Flâneur Gals

Old Stories are the best stories

When Julie is taking art lessons, I’m generally found going to an art museum or finding a historical site to sit and observe, contemplating what life might have been like. Occasionally it can be very fun to deviate from the planned itinerary if you find a spot you’ve never heard of - and stumble upon an ancient settlement of 1000+ years, the youngest of which was the Roman town in the 3rd century AD. I love a good aimless wander (unless I think we are actively on a search for food… and then I hate it. Just ask my dad) and one of my favorite parts about those aimless wanders in the streets where I am is finding street art. Not all is eye catching, or good, but so much is. So many street artists are cheeky and clever. Making you think about life differently, or just adding whimsy. One of my (Julie) favorite finds has been finding a local urban sketching class to do wherever I go galavanting. These three were in Florence, Berlin, and Rome. I (Julie) love an interesting souvenir. This year besides buying wine to bring home, Megan And I also bought textblocks to create our own journals with. The thought being that the parts of the book could end up being from all over our travels. What makes a good travel companion? It's a truism that relationships can be made or broken based on how well people travel together, because travel reveals how flexible someone can be when their routine - or carefully laid plan - is disturbed or goes awry. During our first trip together, once we realized we could tell each other if we needed space and the time to do our own thing (following an episode where one of us told the other to "stop yelling in my face"), we found that we could recharge our personal energy while alone for a few hours. Later that day, we joined forces to beat a sizable number of locals during trivia night at a Scottish pub in Paris. Sometimes you need a mental reset during your travels to ensure you can continue to enjoy your time - and that's how we plan our trips, for us as well as for you! “I’ll be in Barcelona in June. Where are we going after my work conference?” “I think this time we should go somewhere that isn’t in our comfort zone.. like doesn’t speak a Romance language…isn’t France…” It’s always helpful to go into a trip abroad with a flexible mindset and a willingness to be delighted by anything. This helps when you realize your brilliantly laid plans are thwarted by the need for a $20 International License from AAA. Cue the rolling of the eyes. The trip I almost thought would never happen: