Europe: nearly conquered.
March 10th is National Passport Day in my country. I got my first one minted at age 15 for a three-week trip to Europe. In the nearly 11 years that have followed, I have outgrown the first and nearly filled the second – just two more pages and two trips out of the Euro Zone planned before May. That little blue book of mine has been tucked in a money belt far too many times, shown and photocopied for Spain’s bureaucratic musings, and it has lived to tell the tale of over two dozen countries and seven years of faithfulness.
I love the freedom I have to own it in the first place, the freedom it gives to move around and the freedom its citizenship gives me. I’ve been told I can renounce my American passport for a Spanish one, but wouldn’t dream of it. The pages still smell like the glue that binds two visas to it, and this things has traipsed with me more than any travel gadget, backpack or other companion has.
Where are you planning to take your passport in 2012? Write me about any upcoming trips you have planned for the new year, and I’ll reward one reader with a postcard from each of the destination on my list for this year: England, Galicia, Turkey, Zaragoza, Boston, NYC, Murcia…and wherever else I may head!
About Sunshine and Siestas
Nice new design for the blog!! I’m taking my passport to Ghana, Morocco, Spain, (I’ll be hopping around the Peninsula from June 10th-July 10th, a ver si nos podemos reunir!), and possibly the Dominican Republic and Guadeloupe.
GHANA!?!?! What will you be doing there? And let’s try and hook up when you’re here: I should be in coruña from the 2nd or so on for camp.
I’m going to be doing nerdy linguistics research for my Master’s there! I’m super excited, a little nervous too
PS I literally LOL’d when I read your comment to Kaley about ETA (you know you’ve lived in Spain when…)
So, so cool!! Also, what si the deal with Puerto Rico being the source of 80 of my page vews today? Are you just procrastinating, or what?
For some reason it was giving me difficulty when I went to write a comment. It made me use my old WordPress account, which I was trying to avoid. So I kept refreshing and trying to comment how I normally do, but it wasn’t letting me…So that could be why haha
And yes, I was procrastinating as well haha
I’m not 100% sure, but definitely España!
When’s your ETA? Not the Basque seperatist group, but your estimated time of arrival. Sending info now…
It’s good to hear that there is a day dedicated to passports lol! Well this summer and fall I will be in France! From about mid May-the end of June I’ll be in Bordeaux. During my time in France, I’ll also visit Italy, Germany, and possibly Spain. In the Fall, I will be inAix-en-Provence. I’m not sure yet if I will be traveling to other countries during that time.
That’s right, you’re headed out here! It’s been ages since I’ve been to France, so we should try and get together.
Love that torrero photo on the top of the blog!
Thanks! Taken at my first and only trip to the La Maestranza.
So, where are you headed this year, Reg?
Hey! I just booked my flight! I’ll be in Madrid and northern Spain (cities not yet decided), France, Germany, and Poland! I’m super excited to return to Spain. Let’s just say I can’t wait to finish teaching on June 15;). Take care and keep posting your awesome posts!
Thanks for reading, K! Get ready for all I’ve got about Turkey!