Wanderlust Wednesday Review: The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E Smith

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The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E Smith
Series: Standalone
Published: April 15th, 2014
Publisher: Poppy
337 pages (eARC)
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
Acquired this book: Via NetGalley in exchange for honest consideration
Warning: May contain spoilers
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{Read my review of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight || Read my review of This is What Happy Looks Like}

Lucy and Owen meet somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors of a New York City apartment building, on an elevator rendered useless by a citywide blackout. After they’re rescued, they spend a single night together, wandering the darkened streets and marveling at the rare appearance of stars above Manhattan. But once the power is restored, so is reality. Lucy soon moves to Edinburgh with her parents, while Owen heads out west with his father.

Lucy and Owen’s relationship plays out across the globe as they stay in touch through postcards, occasional e-mails, and—finally—a reunion in the city where they first met.

A carefully charted map of a long-distance relationship, Jennifer E. Smith’s new novel shows that the center of the world isn't necessarily a place. It can be a person, too.

Having read two of Jennifer E Smith’s previous books - The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight and This is What Happy Looks Like - I knew to expect one thing from The Geography of You and Me: Cuteness. Smith’s books are adorable and fluffy, with plenty of grin- and swoon-worthy scenes, a sweet romance, and an overall positive, hopeful message. Underneath the light tone, there’s always a good dose of feels, plus a fun and original story, making for well-rounded and well-written books. The Geography of You and Me was no exception.

The story starts with Lucy and Owen getting stuck in an elevator of their apartment building during a blackout. They distract each other from the darkness, the all-consuming heat, and the worry about being trapped indefinitely. They don’t know each other well, but they form the type of bond people tend to form when they’re thrust together in stressful situations. From there, even though they both move away and have sporadic contact, they’re never far from each other’s minds.

I’m going to assume Smith was inspired to write this story by the wide-swept blackout of 2003 that stretched from Canada down into the States. I remember that blackout well, and since I live in a high-rise apartment myself, it was easy to imagine what it would be like to get stuck in an elevator and experience the suffocating heat of the hallways, stairwells, and your own apartment. I loved Smith’s descriptions of the heat, the city, the stars, all of it. New York City became its own character, larger than life. The same happened wherever the characters went - each new city had a life of its own, stirring my ever-present wanderlust, especially when Lucy visited places I’ve fallen in love with firsthand, like London, Paris, and Rome. I connected with Lucy’s desire to travel, and was so happy when she finally started seeing the places she’d always dreamed of. Another thing I loved: the running inside jokes between the characters throughout the book.

There were great side characters in the book, too. I loved Owen’s relationship with his dad, and initially felt so bad for Lucy being left behind and seemingly forgotten by her parents. As the story unfolds, Lucy’s mom is surprisingly complex, and I really enjoyed seeing the bonding moments between the two.

My only small complaint about the book was the pacing. It started and ended strong, but parts of the middle dragged. That being said, when it did pick up again toward the end, I flew through the pages and even got teary a few times because it all came together in such a lovely way. I appreciated that things weren’t tied up in a neat little bow - it was a far more realistic ending than a lot of other YAs, and yet it was easy enough to believe that with all this pair had gone through, both separately and together, they’d find a way to make it work and get a happy ending one way or another.

If you’re looking for something light and sweet, with just the right amount of humour, swoons, feels, and romance, I highly recommend The Geography of You and Me.

Have you read The Geography of You and Me? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? Have you read any of Smith's other books? Did you experience the big black-out of 2003?

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Wanderlust Wednesday: The Roman Colosseum

 

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Rome was Krista's most anticipated place on our UK and European adventure. She's always been interested in Roman history and mythology, so she had a to-see/do list about a mile long. I've always been fascinated with Rome too, but in a more...passive way, I guess? It was somewhere on my 'someday' list, but until we started planning our trip, I didn't know if I'd ever actually get there. Imagine my surprise when arrived in Rome and I was completely, madly in love with the city. 

The Colosseum was one of my top things to see in the Eternal City. I don't think I'll ever forget that moment when we emerged from the metro and there it was, larger than life. I had to remember to keep walking and get out of the way so I wouldn't get plowed down by other people coming out of the underground! It was an amazing sight.

