Country Roads, Take Me Home

A few weeks ago, a dear friend and I took a Sunday afternoon stroll down the quiet country roads of my home county.  I wish photos could capture the freshness of the breeze, the smell of the wildflowers, the thrumming of the woodpeckers, and the motions of the butterflies.  Everyone ought to take a relaxing walk at least once a week as a reminder that life is made up not just of the "big" moments, but these small, beautiful, little ones. 

"The road goes ever on and on, down from the door where it began..."

What do the roads near your house look like?

Linking up with #SundayTraveler!

Germany vs. USA

Source.

So I consider myself to be pretty patriotic.  I bedeck myself in red, white, and blue on Independence Day; observe moments of silence or attend services on Memorial Day and 9/11; make the effort to research and exercise my right to vote; keep up with the latest news locally and nationally; and in all other respects, do my best to be a contributing, informed citizen.

But all this aside, I think I'll be going to unpatriotic jail after today.  Because I secretly want Germany to win the soccer match against the U.S.

Game face.

Hear me out, hear me out.  It's not that I want the U.S. to lose, per se.  It's just that I want Germany to win.  You see, my husband grew up in Germany during Euro and World Cup summers, long before the U.S. even fielded a team at the international level.  As an avid German fan, nothing would make him happier than to see his team advance to the round of sixteen.  And as the best wife in the world, I only want to make him happy... plus there's the small fact that we will be in Germany during the final World Cup matches. 

We'll see what happens today down in Brazil.  If both Germany and the U.S. make it through to the next round, there is the possibility that they could face each other again when it's down to the final four teams.  I'll probably be just as torn again.


Oh, who am I kidding?  Deutschland vor, noch ein tor!

Do you watch soccer/football?  Has your team advanced to the round of sixteen?

Celebrating Germany's 3rd place World Cup win while in Stuttgart back in 2010!  This is the #TBT part of the post!

The "ABCs" of my Travel Style

The Mamaison Riverside in Prague, CZ

Judging solely by the name of this site, you'd think my travel style could be compared to the offspring of Ebenezer Scrooge or Mr. Potter.  This would play out by building my own raft, using my own breath for wind, arriving at my destination, saying bah-humbug while patently refusing to spend any money on sight-seeing, and sleeping in the meanest, most slovenly accommodations possible.  What a mental picture, eh?

While avoiding debt, being thrifty, and responsible with my money is something I strive for, it does not, however, necessarily define my travel style.  So what, exactly, is my travel style?  There are three parts to it - my travel ABCs, so to speak.  But since I enjoy mixing things up a bit, the "B" and "C" parts come before the "A."

"Traveling in a Budget-friendly, Culture-conscious manner to find a cure for my chronic wanderlust & in the process deepening my Appreciation for fine wine, good literature, culture and history."

In other words, I'm just a huge nerd -- with a regular 9-5 job and a budget -- who would prefer to learn history and culture in person than through the pages of my books!  That's my travel style.  A combination of all prices and types: decent hotels to roughing it at a campground; cheap street food to nicer restaurants; expensive sightseeing to free attractions.

But how do we accomplish this?

Window-view from our room at Mamaison. Choosing a hotel that
was a 20 minute walk from the main sites saved us money -
and saved us from being on a noisy street!

The first part of our travel style is being Budget-friendly.  We live within our means, so that we can travel beyond our dreams (I ought to trademark this phrase).  We prefer to cook our meals at home, not indulge in excessive shopping, avoid consumer debt, shop around for the best prices, and save, save, save!  This doesn't mean that we don't have a social life, but it does mean that we budget carefully and limit entertainment expenses to special occasions. 

And when we do travel, we spend hours researching the best prices and deals for our trip.  Sometimes travel expenses are unavoidable and certain must-see attractions come at a high cost (e.g., Westminster Abbey in London had a steep price tag!), but that's why we live frugally at home.  I'd rather forgo a dinner at a chain restaurant in Richmond and have a night-out in Rome any day!

The next part is being Culturally-conscious.  This encompasses a lot of things.  I don't understand travelers who go to countries simply to bar hop.  While I can certainly appreciate a fine brew or a glass of white, getting trashed in a foreign country and missing out on day-time sight-seeing due to nursing a hangover is just not my style.  We visit both big and little sites, explore what makes that country/location so unique, and try to blend in with the locals to get as much out of our experience as possible.

Appreciating the grandeur of St. Vitus Cathedral
in Prague!

Finally, it's being Appreciative, or open-minded.  Although I map out our trips almost to the minute, I understand that the best parts of a trip can erupt organically and that I need to be flexible for spontaneous additions (or detraction) from the original plan.  This also means that while I possess a political, social, and religious opinion on everything (just ask my husband!), I try to stay open-minded towards the traditions of our current location while there and respect that my American ideas may not necessarily be the best practice for a different culture.  I hate when non-Americans hound me with their opinions on how our country should operate, and I don't want to commit the same error when abroad.

So, in a very large nutshell, that's my travel style.  What's yours?

Linking up with Bonnie, Van, Kiki and other travel bloggers for #TravelTuesday!