Friends Who Travel

Le Cetinelle - Greve-in-Chianti

I was contemplating what to talk about today and realised I was actually stuck for a topic. I mean I could talk about the weather which has been stunning lately. It is usually our coldest month of the year and we are sitting here in t-shirts. I actually spent an hour in the garden which I can categorically state I never ever do in August normally. But who wants to hear about the weather? I thought as much.

I could talk about the trials and tribulations of having teen and young adult boys and the challenges faced as we navigate those treacherous waters. Not today. Perhaps some other time. There are certainly tales which could be told but I'm not quite ready to tell them yet.

So today might be a good day to share some of my friends' stories instead. To preface, if I could, I would happily spend the rest of my days traveling. My dream would be to take off by whichever mode of tranport is handy and arrive wherever it takes me. Perhaps I should have been born in a different era. I have had the good luck to travel somewhat and am glad that I can also journey vicariously through the writings of my friends.

My friend Kim spent time in Italy and actually married in one of my favourite places. I have been to San Gimignano twice and it's hard to imagine a more romantic place to hold a wedding. Read about Italy through Kim's eyes at Fattoria Voltrona.

Heather recently uprooted from California and relocated to Texas but she has bigger plans in the pipeline. Heather is planning a huge trip which will take in much of Europe, South America and the Australian region.  I am excited at the prospect of meeting a friend who I only know through our virtual conversations and I'm envious of her proposed journey. Here is a taste of it at Peace Love Travel Light.

Although she doesn't live there anymore, for a while Lesley was the person on the ground for everything you wanted to know about Disneyland. She still is an authority, I mean you don't just forget that sort of stuff but she just doesn't live nearby and visit regularly anymore. Luckily for us she wrote about the time she spent there and you can read about it at SoCal Disney Family.

Rhonda and her family spent the better part of a year traveling around the world. I was glued to her blog entries as she shared the fun and the quirky adventures her family experienced along the way. For a glimpse at Rhonda's adventures start at Albom Adventures.

Carolyn is not a regular blogger but she should be. She writes beautifully and her posts are always peppered with gorgeous photos. Two years ago Carolyn made good on her threats to travel to France and England, much of it solo. For someone who had never left Australia before, I thought this took a tremendous amount of courage. Experience Paris through Carolyn's words on her TravelPod blog.

Last year I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to travel to Italy. I was also lucky to follow in the footsteps of my friend Susanna who spent several months in the south of Italy a few months previously. Susanna recorded her love of food and cooking, local culture and history on her blog and I followed her travels as she went. For a sample of one of Susanna's experiences start with Spleen Sangers and Goats Guts and explore from there.

And finally, my own adventure in Italy is here. We spent a month there in July 2013, a week each in Sicily, the Amalfi area, Tuscany and Rome. I would return in an instant. Visit One Month In Italy for a taste of my travels.