Marjorie sat on her sofa in the room with blue walls and stared at them. She loved this room, and she loved her house, but on this particular day, she was at loose ends and restless. She picked up things from the coffee table one by one. The teal candle holder with the tea candle. The pottery bowl her stepdaughter had made. Her meditation beads.

She thought about meditating. Her brain was so noisy today that she knew it would be futile. All the more reason to try, but she set them down too. She spied the small antique globe and picked it up. Spinning it, she daydreamed about taking a trip.

“Why not? She asked the cat. “Why the hell not? I have vacation days and I have a hefty tax return on the way. I like traveling alone. I can do this.” The cat didn’t reply.

She gave the globe a mighty spin, closed her eyes, and touched her finger. . .

To Hungary.

“Hot damn, I’ll go to Budapest. I have always wanted to go. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site.” She danced around the living room and imagined the adventure she would have. Maybe she could fly into another city and take the train or river cruise into Budapest. That seemed in keeping with the ancient city.

She ran to her desk, fired up Google, and began looking for airfare and info about Hungary. She wanted to go at its most moody. Its most romantic.

She knew very little other than Budapest was two cities divided by the Danube – Buda and Pest.

The internet told her May to September was the high season with good weather. She decided May Day in Budapest along with Beltane would be just the ticket. With dates decided she looked at trains and river cruises.

Forget the river cruise – way more than she could afford. She would have to poke around to learn about trains and airports near the city.

She picked up the phone and called her mother, “I’ve decided to go to Budapest in May. Can you watch the dogs and the cat?

“Buddha what?”

“Budapest – that place in Hungary. The country. Mom put your hearing aids in.”

Marjorie babbled on to her mother about spinning the globe, planes and trains, and the need to update her passport.

“Can you get a pet sitter? I’d like to go.”

“Mom, I’d love to have you, but it’s a brutal trip. Remember how tired you were coming home from Hawaii? This will be 3 times as bad.”

“I want to go.”

“OK. Get your passport updated. I’m pretty sure you don’t have enough time on yours to gain entry. I’ll have to find out about visas and whatnot. I AM SO FREAKING EXCITED.” Marjorie fair screamed into the phone, certain her mother would hear that part.

With her mom going, she could afford more luxurious hotels. Marjorie liked a nice hotel. Room service breakfast was often a highlight of a trip for her. She was wild about the tiny little salt and pepper shakers and the silver domes covering the plate, the rolling cart, and the waiter with a white linen towel over his arm.

She liked to plan trips. She loved the research and choosing hotels, but wondered if she had time to do her due diligence. Maybe she should hire a travel agent this time. May was just a few months away, was high season, and reservations needed to be made now if it wasn’t already too late.

She searched for travel agents. They used to be on every corner and now they were scarce. She didn’t mind paying extra for expert help.

The phone rang and it was Lisa. “Guess-what-I’m-going-to-Budapest!”

Lisa, said, “You’re doing what? Going where?”

“Budapest. In Hungary. The country in Eastern Europe.”

“Oh my! When? I’m so jealous!”

“May! Wanna go? My mom is going too. Hotel split three ways means we could get a great one.”

“Probably not. I don’t know how I would swing it. Budapest. Just imagine! Stone architecture. The river. Gothic shadows. All that art and stained glass. Yes. Yes, I will. I’ll go. Yes! Let’s do it!”