I am addicted to travel. Most people would say that is a good thing; I often say it is a good thing. The problem with addiction is that it has withdrawals. Alex and I have been in the same country since November and it is eating at my nerves. No matter what we do: fun day trips to places we have never been, longer road trips to the Pacific Northwest, planning a round the world trip, it isn’t enough. It doesn’t replace being on the road and having the freedom to do what you want. All I want to do is recklessly drop everything and leave; be done and gone and start a life on the road. A life where I can do what I want.
I know that kind of life won’t be easy. I will have to rely on myself to fund my journey and stretch that dollar just a little bit farther to survive, but I know that I can do that; I have been through this before and ended up making a life for myself in Rome. There will not be a steady income coming in (unless this whole blogging thing pays off), I won’t have a home to escape to when all I want to do is rant at the world; it will be tough and challenging. But maybe that is what I miss. I need something to challenge me. Today the most difficult thing I did was take out the garbage at work and I was stressed over it! That is absolutely ridiculous. And I stressed over it because I didn’t want to be at work, I wanted to be on the road.
So of course those are the withdrawals kicking in. I live in an amazing town, I have a fairly decent job where I feel useful about 70% of the time, and all I do in my spare time is go to awesome restaurants and drink a lot of wine for free (one of the benefits of being in the wine business I suppose), so what do I really have to complain about? Well my answer is “It is because I am not in Paris” or “I haven’t been to Machu Picchu yet” or “So what if I can order Belgian beer here, I would rather be in Brussels”. This sounds super whiney and it is. I get that.
I am plainly indulging in being a spoiled little brat about travel right now. I realize that I have been able to have opportunities that others have not. I am lucky that I have parents who support me no matter what. I also am incredibly thankful for the life I do have. I have a good life but unfortunately I also have had the opportunity to travel and I am no longer content sitting still and being in one place.
Travel is an addiction and I am hooked. It seems that I will never be able to settle down. There is always somewhere else to see, somewhere new to go. Travel caught me in her web and perhaps I will never be happy in one place. Maybe I will never be able to settle down. Sometimes that thought frightens me, maybe I am not meant to find a home, a place to settle down in. I thought it was Rome but of course that two year mark hit and I needed change.
I needed change so much in Rome that I became depressed. I developed severe back and shoulder pain and for the first time in my life I had panic attacks. I couldn’t handle being stagnant and I was even traveling all the time while in Rome. It is something I cannot explain. I rebelled against the city; I couldn’t stand the noise, the traffic, the judgmental looks on the bus (you try wearing sandals before June 21st), and the stupidest little things that would crop up during the day. It seems kind of ridiculous now when I look back on it but at the same time these little things are cropping up again.
I am becoming restless and unsettled. Although this time around I know what is coming and I know how to fight the withdrawals a little better. The circumstances are different as well. When I realized that Rome was not working out, it was a dream crumbling around me. Rome was always the end goal after I graduated college. I saw myself living in Rome for the rest of my life. This time around it is different. Healdsburg was always a means to an end; it is a great town and has been a wonderful experience living here but the round the world trip is what is in our future. Now I just need to concentrate on the fact that we are going to be leaving, this life is just temporary (and not a bad temporary at all) and soon we will be on the road.
So what if travel is an addiction? Hell I have been addicted for a while now. The withdrawals can be trying but it will all be worth it in the end. Travel is always worth it in the end and I will never regret the choices I have made to allow me to travel but there will always be a restlessness in me. The curse of the wanderer I suppose.
Maybe I am different or maybe I am the same as everybody else; I want a place where I can go and get away from everyday life, a place where everybody knows your name. While living in a Rome I had a hard time finding a group to fit into. I was 18 years old, had just moved to a new country and was feeling a bit homesick. I needed a place that was familiar, I need a place where I could escape Rome even if it was just for a night. Bennie Mangiardi found me that place. Bennie was a junior at my school when I started out and she told me to come out one night with her to a place she called The Abbey. I did not know at the time but I was about to walk into place that would change my entire future when it came to Rome. I had finally found a place I could call home in the eternal city.
Abbey at its finest!
