Monday, January 20, 2014

Travel Bug


Written Friday 1/17/2014

Dreamed I was in Rome this morning, I was showing my brother and his wife where my school was for the semester I spent in Rome. Off Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere. I loved living in another country. I wish I still knew the Italian I knew then... thinking about getting back into it and planning a trip in a couple years back to Italy. I want to go to Venice again. It was the coolest city I've been to, the colors and the dead ends the drop into the canal with no handrails or ADA considerations.

I want a house, so I have a place to come home to, I want to travel, and see the world. I want to see beautiful natural formations and see feats of architectural design and engineering. I want to taste ethnic foods where they are considered normal meals. I want to take pictures of food and buildings and nature.

I'm not cut out to be a permanent nomad. I like having a home base. I like the stability of having a home to return to. If I were to return and not have a place to stay that would be incredible stressful.

I'm thinking I could set up a budget to save money every month that's for the next year's travel budget. Some trips with my SO and some trips solo. I honestly miss traveling solo, doing whatever I want, not having to worry about how the other person feels when I just want to walk the city all day and pop into a grocery store when I'm hungry to save money on my travels. Some of my favorite food from my trip in 2005 was in Morocco. The view of the sunset in Florence from the Duomo... The red of the blood from a speared bull at a bullfight in Seville. The color of the peeling green wall and shutters on a canal in Venice.

I was thinking about that I am coming up with a budget for travel, but how far can that get me, and found this part of the Kayak website, a map based on travel time and budget. http://www.kayak.com/explore/ This'll make planning easier!

I had a fleeting thought to return to Italy at the 10 year anniversary of my semester there, but that would be January of 2015! My trip was so long ago. That makes me sad and nostalgic. I have traveled since then, driving across the US 2 summers ago, landing back in Oregon for the long haul... I'm feeling itchy though to travel. My new year's resolution is to go to Hawaii, and I have a savings plan and a chart to get there. I want a house too... I think my best bet is to sell more chocolate, sell off more of my stuff and not buy new stuff, and live below my means. It's kind of hard when we live in a fancy apartment and the fella is looking at going back to school. We all know the budget of a student is not a generous one. Who knows what will happen. Buying a house is a huge investment, and really ties you to a place. I have no intention of leaving, but who knows what will happen with the economy... And we have the puppy, who could travel with me on the road trip I'm planning for next summer, but not so much to Italy...

I love watching movies where people travel, find themselves, which usually means doing what they want and not what's "normal"

  • The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
  • Under the Tuscan Sun
  • Eat, Pray, Love
  • The Motorcycle Diaries

The thing about travel, when you are in another city, seeing other people live... they are all just trying to give their kids a better future, get groceries, have relationships. People are all trying to do the same thing everywhere. Different climates yield different food specialties and architectural styles. And then cultural histories there are different activities like the public baths in Japan my friend KW told me about... I guess I'm mostly familiar with European stuff, and perhaps I should look into some trips to Asia. Japan would be cool, but I know it gets expensive... maybe visit Masaru who lived with us for a couple years when I was in elementary school.... Hmmm


Thursday, January 16, 2014

Crossing things off the list, slowly... Zoolights! #22

We went to Zoolights the day before it ended because I suddenly remembered it was on my list! I had wanted to go last year but missed it.

A little gingerbread house light display and an elephant ear in the foreground... the real reason to go to the zoo!

Selfie with the lights! There was a tunnel of lights that was a new feature to hide construction but I think it was my favorite part of the whole walk!