Two weeks from today I will be embarking on my biggest adventure yet: Traveling throughout Europe for 2 1/2 months.
Two weeks from today I’ll arrive in Paris, France for a week of non-stop preparation for a client event, The French International Contemporary Art Fair (FIAC), where I will be doing PR and social media for The McLoughlin Gallery. [You can follow my journey at the art fair on the McLoughlin Gallery Twitter, Instagram, and blog.]
After a week in Paris, I will traveling to Spain, to realize my dream of living in Barcelona. As of right now, my return flight is not decided on, but I intend of living in Spain for at least 2 months, all the while running my business from my balcony over looking Las Ramblas.
I’ve loved Antoni Gaudí’s works since I first saw them pictured in a travel magazine. Then, a few years ago I traveled to Barcelona to see his brilliant works in person. They were even more interesting and colorful than any photo I had seen before. Since that first trip to Barca, it has been my dream to live amongst the vibrant art and colorful people that fill the city limits.
I have 3 goals of this trip:
1. To practice my Spanish.
I’ve taken over 5 years of Spanish throughout my high school and college education, but years have past seen I’ve been conversational in the language. I’m hoping that these months in Spain will allow me to become at least conversational again, if not fluent.
2. To devote a significant time to exploring, reading, and writing.
I already have friends in Barcelona that are preparing various activities for us to do while in Spain, but I’m also planning to get some exploring done on my own. I’m anxious to take weekend trips to visit friends in various places all over Europe including Italy, France, Germany, and other places, although these are conditional on how safe I feel and my work load.
Among the authors I will be studying this trip are Hemingway, Mark Twain, Joseph Grinnell, and Gertrude Stein. Seeing a trend? That’s because although I’ll be living in Europe, I want to delve into the minds of the great American authors and explorers that have inspired my travels.
3. To decide what I really want and need out of life.
Is it time for me to settle down or keep pressing forward exploring the earth? Or maybe I’ll decide that it’s best not to decide? Maybe after being away from home, I’ll find that I don’t want to be anywhere else besides with those that I love. All I know is that I want to enter this adventure with an open mind and an open heart, and see where that leads me. After all, travel can be one of the most rewarding forms of introspection. -Lawrence Durrell
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Stay tuned!