This is a personal list of some of my favourite travel moments of the world and the wonders of it all. I am one of those people who loves to travel but cannot wait to get back home to my comforts because much as I love being outside, I like being inside.
Travel makes me appreciate the world for what it is; ours. When I travel and return home, I find myself always wanting to live better, to be better, be easier, live more in the moment. Simpler, I want life to be simpler because I always find myself in places that are close to nature, that work with nature to preserve and protect her, places that serve food with the seasons and are at one with it. There is a reverence there besides the presence of a basilica or a chapel to enforce said reverence. There is a soft movement that is familiar with the earth and its essence. The sun rises differently uninhibited by the sharpness of modernity, even the sun is gentle to rise in these places; village or city, remote but not too, internal but easily external, a place that respects time and goes easy on the mind. And so, it stands to reason that I want to bring home with me these elements and put them into practise, to reason that along the way I have cobbled together my own list of travel wonders whilst traversing the world, some of the most memorable moments that never leave me but often make my heart flutter.
So without much fuss here’s a list of my travel world wonders, aka things you should do when you travel to certain places…
Stroll from Villefranche Sur Mer to Nice; here you will go past some of the most incredible scenes and breath-taking coastline, high, so high up you could almost touch the sky and the sea so far down below you it feels like another world, but this is some of the most beautiful scenes in the world. Look back on yourself to the village of Villefranche with its colourful building anchored by the deep blue, and its tales of the fisherman and the artist.
Hike Cinque Terre in a Dress; once, just once, and never do it again or maybe this will be your calling card. For someone who is afraid of heights I am constantly testing these limits by ascending great places where I can immediately picture my mangled body on the drop, St Peters, the York Cathedral, Cinque Terre etc. Hiking from one village to the next, you come by some of life’s most wonderful scenes, you meet people that you share a fleeting memory with or maybe a lifetime either way, hike Cinque Terre in a dress on a lovely spring day. Listen to that episode on the podcast here.
Jazz at the Preservation Hall in New Orleans: one of the first places where music was integrated in America if you find yourself in NOLA, make sure you take in a performance at the Preservation Hall a place trapped in the history of its time and then some.
Visit the church that Matisse built; Chapel of the Rosary in Vence: the light here is different, the feeling here is divine, the mood here is glorious, and, in every way, it’ll move you. An ode to friendship, Matisse built this for his friend a nun, and it is a true wonder. There is also service here if you are inclined to go absolutely do so. Listen to the episode on the podcast here.
Mass at Sagrada Familia; this church has been in construction for nearly one hundred years, Gaudi its master creator has been dead for one hundred years. He never expected to see it complete so he left detailed instructions on his vision; when man is aware of his mortality they leave legends in their wake, legends of their own greatness hence I think this is one the greatest acts of compassion an artist can have for their generation and the ones beyond them. It encompasses all of Christ’s life, and whilst it is grand and glorious it’s the details the small details that pull it all together.
Eat Jollof in Lagos: just in case you don’t know there is a battle that has been raging between Nigeria and Ghana about who has the best jollof. Never mind that we didn’t even invent the dish it came from the Wollof people in Senegal, yet Nigeria lays claim to the best Jollof in Africa, yes, I am big on proclamations. Therefore, to have the best jollof of your life go to Lagos or listen to my episode on Lagos from the podcast or better yet see the recipe granted its an old recipe that needs to be updated because I have a banger of a recipe but this one is great for beginners. Either way, put this on your wander list.
Tour St Paul’s Cathedral after hours: this is the most beautiful building in the whole of the UK. What did I say about proclamations? Big on them. St Paul’s Cathedral is one of three of the most beautiful buildings in the world in my opinion, and you must take an after-hours tour to see the mysteries come alive. Visit the library where books older than you or I live, and then maybe stop of at the whispering gallery for a wander in a wonder… you know what I mean.
Eat a Black Forest Gateau in the Black Forest: because where else will you eat a Black Forest Gateau other than the town Marie Antoinette passed through on her marriage voyage? I talk all about it here so visit the Black forest too.
The Hall of Champions in Ferrari Museum, Maranello: of the two Ferrari Museums, one in Modena and the other in Maranello, I am still enthralled by latter… I know, I know, but being in the hall of champions, seeing the story of the legend come to life, where automobile and man’s foray into greatness meets, is really quite something spectacular. This life story of Enzo Ferrari will always be his, will always be told and will always be celebrated, but it is the legend he built that will always be a marvel and this hall is an ode to that. Be moved beyond the ordinary as you stand in the hall of the extraordinary. Listen to that episode also on the podcast here.
The Veiled Christ in Naples; I am yet to see this; I am yet to properly visit Naples, but my only memory of Naples is that I nearly got run over on the way to Positano and it has stayed with me. But the sculpture of the veiled Christ in Cappella Sansevero is one such wonder of the world that one ought to see. From what I have seen of it online, it shows the dead Christ laid on a marble mattress covered with a veil from head to toe without concealing his body hence, revealing the stages of suffering at the crucifixion.
Buena Vista in Havana: Cuba is as you would expect her to be, yet all you think you know of her, you really don’t, so when in Havana, spend a night revisiting the glory days of the Buena Vista Social Club in an old ruined mansion that tells the story of a country finding its way back to greatness. Maybe it is already there.
See La Primavera in Florence: I say this for anyone who dares challenge me, La Primavera is the more superior work when compared with Venus and you should absolutely see this painting at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. I will take no dissenting opinions.