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:

Santa Croce

Dante Statue

Ponte Vecchio

Medici Hall of Maps