Are you ready to travel in 2022?
Out with the old year…
As 2021 draws to a close, I want to thank you for your support this year. You have given me the needed push to look beyond another non-travel year. Reading our blog and FB posts, referring friends with travel plans to us and engaging with us in response to our newsletter, … By doing so, you have helped me to stay focused. Building Nisei Legacy Tours as a tour program uniquely aimed at helping to tell the Nisei story from the European battlefields remains my goal.
I’m sure I was not the only one hoping to be past the pandemic by now. Thinking we’d be able to freely travel again. The latest Covid-variant decided otherwise and has pulled on the brakes once again. The travel window that briefly opened last summer has closed again. The Christmas holidays come with a new slew of restrictions.
Yet, we are in a different place from last Christmas: vaccinations have made a huge difference. It is now predominantly the unvaccinated that end up in hospital with severe health conditions. And while new variants still hold some uncertainty, a lot more is known about the virus since the start. That in turn makes quick adaptation of vaccinations possible, as well as development of different treatments.
Thank you for your support
Even though we have missed seeing you all, it is only a matter of time now before we can meet again on the battlefields in Europe. Adding the experiences of the men in the 100th/442nd to the wider picture is a transformational experience. Your interest to connect with the European chapter of the Nisei story has been clear from the inquiries we have been getting. The fact that the first 2022 tour to Italy has sold out signals the same. And so in the meantime, I have not been sitting still!
When travel restrictions were lifted briefly, I took the opportunity to go explore more sites, reconnect with our European friends and continue to make new connections. This is after all what makes our tours better and better. It gives you a more complete picture of the impact the 100th/442nd had across Italy and France.
Nearly 80 years after the men of the 100th/442nd liberated their towns, citizens across both nations still express their gratitude. More and more is done to tell the story of WW2 to future generations. This past year alone has seen numerous restorations of fortifications and trails (“La Pozzicampa” bunker on Laltrolato del Caposaldo trail, “Grottorotondo” fortifications in Garfagnana), educational projects involving children in different age groups (Pino Valente in Cassino), re-imagined museum settings (Winterline Museum Venafro) and displaying commemorative plaques that recognize the involvement of fighting units (towns south-east of Livorno).
See you in the New Year
So, even though kept at a distance for the moment, I hope that our stories, videos and pictures made you feel connected to the European chapter of the Nisei story and has increased your desire to follow in the footsteps of the 100th/442nd yourself.
Until then, we wish you and your families the very best for the coming holiday season.
We will see you for travel in 2022 with more opportunities for you to connect to the Nisei legacy!
Have a merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year!
Nora
