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This month I headed again to the States for a three-week journey — and it ended up being a a lot busier expertise than I anticipated. I based mostly on my new house base of the North Shore of Massachusetts, and traveled throughout within the course of.
Three little journeys — Portland, Ottawa, and Scottsdale — made it fairly a busy month, and that wasn’t all. As quickly as I flew again to Prague, I used to be off once more, to the south of Italy!
It was rather a lot, and I uncared for my work within the course of (see how there aren’t any new posts or books learn on this put up) — however that’s okay. I clearly wanted this high quality time with my family members.
Let’s check out the month!
Locations Visited
- Prague and Mělník, Czech Republic
- Beverly, Rockport, Essex, Danvers, Peabody, Studying, Wakefield, Revere, Lynnfield, Swampscott, and Newburyport, Massachusetts, USA
- Portland, Maine, USA
- Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA
- Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona, USA
- Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Naples, Ventotene, and Ponza, Italy
Highlights
A little bit of sightseeing in and round Prague. We visited the town of Mělník, which has a pleasant city sq. (which they had been outfitting in Christmas lights for a film!), a fortress overlooking the rivers, and their very own wine.
Mělník is particular as a result of it’s Lewis and Murray’s hometown, so far as we all know. They had been left in a field exterior a vet’s workplace in Mělník on a wet day.
Which sounds so unhappy — till you understand they had been properly fed and socialized, and left in a spot the place they’d be secure (most shelters are kill shelters right here). Their first household clearly beloved them rather a lot, and I’ll all the time be pleased about how properly they cared for them.
Plenty of nice high quality time at house in Massachusetts. This journey was to spend time with household and mates, in addition to take pleasure in one of many higher climate months of the yr in New England.
I obtained to spend so much of time with my dad and mom and my aunt and uncle as properly, and drove up and down the North Shore exploring the totally different cities. My dad is now based mostly in Beverly, and it’s been good to spend time exploring the city, particularly in the summertime.
I additionally drove previous my childhood house for the primary time because it was bought final yr — and I’m glad to see that they didn’t knock it down to show it right into a ghastly McMansion, like they’re doing to so many properties in my neighborhood.
An incredible journey to Portland, Maine. Two of my good mates, who’re sisters, moved to Portland a couple of years in the past — and whereas I’ve visited them briefly a couple of instances, I wished to come back for a couple of days and dive into Portland in depth so I may write a correct information.
Portland is GREAT — and so underrated (maybe as a result of there’s a extra well-known Portland?). Such an incredible meals scene, tons of pure magnificence close by, and a number of the friendliest folks round. Portlanders critically give the perpetually sunny Ashevillians a run for his or her cash.
The most important spotlight was visiting Peakes Island, a brief ferry trip away — which is house to an UMBRELLA COVER MUSEUM. Not an umbrella museum, an umbrella COVER museum. It’s bizarre and wacky and all about celebrating the mundane. In the event you’re visiting Portland between Memorial Day and Labor Day, I can’t advocate the museum sufficient!
A fast, enjoyable journey to Ottawa. A lot of you right here know Jodi of Authorized Nomads, an absolute legend within the journey running a blog group and a pal of mine for greater than a decade.
Jodi has been residing with critical well being challenges over the previous a number of years, which she talks about on her Patreon and in her publication, Curious About The whole lot, and hasn’t been in a position to journey — so I went to see her. Our first time hanging out in particular person for years.
We had such a good time — taking a stroll to the Rideau Canal, consuming takeout on her balcony, a lot lady speak, and simply having fun with our lengthy overdue catchup.
The final word ladies’ journey to Scottsdale! This month, three of my closest mates and I took our long-awaited ladies’ journey to Scottsdale, the place we celebrated the 4 of us turning 40 in 2024. Expertise Scottsdale put collectively a dynamite journey for us, which you’ll be listening to way more about tsoon!
A few of my favourite highlights had been staying on the midcentury fashionable Resort Valley Ho (and the super-fun weekend pool celebration), visiting Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West, having fun with the most effective wine and cocktail bars, taking a self-driving automobile for a spin (!!), and consuming SO a lot good meals.
However principally this was all about getting good high quality time with the ladies. It’s been so lengthy since we took a visit collectively! Weddings in numerous cities have been the closest factor we’ve needed to a visit for nearly a decade.
A visit to some Italian islands. Charlie and I are actually trying to go to all the key Italian islands, so we determined to go to Ventotene and Ponza. I flew into Naples, the place Charlie had simply completed a piece assembly, and we every scarfed down a pizza (as one does in Napoli) earlier than hopping on the ferry to Ventotene.
Ventotene is a VERY small island. Actually, a little bit too small. The island has one good seashore, which fills up by morning, and the black sand will get so scorching, that if you happen to don’t have a chair, you’ll be in ache. There are additionally no swimming pools on the island, so there’s no different solution to cool off. I will say that we ate two implausible meals down by the water’s edge.
Ponza was extra our pace. There’s not a ton to do on Ponza, which is a well-liked escape for Romans, however there are boat excursions, seashores, and good eating places. Staying at Grand Resort Santa Domitilla was a spotlight — we truly spent a day by the lodge pool for the primary time in three years! We haven’t performed that since my beloved Resort Ravesi within the Aeolian Islands!
Challenges
The most important problem is that I can’t clone myself. I had a lot enjoyable hanging out with varied family members in numerous areas. That is the toughest a part of residing abroad and having folks you’re keen on all around the world!
