where was i wednesday?

Well, I've been home for a week. While it's nice to not be constantly on the move, I miss the feeling of regular adventure and awe. It's rainy and cold here in Utrecht, and I'm dreaming of the warm sunshine. These are from my travels - I've been rather stationary after returning (can you blame me?) Last week I was in Bern, Switzerland. As I mentioned, Mom lived there when she was a young adult. It was such a pleasant surprise to realize that my hostel was within walking distance of her old apartment. Maybe some of you will recognize the rustic hues and cobbled streets, but I avoided images that would give anything away - I'll share those later.

xoxo//hc
PS: I leave for Istanbul on Friday! Wut.

selfie sunday

What a week. With the end of a backpacking adventure and the end of an age, I feel like a different woman.

Utrecht, The Netherlands

I have a lot of things to be thankful for today from this week. My happiness levels are high.

1. Coincidences in foreign countries.
2. Birthday wishes, poems, hugs, songs and love.
3. Dinner parties and shared meals.
4. Waves of nostalgia and learning the Finnish word - haikea. I think nostalgia abounds in times of solitude.
5. A house full of friends, a courtyard for bonding and Backstreet Boys karaoke.



Time is passing quickly and things are constantly changing. Trying my best to accept and embrace approaching ends.
xoxo//hc

things to do while i'm 22

So, I'm 22. (In that picture, I'm the baby. A new, fresh baby.)

It kind of snuck up on me. With all the traveling, I forgot about my approaching birthday, and it seems a bit surreal to have a different age. The past 365 days have been an unbelievable blur - a lot of things happened, as they should. I started drinking in public, got really involved with the Daily Beacon, moved off campus, learned how to be a Starbucks barista, prepared for six months abroad, miraculously passed all my classes, a serious relationship ended, said good bye to my friends and family, boarded an airplane, started speaking more slowly (for the non-native English speakers), repeatedly cycled in the rain, rode trains for hours on end and tried my damndest to document it all.

In an effort to ensure that the next 365 are as satisfying as the last, I made a list. Why a list? Because lists make me feel good. There's plenty of scientific research that supports my affirmation for bulleted documents like "10 Reasons Why We Love Lists" on NPR.

This list has a few things that will be relatively easy and others that will need outside influences. If you are reading this and can provide assistance with anything, please, help a sista out and let me know. I'll update my progress each month (and I don't plan to leave it all until May 2015.)





Without further ado, here is my list of 23 things to do before I turn 23 -

[ ] ride in a sailboat or go canoeing 

[ ] hold a lamb and ride a horse (spend a day on a farm?)

[ ] visit the lands of my ancestors

[ ] produce at least one zine

[ ] display photographs in an art gallery (first friday would be cool)

[ ] plant some seeds, watch them grow, replant into a bigger pot, keep it alive

[ ] spend the night under a blanket of stars - the more the better

[ ] DIY food (bread, mustard, pickles, etc.)

[ ] go on a blind date

[ ] have photographs/stories published somewhere other than the Beacon

[ ] maintain a vegan diet for a week (maybe even a month?)

[ ] make an official portfolio website / increase online community 

[ ] find a favorite cocktail. learn how to make it at home

[ ] get the hell out of college (yikes.)

[ ] downsize

[ ] go to a theatrical production and a concert at least once a month

[ ] safely increase adrenaline (bungee jumping, swimming with sharks, etc.)

[ ] stay up an entire night and see the sunrise 

[ ] discreetly skinny dip/streak (don’t tell my mother - or my aunts for that matter)

[ ] get another tattoo 

[ ] take a weekly self-portrait 

[ ] say yes as often as possible (without stretching myself too far or too thin)

[ ] AAAAAND survive the entire year

xoxo//hc

where was I wednesday?

My three week travels are complete. Here are some images from the last city I stopped in. As I was chatting with Mom, I told her where I was and she reminded me about the time she lived here. I definitely knew that, but when I picked this Swiss location over others, it wasn't on my mind. The coincidence made me enjoy this place just a little bit more.

Oh, and last week I was at the Colosseum in Rome! 

This was Mom's street! 

xoxo//hc

narbonne food market pt. 1

So, three weeks of traveling provides a lot of photo-ops. I've got a lot to images, and I hope you're interested in seeing them. Here's a few from a food market, one of my all time favorite things, in Narbonne. 

xoxo//hc

oh, monday.

Well, today's level of perfection far exceeded my expectations. I woke up earlier than I needed to but found the missing screw for my sunglasses (miraculously in my giant backpack) as a reward. In Milan, I needed to print a seat reservation but didn't have the necessary information. (Thank you, internet.) Despite the mishap, a train crew member suggested I board the train and find a free seat, which happened quite easily. The ticket-checkers accepted my Eurail pass without a reservation, and I was able to stay in my place the entire ride. Half way through the trip, I dozed off and then woke as we exited a tunnel and the Alps loomed over us in all their glory. Saying "I was speechless" doesn't really mean anything; I don't talk to myself on trains. But you get it - the mountains were spectacular.