Here's a tip if you're planning a visit to the Colosseum: there's an 'inclusive' ticket that includes the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill. Walk a short distance past the Colosseum to the Roman Forum and buy your ticket there (12 Euro as of June 2015). You'll wait maybe ten minutes in line at the Forum, as opposed to possibly a couple hours at the Colosseum. When you get to the Colosseum, you'll see two lines: one to buy tickets, and one to breeze right in with your pre-bought ticket. Also, the ticket is good for two days, so you can split it up if you want and do the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill one day and the Colosseum the next day!

Krista and I were both sort of struck speechless as we looked around. It was incredible to stand there, knowing the place had almost 2,000 years worth of history, much of it bloody and gruesome.

Have you been to the Colosseum? What did you think? If you haven't been, do you hope to go someday? Are you interested in Roman history? Gladiators? Let's talk here or on Twitter!

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Wanderlust Wednesday: My London-Paris-Rome Trip Recap!

 

Check out my previous Wanderlust Wednesday posts.

It's taken three weeks, but I finally did it - I have a trip recap! Warning: it's a really long post! I tried to keep it as short as possible, but it is two weeks' worth of stuff, and I didn’t want to leave anything out. I hope this will interest some of you and that a few of you might even get through the whole thing. ;-) I've highlighted the highlights in case you don't want to read the whole thing, but just want to know what I did, where I went, what I saw, etc. There aren't many pictures, but most of my Wanderlust Wednesday posts from now on will be themed posts about my trip, including lots of pics. Next week’s WW is the British Fandom Edition, where I’ll share pictures of 221B Baker Street, Gower Street, Platform 9 3/4 at King’s Cross Station, and the TARDIS we found! In the meantime if you want to see more pics, visit my Instagram, because I posted some pics as we went, and I'm still posting pics there fairly regularly.

Here we go! 

Marie and Krista Do the UK and Europe

 
Day 1 - Bye bye Canada!

• We left around 3pm for Pearson International Airport in Toronto, which is about a 2-hour drive. Checked in, got through security (I'd been worrying about security for months, not knowing what to expect, but we breezed through it in minutes and it was super easy, proving that I am often neurotic for no reason). Grabbed some food, charged our phones, people-watched, then boarded our plane. We didn't want to pay $35 each for reserved seats when we booked our flights, so we ended up sitting on opposite sides of the plane - boo! I sat with a lovely woman and her teenage daughter from Texas, and Krista sat with a guy from London, so she got lots of tips and tricks for the trip, which was great. We had a yummy dinner (I always hear how plane food sucks, but I thought the food was delicious), I watched Paddington, slept a bit, and overall had a pretty good flight.

Day 2 - London, baby!

• We arrived at Heathrow shortly after 8:30am, got through customs, grabbed our bags, then went through the airport to the tube (subway), where we bought our Oyster cards (a travel card you put money on and then simply tap to ride the trains - best thing ever, for so many reasons. If you're travelling to London and you're curious about this - or anything else I talk about in this post - please don't hesitate to contact me to ask questions). Luckily the tube runs straight from the airport to our stop, so we didn’t have to change, but the ride took about an hour, and we ended up standing, balancing against our luggage, for the whole ride. We went straight to our hotel (less than a five-minute walk from Russell Square station, yay!) and miraculously were able to check in right away, despite check-in technically being at 2pm. We were both tired and felt gross (my eyes were so tired and dry, I could barely see), so it was nice to get settled into the room. We had planned to do a ton of stuff that day to avoid jet lag, but unfortunately, we were both so out of it, it took us ages to work up the energy to leave the hotel.

• We finally dragged ourselves out and wandered around the area. I was specifically looking for Gower Street, where BBC’s Sherlock is filmed, since I’d read it wasn’t far from the hotel. We kept getting turned around, but we ended up seeing some really pretty parks and interesting buildings, and finally ended up at Gower Street by accident. It was so cool to see the facade of the building where Sherlock is filmed, plus Speedy’s Café, which you can see in every episode. Very cool! From there, we grabbed the tube. We’d intended to get to Tower Hill, but ended up in Leicester Square, where we decided to wander around. We discovered we were in the City of London, which was one of our goals; Krista's brother sent her this video before we left, explaining the difference between London and the City of London, and we were fascinated. We were completely lost, looking for a place to eat, and I just happened to see one of the City of London crests, so that perked us up right away. We finally found a place to eat (my first meal in London? Fish and chips, naturally!), then headed back to the hotel.

