100 Days of Travel Happiness

Buongiorno readers!

It’s been awhile since you’ve heard from me (unless you follow me on Facebook, which I update a little more regularly). Why the wait? I’ve just returned to my home and native land after 100 days of travel. That’s over three months of backpacks, suitcases, foreign languages, foreign currencies, new sights, sounds smells and experiences. It was phenomenal. I visited 7 countries (knocked a few off the Travel Bucket List), took 13 flights, explored a part of Italy I hadn’t been to before, ate many new foods, met many great people and re-connected a bit with the life I love in Siena. A very productive 100 days, don’t you think?

Sunset over Istanbul

Here are some of the highlights in no particular order:

– Hot air ballooning in Cappadocia, Turkey

– White Nights cruise in St. Petersburg, Russia

– Visiting the sobering site of Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland

– Seeing the Palio for the 4th time in Siena, Italy

– Visiting the Checkpoint Charlie museum in Berlin, Germany

– Having a traditional Turkish Hamam treatment in Cappadocia, Turkey

– Being a dinner guest at the exquisite Castello di Spaltenna in Gaiole, Tuscany, Italy

There will be more about these great experiences to come. I promise.

Awaiting the start of the Palio. (It’s not quite the same as my logo, but almost!) Photo credit: Marco Zamperini

100 days away from the hustle and bustle of my life in Canada also gave me a bit of time to reflect on the direction I want my life to take in the near future, and the types of things I’d like to dedicate my time to.

Some of you may have noticed a new addition to the menu bar of this blog: the Hire Me menu. Yes, that’s right. I’ve hung up my shingle and am looking to dedicate more of my time to freelance writing and translating. Over the summer I’ve been lucky enough to secure a few new content creation and translation projects, but if you or someone you know needs to hire a writer, think of me.

In June I also started the wonderfully confusing process of trying to obtain a work visa to head back over to Italy for another extended period. (In my books, 3 months no longer counts as an extended period!) The process has been slow, bureaucratically baffling, frustrating and typically Italian. Right now things are at a standstill and I really don’t have any indication as to whether this visa will be a part of my near future or not, but when I do, I’ll keep you updated.