Now I have tried to write this article about three times now. I got rid all of them because I had been having trouble getting the feel of the Abbey just right. It is not easy to convey why a place is so special. The Abbey Theater is an Irish pub on the corner down an alleyway in central Rome. It does not stick out, it has nothing flashy to point it out; it is just a pub on the corner. That is what first drew me to place as Bennie took me to this pub. It was off the beaten track and away from the noise and public display of drunkenness of Campo de Fiori. When I stepped inside the Abbey for the first time I felt as I had left Rome. People turned and looked at who was coming in and they all seemed to recognize Bennie and they all greeted her. Names were being yelled and inside jokes are being said as we enter the front of the main bar of the pub. The volume was upbeat in the pub as everybody seem to know everybody in the bar. English was the primary language spoken in the pub. I knew instantly that this was a place I wanted become apart of. I was hooked before I even knew what I got myself in for.
Abbey is where I met Ashley. Thank God I did!Mangiardi, my mentor, and Simba!
A lot of my life in Rome was spent at the Abbey after that night. I slowly became a familiar face in the bar and became friends with some of the other regulars. The place became a home to me and my friends became family. It was a place I could escape to, a place where I knew a good time was going to happen. A place that had a wake for Bennie when she moved away from Rome. A place where you can sit side by side with a Catholic priest in a Dallas Cowboy Jacket and watch a game of football and enjoy a shot and a beer. A place where Ashley and I met and got caught on camera for the whole bar to see making out in the stairway. The place where if you did not watch your drink carefully a manic bartender would steal your drink right out of your hand and say, “ oh was that yours?” as he drinks it down. A place were bets are taken seriously and if you lose you will pay dearly. I lost of full head of hair, buzzed off in the bathrooms, over a bet once. Or you may find yourself sitting next to a Irish man with red hair comfortably asleep at the bar.
Mangiardi’s wake! Here is to her!Mangiardi and Sleepy Sam! Sam could sleep anywhere. I miss the Abbey.Best Friends enjoying drinks. Abbey at its best.
Jameson flows freely as well as many other shots. Days and nights were spent at the Abbey, closing the place out after hours smoking cigarettes and gulping down a few more beers as the bartenders closes down. Then we would all leave through a side door that spits you out into alleyway as you pull your coat tighter in the winter and light up another cigarette for the late night walk home. We would all say goodbye and the usual see you tomorrow. Leaving Abbey was hard but usually well advised, as I began my walk home, back out in real life to responsibilities until I was back there tomorrow with a beer in my hand.
Mangiardi and I at our finest! Thanks for bringing me to the Abbey Mangiardi!
I always knew that no matter how bad things got I could always count on the Abbey to pick me back up. I often think of the Abbey since I left Rome and have kept in touch with some of the regulars. It is no longer apart of my everyday life but I know it will always be on that corner inviting new people in with open arms and giving them a bit of an escape from reality. Abbey Theater was a home for people displaced from their homes were we all understood what it was to be an immigrant in a new country. This is where we can go, relax and relate with other folks. The first thing that I will do when we land in Rome is head straight to the Abbey and sit at the bar and have beer and meet the new inhabitants of the pub. Abbey Theater will always be a home away from home.
Just outside the Abbey with the crew!Abbey is home and the regulars are family!Abbey in Sweatpants! Mangiardi teaching me how it is done.
This post is part of the #WeekendWanderlust and the #SundayTraveler Series. This week A Southern Gypsy has an awesome post about top things to do before 30, like sail around the world! We are so in!
Check out the #SundayTraveler hosts Chasing the Donkey who are all about Croatia! If you have ever wanted to visit they are the people to go to for advice on this beautiful country.
My absolutely favorite book about travel is called The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. It is a tale of three intersecting timelines of a family working together to track down and eliminate Dracula. The story spans several different generations and also several different countries during these different time periods. I am probably going to botch the summary of this book so here is what it says on the back of the book:
“Late one night, exploring her father’s library, a young woman finds an ancient book and a cache of yellowing letters. The letters are all addressed to “My dear and unfortunate successor”, and they plunge her into a world she never dreamed of – a labyrinth where the secrets of her father’s past and her mother’s mysterious fate connect to an inconceivable evil hidden in the depths of history.
The letters provide links to one of the darkest powers that humanity has ever know – and to a centuries-long quest to find the source of that darkness and wipe it out. It is a quest for the truth about Vlad the Impaler, the medieval ruler whose barbarous reign formed the basis of the legend of Dracula. Generations of historians have risked their reputations, their sanity and even their lives to learn the truth about Vlad the Impaler and Dracula. Now one young woman must decide whether to take up this quest herself – to follow her father in a hunt that nearly brought him to ruin years ago, when he was a young vibrant scholar and her mother was still alive.”
