Now that our 30-day countdown has begun (Siri reports only 29 days left to go!) we’ve been waxing a little poetic about the things we’ll miss and the things we’re looking forward to. Being the optimists we are, we’ll blog today about the things we’re looking forward to and save the things we’ll miss for another few days from now.
So here’s what we’re most looking forward to when we hit the road on June 15th:
- Becoming a temporary regular: in previous trips to Europe, the longest we’ve ever stayed in 1 place is 1 week (Rome, if you’re curious). At the time this seemed like an incredibly long time to stay put while in Europe, but come the 2nd half of 2014 we’ll be regularly staying put for 3 weeks or longer, which is long enough to become a regular at a great restaurant or pub, to become recognized by our neighbors and local shop keepers, and basically feel like regulars, if only for a few weeks.
- Meeting and making traveler friends: we’ve said before that life is about the experiences we live and the relationships we develop, and meeting fellow travelers (in their natural habitat) leads to instant conversation because you have something so fundamental in common with them. If you see that our paths cross yours, please be in touch by commenting on this blog!
- Discovering local wines: anyone who knows anything about us knows we love wine. Not only does it please the palate, but it’s fun to make a discovery of a label and vintage that’s delicious and a bargain. That’s how we feel about it in the US, where the wine industry is a huge commercial enterprise, but think about the possibilities for vino-discovery in countries like Portugal and Spain and Italy and Slovenia where you can walk into a local restaurant or store and buy wines produced by local vintners or the owner’s brother’s neighbor and aren’t available for purchase anywhere else.
- Immersing ourselves in Turkish cuisine for a month: that’s right, not immersing ourselves in Turkish culture but cuisine. Our favorite restaurant at home is a Turkish restaurant, and we’ve fallen in love with the cuisine (we blame Cafe Efendi proprietor Hal for our Turkish addiction). Finding ourselves in Turkey, as we plan to do for 4 weeks (or more) later this year, we can only imagine that it will be doner-hummus-inegol-ezme heaven.
- Attending local events: one of my (Chuck’s) most memorable travel events was attending a soccer (futbol!) championship in Eindhoven, Netherlands one year while on a business trip (my business partners had a box and I had to wear a suit). It will be cool to attend a soccer, rugby, cricket, etc. event or two while we’re in Europe.
- Discovering less-traveled places and sites: this is sort of a staple for long-term travelers: for us, seeing the major sites (the Louvre and Eiffel Tower, the Vatican, St Paul’s Cathedral, etc.) has only whet our appetites, and long-term travel, especially becoming a temporary regular, is the only way to also see all the other places that a 1-week visit will never expose us to.
- Learning a local dance: we’re dancers and it would be awesome to see and learn a local dance. Lori, for example, plans to learn flamenco while in Spain (so says Chuck, LOL).
- Getting a haircut: in trips past we have always gotten our hair taken care of before going so we wouldn’t have to worry about it while gone, but being gone 6 months means that we’ll have to take care of it somewhere on the road. It will be an interesting experience (we hope).
- Our transatlantic crossing on the Queen Mary 2: it’s hugely ironic to be looking forward to the very end of our 6-month adventure, but it’s such a big deal we can’t help but look forward to it.
