My travel ABC!

The “Travel ABC” game is a super funny and interesting way to get to know each other, and I am glad I was tagged by my friend Jaime (breakawaybackpacker.com – click click!) so that I can take part in it!

Here are some questions and my answers to them, all travel related. At the end, I will “nominate” 5 other bloggers to start thinking about your own answers!

Here we go!

A: Age you went on your first international trip

You mean alone? Then I must say 13, when I went to Ireland in order to attend an English course, and I spent 3 weeks in Galway. While I write this I am trying to figure out what was my first international trip with my parents… I guess France? Or Algeria? I actually have no clue. :)

B: Best (foreign) beer you’ve had and where

I must say Guinness in Ireland, but for some reason I don’t drink nor like beer anymore so I really can’t say. Yes you got it right I don’t like beer!

St Patrick in New York City, drinking beer

Me pretending to drink beer on St Patrick Day, NYC 2009

C: Cuisine (favorite)

Being Italian, what can I say? A little bit of Thai or Vietnamese sometimes don’t hurt… I looove sushi… but could I ever live without pizza? Nah.

D: Destinations, favorite, least favorite and why

Favorite: Egypt (no news!) – Least favorite: I must say New York! I didn’t like it as much as I expected, the weather was nasty and everything super duper overpriced. Which means no go to me.

E: Event you experienced abroad that made you say “wow”

Egyptian Revolution – January 28th, tear gas shower… and the people that stopped fighting back and started to pray when the adhan (the Muslim prayer) rose from the minarets. Goosebumps, goosebumps.

Tahrir Square, Jan 29th 2011, morning. "the day after"

F: Favorite mode of transportation

Buses! I don’t mean the city bus, but the long distance one. It allows me to see the landscape around me, realize how far I am going (the feeling I will never get when traveling by plane) and… sleep! I can sleep for hours on a bus.

G: Greatest feeling while traveling

Meeting people I didn’t even know the existence of before, and share unique and unforgettable experiences with them.

H: Hottest place you’ve traveled to

Hottest you mean by temperature? Probably Southern Egypt – November, 45°C (113°F).

Heisa Island, Nuba, Upper Egypt - women

I: Incredible service you’ve experienced and where

I have the feeling I will mention Egypt more than once in this test…

J: Journey that took the longest

16 hours by bus from Cairo to Aswan was probably the longest no-stop journey of my life. Otherwise I’d say when I went to Japan, I think it took about 20 hours in total with stopovers and all.

K: Keepsake from your travels

I like to buy a kitsch souvenir in each place I visit, and I have a special place for them in my room at home in Italy. All together they look great! And colorful.

L: Let-down sight, why and where

Will you believe me if I say Giza Pyramids? Well I am serious! Also, Statue of Liberty (so small compared to what everyone expects!).

Statue of Liberty, New York City, 2009 - I look almost bigger!!!

M: Moment where you fell in love with travel

I think I was born a travel lover but I can say that Egypt changed my life in the sense that it made me start thinking about expatriating for the first time.

N: Nicest hotel you’ve stayed in

Probably the Grand Hyatt in Cairo, or the Carlton in Singapore. Both were not paid by me of course :)

O: Obsession—what are you obsessed with taking pictures of while traveling?

Everything! What I eat, where I sleep, who I meet, what I see, details and big pictures. If I have to pick an obsession I would say I tend to take too many pictures of the same thing, whatever it is!

P: Passport stamps, how many and from where?

This is a good question – I don’t have my passport on me at the moment but I can name my favorites! Japan, Russia, Honduras, Egypt (countless)…

Q: Quirkiest attraction you’ve visited and where

Definitely THIS (but it wasn’t intentional) – I don’t even know how to call it. I just know it was on a lake next to Mount Fuji and that me and my friend still laugh at it after 4 years.

The big swan (?), Japan

R: Recommended sight, event or experience

Pick a country, decide to go, feel scared, enjoy the feeling, and finally take off asking yourself wtf you’re doing, then land in that unknown country and find out it wasn’t hard at all!

S: Splurge; something you have no problem forking over money for while traveling

Camera lenses and accessories. Please stop me! I can cut short on almost anything but don’t touch my technologic/nerd side.

T: Touristy thing you’ve done

The most touristy was probably the City Sightseeing by bus in Singapore, but I must say I was really happy with it. I had no idea how the place looked like, I literally jumped on a plane to that country and the City Sightseeing bus was just the perfect way to start orienting myself in a completely new environment. Sometimes it’s okay to spoil ourselves with all inclusive holidays or tours, right?

U: Unforgettable travel memory

Just because I can’t name the Egyptian Revolution again, and I am going to mention Mount Fuji below, I will say the first time I saw the desert. My mom (expert lifelong traveler) texted me “enjoy your first dunes, you’ll never forget them”. TRUE.

Sand dunes, Egyptian Western Desert, 2007

V: Visas, how many and for where?

Being European I don’t really need to apply for visas that often. I think the only time I had to do it was for Russia. I got all the other visas (USA, Egypt, Singapore etc) at the border, easy peasy. In general I hate having to apply for a visa! Which doesn’t mean that I will keep avoiding countries that require one. I’ll just have to start planning a bit more…

W: Wine, best glass of wine while traveling and where?

Bummer again, I generally don’t drink wine, but I appreciate champagne so I will mention the Veuve Cliquot I had at the Yacht Club Montecarlo (which makes me look like a dork but I was working!). Also, the Jordanian red wine I had with Michael in Basata, Egypt needs a special mention.

X: eXcellent view and from where?

The view from my ryokan over Mount Fuji during my stay in Fujyoshida, Japan. It almost made me cry.

Mount Fuji as seen from my window, pure beauty

Y: Years spent traveling?

Well I am rarely going home since 2004, but the longest period of time I spent somewhere without going home is 9 months – I spent 9 months in Scotland once and in Egypt last year.

Z: Zealous sports fans and where?

I am a professional sleeper, anything else sport related is by definition not related to me.

So now it’s my turn to nominate five lucky bloggers! Hope you enjoyed the answers above and feel free to share your thoughts and suggestions. :)

So the lucky five are… *drumroll*

Emanuele & Romana @ The Siracusas