Rudy’s Rules for Travel: Life Lessons from Around the Globe

174 Pages·2018·3.1 MB·English

by  Mary K. Jensen

PRAISE FOR
Rudy’s Rules for Travel
“As often as Rudy’s rules caused trouble for his anxiety-riddled wife, they also
led to astonishing moments of wonder, especially at the kindness and generosity
of strangers. . . . From exotic destinations like Bali to more personal excursions
to uncover family history, Rudy’s travels are imbued with his unceasing
optimism and boundless enthusiasm, leaving the reader convinced that his rules
are well worth following.”
—Booklist
“This intelligent and entertaining memoir has fun with the lifetime
perambulations of Mary and her late husband, a World War II airman who had
faced the terror of death on an almost daily basis, and survived. Rudy came out
of this character-shaping experience with both a zest for living and a fearless
attitude. Their travels followed Rudy’s rules, the most important of which was—
to trust in the kindness of strangers. This memoir is an insightful record of
human interactions and a hilarious account of their journeys, with a laugh on
almost every page.”
—Charles B. Churchill, PhD, historian and author of Adventurers and Prophets
and Through the Needle’s Eye:
Elite Rule and the Illusions of Freedom
“Mary K. Jensen’s delightful writing hooks you into each chapter, making you
laugh out loud at her observations and humor. I would have liked to spend my
vacations with these two travelers, but I am glad I could at least take these
journeys through her writings.”
—Cathy Chase, author of JUMP
“Among the reasons people ride on roller coasters are to experience thrills and
“Among the reasons people ride on roller coasters are to experience thrills and
surprise and test personal boundaries, but, unlike traveling independently
overseas, roller coasters are basically predictable. Mary K. Jensen, while crafting
warm, vivid pictures of the places she and her fearless husband, Rudy, visited,
makes it possible for us to feel what it is like to be pulled along, always
wondering what’s coming next on trips to new destinations. While rewarding
readers with insights gained from the encounters that she and Rudy had, this
book inspires stepping into the unknown.”
—David Tykol, Editor, International Travel News, Sacramento, CA
RUDY’S RULES
FOR
TRAVEL

Copyright © 2018 by Mary K. Jensen
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or
by any means, including photocopying, recording, digital scanning, or other electronic or mechanical
methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations
embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For
permission requests, please address She Writes Press.
Published 2018
Printed in the United States of America
print: 978-1-63152-322-9
ebook: 978-1-63152323-6
LCCN: 2017955000
For information, address:
She Writes Press
1563 Solano Ave #546
Berkeley, CA 94707
She Writes Press is a division of SparkPoint Studio, LLC.
“The kindness of strangers” reference: from A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams, 1947.
Certain descriptions and dialogue are based on Tales and Memories, Rudolf S. Jensen, 1999.
“Life is not a journey to the grave….” Reprinted with permission of Mark Frost, The Match: The Day the
Game of Golf Changed Forever. 2007. Good Comma Ink, Inc.
“An Old Man” reprinted with permission of author Robert Pinsky, Robert Pinsky Selected Poems. 2011.
Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
All photos not taken by the author are credited to Shutterstock.
Although this is a true story, some names and identifying details have been changed to protect individual
privacy.
Book design by Stacey Aaronson
TO RUDY
COMING TO AMERICA
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND
RUDY’S RULES FOR TRAVEL
CHAPTER TWO
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
CHAPTER THREE
OAXACA, MEXICO
CHAPTER FOUR
PUERTO ESCONDIDO, MEXICO
CHAPTER FIVE
WEST GERMANY
CHAPTER SIX
ITALY
CHAPTER SEVEN
YUGOSLAVIA
CHAPTER EIGHT
SPAIN AND PORTUGAL
CHAPTER NINE
CZECHOSLOVAKIA
CHAPTER TEN
BERLIN, EAST GERMANY
CHAPTER ELEVEN
HUNGARY
CHAPTER TWELVE
RUSSIA
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
FINLAND
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
EGYPT
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
NEW ZEALAND
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
THAILAND
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
BALI, INDONESIA
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
TIBENHAM, NORWICH, ENGLAND
CHAPTER NINETEEN
FRANCE
CHAPTER TWENTY: CRUISES
DIPPING DOWN INTO THE BUCKET
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
AND OTHER TRANSITIONS
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
SOUTH DAKOTA
MARY’S RULES FOR TRAVEL
EPILOGUE
RUDY’S RULE
RUDY’S RULES
FOR
TRAVEL