Four years of July 4ths

Yesterday marked the first 4th of July that I have celebrated in America since 2007. Ergo, I thought I'd take a look back at where I've been during my last few fourths. (and try saying "few fourths" several times fast)

July 4, 2008 (Mt. Lykaion, Arcadia, Greece): Hey, at least there were sparklers. And a crop of Americans. And a balloon toss the following weekend. And nothing says Independence Day like a balloon toss! Same, same. Just a little different.

July 4, 2009 (Accra, Ghana): Two fellow Americans and I were treated to a nice lunch at a beachfront restaurant in the capital by our French NGO director (I'd unfortunately be gone before I could return the favor on Bastille Day). Obama was visiting in a few days, so there were unusually high numbers of American flags and pro-USA sentiments flying around the city. And lots of unnecessary road painting in the name of Barry O. So much unnecessary road painting. A bit less of an American 4th of July than the previous year.

July 4, 2010 (Kamakura and Tokyo, Japan): Though I had spent the previous few days with American friends, Independence Day itself marked my independence; I spent the day alone wandering the temples and shrines of Kamakura as a day trip from nearby Tokyo. On the return train, I was hit on by an American military man stationed in Tokyo, which was probably the most "American" part of my day. Definitely my least patriotic 4th of July to date.

July 4, 2011 (Washington, DC, USA): And then there was flag cake. Spending the holiday in the nation's capital, surrounded by friends and food, is definitely the best way to make up for lost time.

jet-setting to France (life is rough): meet guest blogger Kate

Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend--or a fantastic Easter weekend if that's your thing.  Mine was dotted with a mix of gluttony, hot yoga, unpredictable weather, retail therapy, and visits from far-away friends-- all in all a superb spring weekend.  I have a lot to accomplish over the next few days, and I'm starting to realize that time is going to start flying by with an abundance of good company and exciting events on the horizon.

Without further adieu, I would like to introduce you to Kate, a friend of mine who will be contributing a bit to my little project over the coming weeks.  With wishes of bon voyage over the weekend, she has already taken off and touched down in France.  I'd like to imagine that she is drinking vin rouge and practicing bad French at this very moment.  That's my girl!
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(not kidding about the hole)

"Bonjour! I'm Kate and I'll be guest-posting for Lindsey while I'm jet-setting. By jet-setting I mean one trip from New York to Paris to Lyon to New York for a total of two weeks. Lindsey and I met here (see photo), in a hole in the ground in Greece while on an archaeological dig. We wore headbands, sweat a lot, and unearthed all kinds of interesting things, including arrow heads, boar skulls, and a shared love of travel.

the one time we didn't wear headbands

I'm also doing some travel writing while I'm over there, and can meanwhile give some tips on how to "become" a travel writer. I don't by any stretch fancy myself that, but it's more along the lines of how to finagle your way into doing travel writing. It is the dream job, right? I'll be writing a pieces for both Elle Magazine and Fodor's, so wish me luck.

I'll be wearing a fanny pack. And comfortable shoes and a t-shirt. What have I learned from living in Manhattan all these years? New York seems like a fashionable place with fashionable people wearing fashionable things, but in truth, unless you're dying on the sidewalk no one cares about what you look like. I imagine an enormous city like Paris is the same. I have packed some dresses, but we'll save those for nighttime.

   I'm staying with friends from college - Go Quakers! - in both Paris and Lyon. In between the 2 cities I'm going to pop by a few vineyards (my piece for Elle is a super cheesy bit about how a gal with a boxed-wine-and-two-buck-Chuck palate navigates the wineries of fancy old France) and as of now I'm not 100% sure where I'm staying while in the countryside. But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. AKA, I will panic and maybe use AirBnB. 

That's all for now! Nice to meet you. Thanks, Lydia, I mean, Lindsey."
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I, for one, am tres excited about Kate's upcoming contributions to Litterulae Mundano, and I plan on using all kinds of bad Franglais to celebrate.

K doesn't know (yet) that I used this. She really wasn't kidding about the headbands. Or the sweat.  (Sweat bands?)  If this doesn't pique your interest, there's probably something very wrong with you.

happy Earth Day from some of the most beautiful places on the planet!

