Category Archives: packing your bags
Ode to the flight attendant
One of my favourite aspects of flying is watching the va et vient of flight attendants. Mostly because they are my barometers for whether or not everything is going well (“only start panicking if the flight attendants look worried”), but also because I admire how they exude the firm, yet loving demeanor of a mother. [...]
Odds and ends, Rome, Italy
The confused question has now been replaced by a delighted exclamation: “Oh! You speak English!” At least this time, this reaction does not come as a surprise. I started my trip in the less-touristy region where my parents were born, but with every new destination since – Milan, Turin and Cinque Terre – I have [...]
Walking the trail, Cinque Terre, Italy
The map they gave me indicated that the 3km-walk between Vernazza and Monterosso would take approximately two hours, but it only took me an hour and a half. And wearing a pair of chucks too. The trail draws a wavy line along the coastal mountains of the Italian Riviera, sometimes rising to skirt the top-most [...]
The meaning of “Italian”, Torino, Italy
An unexpected thing has happened. Although I am probably the only person who did not expect it. I am now so fully absorbed into the Italian landscape that whenever it comes out that I’m actually Canadian-born, I’m met with confusion and a sputtered, “Comé. Non sei italiana?” It happens every day now. From the Italian [...]
Epic moments, Milan, Italy
If Milan is all about art and fashion, then the three days I spent there were an all-out success. 1) Seeing da Vinci’s The Last Supper While standing in the first of two sealed chambers, I placed myself quite deliberately at the back of the group so that I would be the last to enter. [...]
Posted in packing your bags Tagged art, culture, Italy, Milan, shopping, summer, travel Leave a comment
Why we love the ocean, Porto d’Ascoli, Italy
No use talking about the places you’ve lived in or the people you’ve lived with. Our one true home is the sea. And it is a truth that forms even as our bones are beginning to shape themselves in the briny sea of a mother’s womb. The ocean is the place from which life arose [...]
Driving through Andalusia
I spent Saturday morning putting the finishing touches on the test I had to write to complete my meditation training. The dining room table is still covered in books, notebooks and highlighters. While writing out the answers (longhand, gadzooks!), I had an unexpected memory come back from my travels in Spain. A truly beautiful memory [...]
Seville – The surprise
Sevilla was our last destination in Spain. When we arrived in the train station, a mere four days separated us from the return flight home and the weariness of eternal movement was starting to settle in. The previous two weeks seemed like a bit of a blur, and conversations were now sometimes punctuated with a, [...]
Granada – Layers of time
My holiday is Spain left me mute with wonder. Oh, the architecture! Gaudí. Modernista. Gothic. Medieval. Moorish. Romanesque. Yes, it was awesome to see how much detail and care our ancestors put into everything they built. And yes, it’s breathtaking to be reminded of our common history — to remember that I am part of [...]
LinkedIn
Twitter
Facebook
Flickr
Eating alone, eating solo