My Love For Travel

Some of my family say I’m a rolling stone. Circumstances pushed me in that direction at an early age, but it really kicked in when I lived in Spain in my early twenties. Spending time in several countries abroad helped me appreciate what I was missing back home, in terms of a way of life. I realized I’d like to spend more time exploring. In traveling, I found the similarities in all of us and also the unique aspects of other cultures that make us different. Apparently, I enjoy swearing in every language, particularly in Italian, much to the chagrin of my Italian husband but to the delight of my Italian brothers-in-law. My Belgian sister’s family actually coined the phrase “Tatie Mouth,” in reference to the use of my colorful language around my nieces and nephew. “Tatie” means Auntie in French for those of you that don’t know. I’m incredibly proud.

An evening in Milan

When I first got to Spain, I noticed the slower pace and the feel of something older than anything I had previously experienced. The comedian Eddie Izzard once said of Americans, “You tear your history down, man! ’30 years old, let’s smash it to the floor and put a car park here!’ I have seen it in stories. I saw something in a program on something in Miami, and they were saying, ‘We’ve redecorated this building to how it looked over 50 years ago!’ And people were going, ‘No, surely not, no. No one was alive then!’” It's a joke but there's more than a kernel of truth there. When the winemaker and owner of Massolino was in Boston, arguably our most historic city, we pointed to a building built in the 1700's. He said, “Listen, my parents’ bed is 400 years old.” Ok then.

Salamanca

At first, I was annoyed dinner took so long and that it started at ten o'clock. And why did people amble so slowly and not stay to the right side of the sidewalk? I would later feel the same frustration the first few days in Italy, but then realized it was a game of chicken and that my mind was used to this frenetic pace. Link arms with your fellow walker, and the approaching amblers won't break through or force you to veer off. After a few days, you tell yourself that there’s no rush. Why the hurry? Even if you have a meet-up time in Italy, it doesn’t seem to be a hard cut-off time. I once had some friends say to meet them at 10 p.m. and they showed up at 11:30. It’s not that they’re not productive but there’s an enjoyment of life that prioritizes friends and family over working oneself to death. There is no contacting people outside work hours. In fact, in France, it’s illegal. You have at least four weeks of vacation. You don’t have to worry about losing your job for fear of losing your healthcare. We have it all wrong in my opinion.

Late night in Taormina

So, get your passport and explore the world. You’ll find there are things in each of us that are the same and things that are interesting and different, if you open your mind to it.