Guess who's back? That's right, it's me! Home once more after a month long voyage touring Italy and the Greek Islands. What did I do, you ask? Well...
In fair Verona, renowned for the tragical Shakespearian love story, "Romeo and Juliet", I visited Casa di Guiletta. (I mean, how could I not?) The house was closed when I arrived, but the courtyard was open for viewing, which meant that I was able to still see the famous Juliet's Balcony, along with the layered-walls of love letters. (I also recently rewatched "Letters to Juliet" and realised that there's a bit of a difference in the portrayal of the location. That, or perhaps the approach to leaving love letters has simply changed over time?) It was a beautiful stop on my trip - the town itself is gorgeous and well worth the visit. I only wish that I'd had more time to stay there.
Then I cruised over to Venice, a place I've been determined to see for many years - why yes, another 'city of love' (What can I say? I'm a romantic at heart.). I spent a few days wandering the narrow walkways exploring. The trip resulted in the discovery of a little bookshop, Liberia Acqua Alta. This bookstore is filled from head to toe with books, overflowing into every spare space. There was also a gondola indoors piled with novels, and a photographic staircase of books out the back for your bookstagram needs!
Meanwhile, my favourite island in Greece was Santorini. I was inspired to travel to the island after reading 'The Violet Eden Chapters' by Jessica Shirivngton in high school. My achievement of the trip: I climbed the active volcano, Nea Kameri, to the top! (I even swum in the nearby hot springs.) What else, aside from beaches? There was a gorgeous little bookshop in Oia, Atlantis Books. One-hundred percent recommend visiting this place. Honestly, I think it's even more spectacular than Acqua Alta.
Now it's back to reality for me. Uni has kicked off for another semester which means there is a lot more writing in the foreseeable future - and thankfully not all of it is academic-style! I'm taking two creative writing courses this semester - non-fiction (not my forte) and advanced studies (how scary does that sound?!?) I've already started a new project inspired from my trip, and uni has helped motivate me to write another.
Reality also means I'm back on duty at NYWF! The program launch is at the end of the month, and if you haven't already checked out the TiNA artists of 2018 you can do so here. Don't forget that volunteering expressions of interest are still open!
2018 Goal Counter:
WIP Word Count: 4,826
Books read: 15
Short stories written: 7
Other (reviews, etc): 3