Last weekend CNN aired Anthony Bourdain’s final Parts Unknown episode. I’m all kinds of sad about his death. And recently binge watched more episodes I hadn’t seen before from other seasons. They’re all wonderful and bittersweet. In October I enjoyed another remarkable solo trip. To Ireland and Italy. It’s interesting and frustrating how I’m treated in different parts of the world, as a solo woman traveler. Dublin was great but I didn’t get outside of the city at all. In Rome I received a few odd comments but outside of the city – in the smaller hilltop villages and coastal areas – I received outright hostile stares. I’m not entirely sure why. Could be my appearance. My nationality and age aren’t immediately obvious. I’ve often wondered if I was born in the wrong place. The wrong time, even. Minneapolis has a lot going for it but I feel most comfortable when I travel away from it. There are many cities I could easily slip into and settle down in. On that list, in no particular order:
- Montreal
- Copenhagen
- Berlin
- Seattle
- Zagreb
After my most recent travel adventures I’ve got two new entries for the list. Rome and Dublin. The latter would be great but too expensive. The former could be overwhelming but fun for a short stretch. Especially in a neighborhood like Pigneto, home to one of my new favorite restaurants. But there are so many other cities on my list that I haven’t ventured too yet. Mostly in the Balkans. I want to get to Budapest, Sofia, Bled, Pristina, Istanbul. As much as I dislike the “digital nomad” label I’m seriously considering programs like Remote Year and Hacker Paradise. Not now or even next year but eventually.
