There are some things in this life that just holds a timeless allure for me. It is those things that no matter how many times I experience it, I still want more. I create my life around these things and indulge in them as much as I can. One of these things for me is traveling. Travelling leaves me speechless at that time and then days later turns me into an avid story teller. I have made some of my most cherished memories while traveling. Memories that I will carry with me always and that I will one day look back on one day as proof that while I was alive I did indeed live life to the fullest for myself.
For me, travelling is not about being a tourist. I do not want to plan out every minute of my time and see only the “tourist traps” of the destination. While it is nice to see these familiar landmarks I mostly like to wander around and find things organically. I like to see things that are going to surprise and delight me and to interact with the people who live there. The French call this Flaneur, it means to walk the city (or anyplace really) with no set destination just see what you may find or experience. There is no hurry, no agenda and no scheduled timeframe. This is my favorite way to experience a new place when I travel. I often find that not only do I run into famous landmarks anyways, but that I often find something just as awe inspiring that is not a famous landmark.
Traveling has allowed me to experience other cultures in a beautiful way that I would have never been able to by simply reading or watching a movie. I have always wanted to travel to see and experience the things that I have always dreamed of and only imagined. I have been fortunate enough to have traveled to eight countries including the US, Canada, Bahamas, Costa Rica, France, Germany, England and Belgium.
I have had some of the most life defining moments in these places and most of them have been just small things.
Some of my favorite memories have been doing things such as watching the sun set over the Pacific Ocean in Costa Rica in January, attending a wine festival and visiting the wine vineyards in Germany, walking the streets of Paris and then stopping into a café for a coffee and chocolate soufflé, experiencing pub culture and beautiful architecture in London, eating a Belgium waffle in Belgium and visiting grand historic churches in Montreal to name a few. It’s in these little moments that I stop myself and think “is this really my life?” Growing up I never thought that I would have these luxurious moments in my life and yet here they are happening right before my very eyes.
I am also very fortunate to have a husband who also loves to travel too. We love going on these adventures together and I am looking forward to seeing even more of the world with him in the years to come.
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