Day 3

• Took the tube to Piccadilly Circus. Wandered around, stopped at Caffé Nero, had a real British scone, complete with clotted cream and a tiny pot of strawberry jam - heaven! I also had my first ever macchiato, which was also really good.

• Went to the Household Cavalry, saw the cavalry guard, went through the museum

• Saw Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey went through St. James Park (where we stopped for ice cream and sat to watch the birds and ducks), saw Buckingham Palace, Wellington Arch

• Around 5pm we went to meet my friend JK. She moved to London last November and is working as a librarian in a school on a 2-year visa. We met her after work at Baker Street tube station, went to see 221B Baker Street (the museum was closed, but we hadn’t intended to go in anyway, although now that I’ve seen the outside and peeked in the windows, going inside is on my list for my next trip to London), then went for dinner, wandered around Oxford Street, and then parted ways since it was getting dark and we were all tired.

Day 4 - Day trip out of London

• We left early in the morning to meet up with a tour going to Windsor Castle, Bath, and Stonehenge.

• We did a tour of Windsor Castle, which was huge and beautiful. AND...Queen Elizabeth was in residence! We were there during the Royal Ascot, and I guess the queen is always at Windsor (her favourite home) for that. It was exciting knowing she was there. On our way out, we saw part of the changing of the guard, but we were in a hurry to catch the bus, so we couldn't stay long. I definitely want to go back to Windsor, do a more thorough tour of the castle, see the chapel, and check out the town itself.

• From there we drove to Bath. We saw the cathedral from the outside, and got to do a tour of the Roman Baths. Krista and I both drank from the spring, which is apparently full of minerals and healing properties. It was hot and gross, but it’s fun to say we did it! Next time I go to England, I’d love to spend at least a full day, if not a couple days in Bath. It was so beautiful, but we didn’t get to do anything other than the Roman Baths.

• From there, we drove to Stonehenge. I’ve wanted to see Stonehenge my whole life, and it didn’t disappoint. We took our time doing a full loop of the circle before making a mad dash back to the bus.

• After that it was time to head back to London. It was a whirlwind day, and it didn’t feel like we had enough time to see everything properly, but considering it was a 12-hour day and we spent over half of that just driving from place to place, it would have been impossible to spend more time in each place. I’m happy I got to see what I did, plus our tour guide was incredible, and gave us several tips for things to do in London, some of which we actually ended up doing.

Day 5

• We met JK in the morning and headed to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard

• Wandered the streets for awhile (okay, we got totally turned around, but we ended up seeing some pretty cool things, including the London Ritz, where I’d love to go for high tea someday).

• Said goodbye to JK, then Krista and I headed for the British Museum. We were there for several hours, then got some yummy waffles from a cart outside and sat and watched people come and go.

• 6pm: Contiki group meetup! We met our tour manager and the people on our tour, then had a group dinner before meeting our coach driver and setting out for a quick tour of London. We ended up at Buckingham Palace at dusk, which was nice because there were only a few people milling around instead of the usual massive crowds.

Day 6

• We set out with some of the people from our Contiki group and started the day at the Tower of London. This little history nerd was very happy! We did one of the tours guided by a Beefeater, had ice cream while we waited in line to see the Crown Jewels, and then went up in the White Tower.

• From there we went for lunch, then did a cruise on the Thames River. We got off at Westminster Pier, where we took the tube to King’s Cross Station and...saw Platform 9 3/4! We had to wait in line for quite awhile, but it was totally worth it once I was up there, wearing a Ravenclaw scarf, holding a wand, and going off to Hogwarts (at least in my own vivid imagination)! I got a few neat little things in the gift shop for myself and my nephews, then we headed back to the hotel to drop everything off and head straight back out to meet our Contiki group for...

• A Jack the Ripper walking tour! We walked through the streets of Whitechapel, seeing the murder sites and the buildings from the 1880s that are still standing, and heard about the murders, theories about the murderer, and what life was like in the late 1800s in London. I’ve had this sick fascination with Jack the Ripper for years and our tour guide was fantastic, so this was definitely a highlight for me.

• After the tour, we walked to a nightclub, where about half the group got in, but then the rest of us were turned away because it was too full. We headed down the street to a pub, which was PACKED. We were like 'meh' and so were the girls we were with, so we caught the tube at Piccadilly and headed back to the hotel, where we met up with a few other people who had skipped the bar, and we had dinner and drinks with them in one of the hotel’s restaurants.

