Wanderlust is content and the travel bug is fed
I’m home at last from my travels and back in blogging business! That was an incredibly long vacation- gone for a full 22 days, between first stopping to see my grandparents in Ontario and then from there going to Italy. By the end of it, we were all in agreement that it could have been about 2 days shorter, but it was still a fantastic holiday.
Seeing my grandparents again after having not visited them in years was really wonderful. Engaging in political discussions, watching the sun set over the Great Lakes, driving around to all of our historical family sights, eating gigantic homemade feasts, and settling down for the Olympics in the evenings was all so relaxing and peaceful. There were some dinners when my grandma made so much food that some of her dishes didn’t even get touched with 5 of us around the table!
From Ontario, I met up with my friends in Quebec and we flew together to Italy. A whirlwind of sightseeing, exploring, and feasting ensued! We rented a peddle boat in Sicily and went to the top of a mountain to view the oceans and cities below and got incredibly sunburned on the beach. Then there was our experiences on the 12-hour night train between Rome and Palermo, in which we had to elbow our way through the swarms of other passengers to grab seats so we wouldn’t have to spend the entire night standing up (note to self: always reserve seats on night trains well in advance!).
In Rome we toured all of the major ruins and a couple of museums. I managed to persuade 3 of my friends (there was 5 of us traveling together) to come to Pompeii with me, and afterwards they were all raving about it (although we agreed that 4 hours is definitely not enough time to spend roaming about that old city).
In Florence we haggled at the markets and were completely enraptured by the beauty of the city. And Venice was our quest for carnival masks and a couple days worth of getting lost in its maze of streets and bridges.
We filled up on pasta and pizza and gelati and many cafe sandwiches, but also bought excessive amounts of fruit from the street vendors and stopped at grocery store a few times for loaves of bread, milk, and bags of lettuce.
In regards to health, I did just about zero strength training after leaving my grandparents place. But every day we walked for hours including many hills and stairs, and though I fueled my body with a few pastries and creamy plates of pasta (the spaghetti alla carbonara was heaven), I tried to also make healthier choices when I could and indulge in smaller portions. And it was all gloriously real food rather than processed junk! At one restaurant I witnessed the chef making my calzone right in front of me and using a wood-fired open, which was very cool.
Most of my cafe sandwiches had some tomato or lettuce in them, but besides that and a few veggies mixed into my pasta or pizza I only ate 2 salads during my time in Italy. It is nice to be back home with an abundance of veggies to be eaten at my leisure!
While on this trip, the boyfriend and I also broke up- we agreed that its not working out between us. Thankfully it didn’t make the last half of our time in Italy very awkward as it was a mutual decision, and I think this will be for the better. I’ve been in a relationship for too long- its good to be single again, but it is always sad when something like that ends.
And now here we are, back to reality! University has started up again and my sister and I already have possession of our new apartment, so its especially exciting fr me as I’m moving out of my parents place for the first time. And it is good to be back blogging! I have very much missed all of this and look forward to getting back into the regular routine of reading all of your blogs:)
Oh- and one more photo that I’m sure you’ll all enjoy very much. Although the 100 push-up challenge didn’t quite pan out (second attempt to complete it begins this week!), I did do one very special push up just for your viewing pleasure:
Looks and sounds like you had an absolutely incredible time! Welcome back 🙂
Welcome home!!!!!
So glad you had a good time, and made it home safe and sound.
Love the pictures and hope you’ll have a few more to share.
Loved the push-up photo!
SO FUN and thanks for making the time to share all the details.
any post vay cay blues or just happy to be back?!
M.
Sagan! Welcome back! So good to hear you had a great time. Italy is FULL of history, culture, great food, beautiful country, etc, etc, etc!!!
Thanks for posting some pictures too. And a thank you to your Dad for keeping up your blog while you were on vacation. 🙂
welcome back! sounds like an amazing trip. and i love the pushup pic 🙂
Danielle- thanks! It was really really incredible.
Bag Lady- I’ll be sure to post more photos:) The push up photo was taken with a huge load of tourists walking by. I’m wondering how much of our strange antics are going to wind up on YouTube.
MizFit- pretty happy to be back, especially as theres lots to look forward to. And I have so far been distracting myself enough so as to not get any post vay cay blues!
Susan- I love love love the culture and history and art and everything that Italy had to offer- its a paradise for people who like things like that! And I’m sure I’ll convince my dad yet to create his own blog:)
Shauna- thanks! I certainly missed blogging while I was gone.
Hooray, you’re home!! Welcome back!! It sounds like the trip was fabulous!! I’m so glad you got to have this experience. Travel is a tonic that can make everyone healthier!
Such lovely travel photographs!! Glad that you had a wonderful experience :0)
Welcome back! Oh, how I loved Florence and Rome and gelato. I’m dying to go back as soon as I can!
I love the pushup in the Great Outdoors! Good for you for going out there and enjoying food like it should be enjoyed. I’m glad you had such a great time. 🙂
what cute pictures!!! You look like you had a fab time.
Welcome home and very nice pics and recap! Thanks fo sharing! 🙂
Yay, you’re back! I missed you! Looks like you had an amazing holiday. Looking forward to more envy-inspiring pictures 🙂
p/s
Thanks Sagan’s dad.
Great photos! Looks like you had a great trip. Good luck with your new apartment. My first roommate was my sister also, and we had a great time together. Hope you & your sister do as well!
Dr. J- very much agree: traveling is such a healthy thing to do!
Veggiegirl & Charlotte- thanks! I had fun camera-ing.
Gena- I tried risotto while I was there… it was pretty good so I am definitely going to have to try out your recipe for it soon. Mmmm Italian food.
Zandria- I figured it was highly necessary to take that photo, because how many people can say they've done a push up on the Colosseum?
Mark- thanks, its good to be home.
Dee- I missed you too! hehe. I promise more pictures:)
Javachick- I shudder to think what would happen if I moved in with friends… much easier to move in with someone I've already lived with for years!
Glad you are back…did you hear that I will be spying on you fom my balcony?? Sounds like an interesting trip……..great pics a well.
oh my gosh – how far up was that ledge you were doing the push-up on? Scary! But TOUGH! Welcome home…hope the jet lag ain’t too bad.
I love the photos! Welcome back! I’m so glad you’ve returned (safely!)!
Just catching up.
Wow – sounds like a fanstic 22 days! So jealous. And losing 2 lbs? SWEET! See, there is room in the “real world” to enjoy treats while traveling and still maintain a healthy waistline.
Somehow I missed the boyfriend part. Even when it’s right to end it, it can still hurt. I’m sorry. 🙁
But now you’re moving on! :)!
Rebecca- I’ll be watching you from across the river too! 🙂
Leslie- the ledge was pretty low;) And somehow managed to avoid jet lag for the most part!
Ashley- thanks, that’s sweet. It has been strange. Thankfully we’re on good terms and have been communicating a little- it’s weird to lose someone who plays a big part in your life!
POM- You’re absolutely right about combining treats with a healthy lifestyle. As is demonstrated by your own awesome ability to go out partying the night before marathon-ing (I have no idea how you do that but it is so cool that you do!).