Tag Archives: travel

Episode Sixty Six – First Days Stateside

It’s been a while since I’ve been in America, and even longer since I’ve been to Grant’s family home. Because of my world travels, he’s been visiting me in my various homes around the globe for the past year or so; first in Costa Rica last summer, then in Scotland at Christmas, and finally again in France in the spring. I spent about a week with him in Akron last October but never made it to his home town in that short time, so all told it’s been about fifteen months since I’ve been here.

This is what I’m looking at right now.

And things have changed since then! The family room has received a beautiful makeover and the gazebo’s been updated too; the first thing I noticed, though, was that Grant’s younger brother has moved into the other room in the basement where his sister used to live. Her absence was sorely missed that first evening when I went to take my shower and found that, in place of her usual array of products carrying such names as ‘Rose Garden’ and ‘Moonlight Whisper,’ I was offered only a single choice of shower gel: ‘Power Stick‘. Continue reading

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Saturday Spotlight Twenty – Things I’ll Miss

Well, well, well. Look what we have here: the last day of my year abroad. Weird, huh? Especially for those of you who have been following my journey since before I left home for Costa Rica last July. I’m feeling a little sad to be leaving the semester (and the year) behind – but also eager to get started on the next stage of my life: my final year of university and a great job! (At least, I’m confident that it’ll be great, though I haven’t started yet).

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Episode Sixty Five – Faisons un pique-nique!

As my last few days in France float by, it’s fun to look back on some of the most fun days I’ve had here, with Grant by my side, holding my hand and taking all the pictures alternately :P The spring weather has been all over the place, but I’m pretty sure the longest stretch of non-stop beautiful sun was the week when Grant was here :)

The swans come out to bathe in the sun, all perfect and white.

Good weather is always – well, good. But it’s especially advantageous when you’re travelling on a budget, which as a long-distance couple we always are. Why is good weather our best friend? Because it means picnics instead of expensive lunches in cafés; it means wandering through the streets and admiring the buildings instead of museum entry fees; it means getting around on foot instead of buying tram tickets.

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Episode Sixty Four – Wandering around Strasbourg

Hey, remember when Grant visited me in France while I was studying abroad? Probably not, because I never got around to telling you about that part yet. Our fun trip to Luxembourg was regrettably short, but all the same we weren’t all that bummed out to be returning to Strasbourg to continue to hang around in the sun and eat macarons. Continue reading

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Episode Sixty Three – European Sundays

Hello lovelies! I hope you all enjoyed the weekend and are refreshed and ready to face the week…

As for me, the two are barely distinguished from each other, except for the fact that the weekend contains Shutday, by which I mean Sunday, and I have to plan my days accordingly. Over here, it’s every man for himself on the Lord’s day – you have to make your own entertainment. Generally, though, my days consist of job searching, watching tv, sewing and reading magazines. And blogging, as you can tell! Today I have some more photos of Luxembourg for you :) Our first day there was fun and ridiculous (did you see the photos?), but we didn’t formally visit any of the historically significant sights the country has to offer, so on Sunday we did just that. The weather was still gloomy and a little damp, but not enough to send us running for cover like we had the previous afternoon. Continue reading

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Episode Sixty Two – I Don’t Speak Luxembourgish

Did you know Luxembourgish is a real language? I guess it says a lot about my blundering approach to travel that I didn’t even research what language they speak in our weekend destination; but aside from the fact that the official language is not French as I had assumed, doesn’t it seem like it should be called Luxembourgese or Luxemburger or something instead?

Whatever they choose to call their language, we got along fine without it: gesturing to your camera and pointing at yourselves tends to get the message across.

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Episode Sixty One – Millin’ Around in Milan

My, my, I am doing well with these plays on Italian city names, aren’t I? Well, here goes: the final leg of the adventure, which doubled as one heck of a scenic route home. Although, travelling exclusively by land from Rome to Strasbourg, is there any other kind of route?

I know, cathedrals aren't my strong point. If anyone has any tips on photographing huge, ornate buildings, they're more than welcome.

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Episode Sixty – Rome Antics

PREVIOUSLY ON ‘A TRAIL OF BREADCRUMBS’…

Before the trouble began...

So our schedule was this: Saturday-Tuesday in Florence, Tuesday-Friday in Rome, overnight train to Milan to spend our Saturday urban camping before our overnight bus back to Strasbourg. We finished up Wednesday last time, where I hinted at a complication involving Nicole’s health following my own iffy spell: we hadn’t exactly been treating our bodies right, sightseeing and budget taking precedence over such trifles as, you know, nutrition and sustenance. But while a solid dinner and a good night’s sleep healed me up good and proper, Nicole woke feeling unwell. I’m sorry to say I brushed off her first complaints with a “You’ll be fine once we’re up and about,” but it was more than that: Nicole was ill for real, not just queasy.

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Episode Fifty Nine – Ancient Rome

Hi everybody! I know… This story really is ancient history now. It was my mum’s visit and then the end of term and then exam season and between all that my blogging mojo never emerged at the surface, so the thought of putting together a post worth reading was not exactly a realistic goal. And I’d much rather leave you all hanging than waste your time on a post not worth reading. But here I am, ready to keep ploughing through my Italy narration and onwards to Grant’s visit too… eventually.

This is what I have in store for you today: a gorgeous day in Pope-ville!

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Episode Fifty Eight – Farewell to Florence

I’m beginning to notice a pattern here: the further behind I get in writing my blog, the more random thoughts I come up with and just have to write about immediately. I have ideas for posts on a whole range of subjects, not least on languages which I’m becoming more and more enthusiastic about as time wears on; but for now I think I’ll hold them back.

I expect this was an old guard tower from the former city walls.

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