Monday, March 3, 2014

A Room With a View

Florence, Italy
Ah, nostalgia - that wistful, happy feeling we get when revisiting times past that hold special meaning for us. Sometimes, the easiest way to feel happy is to remember a time we were at our happiest.  That's not to say that we should give up on the present and live completely in the past, but neither should we just forget all those happy memories that shape our lives. We take pictures, write in journals, make videos - all in an effort to save those moments when we smiled most.

Me taking in the view from my Florence apartment.

Reliving old moments is one of my go-to ways to remind myself of all the things I already have to be happy for.  For me, the photo album that always makes me smile is from the month I spent in Florence, Italy.

When I was 15 years old, I watched a movie called A Room With A View, and fell in love with Florence. It was my dream to go there. I stopped by briefly in high school during the ubiquitous "Europe Trip," but in university I stayed for a month. I signed up for a language course at the Istituto Italiano and had the time of my life.

Now, anytime I have a flashback to my time there - and usually this happens when I smell something that reminds me of Florence - my day gets a little brighter. Sometimes the things that make us smile aren't a what, but a when.

What memory makes you smile?


Florence Favourite Things:
http://www.santacroceopera.it/it/default.aspx
Santa Croce		 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante_Alighieri
Dante Statue		 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponte_Vecchio
Ponte Vecchio		 http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/sala-delle-carte-geografiche-hall-of-maps
Medici Hall of Maps
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10 comments:

  1. UnknownMarch 4, 2014 at 2:18 AM

    Your post brought back a strong sense of nostalgia and made me think of the time I lived in Europe, you really made me want to travel to Florence it sounds breathtaking! I guess some of my happiest times where when I lived in Cyprus, there's really nothing like the Mediterranean lifestyle. Come to think of it, it felt like I was on vacation for 4 years! Thank you for the post I'll make it a point to watch room with a view.

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  2. UnknownMarch 4, 2014 at 7:32 PM

    I travelled to Florence in high school as well, it was absolutely beautiful. That trip definitely holds a special place in my heart. I think it's time for me to revisit Italy now that I am older and can appreciate more deeply all that it has to offer. Great post!

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  3. UnknownMarch 4, 2014 at 10:07 PM

    oh my, another place to visit on my bucket list.....i'll have to win the lottery to visit all my potential destinations.

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  4. UnknownMarch 8, 2014 at 11:19 PM

    I was in Italy this summer, unfortunately, I didn't get to Florence, but it is definitely a city that I want to visit the next time I'm there. I love looking back on trips and having good memories or being able to laugh about the bad ones.

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  5. UnknownMarch 10, 2014 at 9:35 PM

    First- I'm jealous of you living in Florence for a month.
    Second- I totally understand just smelling something and it taking you back somewhere. Sometimes even just the way the snow looks on a sidewalk (all brown and compacted from people walking) reminds me of my walks to work in Saint John.
    I love this post.

    p.s. why did everyone get to travel places like this in high school?? not fair!

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  6. Megan LangfordMarch 11, 2014 at 11:08 AM

    I love looking back at old photos. I take tons on vacation that most of the time the people I travel with won't take them because they know I will. Although I have not traveled anywhere exotic like Europe, my time in Vancouver always brings back great memories. I did most of my adventures alone walking the streets during the 2010 Olympics. The sights, sounds and people that I met will be with me forever. Thanks Erin.

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  7. UnknownMarch 12, 2014 at 4:51 PM

    Really great post! I love Florence, it's such a beautiful city and I'm dying to go back there. The food and culture was incredible. I'm a very nostalgic person, and I find that smells and music take me back to a memory instantly. A memory that makes me smile is my trip out east with my family when I was 13. Every time I hear a certain song that was played in our car during the trip I'm taken back to that time.

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  8. UnknownMarch 13, 2014 at 11:29 AM

    One of my favourite songs of all time is called "A Room With A View". The lyrics even reference Julian Sands and Helena Bonham Carter.

    Although digital cameras are the norm these days, there's just something about flipping through an actual photo album that a screen will never duplicate.

    Great stuff, Erin!

    -J-

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  9. UnknownMarch 15, 2014 at 5:26 PM

    I am definitely one of nostalgic people. Reading this post makes me reminisce the time when I was in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, which undeniably makes me smile and brings back all memorable things I have had there. Thanks Erin, great topic here.

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  10. BraydenMarch 19, 2014 at 12:05 AM

    This post made me want to hop on a plane to Italy.
    Unfortunately I'll have to settle for a plate of left over spaghetti and a dean martin song or two for now.
    This was a good read, thank you.

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