Culminating Chef-d'oeuvre!

Our video depicting the 2 month adventure we shared. Try this link for better quality: https://vimeo.com/88404039

La Dolce Vita With my Cuz

Ayayay!! Where did the 63 days go?

Today I’m writing this post from the sofa in my parents’ house instead of on some train or in one of our many “homes” that are scattered all over the European continent. Since our return last Wednesday, we’ve experienced beautiful reunions and have been reintroduced to all the American items we began to so sorely miss while abroad i.e. Mexican food, our beds, our wardrobes etc.

As a result- and I can only speak for myself- I’ve felt really distracted. This blog post will offer the reflection that is necessary after such an adventure. It helps to put feelings into words and hopefully (if I do a good job) I can return to these words and I’ll feel the flickers of memories as they resurface.

Before I try to sort out the mixed emotions that I’m left with, I simply must offer a few straightforward descriptions of our time in Italy. Both Liv and I agreed that it was our favorite of the countries we visited. The best way that I can describe it is with the Goldilocks allegory. As you know, Goldilocks tries 2 porriges, 2 chairs, 2 beds, etc. and each one isn’t just exactly to her liking. Then, she tries and third and it jives “just right”. For me, Italy is the proverbial third porridge, chair, bed, while the other countries where I’ve lived are the other 2 near perfect alternatives.

Take the language for example: when living in Spain, I adored the bouncy, wide-open, floppy castellano of the Spaniards, but I really didn’t like the seemingly lazy syllables at the end of words. (Why can’t you say pes-ca-do instead of pes-cau?) Now take French: the French do an exquisite job of articulating, but as a result, the francophone must make those, pointy, pinchy, and altogether unbecoming pursed lips. Italian, however, is the perfect marriage of the two: precise, lively, animated- like music to our ears. Even the words to describe music come from Italian and they illustrate perfectly the harmony achieved in this language. Staccato when spoken sounds intentional and delicate, while largo sounds relaxed and mellow. Perfecto!

Now take the cuisine: another perfect marriage of the Mediterranean diet that I experienced in Spain and the propensity for richness that I’ve encountered in France. Here is a place where I’d drink their olive oil as if it were wine and their wine as if it were water. In Italy, we ate pizza and paninis day after day without pause or remorse. We’d wake up in the morning and rejoice that another day had started because that meant that we’d get to try new flavors of gelato. We both agreed hands down that our best meals where in Italian homes- courtesy of our friends in Bologna and Rome. Our last night in Rome, I was reunited with one of my dearest friends in the world, Sara, where we devoured cheeses, anchovies, prosciutto, olives and her charming boyfriend Francesco’s pasta romanesco. Refer to Liv’s post about our meal in Bologna.

I could go into detail about the other realms wherein my Goldilocks analogy seems to be true, but I suppose I should get to know Italian culture a little more before I start generalizing about the demeanor, tempo, and values of this great country. However, if you left me that task at this point in time, I would have only the best things to say about Italy: for Liv and me, it was a paradise.

I would say that Italy offered me the best moments of the whole trip, but I would be overlooking a far more important factor. Perhaps I could overlook it because this factor has always been such an integral part of my life that I struggle to separate it out from other circumstances. But, like I said at the beginning of this blog post, now is the time for reflection.

Upon reflecting, it’s really quite obvious what that one factor was that made this adventure so remarkable: Liv. Almost everyone reading this also knows her, so I needn’t start from scratch when I sing her praises because you already know how smart, witty and kind she is. I’ve always known that, but I didn’t know just how much I’d come to rely on her for her other attributes that lay just slightly deeper under the surface.

She’s resilient: I never saw a tough situation weaken her resolve. If anything, she found ways to make light of it, to find the humor.

She’s adventurous: She never declined any opportunity to add depth to our shared experience.

She’s indulgent: Thank goodness I was travelling with someone who just as eager to attend fancy symphonies, order liters of wine, or buy truffles for the train-ride.

And conversely, she’s thrifty: Thank goodness (again) that I had a partner who was fine eating pb&js for 3 weeks straight or who would carry a cauliflower across three countries just so we’d have dinner when we arrived where we were going.

She’s flexible: That’s probably why we never had a genuine argument.

She’s responsible: She always carried the keys

She’s hilarious: Sometimes I felt like I was traveling with a comedian who had researched my life experiences and crafted her jokes in order to make me squeal with laughter.

She’s reconnaissante: Which means that she recognizes her good-fortune and expresses gratitude for it. It’s such a precious quality in a travel companion. Without someone like that, one’s a risk of becoming impervious to the ever-new wonders around them and with Liv that never happened.

It’s sad to end this blog, as it is sad to end such a trip. It was the best trip of my life, but I’m leaving it with many many treasures. I return home with images and memories of places that will color the canvas of my life. However, the friendships that were born or were deepened and the interactions that I had bring that canvas to the third dimension. They have marked me and will forever shape me.

This trip began as 2 cousins 7 countries and it has ended as 8 countries 2 sisters.

A Well-Oiled Machine

ITALY.

