Today’s Bloganuary prompt from WordPress is, What is something you wish you knew how to do.
For me the biggest thing I wish I knew how to do would be to go back in time when international travelling was easier. Provided of course we don’t have to come back and live through all this madness again.
Back in the day, crossing the Canada US border was easy as slicing pie. Sometimes a license would suffice. Sometimes you didn’t even need ID. As a kid in the back of a wood panelled station wagon my only concern when crossing the border was when are we going to get there, because cross border trips were all about fun day excursions or summer vacations.
Air travel was also simpler in earlier times. You didn’t have to check in almost half a day in advance to ensure you got through all the checks. And I won’t even get into the change in in-flight services.
9/11 changed everything. Things got stricter at the border and airport security meant long line ups, bare feet, and the inability to carry some necessities in your hand luggage.
Now with the pandemic things are even worse. Therefore my desire to move back to a simpler time in travel. I wish I knew how. Anybody have a teleporter?
I travelled to Italy pre-pandemic. At the time, though I fell head over heels in love with Florence I was taken aback by how busy and tourist driven the city was. Sometimes it was difficult to enjoy the moment in-depth due to the hoards of tourists crowding the streets and piazzas. Mostly around tourist attractions.
I did however love the sounds of the city, especially when I’d hear Italian spoken in its beautiful lyrical way. And I was able to find some of those beautiful narrow streets devoid of the crowds, to photograph.
Looking back it feels so odd to see crowds of maskless people. Will we ever get used to it again?
I hope you enjoy this little video that will give you an insight to the street scenes and sounds of Florence. I guess this is my teleporter. Won’t you join me?
Life with Alegria 
Nice blog..
Do visit to my blog and follow it if you like…
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Thank you.
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Its my pleasure.
Do visit to my blog and follow it if you like..
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Hello Alegria, Nice post and video. I loved Florence too. I went in 1982 and then again in 2007. It had changed SOOOOOO much. On the first visit, shops were still closing for a siesta, but that had all vanished by 2007. I agree travel was easier pre-pandemic and pre-9/11. I spent a few weeks n a road trip in Canada. I am debating with myself whether I will do any more international travel at all. With climate change and the effect of long haul flights etc. There is still plenty of Australia I still want to see! Following you back.
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Thank very much for reading. And the follow back. I wish I had seen Florence in 1982, would have really been something. Post 2000s and Pre-pandemic so many destinations were overrun with tourists, taking away from the experience, for me anyway. Not to mention the environmental and ecological impact. I too have plenty to explore close to home. Though I could never commit to not travelling. I could never give it up. I wish I was as principled. Thanks very much for reading and commenting Robyn!
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Florence is lovely. Thank you for sharing that video. The good ‘ole border crossing days…I do miss those days. Here is a link to a post that I wrote about exactly that. I would love for you to read it https://silkpurseproductions.wordpress.com/2014/02/24/over-the-river/
Someday we will be able to travel more freely again and I am making a list. Florence just got added. 😉
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Great you added Florence to your list. Like you, I can’t wait to travel freely again, though I’m certain the pandemic will have changed some things permanently.
I do remember that post. Thank you for sharing it. So well written. And definitely evokes a lot of memories. I think it was the early pandemic when you shared it with me. I was Girl in Niagara then. Thank you Michelle for sharing and for commenting as well.
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Oh, for simpler times…
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Yes, I wish for those. Thanks for reading!
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I enjoyed your teleporter. That would be nice!
I often wondered what it would be like to wake up the dead who never used a cell phone or a computer and see how they react to it. Now, I just worry about kids who are growing up in today’s society and have no idea about the world before the pandemic.
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That’s an excellent thought. The thing is to those kids this is normal. Just like young kids having phones and essentially the world in the palm of their hands. How did we ever manage with our normal? Normal really is about perspective.
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I never imagined the Canadian boarder being tight, even now.
But these two years are just going to be a blip in memory before too long. Appreciate the crazy that’s happening now so you’ll have some tall tales about the pandemic to regale your future grandkids with. 😉 Walking ten miles to school and back in heavy snow is going to be replaced with, “back in my day that boarder wasn’t so easy to cross…” 😁
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😂 you’re right about that.
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Haha I’d love to have a teleporter too!
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Wouldn’t that be fun? Thanks for reading!
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I pray we’ll get back to those normal days. Hope you feel better today.
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Thank you very much. I believe I’m improving. And yes, would be nice to travel normally again.
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