Again?

Recently I've been asked several times why I want to travel to a place I've already been. The answer, it is one of the most fascinating places I've ever seen. There is a feeling of comfort and a sense of ease about it. And put simply it's because of a love for the country.

If vacations are about discovering new things then repeat vacations are about going more than skin deep. When you continue to get lost although you've been down this exact path numerous times before, contentment sets in and I feel more like an explorer than a tourist. 
You never really visit the same place twice. Each time it holds a different story, a different season. Each time you return you build upon what you experienced the time before. 
There is no competition for me that revolves around how many countries I've visited. After all, you can't call yourself a traveler if you don't have an impressive number on your 'country count' right?
Wrong. So very wrong.

I will never visit every country and there are many that I have no desire to see. There are however several more I look forward to exploring and they remain on my bucket list.

For now though, I'm looking forward to returning to one of my favorite countries, Italy, and dragging my suitcase over the cobblestone paths and up flight after flight of stone stairs.

Resolutions

2018 Resolutions? This year I'm saying, "Yes!" It's easier to keep those New Year pledges when it's something you truly enjoy. I'm vowing to explore more this year; to be more adventurous and more courageous. I'd love to be more spontaneous to travel as well, even if that means a quick weekend away or visiting a nearby landmark. You don't have to leave the country or get on a plane to call it traveling.

I'd also love to do a solo trip somewhere (the idea of solo travel excites me but the reality of it terrifies me.) 

Merry Christmas

This is how you transport your Christmas tree home in Venice.

 Buon Natale

Who Says?

From the time our children are quite young we ask them, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
When graduating high school we ask, "What are you going to study in college?" (which is yet another way of asking, "What do you want to be when you grow up?")
If someone answers with "I don't know yet." or "I think I want to backpack around Europe" they are met with the unspoken thoughts of  'oh goodness, they have no direction to their life!' Does one need to have a 'plan' to have a "life"? Is 'having a life' and 'creating a life' the same thing?

Is one happy with a forty-plus hour work week and then dreading when the bills start coming in the mail? 
I'm fifty-five years old and today I found myself thinking it was time for me to "create" a life. (yes, I actually thought that). Who says? Who says I need to follow those preconceived societal norms? Let me assure you, those norms haven't worked brilliantly at times.
I'm a grandmother of six and I'm FINALLY realizing that normal just isn't suited for me. 
So if any of my grandkids tell me they want to go travel and see the world, I'm going to give them a wink and a pat on the back and say, "Enjoy yourself my love." 

Fernweh

I'm all for seeing places that are thousands of miles away but what about those places that are closer to home? Those are the places we take for granted and are often overlooked as gems!
A perfect example is Hill City South Dakota in the Fall.  g.o.r.g.e.o.u.s
My sweet friend ran her first 1/2 marathon last weekend and she could not have chosen a more beautiful spot.     
13.1 Miles of impressive tints in nature.    *sigh*

  

Did I mention how PROUD I am of this lady?!

                                         Mickelson Trail is a nature lover's dream.....