Oh my goodness, where do I begin? It’s safe to say in reflecting on the two weeks we spent there, every preconceived notion and expectation was exceeded. The people, the food, the weather, the overall impression you feel on every corner is overwhelmingly lovely and welcoming. The first city we visited was Venice.  Aside from the strange smell of sewage that wafts up uncomfortably every once in a while, the city is breathtaking. Every narrow street is adorned with hanging lights and multicolored buildings that reflect beautifully in the turquoise blue waters of the canals. We were able to go to an incredible symphony that had my arms folded over the balcony enthralled by the talent of singular people that have the ability to create something balanced and lovely as a whole. Our inexpensive balcony seats had us right above the pianist, whose fingers danced so quickly, it looked like an over dramatized animation. So grateful for these quick, unplanned decisions to splurge.

From Venice, we ventured to Bologna, where we stayed with a couple of architects and doctors in their twenties that opened up their home, helped us explore various parts of the city, and gave us our first authentic Italian pasta dinner. We collaborated on what Kenz and I would contribute, and finally came together and had one of the best meals we had in Italy. At one point, our host Giacamo said, “If Italy could be summarized in one moment, it would be this.” A group of friends sitting at table eating amazing food, drinking great wine and discussing everything from American soap operas to the political strife in Italy. And there within that small kitchen in Bologna is the beauty of a country and culture of people that still appreciate the most important things in life. If there is one thing I can take away from Italy it is the priority shift that I need to take. People don’t have their cell-phones sitting out on the table, and they understand the importance of being in the moment and investing time and energy into the person sitting directly across from you.

We journeyed from Bologna to Genoa for a short stay, where we explored a National Geographic museum, happily accepted free samples from the local farmers market, enjoyed some delicious gelato and stumbled upon the reality that prostitution is still very prevalent. This city is nestled alongside the sea, and Kenz and I spent most of our time wandering around, so blissfully excited to be in a country we loved. Kenz will go into the details of the final three cities in Italy, that were amongst our favorite of the entire trip.

_______________________________________________

Now as Kenz and I are safely home and have completed our two month tour of Europe, I know as we return we will be asked, “Tell me about your trip, was it amazing?!” The simple answer, “It was fantastic!” will escape our lips, but the reality of what it meant will be churning in our minds. This answer will be sufficient for most that may not want to sit through my speech on the importance I feel in travel. It’s safe to say I have never had so little in my savings account, but I would never pass up the amazing opportunity to leave my native country and security, for the ability explore new areas that speak different languages and observe new traditions. I’m not necessarily suggesting that everyone should carry everything on their shoulders (we may need chiropractic work), but I do think if everyone took the time to be open to meeting people from all over the world, our society would be full of people that looked at the bigger picture. Instead of forming opinions that just affect one's own life, it would be full of people that could recall a mother and daughter in Graz that lived a similar life, with jobs, families and priorities. As I would pass ancient ruins that would merely follow the side of the freeway, I would be reminded as to how young we are as a country. How we are lacking so much of the culture and tradition that Europeans are immersed in, and the wisdom that could come with us looking to others for help and guidance. Our actions as a country affect more people than we realize and our self-centered attitude reflects poorly on the rest of the world. With all the good that people equate with America, there also comes a lot of negativity regarding our mentality.  That will only be changed when we become self-aware at the incredible growth that needs to come with our country.

_______________________________________________

Now to direct my attention towards Kenz- my travel partner. I know she knows how grateful I am to have her, but my gratitude grew by leaps and bounds after this trip. To be perfectly honest, it is a challenge to find a compatible travel partner, and I can’t think of anyone else that I would have even agreed from the start to do a trip quite like this. She thinks things through, is perceptive, an incredible problem solver, and makes me laugh in moments that make travel so challenging. I was under the impression that after knowing someone for twenty-three years I should know every single thing about a person, but I challenge friends, couples, and families to disconnect from media, place yourself in a Slovenian train station, and there you will discover everything there is to know about someone you love, appreciate, and rely on. She knows me better then anyone at this point, and she has become a piece of me that I will never be able to fully express in its entirety.  

After 63 days we became a well-oiled machine. Every decision and moment was made together, in unison, and we managed to create morning rituals amongst the craziness that comes with uprooting every few days. We mastered trains, buses, metros, and those moments of making quick decisions. If you’re lucky like I was, you come out the other side laughing hysterically over an obscure quote from Father of the Bride or Little Rascals that no one else on the planet would find equally as amusing. It takes a very special traveling duo to constantly be moving, remaining flexible whilst keeping a positive attitude, and remembering to still appreciate the little things and the importance of the journey with every unexpected turn. She is my companion, my comic relief, my stability, and my sister.

I realize I will probably never again get to experience of a trip of this magnitude. I am coming back with the knowledge of needing to find a “grown-up” job and reality will soon set in. With that being said, this trip will follow me for the rest of my life. Into my relationships, my future classroom, my political and social views and the way I live daily. It’s impossible to leave a trip like this unchanged, and am grateful to the support of family, friends, and those of you that shared support by reading our blog and giving us feedback, or providing a prayer and an encouraging word along the way.

I am so grateful for all of you.

Thank you for experiencing the journey alongside us.