still closed  for repairs after the quakes, the shop is still open. (See their website for information about all the exciting Outer Spaces exhibitions).

Browsing the shelves I saw a notebook I JUST HAD TO HAVE! I knew it was perfect for my trip: it was elegant, it was classy and I coveted it: I bought it.

As I began my travels I recorded notes in my much-loved and elegant paperblanks journal – in tidier writing than I would normally use. This is just as I did at the beginning of each school year and, just like those early days, within a couple of days, my writing reverted to its ‘a-spider-that-fell-into-an-inkwell-staggering-across-the-page‘ look.

Every day, often early in the morning as I photographed birds, and other natural sights,  along the Rhine, Danube and Mien rivers, I wrote in my classy leather-bound journal, and nearly every day I couldn’t get back into my cabin!

I felt foolish as returned day after day to the front desk to have my plastic card  restored – to have the room number re keyed in. Whats wrong with me I wondered (and I think the staff did too).

One day as I sat in the lounge after yet another delicious lunch on the river boat Njord  a speech bubble appeared above my head. Inside it I read:

“IDEA! I wonder if the magnetic closing flap on my journal is affecting my plastic card door key?”

Duh! Of course it did!

So, my lovely journal remained in my cabin, out came my Maori-motif one for recording my thoughts about the trip – the colours, smells and tastes that add to my photographic journal, adds to my memory, when I’m blogging or writing articles about my travels.

Note to self, travel tip #613. Don’t keep plastic cards near magnets!