I’ve been thinking about souvenirs and how to stop bringing so many back from trips. I have decided that the following are even better than souvenirs because they don’t last (at least for me) and therefore won’t require packing!
Chocolate:
Fruit from markets:
And of course gelato!
This is part of a series on Travel Confessions. My nomination was from Renee at cravesadventure and you should go to her blog and read her travel confessions too!
There are a few rules in the Travel Confessions series:
My list is all about souvenirs. Some are useful, some are decorative, and some never make it home at all (chocolate).
Confession 1: I still bring home refrigerator magnets when I travel. I already have a big collection, but they’re cute, inexpensive and easy to pack. And when they’re on my refrigerator I get to reminisce about where I got them. Here are some of my favorites.
Confession 2: Shoes, handbags, jewelry and scarves are my idea of great souvenirs. When someone admires one of these items I like to say, “I got this in Italy.” Then I try to stop talking because otherwise I’ll describe the day, time and place where I purchased it. But I always remember…
Confession 2 1/2: This relates to Confession 2. After my first trip to Florence I found myself with three handbags, two pairs of shoes and many scarves. I barely had room for these in my suitcase and I finally had to leave the shoeboxes behind.
Confession 3: Chocolate is a delicious souvenir, and sadly one that never lasts long because I eat it immediately. Here’s an example: I bought chocolate at the Rome airport that I ate before I boarded the plane. However I still have the empty box.
Now I will nominate three bloggers to share their travel confessions:
I’m looking forward to hearing your stories!
The topic of multiples reminded me of the last time I was in Italy. I took lots of pictures of one of my favorite subjects – chocolate! Not surprisingly I had many pictures to choose from. And since I’m reasonably sure pictures of chocolate don’t have any calories, here they are.
Chocolate should probably be purchased in multiples too.
When I travel I know there’s a limited amount of space for bringing home keepsakes. Whatever fits into a suitcase beyond what I brought with me is what I have to work with. Oh, and my oversized purse and a tote bag. And other bags from things I bought at the airport. So there are lots of opportunities to bring home souvenirs and other important items such as chocolate. But I already know that chocolate won’t make it through the plane trip, much less all the way home.
Maybe should it be chocolate or gelato. I need to decide which one is more delicious. I’m not sure I can resolve this important question, but I’ll review the tasty qualities of both and see if an answer emerges.
I discovered this market while I was in Philadelphia last month. It was around noon and I was getting hungry, so I walked through the Reading Terminal Market searching for a place to eat lunch. Let’s just say there was lots of food here!
There were plenty of places to sit down for a sandwich (or anything else you might want for lunch). And there was a variety of other things to buy, from candy to fresh vegetables. I had a great time strolling through the market and looking at the booths. Here is some of what I saw:
Chocolate is something that many people enjoy receiving as a gift. However, I’ve found that chocolate rarely makes it back to the people who might have liked it. This is because I can’t stop thinking about the delicious chocolate bars sitting in my suitcase, and I really can’t resist them. It’s almost a relief when I’ve eaten them. Then I can think about something else to take back as a gift.
I have to admit that I’m always watching out for places to buy chocolate and other sweets when I’m on a trip. But lately I have added something completely different to my list of must have items – bars of soap.
Right away you can see that it is unnecessary to say “delicious” to describe desserts. You shouldn’t even bother with a dessert if it isn’t tasty. Thankfully, I can say I have had my share of memorable desserts, or sweets, during my travels.
For instance, when I was in the Grand Place in Brussels, I went straight to an outdoor booth to have a Belgian waffle. They were being made as you waited, and it was definitely worth it. Surprisingly I had a plain waffle that was dusted with sugar. It was so good that I could only wait a (somewhat) reasonable interval to go back for another one. I should have bought more than one and pretended they were for other people. Oh well, next time…
Meg Travels 