After dropping my backpack at the hostel, I grabbed a city map and went for a walk. During this walk, I did many perfect things:
-ate Swiss chocolate while staring at the Alps
-wandered through the woods (or a wooded area in the city)
-almost cried because that was the closest I had been to nature in weeks (aside from the iris garden Henni and I sat in on Wednesday)
-saw some bears (not in "the woods" - they were in captivity)
-crossed a few bridges
-read a few signs for interesting art/museum exhibitions
-realized how hip this city is
-struggled with the concept of the exchange rate (which is something I generally understand)
-nibbled some more chocolate
-decided I was hungry for dinner

Switzerland ain't cheap y'all, but I found a moderately priced restaurant and ordered some Swiss food. A giant plate of hash browns topped with melted cheese and vegetables was my dinner. Another walk was necessary after that heavy meal, so I crossed some more bridges and watched the sun set. 

The Swiss city is a secret. I'll show you some pictures on Wednesday, and then you have to guess! Am I a trickster or what?

I hope you guys have had a fantastic Monday as well. Tomorrow I head back to Utrecht for one more month of school. It's been a great three weeks, but I'm ready to sleep in "my bed."
xoxo//hc

selfie sunday

Venice, Italy

It's been a great week. Here's what I'm thankful for:

1. Independently roaming aimlessly. Fortunately finding recognizable streets.

2. Conversations that remind me of who I am.

3. Generosity in the form of a fork and a water-bus ticket.

4. The third Sunday of my travels.

5. Restaurant recommendations. 

Sylvan Esso's new album is unbelievable. You should listen to its entirety. Please.

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I'm leaving Italy in the morning. One more stop in Switzerland, then it's home for my 22nd birthday!
xoxo//hc

"there are no shortcuts to the sistine chapel"

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I'm in Venice right now, but I wanted to share these pictures with you guys.
Only 3.5 days left in this adventure. Phew.
xoxo//hc

where was i wednesday?

Here are some ambiguous photographs of something ancient. I think most of you know that I'm in Rome right now, so this might be a bit easier than the past two.  Last week I was in an adorable town called Narbonne which is in Southern France. Less than 24 hours, but I adored the place. 

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I'm headed to Florence tomorrow! And in a week, I turn 22. This month has been a delightful whirlwind.
xoxo//hc

double dose of irony - thoughts on a book/bookstore

Open the doors of any book store and the overwhelming scent of new paper greets you. Open the door of Shakespeare & Co and an interesting sense of nostalgia joins the paper's aroma. You've never been there, yet you sense the years of history preserved between pages. How many stories are hidden here?

Bookstores, even the most awkwardly corporate, invite you to slow down, leaf through the texts, grow a few brain cells. Shakespeare & Co. feels like a good friend's home. The out-of-tune piano beckons to be played, and the ancient type writer insists you overcome those creative apprehensions to pursue your literary dreams. Maybe the cat will sneak up behind you with a purr and a twirl of his tail. Probably not, you should never expect too much from a cat. 

Despite the added weight to your already heavy backpack, you decide a new book is exactly what you need. Your habit of reading before bed should not be neglected during a three week adventure. Perhaps you'll manage to keep motion sickness at bay, and hours on trains can be spent reading. New books soothe the soul and inspire lovely daydreams. Even if it's a second-hand book with a creased spine and dog-eared pages, you know it can do the job. 

So you ironically purchase an English book about a year in France from an English bookstore...in France. You laugh to yourself a few days later when the irony really truly sinks in. By then, you're half way through the book, "A Year in Provence," and you don't want the story to ever end. 

Peter Mayle chronicles the twelve months he and his wife spent in their new Provencial home with enough poetic details, you could be living with them. Their misadventures with house renovations - all at the hands of relaxed laborers whose deadlines are estimations, not promises - make you laugh. Their Sundays spent leisurely enjoying extended lunches make you pine for home cooked meals. And Mayle's immaculately detailed descriptions of Provencial culinary treats make your mouth water and your stomach grumble. 

Everything about this book accompanies your life perfectly. And you finish it on your train ride to Spain - the end of Mayle's first year and the end of your days in France. 


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This post is coming to you from Rome. I know, I know. It would have been much better if I was still in France, but what can I do?
Stay tuned for pictures of all things Italian.
xoxo//hc

selfie sunday

Marseille, France

This week I'm thankful for:

1. Reunions with familiar faces (and laughs) 

2. An hour excursion to a small Spanish town where I ate gambas al ajillo y cazuela de pescado

3. My momma - happy mother's day, you beautiful woman

4. Daydreams of Knoxville summers, even though the nostalgia makes my heart ache

5. Conversations with best friends

And the song of the week:

I'm heading to Rome tomorrow. Can't wait for 24 hours on trains (seriously.) WOO. 

xoxo//hc

where was i wednesday?

So, these pictures lack specific enough details to really pinpoint their location, and I'm sorry about that. BUT! You should still try to guess anyways. Last week's photographs were taken in the Pompidou Centre in Paris. I loved the Henri Cartier-Bresson exhibition - over 300 hundred of his photographs/works. His legacy astounds me.  

 

This is my last stop in France (does that give anything away? Je ne pense pas.) Come back next week for the answer. xoxo//hc