Carly's Ramblings Blog - Style

Getting Ready For Virtual Trip to Europe & Meditation

30 Day Blogging Challenge

August Backpacking across Europe/ Hostels

We land in Madrid on August 2nd. We are going to all meet up at Las-Musas, a hostel in Madrid. We stay there until Aug. 4th. I have never been to Spain... heck, I've never been to Europe... I am so excited about this trip I can barely contain myself. We are also going to Barcelona, then Montpelier, Monaco, Florence, Venice, Vienna, Prague, Berlin, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Paris ending in London. I am so looking forward to Paris. I am definitely going to the English bookstore, Shakespeare and Company - does it still let writers sleep within the shop? That would be a dream come true. I just finished reading The Time Was Soft There - Jeremy Mercer's autobiography of his stay in Paris and his time at the bookshop. It is also a minor biography of the owner, George Whitman - the father of the current owner Sylvia Beach Whitman (after the original owner of the first Shakespeare and Company Bookshop). It was an excellent read. I would highly recommend it.

We get to take the red-eye back home on the 30th of the month - where reality again recommences.

Lyn, our (self professed) crazy travel agent, has us doing things in each city. We get to travel by train to each location. We get to stay in hostels, except for one splurge in Paris where we are staying at a hotel. I have never stayed in a hostel, but I am so eager for the experience. Not sure about the hotel in Paris.... I may see about getting a spot at the bookshop... as I mentioned above....

Our first assignment, as any good trip will entail is packing my backpack and familiarizing myself with staying at hostels. Since I have never done this before I will be doing some heavy research over the next few days. I think they will be communal places to stay.... full of eager travellers who want to see as much as possible without the added expense of a hotel. Less formal, more nomadic, and carefree. I have never traveled in Europe before... my aunt and uncle went after they got married... but that was 44 years ago - their honeymoon. My friend is going next week with her husband and her youngest (a 17 year old). They are planning on backpacking. They backpacked through Germany last year... so she will have some good first hand knowledge... I am looking forward to hearing about her travels when she gets back. As far as what I hope to explore - Paris is my gem... I want to visit that bookshop and walk the streets that Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Callaghan did back in the twenties. I want to sit in cafes and savour life there... write and soak it all in. I am open to anything in the other places. Bring it on, Lyn.

Packing my backpack... first I need a new one. One with lots of pockets to hold my stuff. Anything big I buy, I can always ship home. Comfortable clothes are a must.... not too many, as there are laundry facilities at the hostels. A least one easy, casual dress and the rest t-shirts, shorts and one long pair of pants. All clothes can be mix matched so I don't have excess things. My laptop will have to fit in and a blank notebook for sketching and writing particularly when electricity or WiFi is minimal or non-existent. A good guide book - with any must-see highlights listed or marked with post-its. My camera and chargers... chargers for my phone as well because I don't plan on leaving it behind. My friend took her ipad mini to do a lot of things, but I need more than that and my Surface gives me a lot of options. Comfortable walking shoes and socks... and a pair of sandals that are also good for walking and waterproof so that I don't have to worry about getting my feet wet.

A rain coat that doubles as my jacket... so I need a breathable one. My bathing suit and a towel. My toiletries... toothbrush and paste, washcloth, moisturizer, sun block (30 or 45), deodorant, mascara. I may toss in some advil and Pepto Bismol just in case.... anything else I can buy. Think 'm good to go!

One first one is in Madrid:
http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Las-Musas-Hostel/Madrid/25547

Blog City

NP today as it is Sunday so there is no official prompt... only my Love Louder blog.

Love Louder - Amplifying My Life

I have decided as part of my blog to comment on each of Preston Smiles's ways to Love Louder. He has written an intriguing little book or 33 Ways To Amplify Your Life. The full title is Love Louder: 33 Ways To Amplify Your Life.

Day 25 –Mediation
"If you don't go within, you'll go without." - Neal Donald Walsh (From: Conversations With God)

Preston Smiles writes that mediation is "not reserved just for Buddhist monks or the 'spiritual types'. It's a practice any f us can do, no matter where we are or what we believe. It's not just about tapping into something deeper within ourselves; the practice of mediation has an insane number of health benefits" aside from feeling more grounded and calm, you will experience insights, and feel less stress and have a stronger immune system.

There is no right or wrong way to mediate. There is no set amount of time or any rules to follow. All that matters is that you begin. Preston says it is not what you do with your body, it's all about the mind. I am figuring you can sit quietly, but you can also stand on your head... or take a walk in nature. Julia Cameron is a strong supporter of daily walks intending to get in touch with your inner mind. I say, start with what works for you.

Your sit calmly with your mind and let whatever passes through... and let it pass. it may feel uncomfortable at first... but over time it will become normal and stillness will come.

#LOVELOUDERCHALLENGE
Set aside 5 or 10 minutes, find a quiet place and go within.
Begin wherever you are and know that consist practice builds over time. It just takes commitment and persistence.