This book has inspired me to go to many different locations and we honestly have traveled to Romania and Istanbul because of this book. I have read The Historian several times and I also have it on audiobook. I am obsessed! I love the blending of the different timelines with different cities and the adventure and history in this book. Everytime I read it I want to go off on an adventure, to hunt down mysteries of the past, especially if Dracula is involved. This book totally feeds into my nerdy history side as well as the adventurous side. The Historian gets me: a little nerdy, partly wanting to spend time in the library but also wanting to explore the world. It is everything I am looking for a travel book. It may not be your typical travel memoir but it does inspire me to travel and really what else are you looking for in a travel book?
Movies are a great way to inspire wanderlust but if all you want to do is travel then perhaps watching movies about travel is not the way to go. We are reckless however and decided to throw caution to the wind and we rounded up our favorite travel movies to have an all out travel movie binge. Suffice to say this did not cure our wanderlust at all and merely made the list of places we want to go even longer!
So here are our favorite travel movies for curing wanderlust….or not
Midnight in Paris
Midnight in Paris is Woody Allen at his finest. Alex may disagree and say Annie Hall but I think he is just in love with the character of Annie Hall. Midnight in Paris combines all that is wonderful about Paris, from walking in the rain, exploring the expat community of the 1920s, taking us back to the Belle Epoch and introducing us to characters such as Dali, The Fitzgeralds, Hemingway and Toulouse Lautrec and in essence causing us to fall in love with Paris all over again. Midnight in Paris is really a love letter to Paris and how it really is one of the greatest cities in the world. Clearly we are smitten.
The Darjeeling Limited
The Darjeeling Limited is one of my all time favorite movies and was actually my first introduction to Wes Anderson; how I missed his other movies I have no idea! The Darjeeling Limited was one of the first movies I saw that truly made me want to visit India. It is still on my list but just watching that movie makes me want to buy a ticket. It also helps that all the characters are fabulously quirky!
Charlie Countryman
Charlie Countryman is not really a travel movie per se but is more of an action movie that takes place in Bucharest, Romania. It stars Shia Labeouf who, after his mother’s death, decides to follow the advice she gave him and head to Bucharest. While on the plane there he befriends Victor, a Romanian, who is returning home from visiting the USA with a gift for his daughter. From there the movie takes an interesting turn which involves Shia Labeouf, aka Charlie Countryman, getting involved with a girl, the underbelly of Bucharest life, and a bit of the crazy hostel partying. It is an interesting mix of action, violence and comedy. This movie may not be for everyone but having visited Bucharest and loved the city Alex and I definitely enjoyed this movie. We also would be more than happy to return to Bucharest after watching this, just keeping in mind to stay away from crazy ex-husbands.
Roman Holiday
Roman Holiday is probably my favorite movie ever and I am definitely one of those people who absolutely adores Audrey Hepburn. I think I actually started reading Gossip Girl because of Blair Waldorf’s love of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. But that is not the point. The point is Roman Holiday is a fantastic movie about a princess who decides to go off on an adventure in Rome since she is never allowed to have free time. Along the way she runs into Gregory Peck, a dashing American journalist, and an adventure ensues. It is a wonderfully light movie and it always makes me want to wander the streets of Rome. Fun fact there is actually a Via Margutta, just no 51 that I could find, but the streets is absolutely beautiful with dripping ivy and artists’ workshops. It is located just off Via Babuino and Fellini used to live on this street.
180degrees South
This movie is pure adventure. You can Ask Ashley but I love documentaries. Ashley can read all day and I can watch documentaries all day. “180 Degrees South: Conquerors of the Useless” is one of my favorite documentaries. It follows the adventure of Jeff Johnson as he travels from Ventura, Ca and all the way down to Patagonia, Chile. He was trying to recreate the 1968 journey of Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins who took the trip in their Ford E-Series Econoline Van. Instead of going by land in a car the entire way he sails from Mexico south down the coast. His journey ends with his attempt to climb Corcovado volcano. I love this film, the entire time watching I just wanted to pack my bag and just go. It is what Ash and I live for, a must watch.
Secret Life of Walter Mitty
The one gift I believe that was given to me on this earth was the power of my imagination. I’m that 24 year old who thrives in the realm of imagination. “The, Secret Life of Walter Mitty “ is about a man who dreams about being the adventurer that he admires. He only dreams but stays behind the safety of his desk. Then his whole life changes when a photo goes missing from his favorite traveler. So he throws away his insecurities and goes out searching for his lost photo. It opens his eyes and teaches him that it is more important to go out and live then it is to make a buck. This was our movie. Was it award winning? Hell no, but it got the point out that it is important to get out in the world and live! Breathe the fresh air and face the challenges of life and just be free from the constraints of everyday life. Plus now we want to go to Greenland.
