It's hard work planning a trip two years in advance. Part of me likes a little spontaneity. Sometimes I think I deliberately wait for the last minute in order to help myself plan less. Plans always go awry.
This weekend I planned to visit Vancouver, BC. But the only part of the plan that I have currently is that I'm going--as long as it's not raining too hard--tomorrow. I'm either going to get terribly lost, or have a ton of fun wasting gas. =)
Despite living four years in Bellingham, and having my own car and passport, this will be my first trip to Vancouver without my family.
They came up for my 20th birthday and took me up there for an overnight experience. It was then, with my entire family at the table in a so-so mexican restaurant in downtown Vancouver, that I discovered my absolute dislike for the taste of grenadine in my mixed drinks.
They also made me wear the sombrero. AND they never carded me.
The best part of the trip was breakfast at a restaurant called The Elbow Room which has over 100 items on the menu, a pancake so big and so fluffy my brother couldn't finish it, and "the most abusive waiters West of the Rockies".
I had a blast.
That's me with one of the owners of the cafe. He made me wear the tiara and insisted we take a picture. He's flamboyantly gay, has absolutely no qualms telling his customers to pour their own coffee/keep their opinions to themselves, and the kind of morning person everyone should have around. He was better than a cup of coffee. =)
My family has an affinity for spontaneous outings...I don't think there was a game-plan for that trip at all. We stumbled on The Elbow Room through word of mouth at our hotel. It's just that, I'm usually one of the ducklings, not the leader of the group. For tomorrow's trip to Canada, I have to at least have a game plan.
So I'm back to researching...
....My trip to Florence, that is.
I think I'm just going to wing it in Vancouver tomorrow and see how I do. The city isn't that big, is it?
Looking at pictures of a place you've never been is a good way to get pumped up. I'm not so much of a fan of travel videos...because my brain categorizes those places as "unattainable". You can see it on a TV, but somehow it seems even further away when you see these sprawling, vivid green landscapes confined to the screen. Because nothing can look as good as hollywood.
For that reason, I like pictures. They feel more real to me because they capture more detail. Still images do things for me that moving images fail to do: they get me below the hazy cloud of tourism and put me into the dirt. With my feet solidly in the ground, I can take a look through their lenses at what is really going on.
Despite living four years in Bellingham, and having my own car and passport, this will be my first trip to Vancouver without my family.
They came up for my 20th birthday and took me up there for an overnight experience. It was then, with my entire family at the table in a so-so mexican restaurant in downtown Vancouver, that I discovered my absolute dislike for the taste of grenadine in my mixed drinks.
They also made me wear the sombrero. AND they never carded me.
I had a blast.
That's me with one of the owners of the cafe. He made me wear the tiara and insisted we take a picture. He's flamboyantly gay, has absolutely no qualms telling his customers to pour their own coffee/keep their opinions to themselves, and the kind of morning person everyone should have around. He was better than a cup of coffee. =)
My family has an affinity for spontaneous outings...I don't think there was a game-plan for that trip at all. We stumbled on The Elbow Room through word of mouth at our hotel. It's just that, I'm usually one of the ducklings, not the leader of the group. For tomorrow's trip to Canada, I have to at least have a game plan.
So I'm back to researching...
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| A photo of a painting of a canal in...Venice? Someday I'll be able to tell you. |
....My trip to Florence, that is.
I think I'm just going to wing it in Vancouver tomorrow and see how I do. The city isn't that big, is it?
Looking at pictures of a place you've never been is a good way to get pumped up. I'm not so much of a fan of travel videos...because my brain categorizes those places as "unattainable". You can see it on a TV, but somehow it seems even further away when you see these sprawling, vivid green landscapes confined to the screen. Because nothing can look as good as hollywood.
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| Sunflowers in Tuscany! This one is for you, ak. =) |
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| What, a picture without tourists? |
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| I just talked to a recruiter here in WA, who gave me directions to the best tasting gelato in Rome. It's by the Cat Shrines across from the biggest bookstore in Rome. Then you go down a tiny alleyway and find a old woman in a window. Sound sketch? That's where the best gelato is...so I'm told. |
When I was in the Italian part of Switzerland two years ago (for five weeks!) gelato was the staple of my diet. At LEAST twice a day!
ReplyDeleteI, too, love spontaneity, but always end up overplanning. Then the plan goes out the window. All part of the fun....
There's an Italian part of Switzerland? That's terribly counter-intuitive. Either way, gelato for five weeks!? you lucky duck.
DeleteAnd I'm glad to hear there's never really a set ratio for planning to spontaneity. =)
Yes, Lugano, Switzerland. All the great northern Italian food and culture, with the clean organization of Switzerland (unfortunately the high prices too...). I was working at a university there, and sometimes we'd hop the commuter train and cross the border into Italy for our afternoon meetings (with gelato, of course).
DeleteI must admit--my geography is terrible. I had to google Lugano before I believed that Switzerland is *right next to* Italy. I had no idea!
Delete(also, the pictures that came up with the name of the city look beautiful!)
Oh god. I want gelato.
ReplyDeleteI also tend to overplan. Planning is supposed to make it less stressful right? We plan because spontaneity is stressful, right? But why does planning never make it less stressful?
I think that gelato picture above is also a gluten free version....I didn't even know we had to worry about gluten in gelato.
DeleteI almost feel like planning is more stressful. Although, once we did get up to Canada, we didn't know what to go see, or where to go park. So we ended up wasting a lot of gas before we decided to park and explore on foot.
Spontaneity won out there because once we parked, a nice old couple offered us the rest of the time on their parking ticket--which was about an hour of free parking. =)
But now that we've driven around and passed all these wonderful things (we just drove through chinatown, and drove by the spy store and drove by the putting green...and completely forgot about the duty free shop along the border!) We now have to make a second trip, with an itinerary in hand. =)
The best part of Prague was that I had already been there to see my sister when she studied there. She had shown me all the "sights" already, which meant my own trip was 100% spontaneous. I found some awesome restaurants and parks and cafes by just wandering crazily or taking the metro to the end of the line. Such fun.
ReplyDeleteYou are truly a traveler. =) I can't wait to know Italy well enough to spontaneously hop on a bus and ride it to the end of the line...and then find my way back. =)
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