A year ago I left Denver on a non-stop flight to London. That was the start of a journey that lasted over eight months and took me from north to south throughout Italy, for a week into Geneva, exploring Spain and its different regions, and enjoying Lisbon in the fall. My style was befriending the locals, discovering each area’s community spots, and experiencing the culture in its everyday life without the trappings of tourism. In some of the areas I had dear friends from times past that I enjoyed visiting. One of them was my friend Marilena in Milan, Italy whose wedding I attended in April. What’s the best way to visit Italy for your first time? Go for an Italian wedding! New friends were made along the way, which opened up doors of opportunity to be spontaneous and extend my travels in Italy from the original plan of three weeks to almost three months. While my passion for people was indulged with all the new friends I made, I also experienced my many times alone as some of the most sweetest times in my life. It is a source of inner-peace for me that I can and love to be with myself.
Looking back, I can truly say that my travel experiences were not a trip, they were my new lifestyle and a life-changing segment of my journey.
All those experiences are a part of me now, so I carry them with me. I don’t feel like I want to be back in that time again because that was then and this is now…yet I revel in the power of being able to visit there once again in my memories. It continues to teach me so much about being fully in the present moment, which turns out to require a lot of gratitude. In a magical way, it still exists for me, simultaneous to where my life is now in Denver. I am a part of those places and they are a part of me…
In celebration of those wonderful experiences and in the act of enjoying them where I am today, I am providing below the links to a handful of the first posts that kicked off this part of my life-journey. We can think of it as a road-trip…so join me as we cruise back to that fork in the road, where I decided to take the road that took me traveling.
Be My Next Local…In Europe and the Middle East!
The Best Way to Visit Milan, Italy
At Home in Villa Otium – The Best of Italy’s Tuscany
Beautiful beautiful post 🙂
Thank you so much! I am so glad that you found my blog and enjoy the writing. I look forward to enjoying yours as well!