Falling into an unhealthy way of life. Actually, it occurs each time I am going house — I plan to train each day and eat properly, and I find yourself consuming poorly and barely exercising. Not blaming anybody however myself. Three weeks is a protracted backslide.
A really disagreeable connection expertise in Zurich. I all the time give myself round a three-hour layover after I’m connecting flights, as a result of that’s sufficient to face up to a delay. However this time I lived dangerously with solely a 90-minute layover — and OF COURSE my flight was delayed an hour.
The Swiss Air folks rebooked plenty of folks with tighter connections, however insisted I had sufficient time to make my connection. And I did, certainly, make it — solely as a result of I RAN MY ASS OFF via the airport, minimize the immigration line, cursed out the voice of Heidi on the airport prepare, and made it to the gate 30 seconds earlier than they closed it.
My bag didn’t make it. Fortunately, I used to be ready for this risk, and had packed my carry-on with the whole lot I wanted for Italy. There are three each day flights from Zurich to Prague on Swiss Air, and my bag obtained on the subsequent flight at midday, but it surely wasn’t delivered till 11:27 PM. I needed to go away the house at 7:00 AM the subsequent day for my flight to Naples. Which brings me to…
Three weeks of busy journey and residential time, adopted by an in a single day flight and fewer than 24 hours in Prague, then flying to Italy the subsequent morning. I knew it could be tough, however I used to be keen to strive it as a result of it was the best choice with Charlie’s work schedule.
Lengthy story quick, I’m NEVER DOING THAT AGAIN. It was approach an excessive amount of. I used to be exhausted and discombobulated, and crossing 9 time zones in three days turned me right into a zombie throughout the day and an insomniac at night time. Which isn’t the worst if each individuals are equally jet-lagged, but when one particular person is and the opposite isn’t, it’s a depressing time.
Breaking my lens. Seems operating via an airport with an overstuffed backpack isn’t good. One fall broken much more than my ego.
Selecting the unsuitable tour! Charlie and I made a decision to go to the previous jail on the island of Santo Stefano close to Ventotene. The tour could be all in Italian, however we didn’t thoughts — we each communicate a bit, and have performed excursions all in Italian earlier than.
Effectively. That three-hour tour turned out to be a ship trip, adopted by a difficult climb up a steep hill, adopted by a 75-minute lecture, all in Italian. We didn’t even get to discover the jail; we simply sat within the courtyard because the information talked in regards to the historical past. And there was no sign, so I couldn’t use Google Translate to observe.
Yeah, after I say we take excursions in Italian, I imply boat excursions — the place the one Italian it’s good to know is, “Okay, now we swim,” “Come again to the boat by 2:30,” and “You need your espresso bitter or candy?” We should always most likely follow these!
E-book Membership This Month
Our subsequent ebook membership will happen on Sunday, August 18, 2024. We will likely be studying Dearborn, a brief story assortment by American writer Ghassan Zeineddine.
“Spanning a number of a long time, Ghassan Zeineddine’s debut assortment examines the varied vary and complexities of the Arab American group in Dearborn, Michigan. In ten tragicomic tales, Zeineddine explores themes of id, generational conflicts, battle trauma, migration, sexuality, queerness, house and belonging, and extra.
In Dearborn, a father teaches his son methods to cheat the IRS and conceal their money earnings inside frozen chickens. Tensions heighten inside a close-knit group of {couples} when a mysterious man begins to frequent the native gymnasium pool, wearing Speedos printed with nostalgic photographs of Lebanon. And a failed stage actor makes an attempt to drive a younger Lebanese man with ambitions of turning into a Hollywood motion hero to LA, however Immigration and Customs Enforcement brokers produce other plans.
By turns wildly humorous, incisive, and deeply transferring, Dearborn introduces readers to an arresting new voice in modern fiction and invitations us all to contemplate what it means to be a part of a spot and group, and the way it’s that we assist each other survive.”
You possibly can enroll right here. Hope to see you there!
What I Watched This Month
I’m actually having fun with Loot on Apple TV. This comedy stars Maya Rudolph because the jilted ex-wife of a strong tech billionaire, and she or he decides to rebuild her life by throwing herself into her charity.
It’s a enjoyable and heartwarming office comedy with a superb solid. Nice music, too — I really like how the Apple exhibits aren’t afraid to spend huge on music licensing! This present truly has Mariah Carey’s “Fantasy,” Fats Joe’s “What’s Luv” and Ashanti and Ja Rule’s “At all times on Time” as its transition music between scenes!
I additionally lastly watched season 2 of Bridgerton, and I don’t know what saved me away for therefore lengthy! Such a pleasant little present.
Coming Up in July 2024
After a couple of extra days in Ponza, Charlie and I returned to Prague, the place we will likely be spending a lot of the month. We will likely be flying to London for a really temporary journey to see Charlie’s household, and for my new Czech vacation spot, we’re most likely going to go to Adršpach, a fantastic rocky space that’s particularly good to go to in summer time.
Additionally on the schedule for July: seeing Smashing Pumpkins in live performance, and watching the Euros.
And on the finish of the month, we head to considered one of my favourite locations — the island of Korčula in Croatia. And we gained’t be alone — a number of mates are coming alongside to have a good time my precise fortieth birthday on August 2! We’ve obtained an extremely enjoyable week deliberate.
What are you as much as this summer time? Share away!