As promised, todays list is about the things I am going to miss once I leave. I truly pondered this all day (and have been occassionally thinking of it over the last few weeks as I start to do the 'last time' of something) and with great difficulty, have come up with the top 5.
1. The city--Venice captured my heart years ago as a child before I ever came and every visit I made strengthened that feeling. Now that I am leaving, a part of me will stay here and a part of Venice will come back with me. It is by far, the most remarkable place to me.
2. The food--while Venice is not known for variety, I have yet to tire of pizza and have found several pasta dishes around the island that I love. The bakery below my apartment has some great secret recipe sweets that they refuse to share with me and the freshness of the fruits and vegetables will soon be a distant memory. I was never a fan of red wine but truly love their house wine here and hope to find something back home that can recreate that flavor. The afternoon spritz and the endless flavors of gelato are great treats. I am sure my feeling on limoncello need not be mentioned again here! And, last but not least, coffee. I made it 41 years without drinking the stuff because I thought it was terrible. But now, there is nothing like my morning cappuccino.
3. My new friends--over the last year, I have met several Italians, several Americans and several Britians which I now considered good friends. They have helped to make my year even more special than originally planned. I will miss them and look forward to seeing them all soon again.
4. Walking and train travel--one of the biggest things I wanted to leave Phoenix for was the driving. Its exhausting and my daily commute of 25 miles each way for work took a toll on me. But here, I get to walk everywhere if I want and walking has always been my favorite exercise. At times I have tired of the bridges but I will definitely long for them and the bumpy cobblestone streets shortly after I get home. As for train travel, it is by far the best way to go. You dont have to arrive hours in advance, you can relax and enjoy the view outside and its very economical. I will miss my day trips to local cities.
5. Europe--and by that I mean the fact that in a few hours I can be in another country experiencing another culture with all that it has to offer. Now I suppose I could travel a few hours from Phoenix (by plane) and be in heart of Arkansas and experience something way different also, but it just isnt the same as travelling to another country!
This list was hard to narrow down and its probably seen as very high level....if I listed the individual things that I will miss, I would be typing well past the time my flight leaves! You just cant have an experience like leaving everything you know to live in a foreign place and not have a life changing moment or two along the way. For me, I hope to review my blog for many years to come as a reminder of my blessings and my fortune.
Tomorrows list? What I am NOT looking forward to when I return home.
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3 comments:
oo this is a fun idea.... look forward to the rest of your lists and to seeing you one last time before you go...
I am sad that you are leaving too. You sound like a person who needs to buy an apartment in Venice... someplace to call home plus rent out and recoup your dollars. Property is probably at a premium plus there are all sorts of hoops to jump through. Another blog I read is Eurobimbo. They're from SoCal and recently bought a property. Well, it's easy to offer advice when I'm sitting at a desk. --Annette
Annette had a good idea, if you buy in Venice you will be able to continue writing about your adventures when you visit.
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