Day 7 - Last day in London *sniff*

• Did a tour of Westminster Abbey. We spent probably two hours exploring. I got to light a candle for my dad, Grama, and Poppy. Again, the history nerd in me was happy...and it was exciting to walk down the aisle where Duchess Kate walked to marry Prince William!

• Had a delicious lunch at a pub near the Abbey (I had steak and ale pie, which was one of the best things I ate on the entire trip), then walked through St. James Park again, but it was a different section than Day 3 and we got to see pelicans! We just happened to be walking by and the guy who feeds them was coming out and they all rushed out of the water, along with a bunch of herons, for feeding time. They were massive! I’m so glad we got to see them.

• Went back to the Household Cavalry (Krista’s obsession - cute, uniformed boys on horses), and this time we were in time to see the changing of the guard, so she was extra happy.

• More wandering led us to Trafalgar Square

• From there we went to Kensington Gardens and saw Kensington Palace

• On our way back to the hotel, we ended up having to change trains at Earl’s Court, which is where our tour guide from Day 4 told us the TARDIS was...so we did a lap of the station and found it! There was definitely some squeeing on my part!

• Back to the hotel to get ready for a night out to see Mamma Mia! We knew a West End musical was included on our tour, but we didn’t know what it would be. Mamma Mia was my top choice/wish, since I love Abba and the movie is one of my favourites, so I was beyond excited, and it exceeded my expectations. 

Kensington Palace, current home of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (aka Will and Kate) and their beautiful little munchkins Prince George and Princess Charlotte, as well as Prince Harry

Day 8 - Cheerio, London!

• We left London early and drove to Dover to cross on the ferry to France...or at least that’s what we were supposed to do, but when we reached the port, we were told the workers in France were striking (something we’d soon learn they love to do), and we couldn’t cross.

• Went to Dover Castle to put in time, then drove half an hour to Canterbury, where we spent a couple hours waiting for word on the border opening so we could leave England.

• We ended up leaving Dover around 5:30pm, which was the time we were supposed to be arriving in Paris. It was a 90-minute ferry ride to Calais, then another 5-ish hour drive to Paris, where we arrived around midnight, checked into our hotel, and called it a night.

Day 9 - Oui oui, Paris

• We were supposed to have a group dinner and a coach tour the night we arrived in Paris, but since we arrived so late, we were reimbursed for the dinner. Our coach driver had exceeded his driving hours the day before and wasn’t allowed to drive until later in the day, so we all hopped on the Metro to Trocadero to see the Eiffel Tower from a great picture-taking vantage. We were supposed to go up the Tower that morning, but they were striking (ha!), so we had free time.

• Went to the Arc de Triomphe (which we climbed to enjoy the view of the city), then Notre Dame Cathedral. Saw the Louvre (we didn’t go in because we didn’t have time; luckily I went on my first trip to Paris in 2001, and Krista and the girls we were spending the day with ended up going in that night while I went to Moulin Rouge).

• Met up with the group at Place de la Concorde (where they were setting up for the Tour de France) and had the city tour we missed the night before.

• That night: Moulin Rouge! This was another highlight of the trip for me. A gourmet 3-course meal, wine, a glass of real champagne, and a show like no other. It was incredible. Afterward, the coach was there to take us back to the hotel or we could go out, so a bunch of us went next door to a famous bar called O’Sullivans for drinks and some dancing.

View of Paris + the Eiffel Tower from the top of the Arc de Triomphe

Day 10

• Did a tour of the Palace of Versailles.

• Went to the Musée d’Orsay. I love Monet, Renoir, and Van Gogh, so this was another highlight for me.

• That night we had our farewell dinner since we were all parting ways. Some people were going home, some were staying in Paris, some were going on to Amsterdam, and others were going to Rome. We climbed the stairs in front of Sacre Coeur Basilica, then went to dinner at a fancy restaurant in Montmartre.

• How we ended our evening: Eiffel Tower by night! We finally got to go up, see the city, then watch it sparkle, which it does every hour on the hour from dusk.

Day 11 - Au revoir, Paris!