Up
Oh Up, only Pixar could have made a movie like this; heartbreakingly sad in the beginning but so incredibly uplifting at the end. Up is a movie for all ages of adventurers and will have you wishing you had a chimney so that you could sail your house to South America with balloons. If you do not like this movie than I am not sure if we can be friends.
Funny Face
Another one of Audrey’s movies to make the list; Funny Face is about Audrey Hepburn as an unfashionable philosopher/bookworm who is discovered by Fred Astaire and taken off to Paris to model for a women’s fashion magazine. The story is one told many times before but is accompanied by the beautiful backdrop of Paris and the songs and dances of Fred Astaire which quickly made this one of my favorite movies. Also don’t forget about the crazy philosophers and Audrey Hepburn’s dance about empathy, who wouldn’t want to be a beatnik in Paris?
Indiana Jones
Indiana Jones has inspired me since I was a little kid to explore the world and discover its ancient treasures. These movies are probably one of the main reasons I actually studied archaeology to be truthful. Every time I watch Indy go off on an adventure and defeat the Nazis I want to put on my fedora and head out to see the world. I also learned about Petra from Indiana Jones which is one of my top places to visit.
Stand By Me
I loved this movie when I was younger. It is the perfect childhood movie for a boy. The story of four young friends who go out on an adventure to look for the body of a missing dead boy. It deals with all the troubles of being a young boy. The adventure part is what drew me in. Going out into the unknown to search out what they thought might just be a wild goose chase. The idea of just going no matter what the price is what drew me into the movie.
Hobbit/ Lord of the Rings
I do not believe I need much explanation of why these movies and books make me want to get out of my seat and explore. Stories of hobbits, elves, dwarves, and Tom Bombadil(for those of you who have read the books) inspire travel in people everyday, celebrating the idea of throwing caution to the wind and taking a step out of ones comfort zone. That is what I am addicted to, I am addicted to forcing myself out of my comfort zone, being that small Hobbit and heading out into the world to face the unknown, making the unknown known and realizing how beautiful the world actually is. In a way it is kind of freeing when you don’t know what’s going to happen.
Moonrise Kingdom
Before Alex and I had even seen Moonrise Kingdom, Alex’s parents called us to let us know we had to see the movie because the main couple reminded them of us. That is always a good start to finding a movie about travel. Well we watched Moonrise Kingdom and it was so infused with wanderlust that we just fell in love with the movie. If you have not seen Moonrise Kingdom yet please watch it; it is a quirky Wes Anderson (what else could it be with Wes Anderson involved?) film with a phenomenal cast. The whole story revolves around 2 twelve year olds, Suzy and Sam, who fall in love and run off into the wilderness together. Hilarity ensues as Suzy’s parents, played by Bill Murray and Frances McDormand, and Sam’s scoutmaster, Edward Norton, track them all over the island along with Bruce Willis, as Captain Duffy Sharp, and some of Sam’s fellow scouts, who really don’t like him. Believe me this movie will inspire you to set off into the woods with a tent and a record player and never come back.
Paris, Je T’aime
Is a movie composed of short stories that take place across the different arrondissements in Paris. Each neighborhood has its own story and is directed by a different director. I do not love all of them but there is still something magical about seeing all the different neighborhoods of Paris. My favorite one is about a teenage boy who witnesses his friends taunting all girls who walk by and instead of joining in befriends one of the young Muslim girls walking by. The whole movie is interspersed with images of Paris and really takes you on a visual tour of the city.
So there you have it, our movies to totally not at all cure wanderlust but really just increase it. If you need to take a mental vacation and cannot travel pop in one of these movies, but don’t say we didn’t warn you if you start planning your trip immediately! (most likely it will be to Paris since it seems most of the movies we love are inspired by that wonderful city)
Also check out Latitude 34’s list of 16 Movies to Inspire Travel and thank you guys for the idea to add the trailers!
The Arches in Oregon from our Pacific Northwest Road trip
Summer is almost half way over, can you believe it?! We certainly can’t. This summer has felt more like summer than the past ones for Alex and I and so in honor of summer and how wonderful it is, we thought we would put together a list of our favorite summer destinations from our past articles. That way when the cold starts again and we are dreaming of summer we can always come back to this post and think of all of our great summer trips!
