We are so happy to be nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award again! Thank you to Travelling Buzz for the nomination! We are so incredibly honored to have received another blogging award. Maria at Travelling Buzz is a 22 year old Bulgarian who takes some pretty amazing photos of Bulgaria. We definitely will be making a stop in Bulgaria after looking at all of her gorgeous photos!
We have decided that since we were already nominated we would give 7 more facts about us but keep our same nominees. To see who we have nominated take a look here.
1. Ashley majored in Classical Archaeology aka Greek and Roman archaeology, which job-wise is pretty limiting but did lead to her moving to Rome. Her favorite Roman emperor is Hadrian in case you were wondering.
Alex is a communication major only because his school did not have separate writing program. His final thesis was writing a full length screenplay and this film experience is one of the reasons we hope to make a documentary when we head out for our Round the World trip.
2. Alex absolutely loves Shakespeare; his dad asked him to read 5 Shakespeare tragedies in the 8th grade to see if he really wanted a paintball gun, not only did he get his paintball gun but he also now loves randomly quoting Shakespeare, which I never get. “Nothing becomes of nothing” – apparently…
While Ashley may know nothing of Shakespeare she has an odd fascination with the English monarchs and has probably read every known historical fiction book about Queen Elizabeth and she she has seen every episode of The Tudors too.
3. Alex originally wanted to become a herpetologist which is a person who studies reptiles and amphibians. Basically he wanted to be Steve Irwin and spent his childhood catching lizards.
Ashley originally went to college to study marine biology and then they told her she had to take chemistry, not her strongest suite. She ended up going to Crete for the summer and thus ended up with an archaeology degree.
4. Alex’s dream destination is Japan; all he wants to do is eat puffer fish and drink sake. There is a reason I don’t let him go for sushi alone.
Ashley’s dream destination is Machu Picchu. She has wanted to go since she was little and was given a mini archaeology kit from the Imaginarium, thank you Mom and Dad.
5. We both love to collect books. Ashley has an old collection of Nancy Drew books from her aunt; they are wonderfully old with pages falling out and moldy covers, and Alex has an impressive collection of leather bound Louis L’Amore books from his grandfather.
6. We are absolute Disneyland fanatics. A summer without Disneyland is a summer wasted. We buy new ears whenever we are there; it is tradition.
7. Alex recently gave me a record player and since then we have become avid record collectors, our favorite bar in Healdsburg even does all their music based off records. Gotta love going old school! My favorite record old record is Ella Fitzgerald and my favorite modern record is Ryan Adams (best concert ever!) and Alex’s favorite album is Bob Dylan’s “Blood on the Tracks”.
So there we have it, you guys got to know a little bit more about us! Thank you Maria for nominating us and don’t forget to check out our nominees and learn a little bit more about us!
About the Versatile Blogger Award
For anyone who has stumbled onto this post without knowing the tradition, the Versatile Blogger Award is a peer-to-peer recognition that travels from blog to blog. It is not a contest with judges or a prize; it is simply one blogger saying, "I enjoy what you write, and I want more people to read it." The usual rules are simple: thank the person who nominated you, share a handful of facts about yourself, and pass the award along to other bloggers you admire.
The fact-sharing is our favorite part. When you spend most of your time writing about places, plans and packing lists, it is easy for readers to forget there are two real people behind the screen, one with a stack of mildewed Nancy Drew mysteries and one with a suspiciously large knowledge of Shakespeare. Lists like this are a small excuse to step out from behind the itinerary.
Why Awards Like This Matter to a Young Travel Blog
Blogging can feel a bit like talking into an empty room, especially in the early days. You write a post late at night, hit publish, and wonder whether anyone beyond your family has read it. A nomination is a reminder that somebody out there did, and cared enough to tell others. It has also introduced us to blogs we never would have found on our own, including photographers and writers in corners of the world we have only dreamed about.
It has also pushed us to be more honest on the page. Our posts tend to focus on logistics and destinations, but the posts people respond to most are the ones that sound like us. We plan to keep a little of that personality in everything we write as we get closer to our Round the World trip.
How These Facts Shape Our Travel Plans
It might look like a random list of quirks, but nearly every item on it shows up in how we plan a trip. Consider a few of the ways our backgrounds steer us:
- History first. Ashley's archaeology degree means ruins, museums and old streets usually land at the top of the list. Living in Rome only made that habit stronger, and Machu Picchu remains the big dream stop.
- Stories on film. Alex's screenwriting background is the reason we keep talking about turning the journey into a documentary. We are already thinking about what we would want to capture and how to tell it.
- Food as an adventure. Japan, puffer fish and sake are not just a joke; a good meal is often the most memorable part of a destination for us.
- Wildlife and the sea. A childhood of catching lizards and a half-finished marine biology path mean we will always detour for animals and coastlines.
Souvenirs, Traditions and the Things We Collect
Collecting is a thread that runs through almost everything we do. Old books, leather bound westerns, records and a fresh pair of Disneyland ears each summer all share one idea: we like objects that carry a story. That is also how we think about souvenirs. We would rather come home with one worn paperback from a secondhand shop or a record from a local market than a suitcase of trinkets.
The trouble, of course, is that a Round the World trip and a growing record collection do not mix well. Vinyl is heavy, fragile and not especially backpack friendly. We are still working out the compromise, which will probably involve a lot of photographs, a few carefully chosen small keepsakes, and a promise to ourselves that the records stay safe at home until we return.
Keep Following Along
If you enjoyed getting to know us a little better, you can see how our plans were coming together in earlier posts such as March 2014 and January 2014, or go back to the very beginning in September 2013. For what came next, take a look at August 2014.
Thank you again to everyone who reads along, comments, and shares our little corner of the internet. Tell us in the comments what your own dream destination is, or which odd collection you cannot stop adding to. We would love to hear about it.