• We flew from Paris to Rome, where our comedy of errors continued. There was a fire that morning at the airport we were supposed to land at, so we were detoured to the other airport in town, where we were supposed to be picked up, but there’d been a mix-up so we ended up camping out on the airport floor for several hours. It was actually kind of fun because we all bonded while we were sitting around sharing food and stories.

• That night we went for dinner with some of our group. I was looking forward to eating ALL THE FOOD in Rome, and the gorgonzola pizza, tirimisu gelato, and prosecco didn’t disappoint.

Day 12

• Country #4: the Vatican! Went to St. Peter’s Basilica, then climbed the dome, which seriously just about killed me. We took a lift partway, but still had to climb 320 stairs in an airless, tight, windy tower. I wanted to kill Krista for making me do it, but the view of St. Peter’s Square and Rome were incredibly, plus I was so freaking proud of myself when we got back down and I knew I’d accomplished something amazing and concurred a huge challenge.

• Back to Rome, where we wandered around the ridiculously beautiful city, ate gelato, and visited Santa Maria del Popolo Square and the church.

St. Peter's Square (which, as you can see, is actually a circle) from the top of the Dome at St. Peter's Basilica

Day 13 

• Roman Forum

• Palatine Hill

• Colosseum

*Both of us history nerds rejoiced yet again at all this incredible, ancient history, despite the crippling heat and the need to seek shade every 5 or 10 minutes. I got a wicked sunburn, despite applying sunscreen twice. That night, we were supposed to meet some of our group for dinner, but we somehow missed them, so we went out in search of food on our own. I'd seen a restaurant earlier in the day that looked good and wasn't far from the hotel, so we walked a bit and when I thought I saw it, we paused for a second outside, and a waiter swept out the door, said 'buona sera' and handed us glasses of free prosecco, so we were like 'ok, guess we're eating here' haha. We ended up having an incredible dinner (and more prosecco after our free glass). It was a great night.

Day 14

• Spanish Steps

• Trevi Fountain - There's a legend that if you throw a coin in the fountain and make a wish, you'll return to Rome one day. The fountain is under construction, which I knew beforehand, but I thought it would be much worse because in the last pictures I saw, it was under heavy construction and covered in scaffolding. I was so, so happy when we got there and saw it wasn't as bad as expected. Even though there wasn't water in the fountain, you could still throw your coin over the glass into the empty basin, so we did!

• The Pantheon (which was closed because it was a holiday, which nobody bothered to tell us. We were so bummed!)

• Lots of wandering, visiting squares, a bit of shopping

*I was absolutely dazzled by Rome, especially on that last day. There's something magical about the light in the city, plus I swear I've never seen a sky so blue. 

Day 15 - Arrivederci, Rome!

• Flew home! One of the longest days of my life, with a few more hiccups (because why not, consider we had them the whole trip lol), but we made it home safely and were extremely happy to be back on Canadian soil after a whirlwind trip.

  

Three weeks later, I'm at the point where the whole thing feels like a crazy, amazing dream. I still can't believe I got to do and see so many things I've fantasized about my whole life. I've been so busy with work I haven't had time to sort through all 2,100 of my pictures, but I'm working away at it and setting aside the ones I want to share for future Wanderlust Wednesday posts. I hope you enjoyed reading about my trip! If you have any questions, you can leave a comment, email me, or chat with me on Twitter! 

   
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Wanderlust Wednesday Review: The Eternal City by Paula Morris

 

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The Eternal City by Paula Morris
Series: Standalone
Published: May 26th, 2015
Publisher: Scholastic
304 pages (eARC)
Genre: Young Adult Urban Fantasy/Mythology
Acquired this book: Via Edelweiss in exchange for honest consideration
Warning: May contain spoilers
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Laura Martin is visiting Rome on a class trip, and she's entranced by the majestic Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon. . . . Everything in this city seems magical.

That is, until the magic seems to turn very dark.

Suddenly, statues of Cupid and ancient works of art come to life before her eyes. Earthquakes rumble and a cloud of ash forms in the sky. A dark-eyed boy with wings on his heels appears and gives her a message. Laura soon realizes she is at the center of a brewing battle -- a battle between the gods and goddesses, one that will shake modern-day Rome to its core.

Only she and her group of friends can truly unravel the mystery behind what is happening. As tensions mount and secret identities are revealed, Laura must rely on her own inner strength to face up to what may be a fight for her life.

