It was 1983, the summer before my junior year in high school, and I was participating in an exchange program in Germany. It was my first taste of real travel, and I’ve been hooked ever since.
It was also my first taste of Nutella. The German kids were eating Nutella spread on toast as a breakfast staple, and I was soon seriously addicted. When I came back from my exciting summer in Germany, I had lively stories of biking in the Black Forest, riding the train to get to school, meeting some interesting and amazing people, and of course enjoying this delightful chocolate spread that I couldn’t seem to find at any specialty store in the US.
Yesterday, on a weekend in 2013, I ran into the corner Dollar General for a couple of things. Lo and behold, they were selling Nutella. Right there sandwiched between the peanut butter and jelly! You see, it’s taken 30 years, but Nutella’s become the American kid addiction today like it was in Germany when I was there so long ago. It’s been in the grocery stores and even Walmart for a few years, but it’s now sitting on the shelf in a basic-items store like Dollar General. Amazing.
This calorie-laden jar, though, reminds me not of satisfying a sweet tooth (we’ll take that as a given). It reminds me instead of exploring and discovering a world for myself. Of experiences and sights, smells and tastes that make each trip unique. It reminds me of a passion for travel that, once caught is very hard to shake. And also, that the world is changing. In 1983 Germany was the land of division (remember Berlin Wall) and of such mysterious concoctions as gummi bears and Nutella.
It reminds me that kids are not really too young to travel. And adults are definitely not too old. We are shaped by our journeys, and our world is as large as we allow it. I’m a travel consultant because, really, the end result is a very wonderful and exciting thing. Happy travels!
Cindy Grant, Expert Family Travel/Reconnect Travel located in the Dallas Texas area near Frisco, Little Elm, Irving, Plano, Carrollton, Fort Worth. Contact 972-625-6200