The Cinque Terre
The Rock at Monterossa, one of the 5 towns in that make up the Cinque Terre
The Cinque Terre is 5 small cities located along the Italian Riviera and are some of my favorite Italian beaches. They are characterized by bright houses built into the cliffside and the bright aquamarine Mediterranean Sea. The Cinque Terre is a perfect summer destination for relaxing along the beach, hiking the 5 cities and overindulging in Trofie al Pesto, one of the best dishes in the region.
Crete
This is Matala on the south coast of Crete. The rock is covered with manmade caves from the neolithic period and in the 1960s they were completely overrun by hippies
Crete is possibly my favorite place in the entire world and this is a perfect place for a summer trip whether you are interested in relaxing by the sea, hiking, eating amazing food or exploring Crete’s fascinating history. You can explore the ruins of Phaistos and Knossos which date back to 2000BCE or you can hike the Samarian Gorge and after go for a swim in the Mediterranean. Crete has it all and the people are so fantastically friendly. Crete will always be one of my top destinations regardless.
Paris
The Sacre Coure dominates the skyline of Montmartre in Paris
While Paris in the Springtime may have been made famous thanks to Ella Fitzgerald, Paris is a city you can visit at any time of the year. Summer can be busy but it is worth it to just wander the city. Think long afternoons in the park by the Eiffel Tower, taking a long coffee break at an outdoor cafe, dining in the late evening while the sun sets at 10pm and then having a Kir Royale or listening to live music in a bar. Paris is meant for the summer. Soak up the sun, eat glace, visit Versailles, and live the Parisian life.
Rawaii
Absolutely love the longtail boats all over the islands of Thailand. So glad we were able to hitch a ride on one of these bad boys to Coral Island
I think we can safely say that our absolutely favorite place in Thailand was Rawaii. Rawaii was everything we wanted out of Thailand. We rented a beach house, we drank beers all day at the Paradise Beach Bar, we rented a longboat and visited nearby Coral Island. It was essentially paradise and I could stay there forever, or at least all summer long, drinking mai tais on the beach.
Sedona
Bell Rock Sedona
Summer in Arizona can be hot but that doesn’t mean you should stay away especially if you plan on visiting Sedona. Sedona is the heart of red rock country in Arizona and it is well worth a trip to see these beautiful mountains. I would highly suggest taking a sunset jeep ride through the red rocks, it was so exhilarating!
Brussels
The medieval Grand Place n the heart of Brussels
Our summer weekend trip to Brussels was perfect. It was full of exploring the quaint cultural center of Brussels, discovering pubs and eating frittes and waffles! Brussels is a little different than your typical summer beach retreat but Brussels has everything you want out of a European city. Plus any excuse to drink rare Belgian beers is A OK with me! And make sure to overindulge in the waffles and beer, after all bikini season is only a few months 🙂
Thessaloniki
The Harbor in Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki is our absolute favorite city to escape to. Whenever Rome would get overwhelming we would pop over to Thessaloniki to chill out. There is not a ton in the way of sightseeing, you can see the sites in a day really but it is a great city to explore the small streets, visit the markets, spend all day out at the harbor drinking frapes and then head out for a late dinner and some even later nightlife. When you finally make it back to your hostel make sure it is Little Big House for one of the best hostel experiences Alex and I have had.
Disneyland
A summer without at least one Disneyland trip is a summer wasted
What can we say? We are suckers for Disneyland and a summer is not complete without at least one trip to Disneyland, although I always try to go early June before school is out of late August/early September once school is back in. However, if someone asked me to go tomorrow, I totally would. Every time Alex and I go we always get new Mickey ears as well, it has become somewhat of a tradition. And a trip to Disneyland is also not complete without a Dole pineapple whip and watching the fireworks; there are no better fireworks in the world.
Rome
The sprawling city of Rome
We just recently published an article all about Rome in summer and all the awesome things that Rome has going on in the summer but all I really have to say is GELATO at any time of the day! If that isn’t enough to make you want to visit Rome I don’t know what is. Sure they have the Pantheon and the Vatican, and maybe their neighborhoods are full of charm, and the pizza and pasta is to die for, and they perform operas in old Roman bath complexes; but we all know the real reason to visit Rome in the summer, it is Gelato and it always will be.
What are some of your favorite summer destinations?
In Pursuit of Adventure 