That’s right, BIG MUSCLES MUSSELS. As mentioned before, we are not keen on the commercalised fiasco that has become Valentine’s Day. That said, we’ve still got to eat, right? So… in an effort to keep cooking time to a minimum, and yummy quotient to an absolute maximum, I bought some fresh New England mussels early this morning at our local market. They’re relative healthy as are high in protein, cook in 5-7 minutes or so and don’t require much attention. All in all, a romantic, easy dinner a deux in 15 minutes.
I must confess, we’re not really Valentine’s Day people. First, why does anyone need a designated day to express their feelings to a beloved? Secondly, nothing seems further removed from romance than forced rituals like dinner out with price-fixe menus and the likes.
You may at this point be wondering if we even bother with a card. Indeed, we do. Hubby and I have been writing cards to one another for years and have saved most of them. Through them, we’ve can look back on the evolution of a romance. While our cards are private, the sentiment is not and is in fact, universal.
To my beloved husband: I don’t know why I am here, and I have no idea where I will be, but I am happy anywhere because I am with you. I Love You Always.
Turns out that in Japan, women court and gift the men on Valentine’s day. The Japanese are prudent people, and as such, have of course designed an insurance policy that ensures a man can get attention on the special day. The insurance policy provides the man with chocolates and other goodies on the special day from a mystery woman … named Reiko (though I gather you could choose whatever name) should he find himself loveless.
I would be lying if I said we don’t splurge on occasion. I am a firm believer that treating yourself to one nice experience on an otherwise thrifty trip can make a budget-friendly vacation seems luxurious.
Our affordable travel practices:
Take one longer vacation than a few shorter ones to avoid paying too much for airfare. Participate in an airline loyalty program.
Find a small, clean, hotel in the best possible location without too many amenities. Who needs an on-site swimming pool or restaurant when you’re in Paris?! You should be out exploring and eating where the locals eat. We’ve stayed in Venice for 20 euros/night and no, it wasn’t a hostel.
Choose destinations that aren’t as sought out. (e.g., Portugal wasn’t Europe’s #1 destination for Americans back in 2003… and in fact, it isn’t — still.) Croatia is on the cusp of becoming mainstream from the American traveler’s point of view. Go now, or forever hold your peace.
Eat and drink local. If a menu has pictures or an english translation, it isn’t local. If you don’t speak the language, take a chance and order blind. The locals eat it, and they haven’t died — neither will you.
Make a plan. Read up about your destinations and decide what you’d like to do. Don’t plan to go to every museum — it costs money and you won’t have really seen your destination. We make an itinerary and mix up days where we go to museums with days where we wander and have very little in the way of formal plans.
Travel knowing that you can always come back. Savor, take it slow, enjoy your travel companions and enjoy getting lost somewhere.
As promised in yesterday’s Travel Series post, here is a snapshot of the places we’ve traveled to in the last ten years. While the list is mostly comprehensive, we may have left out a few short trips here and there.
At this point, you may wonder how we managed to travel to all these destinations as students and young professionals in terms of both time and finances. As I said previously, we live to travel, and will have done just about anything. Both of us worked as research assistants while also pursuing our bachelor’s and master’s degrees (in computer science & concurrently). I also kept my internship after my Junior year and as a result, maintained two jobs (35 hr weeks) and a full load of classes (3 graduate, 2 undergraduate and a master’s thesis). Virtually every penny earned went into savings until we decided where to travel to during our summer break. Some of my pennies also went toward my college tuition (a whole other post). Our approach to traveling finances were also very unique and creative. I’ll write more about what we call affordable traveling soon, but rest assured that everyone can travel on virtual any budget. Just like anything in life, you make a choice and certain sacrifices, and you can almost always meet your goal. My living room and dining room stand virtually furniture-free, my baths un-renovated … but we travel — a cognizant decision.
Anyways…. if you haven’t had an opportunity to travel as much, but want to start soon, here’s a list of some of our favorite places. They are in no particular order and they are some of our favorites not just because of the destination, but the experience we had there.
Favorite Destinations
Hiking in Hakone (Japan)
Exploring the market in Jerusalem on Friday Afternoon
It has been the case that we’re always answering questions about travel. We traveled extensively BS (before Sophia) and are planning to really pick it back up as soon as she is a little older. We find ourselves sharing our itineraries, dining destinations, worthwhile sites, museums, etc.
I started thinking about our unquenchable thirst for travel while sorting through the thousands of pictures we’ve amassed. Why is it that we travel, what do we get out of it and what are we willing to forgo to satisfy this ever-present need. So here goes:
Some people live to eat and we live to travel, to see and immerse ourselves in different cultures and traditions. In doing so, we get closer to understanding what are the universal building blocks of humanity — those characteristics that define everyone regardless of their ethnicity, nationality, color, and creed. I cannot profess to have amassed a complete understanding of this just yet (and maybe, I never will), but I believe that family, love, hatred, and a mother’s nature to protect are a few of the universal building blocks of humanity.
Furthermore, there are not enough words in the world that can deliver the same message and incite the same emotions as when immersed in a culture. Perspective is defined in lightening speed when you see hunger, poverty, squalid living conditions juxtaposed with unimaginable wealth. One cannot appreciate what they have until they see someone who has nothing. Incidentally, I can say that I finally understood why the king of France was guillotined after I visited Versailles for the second time.
That said, art (on a large scale), music, and theater are incredibly inspiring. You can spend one day seeing a poor peoples’ plight and feel disheartened by how such is possible in today’s world and then the next day be awed by the ability of the human mind and hand to create masterpieces.
So this is why we can’t get enough; why travel has been, is, and always will be our passion. Lastly, these are the rules, inspired by our travels, by which I live:
Live your life to its fullest, seize the day at each and every sunrise
Understand your fortune and be grateful; there are those who are hungry, thirsty and ill
“Tell me what you eat and I will tell you who you are.” (Anthelme Brillat-Savarin) Eat local, drink local, sit outside and do a bit of people watching.
Beauty and braun are fleeting, your mind is forever so feed it with travel experiences, books and music
Never make mean-spirited comments, even in jest, there is always someone smarter and better looking
Take a chance on something each day. You only live once.
Travel will free you from prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindness but only if you let it.
A snapshot of our travel history in the years (a full decade — TEN) we’ve been together is forthcoming shortly along with a top X list.
The Northeast region is digging out of a huge snow storm and even though we didn’t get any snow, we still decided to take it slow this weekend. My sister and her family came out this weekend and we had a lovely time together. After all, how can you not have the best time with guests who arrive with a poundcake and brownies in tow?!
Some things are best described in pictures… here is how the weekend went.
That’s right… that’s homemade bread made from scratch which we started with a biga yesterday morning. It is an almost no knead recipe we’ve used for years. I am happy to share the recipe with anyone who wants to try it. The best thing about it (besides it being no knead), is that the crust is magnificent, just like you’d find in Italy.
{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
My sister and her family are visiting us this weekend. We’re excited to welcome some willing playmates for Sophia in return for delicious foods. I was browsing some of my favorite sites and cookbooks to generate a menu for the weekend. This process while fun, always leaves me hungry. I decided to which up a salad to curve my hunger and make sure I didn’t dip into the emergency chocolate and cookies stash. Feeling like a basic salad wasn’t going to do, hubby and I spruced it up with some homemade croutons.
That’s right, we are continuing our romance with the great culinary invention that is the salad. We’ve made quite a few these last few days…
