Finding Unexpected Travel

I’ll admit, I’m still getting used to this whole not working concept. My favorite way to describe it is I finally have a chance to pause between thoughts – I’m not thinking about three things at once. The pace of life has definitely slowed down, but it’s not slow by any definition.

May and June were incredibly busy. My family was in town and then I spent 8 days in Greenville, SC cheering on my son’s soccer team as they unexpectedly made a run to the finals in the Southern Regional Championships. Before I knew it, June was over and July was here.

The beginning of July means 4th of July celebrations. Like most Americans, we tend to travel over the holiday weekend. Nothing says summer like BBQ, beach and fireworks and we’ve had some really cool experiences celebrating all across the country in the past. This year, however, we made no plans as we needed a break. An unstructured weekend with lots of extra time seemed too luxurious to waste.

A funny thing happens when you stay home when everyone else is on vacation. You start to see your hometown in a different light. Roads that stress you out during rush hour are suddenly pretty open. You have an opportunity to look at what’s around you. Maybe it’s a restaurant you didn’t know was there or just scenery and landscaping you never pay attention to. The movie theater parking lot is a little less crowded and the line at the grocery store moves a little bit faster.

All of a sudden I found myself taking a deep breath, my shoulders started to relax and I really started to unwind. It was subtle at first, but then I noticed everyone around me was kind of operating at the same pace. No one was rushing to get from point A to point B. People seemed content to move at a leisurely pace. I started to wonder if this is how people feel who live full-time in vacation destinations.

None of this was planned. My husband and I were two ships passing in the night in June. Between his work travel and my soccer travel, we only had a couple of days together throughout the month. The idea of staying home for 4th of July happened by default. We wanted to spend time together a family and neither of us really wanted to sleep in a different bed or eat out at yet another restaurant.

It ended up being such an unexpected bonus to find life slowing down around us at home. For the first time in a long time being home really meant relaxing and enjoying a break from all the day to day chaos. I’m not sure how to exactly recreate what happened, but I do know that next time there is a holiday weekend, I may be a little more eager to stay around and see what happens.

One of my favorite things about Facebook is the Memories feature that shows up in your newsfeed everyday, and last week I got to relive the trip to Monaco I took a year ago. Looking through the photos, there was one post that really struck me. A friend had inspired me to do daily random travel thoughts and this was one of them: “4. Best part of heading off to Italy yesterday? Just winging it. Dealing with missed busses, delayed trains, no real plans for what to do/where to go while I was there.”

Those words jumped out at me and made me pause. I hadn’t been “lost” since that day. In all my travel, I had a plan and pretty much knew where I was going to go and what I was going to see. That day in Italy was such a welcome, refreshing change of pace and I instantly craved it. Knowing my travel budget is limited to soccer events and college visits this summer, I decided to get lost in my hometown today.

Ironically, I really did get lost. I had a couple of places in mind I wanted to explore, but I messed up a few key details that took me to the wrong location. I’d read about the Historic Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh a few weeks ago and thought it might be something interesting to check out on my own. However, I googled City Cemetery and ended up in the wrong place. Instead of backtracking, I figured I’d hit the next stop on my list and head to the Farmer’s Market instead.

I thought I knew where to go, but it turns out, not so much. However, I ended up driving through some neighborhoods I’d never seen before and it was fun to see the houses and great architecture. I know Raleigh is a good residential city, but until today I had never spent time in any of those neighborhoods, so didn’t really know where they were or what they looked like.

Arriving at the Farmers Market, my eyes were treated to the bountiful colors of a summer harvest. It truly is a feast for your eyes before the feast for your tastebuds. I enjoyed having the time without the crowds to wander from stall to stall, checking out the food on display and even meandered through Market Imports, which has a great collection of home and garden items.