The synopsis for The Eternal City immediately piqued my interest, mostly because when I first heard about it I was just months away from my first visit to Rome, plus I love books with foreign settings. While the synopsis sounds exciting and different, and I liked the premise of the book, the execution was lacking. The story felt like a series of random events and strange things happening to the main character, Laura, but the characters were completely flat and the attempt at romance seemed like an after thought.

Laura is on a school trip to Rome, the Eternal City, a beautiful city rich in history. The vivid descriptions of Rome are pretty much the only reason I gave this book 3 stars instead of 2. It was easy to picture the places Laura visited, and I really liked that. So Laura's trip is moving along nicely until Laura is almost mugged at the Trevi Fountain, and then odd things begin happening, all of which seem to be centred around her for some reason. We come to find out that she’s in possession of the Eyes of Minerva, and ancient gods are battling to retrieve them. As I said, the premise was good, but there were a lot of things that didn’t quite make sense. It didn’t help that the characters were completely one-dimensional, so there was nothing to connect to. I usually prefer character-driven books, or if the books have a lot of action and fantasy elements, I want to at least get a sense of who the characters are, what drives them, what they’re like outside the events that are happening, and I never got that from The Eternal City. The action scenes were good, but they weren’t enough to carry the story on their own. The romance was just sort of thrown in and wasn’t believable. They had no chemistry and didn’t get to know each other at all - they were just thrown together by circumstances. 

Overall, The Eternal City wasn’t what I was hoping for. It had a beautiful setting, but the characters and story itself were lacking and fell flat. Despite not really enjoying this one, I bought Morris’s Ruined awhile ago and I’m still eager to read it.

There were quite a few scenes in The Eternal City with seagulls and crows (as part of the fantasy/mythology aspect of the story), so when I saw this seagull at the top of Palatine Hill in Rome and he kept creeping closer and closer, all I could think of was their role in The Eternal City!

  

Have you read The Eternal City? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? Have you read any of Paula Morris's other books? Do you have any favourite books that deal with Roman mythology? Let's talk here or on Twitter! 

   
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I'm baaaack!

I'm back! Well, actually, I've been back for about a week, but I've been so swamped (and tired, OMG so tired) I haven't had time to post any updates. Between family stuff, writing, freelance work, and a few other things, I feel like I've been on a merry-go-round for the last week.

Speaking of merry-go-rounds...it was a whirlwind, rollercoaster of a trip. I saw a lot, I did a lot, I learned a lot. It was what I expected in some ways and absolutely nothing like I expected in other ways. I have a lot to share with you guys (including some of my favourites of the 2,100 pictures I took), but I'm still trying to figure out how to do that. I'm not sure whether to dedicate the rest of the month to trip stuff, or do select 'highlights' type posts every Wednesday for Wanderlust Wednesday. Any thoughts? I've got a couple reviews scheduled while I figure things out, so be sure to keep coming to the blog because there'll still be content! I'm also still slowly posting some of my favourite pictures on Instagram, so if you're eager to see those before I start posting them on the blog, be sure to check out my Instagram feed. 

What have you guys been up to for the last three weeks? 

  
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Today's the Day - I'm Going on an Adventure!

Today's the day! At 8:40pm (EST) I'll be on a plane taking off for London, England!

Krista and I have been planning this trip for almost a year. After talking about it for awhile and deciding which tour we wanted to do, our official countdown started with 40 weeks to go. 40! And now the day is finally here. I'm still in shock. Every time I talk about it, I feel like I'm talking about someone else, or a story I'm writing or something. I keep saying I probably won't believe this is really happening until we're sitting on the plane. I've dreamed and wished and hoped and planned for this for so long, and now my dream is coming true!

• My London To-Do List

• My Paris To-Do List 

• My Rome To-Do List

I won't be updating the blog while I'm away, but I do have a few posts set to go up during the two weeks I'm gone. I might be quiet for awhile when I get back and adjust to 'real life' again, but then I'll have a bunch of posts about my trip, with lots of pictures! I plan to collect little bits and bobs while I'm away so I can host a fun giveaway for you guys. 

If you want to see what I'm up to over the next two weeks, follow me on Instagram or Twitter, or follow the hashtag #MarieAndKristaDoEurope.

 Wish me luck! See you guys in July!

