Welcome to volume five of our occasional feature Faraway Friday! We are both itinerant daydreamers and when we’re not consulting each other about Craigslist yay or nays, we’re fantasizing about trips we want to take to [insert exotic location]. Once in a while we share a few of our far flung fantasy destinations with you here on the blog; thanks for joining us!
From Katie:
When I was in my early twenties, I spent about a year and a half living in Rome, Italy. During the Christmas holiday, my mom came to visit and we traveled to Venice to meet up with my stepdad for one of the most magical holidays I’ve ever had. I spent happy days completely lost and wandering the foggy, empty streets along the canals. On Christmas evening, after an amazing dinner with my parents, I climbed aboard a traghetto (a water bus) and just drifted along, disembarking to drink hot punch or listen to music in a church. My journal entries from that night are awesomely (awkwardly) sentimental, and to this day I think of Venice as the most romantic, haunting place on earth. This winter I’m longing to go back!
From Mera:
I’m a little embarrassed to admit this, but apart from a brief foray in college (during which, oddly, I never ventured out of South Street Seaport) I have never been to New York City. I would love to go, and especially this time of year when the city is decked out for the holidays.
Have a great weekend everyone!
I have sadly never been to Venice but it is on my bucket travel list along with much of the rest of Italy. Of the places in Italy that i have visited, Rome has a grip on my heart. I actually feel Romesick every time I see photos of Italy. And my husband is a complete geek for all things Ancient Roman so he agrees with me.
New York I have actually only been to twice, once in August 2001 and then again last February (a trip I blogged about). As we now live in the Philly suburbs, we really ought to take more trips to NYC. It really is a fantastic city.
I hope you both get to your dream destinations.
I agree on all fronts: Venice is a must see, and Rome is a must re-see. Romesick is a great term, I’m definitely going to trot that one out. Touring the Colosseum and Palatine Hill was one of the best travel days I’ve ever had. Thanks!
Both your cities rank high on my list of yes I’ll pack my bags now thank you places. I hope you get to go (or return)! Katie’s description of Venice at Christmas sounds just like I imagine it would be – and both choices at Christmas deserve the word magical writ large. Thanks for these moments of thinking about these cities – specially in this season!
Having been born and raised in NJ, I spent a lot of time in Manhattan. This truly is the most magical time to be there.
And Venice. Is there a better place on earth to just wander and get lost? No. No, there is not.
Happy dreaming everyone!
Oh, gosh … I MUST see Venice. And, Mera: I wish I could pack you in my rolling bag. I’m headed to NYC with a girlfriend for a long weekend, Dec. 11-14. (So much easier from here than from the west coast … to say nothing of AK!) I do love NYC.
Take me with you! 🙂
Two of my favorite cities—so very different from each other, yet both equally enthralling. I hope that the travel fairies work their magic and that you both get to take these trips in the near future—I can have my bags packed in about five minutes!