Adam’s Top 8 Favorite Days (thus far)

In Dubrovnik last week, Molly and I spent an entire afternoon sitting and reading in the apartment we’d rented. We opened up the windows letting the ocean breeze come in and had a full view of the beautiful city and Adriatic in front of us. It was cold with the windows open so we used a nice big blanket to keep us warm on the couch. She was reading Anna Karenina and I was reading an Alan Furst novel on WWII. We took turns interrupting our reading to share things with each other about Moscow, love triangles and Nazis. We have had many days just like this and they are exactly what’d we hoped for while spending a year traveling.

Being almost half way through our trip, I started thinking about what my actual favorite days have been while being in Europe. The little list I came up with has some reading, some wine, some good views and, of course, fireworks:

#8: Berlin New Years where Ryan, Karin, Molly and I roamed the German streets at dawn looking for a sausage fix while fireworks blew up all around us.

This photo has been donated by Fritzche Fotografi

#7: Spending the entire night on our porch watching storms crash into the Bay of Kotor.

#6: Meeting Nermina and walking around Sarajevo.

#5: Tasting lots of cheap French wine with Barb and then watching the Chargers Playoff Game.

#4: Hiking all day in Cinque Terre before making pesto and drinking Campari and lime (Molly concluded that Campari tastes like shitty vermouth sipped from an ashtray – I completely agree.)

#3: Our second day in Bassac: we had our minds blown roaming around town and taking in new surroundings. Then we got on the phone with Pam and Fred asking them tons of questions about where to move boxes, how to interact with French people and what to do to order bread.

#2: Molly’s birthday in Paris.

and . . . . . .

Number One, most favorite day: In late January we drove to Paris really early in the morning and had to wait five hours for Molly’s doctors appointment at the American Hospital on the outskirts of the city. It was freezing and we were exhausted and we didn’t want to wait inside the hospital but had no energy to go do anything. So we parked the car outside the hospital, put our feet up on the dashboard and watched bad TV on the iPad. At some point we went and grabbed an espresso and sandwich from the boulangerie down the street and brought it back to the car. I read a little and took a nap. During Molly’s appointment I cleaned out the car. That afternoon we left the city and drove through Burgundy in the rain. I always think so fondly of that day – somehow it embodies everything I like about us the most.