   

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Wanderlust Wednesday ~ Why my Euro trip terrifies me as much as it excites me

 

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A week from now I'll be in London. Even just typing that makes me want to hyperventilate. I'm excited...but I'm also nervous. Really nervous. The excitement is obvious. Travel! Lifelong dreams coming true! London! Paris! Rome! Traveling with a friend I've known for 25 years! But the nerves...oh boy. I've tried to focus on the excitement, but I can't deny the nerves.

See, I'm a hermit. I work from home and I can go days (and days and days) without leaving the house or seeing anyone other than my mum. I'm an introvert and I'm shy to boot. I enjoy time alone and need time to recharge after being around people. Lots of noise and activity exhausts me. Crowds freak me out. I have social anxiety issues. All of that seems at odds with someone going on a two-week trip and who will be with a travelling companion 24/7, plus a group of people for 9 days, plus going to three of the biggest cities in the world.   

*deep breath*

Then there's the part of me that knows this will be good for me. A whole new experience, new places, new people. I talked a couple weeks ago about how I've been stuck in a rut and I desperately need to recharge my creative batteries, and I know for that reason alone I need this trip. I need to conquer some of my fears and try new things. I'm usually someone who likes to plan things, and it helps my anxiety if I'm able to know what to expect in situations...but there are going to be tons of situations I can't plan for or know what to expect. And even though it causes me some anxiety, it's probably a good thing. It's been a long time since I've done anything truly spontaneous, and I feel like this trip will allow for tons of spontaneous, unexpected things. It's going to be an adventure in every way, and that's a good thing. I just need to keep telling myself that. 

I will be brave.

I will be bold.

I will try new things.

I will be open to new experiences.

I will have no regrets.

I will soak it all in.

I will not let fear hold me back.

I will be spontaneous.

I will take a deep breath when I need to.

I will be confident.

I will draw out that fun girl inside who's been hidden away for too long, silenced, buried by doubts and fears, and I will set her free.

   
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Wanderlust Wednesday ~ Rome To-Do List Edition

 

Check out my previous Wanderlust Wednesday posts.

4 weeks until my trip to Europe!!! *freaks out*

This is my final to-do list for the trip. Last week I shared my Paris To-Do List and the week before that I shared my London To-Do List.

The Contiki tour we're doing is a bit different from their normal tours. A huge group of us will be doing London and Paris together, but some people go home after that, some stay in Paris, some go on to Amsterdam, and some of us go on to Rome. Since Rome is Krista's dream, we picked the Rome extension. Something else different about the tour: the 'tour' ends in Paris. Our flight from Paris to Rome and our transfer to the hotel are included, along with a 3-day Metro pass, but other than that we're on our own. I'm really hoping by then we'll have made friends with the people doing the Rome extension and we can all hang out as a group. Krista didn't think the 2.5 days we had in Rome for the tour would be enough (and I agreed), so we booked an extra day so we'd be sure to see and do (*cough* and eat) as much as possible. Note that Krista actually has about a dozen other things on her list that I still need to research, so I’m sure my actual list 4 weeks from now will be quite a bit bigger!

Things We Plan to do in Rome

In no particular order

• EAT ALL THE PIZZA, PASTA, AND GELATO

• Visit the Colosseum

• Visit the Roman Forum

• Visit the Trevi Fountain and cry that it’s under construction and I won’t get to throw a coin in, then buy several postcards and possibly photoshop myself into them when I get home

• Visit the Spanish Steps

• Visit the Pantheon

• Visit the Vatican and see St. Peter’s Basilica (I'm kinda terrified of the narrow, windy steps going up to the dome, but the view looks amazing, so I might suck it up, pay the 5 Euros, and hope I don't have an attack of claustrophobia)

• Visit Santa Maria del Popolo church

• Visit Capitoline Hill

• Visit as many piazzas as possible

• Attempt to order and drink coffee like the Romans do (in other words, quickly and at the bar)

• Flirt with hot Italian men

• I’ve never had tiramisu, so I figure Rome is a good place to try it. And biscotti, which I technically have had but it was crappy, rock-hard store-bought stuff. I'd also like to try limoncello and prosecco

• Wander around, soak in the beauty, culture, and history, take a gazillion pictures, work out the dozen or so story ideas I have...and try not to melt in the heat ;-)

  

Have you been to Rome? Have you done any of these things? How much of this stuff would be on your to-do list if you were going to Rome? Have I missed anything? Let's talk here or on Twitter!

   
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