I'm no stranger to European travel. My parents took us to a number of places from a young age. Traveling to the continent was easy from Ireland. A short flight or ferry trip had us in places like France, Italy, Germany, England, and all over. I continued to travel with them a few other times. Sometimes all together for trips to Ireland, of which there were several. Other times, I got to spend time with one or the other alone, which was also nice.

When I was studying in Cork for a semester in Spring 1998, I took a spring break flight to Paris, where I was supposed to hop on a train to get to Geneva and visit my mom, who was already visiting my aunt Pam in Geneva, where she was living and working for Japan Tobacco. The plan was to visit with them for a bit and then catch a train to Prague to see an exchange student friend who I was in touch with from high school. However, the flight got there kind of late, and I was worried about missing my train, so I decided to share a hostel with them for a night in Paris and catch a train the next day instead. When the next day came, I was having such a nice time that I decided to call my mom and postpone for one more day, and just scrap the Prague trip altogether. (The friend I was going to see didn't sound like they had a lot of time for me anyway, so I think I made the right choice.). I stayed in Paris another night, had a blast, and then went on to Geneva for several nights. During one of our walks around some streets in Geneva, I remember plopping down at a cafe with mom to wait on Pam, who was running a few errands and shopping a little nearby. We ordered drinks, and that was when I discovered her favorite mixed drink. And so, in honor of Patricia Tweedy, as we approach our first Christmas without her, I would like to celebrate her life with tonight's Countdown to Christmas Cocktail, a simple…

Rum and Coke

• Ice
• 1 Part Rum
• 2-4 Parts Coke (I go with like 2)
• Optional: Lemon, Lime or Orange Wedge to taste

Pour it all together and drink it.

Near the end of that same spring, I took another flight to the continent: this time Frankfurt, where I met my dad and took some trains through some German towns where I might eventually study my senior year. (I settled on Heidelberg, which was one of the ones we visited, but Heidelberg is a story for another time.) We arrived in Geneva, where my aunt Pam joined us to drive down to Venice for a couple of nights. Years later, I returned to Ireland with my father on a two-week trip around the whole Island. That was a lot of fun too. 

I look forward to many future travels. Maybe my father will join me for some of it, and some of it not, but from now on, wherever I go, I know I'll be taking my mother with me. As Andrew Garfield put it… I hope this grief stays with me.