italy Archives • The Bliss Movement

A Letter of Hope to Florence

I came with the best of intentions, the greatest of hopes for your city, with dreams of marveling at world-famous art, strolling the Ponte Vecchio Bridge, and eating my weight in gelato on my 19th birthday. I envisioned classy Italian women going about their daily business, young locals sitting along the riverside, and throngs of tourists with eyes wide open in wonder. "Ding Dong goes the bell at Bacillia di San Lorenzo" I wanted to love you, to bask in sunlight perched upon the Piazzale Michelangelo and stare down at all of what you had to offer. I wanted to soak[...]

Ireland, Italy, Scotland, Thailand, Travel, Trinidad and Tobago

The Things I’ve Done For Luck.

If you've traveled anywhere, I can guarantee you have been told that by touching something, swimming in a certain body of water, or doing some odd activity will bring you luck and good fortune. I was thinking about a few things I did on a recent trip to the Caribbean that was supposed to be healing for the body and it reminded me of all the things I have done since beginning my travels in 2010, some silly, some scary, and some just plain gross. So I thought I would compile a list of the moments that stand out for me in terms of doing something because it was consi[...]

Italy

Sorgeto Hot Springs, Ischia

As mentioned in a previous post, Ischia was where I first had the opportunity to soak myself in a volcanic hot spring. Earlier that evening, seven of us had crammed ourselves into a tiny mini van that managed to squeeze itself at a ridiculously fast pace in and out of the narrow alleys. After a huge Italian meal with new friends, we all made our way to Sorgeto Bay at the suggestion of our hostel staff. To reach the beach itself, you need to walk down about 200 steep, stone steps. If you are coming with somebody who cannot make the trek up or down these steps, you[...]

Italy

Casa di Giulietta, Verona

My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep; the more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite.” -- William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet Although it was four summers ago now, I remember Verona like it was just yesterday. Everyone knows the famous Shakespeare story of Romeo and Juliet. It has been told and re-told, played and re-played time and again and is considered to be one of the most famous love stories of all time. Traveling with two girlfriends from the North to South of Italy, our main decision for stopping in Verona was to see[...]

Italy, Thailand, Travel

Celebrating Birthdays Abroad

Birthdays. For a lot of people this is the most special day of the year, filled with elaborate plans and huge celebration. Personally, I get a bit overwhelmed by it all. All of the planning, RSVP’s, trying to decide what to do, being expected to do something. It all gets a little tedious. Don’t get me wrong, I love to celebrate the day I was born, but elaborate parties are not my thing. Perhaps that’s one reason why I like celebrating my birthdays abroad. First of all, it is kind of fun to say that your nineteenth birthday was in Florence, Italy and your tw[...]

Europe, Italy

The Fairytale City Called Venice.

People are standing all around me, jammed into a bus like sardines, far too close for comfort and people are helplessly touching other people in ways that shouldn't be allowed. A low chatter in a language I am unfamiliar with is buzzing throughout the bus that will take us to the city centre of Venice. After an hour of frustration, walking up and down the same street in search for the much needed bus stop, the reward of sweaty, human bodies with their arms raised to hold on for support was not what I had expected. The smell is overpowering and Alex, Sophie and I[...]