For Europeans, fall in America looks like the stuff of wanderlust, with fiery trees and pumpkin spice lattes à la Gilmore Girls.
29.08.2023 - 13:19 / insider.com
Every couple of years when I was growing up, my family would embark on a European vacation. My dad is Italian, and my mom is Spanish, so we'd fly to their respective countries to see family and do some sightseeing.
When we went to Spain, my maternal grandmother would join us. When World War II started in 1939, she left the country with her father and brother, migrating to Argentina for a safer future. Her older sister stayed behind with their mom and never left their small town in Galicia.
I remember those summers in Galicia as a kid. The taste of the sweet yogurt she would buy me. How we laughed at the frigid ocean splashing us while we attempted to get into the water for 10 seconds before losing sensation in our extremities. Eating percebes until my belly hurt. The family stories. The smell of the local perfume we'd bring home that permeated our house.
My grandmother basically raised me, not because my parents weren't around; they were always present. But three months after my birth, my grandfather died, and I became my grandma's sole purpose.
She would babysit anytime my parents needed it. When I was a toddler, they had to go on a work trip to France. When they came back after a month, I was walking and talking, and all I wanted was to spend more time with her.
My parents and I moved a lot while I was growing up, and I grew up in Colombia, Brazil, and the United States. My grandmother would always come to help us settle in and live with us for four to six months at a time. She would take me to school while my mom unpacked boxes, and make me food that felt like home so I wouldn't get homesick, despite me never knowing where "home" really was.
When I went to college in Buenos Aires, I lived with her. My parents thought it'd be a win-win. She'd take care of me, and I'd take care of her. I loved every minute of it. I always had someone to talk to when I came home, and I was there when she once mixed her medicines as her memory faded and called an ambulance for her before it was too late.
She was one of the first people my husband and I told that I was pregnant with a boy. When I told her we were naming him after my grandfather, her dad, and her brother (yes, they all had the same name), she laughed and said, "Poor boy, what an ugly name you're giving him." Honesty was her thing.
My grandmother died in peace when she was 97 years old. She said she was tired of living since everyone her age had already died. I knew it was time, and I still miss her every day of my life. I got her name tattooed on my wrist when we still lived together; I told her I wanted to carry her wherever I went so we could keep adventuring together.
This summer, with my own mother's memory rapidly fading because of Alzheimer's, we
For Europeans, fall in America looks like the stuff of wanderlust, with fiery trees and pumpkin spice lattes à la Gilmore Girls.
Think the Midwest is just a cornfield you fly over between coasts? Don’t be fooled by that nonsense.
The holding company of one of UAE’s best-known local hotel groups, FIVE Holdings, publicly shared its financial results recently – notable because large companies rarely release financial information unless they trade publicly.
Enormous California, with its booming economy, bounty of nature, agriculture and vibrant cities could be a country unto itself.
Scott Pauli. (Photo Credit: Island of Hawai‘i Visitors Bureau)
The first time I traveled for two weeks with a backpack, it was the lightest I'd ever packed for the longest trip I'd ever taken. I had everything I needed, but I was surprised to find that I could have packed even lighter.
Myrtle Beach is a classic East Coast vacation spot. With the famous boardwalk, scenic golf courses, and white sand beaches, there’s something for visitors of all ages and backgrounds. A seaside motel may have a sentimental charm, but nothing beats the prices and advantages that come from staying in a rental home. Airbnb Myrtle Beach has some amazing properties to choose from.
Balmy temperatures, fewer crowds and lower prices: Now is the perfect time to take a trip to Greece.
As a woman who has traveled to over 23 countries by myself, I've learned what it takes to have an incredible time abroad on my own.
Whether it's disruptive passengers, weather issues, fuel shortages, or medical concerns, commercial flights can often divert or turn around for technical or health-related reasons.
I've gone to The Eras Tour multiple times this past summer — and I have tickets to five more of Taylor Swift's shows in Europe next year.
Great Wolf Lodge is a family-friendly hotel and water park with over 20 locations in the US. It operates similarly to an all-inclusive experience with on-site bars, shops, and restaurants.