Chitwan National Park, Terai Region, Nepal

fields near Egeskov Castle, Funen, Denmark

Lake Champlain, Adirondacks, New York, USA

Arcadia, Greece

Manla Reservoir, Tibet

dawn near Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, USA

sunrise over Sargamatha (Mt. Everest) and neighboring Himalayan peaks from Kala Pattar, Sargamatha National Park, Nepal

*please don't use my photos without asking/crediting me!

ya sas, s'agapo

... is what Mr. Morrison would have sung had he been Greek.  And is precisely what I said to Oia, the picturesque cliffside town that clings to the northernmost hook of the Thira (Santorini) cresent, the moment I arrived with my companion.  Hello, I love you.  Ya sas, s'agapo.

sweeping landscapes & proper storytelling to follow at a later date.  for now, here is a small taste of our Santorini trip- all images taken in Oia on March 7, 2007- yes, four years ago today.

Sunday Night Souvenir: earrings from Athens, Greece

Four years ago to the day, I was tucked into bed at the Neos Olympos Hotel (at $19.51 for the night) in Athens, sleeping soundly in a room shared by one of my favorite travel buddies.  The journey was our maiden voyage, and the following morning we would embark on our first "Honeymoon" destination together, catching a noon flight to the idyllic Santorini.

Earlier that day, in addition to taking my companion on a tour of the city in search of a camera battery charger (for I had a project I was supposed to shoot for a photography class and had forgotten to bring the charger for my fairly new DSLR- oh, how this made me miss film and curse my semester-long foray into digital!), I managed to get in a little shopping.  Side note: apologies, J.  Years later, thank you, thank you, thank you for helping me find that needle in a haystack.  I'm the worst sometimes!

As my mother would say, I am an earrings slut.  I guess there are worse things to be called a slut over?  No earring slut shaming here, please.

Lapis lazuli is one of my favorite stones, and though I don't have the gorgeous baby blues that my mom and sisters possess, I still wear it with some frequency.  I loved these lapis lazuli and sterling silver earrings the moment I saw them.  Is this what the locals wear?  Probably not, but for me the geometric pattern and color scheme is very evocative of Greece, and these earrings bring back fond memories.

Random acts of stupidity and kindness in the birthplace of Western civilization

A few years back, I spent a summer living out my Indiana Jones fantasies on an archaeological excavation in Arcadia, Greece.  Archaeology is actually nothing like Indiana Jones, but for the sake of appearing much cooler than I actually am, just imagine that I spent a couple months wearing a fedora and cracking a whip atop the alter of Zeus at Lykaion and be jealous.

in reality, I definitely spent more time befriending bugs and following them around than wielding a whip

Most of the team had a night to kill before flying home, and so we made plans to spend the evening in Athens before heading to the airport the following morning.  Using my internet skills, I found my clan a cheap place to stay for the night, and we boarded the train into the city.  Upon arriving at our hotel, I reached for my wallet to pay, only to find no. wallet. anywhere.  Navigating the metro during rush hour and being stupid with an awkward amount of luggage in a somewhat shady area of the city, it appeared, had led to my first-ever pickpocketing incident.  Sudden panic set in, but I quickly pulled myself together and set about assessing the damage and canceling my cards.  Survival money was lent, and I resolved to put it behind me and move on to having a wonderful night with a group that I would not see for awhile, or maybe ever, again.

As we feasted on tzatziki and saganaki, fresh salad and grilled octopus, spanakopita and souvlaki, washing it all down with Mythos beer, my problems were easily forgotten (and perhaps purposely avoided in conversation due to my embarrassment over being such an easy target).

Mythos, beer of the gods--pairs perfectly with ambrosia

In fact, after getting home and explaining the situation to my parents, reluctantly purchasing a replacement wallet, and writing a check to the friend who had so graciously lent me money, I absorbed myself fully in the ongoing Olympic Games, reconnected with the friends I had not seen for months, and nearly forgot about the situation altogether.

The following fall, my mom called me at school to ask if I was in trouble with the US Embassy, as a letter had arrived for me.  Being fairly certain that if the government had a bone to pick with me, I probably would not find out via snail mail, I asked her to open the letter and read me the contents.  Imagine my surprise to hear that the US Embassy in Athens had my wallet and would be shipping it shortly.  Not only would I have my wallet back, but I would receive the entire contents, including a check for nearly €100.

To this day, I sometimes wonder where my wallet was found and who the kind soul was that returned it.  Perhaps I left it on the counter when I purchased my train ticket, or if it fell underneath my seat as a I reached in my bag for a book on the suburban rail.  Perhaps it was airport security or another weary traveler.  Whatever the case may be, it certainly is one of those moments that has restored my faith in humanity.

The world is fundamentally a good place.