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Remember, I was just out of
university, hence the horrible
jacket, shoes and unsightly
neck fat.
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At work today, a coworker and I were talking about travel. We were discussing the importance of having that next big trip to look forward to, as a coping mechanism to get through a particularly busy stretch in the office.
She is fortunate enough to be heading to Rome in a few months. She's going to stay in a villa, live life like the locals live, and bask in the glory of the cultured country that is Italy.
I, on the other hand, have no big trip on the horizon. Consequently, I no longer like my coworker.
I have been fortunate enough to have done a fair bit of travel though. After university, my wife (then girlfriend) and I did the backpacking thing, spending time in:
- England (London)
- France (Paris)
- Italy (Rome, Venice, Pompeii and sort of Milan... a long story)
- Spain (Barcelona), Switzerland (Innsbruck, Salzburg)
- Germany (Munich)
- The Netherlands (Amsterdam... try walking through the Red Light District with your girlfriend... it was amusingly horrible).
It was only 3 weeks, but it was awesome.
Since the Europe trip, I've also been to:
- Cuba
- Peru
- Argentina
- Hawaii
- Beautiful Saskatoon, SK
- Breathtaking Buffalo, NY
Argentina was amazing. Peru was fascinating. Buffalo was... interesting. But if I could go anywhere again, to live permanently, it would be London, England.
When we visited London, we stayed with friends in a hamlet called Gypsy Hill. That alone makes it cool. We took the train in and out of the city every day and absorbed all that London has to offer. The pubs were real pubs. The subway was an actual and legitimate mode of transport. And the history and architecture were da bomb.
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Did I use that term correctly, da bomb? I think it means 'the history and architecture were great.' Do kids still say da bomb? Is the fact that I said something is da bomb automatically make it lame? Do kids still say lame? As in, 'Oh God, my next post should be about how lame I have become; a caricature of a man, really.'
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After we returned from our trip, my wife (then girlfriend) and I talked a lot about going back to London to live after we got married. Years went by, careers were established, and now we are firmly and happily rooted in our home and our life and our routine.
So, if the idea of moving somewhere new if off the table, where would I want to visit?
London. Let me explain.
My notion of London is based on a memory of what the city was to me at that moment in time. I was free from school. I hadn't yet started working. I literally had nothing to worry about, which automatically made the entire trip that much better. I could sit in the pub all night long, without a worry. I could accidentally ask for a mint julep instead of a mojito and play off my disgust with youthful naiveté.
Now though, things are different. I am older. I have different views and a different understanding of life. Surely, the city itself has changed. And at this point in my life I would curse the wasted money spent on a foul mint julep. As a result, I often wonder whether or not another trip would be just as memorable.
That's why I picked London.
Plus, travel in the EU is much easier and cheaper than it is here, and London is fairly central to make side trips to Edinburgh, Dublin, Athens, Prague, Lisbon and Cannes. I could revisit my London memories, and check out the places I missed the first time around.
So, shout out to all the sociologists out there, who need someone to help provide research on travel regression theories. I'm your guy.
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Did I use that term correctly, shout out? ...
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