After loading up my car, I decided to venture back to my original quest. This time, I found the cemetery without any issue. There are a lot of famous North Carolinians buried there, but what I found was a beautiful, historical, peaceful setting in the midst of the city. The quiet that surrounded me just permeated the air. Looking at some incredibly ornate gravestones, I also realized how much history was all around me.

 

It was an interesting morning, for sure. Not something I’d normally do and given the rather complicated way I ended up there, provided a bit of an adventure. What I realized is that getting lost is good sometimes. Whether it is intentional or by accident, not knowing what you are going to do next can be a really good thing.

For me, this break from my job is about taking advantage of these kinds of days and finding these unexpected moments. I know this fuels my creativity and nourishes my soul in a way that travel usually fills. To find it in my own backyard is exactly what I need right now.

Oh, and before I go, I think this was my most favorite thing I saw all day:

Yep, just sitting there in someone’s front yard. Keep it weird, Raleigh!

Little did I know my last business trip was, in fact, going to be my last business trip for a while. I’ve recently left my job to take a much needed break and figure out what I want to do next. The reaction from family, friends and colleagues has been incredibly supportive, but I’ve also had more than a few people ask “What about the travel? You love that part of your job!” It’s true. The chance to explore new cities, experience new places and wander thru new locations has certainly been the most fulfilling part of my career in the last few years.

I suppose this last trip was the perfect swan song as I got to visit Hamburg, Germany. Hamburg holds a special place in our family history as my dad was born there and generations of Wiederholds come from the area. When I was studying abroad in college, I had the chance for a short visit with my grandfather’s niece, who was in her 60s at the time. I stayed at her apartment and we went to visit the street my dad lived on – along a canal that was the background for many stories about him as a boy. I also got to see the building where the Wiederhold family furniture store once stood. It was a short visit, but one that ticked all the family history boxes a college student could need.

Returning more than 25 years later I wasn’t sure what what to expect. The last trip had been solely for the family connection. This trip served a different purpose, but I was amazed at how much resonated about who I am and the strong family connections that surrounded me. It was as if I was staring in my own TV episode of “Who Do You Think You Are?” Something as simple as seeing the Hamburg flag flying all over the city prompted instant recognition as my dad had one on his boat for years. One of the top tourist destinations in Hamburg is a miniature train museum. Could it really be a coincidence that my dad had a model train set up in our basement throughout my childhood? Knowing it was as much a hobby for him than it ever was a toy for my brother and me, tells me probably not.

The best surprise came in talking to my German colleague who told me about BallinStadt – the emigration museum in Hamburg. The museum focuses on German emigration to the New World and “follows the footsteps of people striving to fulfill their hopes and dreams on their journey to a new homeland”. That is my family’s story! Really, out of all the cities in Europe, it’s Hamburg that has this museum? The “coincidences” were starting to pile up.

Who knows, maybe I was seeking out these connections, but they weren’t hard to find. After the first day, I found myself looking around in wonderment to see what was going to pop out at me next. Ultimately, that is what I want when I travel. I want to find things that resonate and connect me to the place I’m visiting. While this particular city certainly provided a good backdrop for this kind of exploration, there were no guarantees. But taking the time to wander, shaking off the cobwebs of jet lag and being open to what I might see, resulted in a beautifully unexpected part of what could have been a very standard business trip. I’m so glad it was not!

 

 

One of my favorite holiday traditions is going to church. I’ll confess I’m not a regular church goer by any means, but it was a significant part of my childhood. Christmas Eve and Easter Sunday services were important in our family’s holiday traditions growing up. Today, I can’t imagine the holidays without them – singing the familiar hymns and putting me in the right frame of mind to fully enjoy the day.

No matter where I might be for the holidays  – what city I’m in or where I am visiting – part of my celebration includes finding a church service to attend.  I’ve come to find there is a comfort at these services as no matter where I am in the world a Lutheran or Anglican church service is pretty much the same. While I know what meaning these services hold for me, I never expected to get more out of them than merely upholding the traditions I grew up with.

 

 

I have been lucky enough to attend services at some of the world’s most famous cathedrals. I’ll never forget the first Christmas Eve Mass I attended at Westminster Abbey. The service started at 11:30pm and as it began, the lights dimmed and the stainglassed windows were illuminated by the moonlight outside. It was absolutely beautiful. At the same time, the choir began to sing. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as the beautiful sounds rang throughout the eaves. The acoustics perfectly in sync. That experience was more than 20 years ago and I can remember the service so clearly – what I saw, the songs I heard, and most importantly, how it made me feel.

What strikes me now is how I’ve been able to experience these services as the churches were intended to be used. Westminster Abbey is an iconic part of British history. Tourists from all around the world visit every day to see where Prince William and Kate Middleton were married, where kings and queens are coronated and where famous Britons like Sir Isaac Newton, Geoffrey Chaucer, Rudyard Kipling and many more are buried. At its heart, though, Westminster Abbey is still an active place of worship. Being able to experience this magnificent cathedral in its purest form was an incredible experience.

Even for churches not as grand as Westminster Abbey, there is still something special to be gained. Today, for Easter Sunday I was visiting St.Simon’s Island in Georgia with my family and friends. We attended Christ Church in Frederica for Easter service. This church has been in continuous operation since 1736! It was mind-blowing to think this church had been holding services longer than our country has been in existence. As a visitor I got a real glimpse into the history and culture of the area we were visiting.

The best part about these experiences and others is how excited it makes me to be in a new city during a holiday. Don’t get me wrong, I love being at home for holidays and building memories with familiar activities and locations. When I am somewhere new, however, knowing I can enhance my treasured holiday traditions with these new travel experiences, makes my holidays richer than I could ever imagine.

It’s not even Noon on Saturday, yet my weekend of unexpected discoveries has already begun.

My main objective for this blog has always been to capture the sense of adventure that I get when I travel. It’s such a fulfilling experience for me and the best moments are when I discover something new and take myself out of my day-to-day experiences. That is easy to do when you are traveling to a place you have never been to before. However, the last 24 hours has reminded me how easy it is to do that in your own backyard.

Last night, we had a last minute meet up with friends at a new brewery in North Raleigh. The Compass Rose Brewery describes themselves as “a modern take on the classic beer hall” and that is really a perfect description.

The wide open beer hall was packed when we arrived, but what struck me the most was the complete mix of people that were enjoying the ambiance. There were adults, kids and even dogs all hanging out together chatting, enjoying the very good beer on tap and just chilling out on a Friday night. There were huge tables and benches where folks were playing board games and the teenagers in our group dove straight into a two-hour game of Monopoly. It was a fun evening and discovering a place with a cool vibe 10 minutes from home was an unexpected treat.

This morning I dropped my boys off for a pick-up game of soccer and decided to go get a coffee. I was heading towards the local Starbucks drive thru wishing that my favorite coffee shop was just a little bit closer to this side of town. I remembered that there was another place – Jubala Village Coffee – that I had heard about from many friends, but had not yet visited. Boy, was it worth the stop.

There were about 20 people in line when I arrived which is always a good sign. I was reading through their chalkboard menu when the seasonal latte caught my eye – Coconut Cream Latte. Sold! I have no idea what they put into that coffee, but it was delicious. Sorry Starbucks Eggnog Latte, but a new favorite has arrived in town. It’s probably a good thing that this is just a seasonal drink. It tasted so rich and creamy, with just the right hint of sweetness, that consuming too many of them is probably not good for my 40-something-year-old waistline.

While I am not the first person to discover these cool places, they were new to me and a change in my day-to-day routine. Weekdays have been hectic and my weekends without kids soccer activities are quickly dwindling as the new season is almost upon us. These last 24 hours were a great reminder to step out of the chaos and into a place that both recharges me and inspires me. Both locations touched a part of me and made me excited to tackle the week ahead. You can’t ask for more than that.