Tuesday Tea: Do you collect souvenirs or mementos from your travels?
Trinkets, treasures, and baubles... oh, my
When we moved to Prague in 2017, we seriously downsized our stuff. There were (difficult) weeks of purging to narrow our belongings down to the things we really love and need. Then we made a deal with each other not to acquire too many things in our new flat. (My rule is that we don’t buy anything that needs to be stored beyond one box of Christmas decorations under the bed and our suitcases in the basement storage area. — Mel)
And/but when we travel to a new-to-us place, we always buy a little something to add to our Treasures Shelf:
It’s usually something small that makes us say, ‘Oh, remember when we…’ and then we’re off and running with stories about our adventures.
We each picked out one thing from the shelf to share with you today!
Dave’s pick: Tiny croft house from Shetland
We got this tiny ceramic croft house when we went to Shetland last year. Every time I look at it, I go right back to that chill, wet island. It reminds me of sheep and horses and the long, rolling hills.
Mel’s pick: Cloisonné bunny from Disney World
My parents took my brother and me to Disney World in the 1970s on a long winter road trip from Pennsylvania to Orlando. It felt like we stopped at every tourist trap destination along the way: Weeki Wachee, South of the Border, Cypress Gardens. The only souvenir that remains from that epic trip is this bunny. Every time I move house, my good-luck bunny moves with me. The best part about her is that she’s very smooth and always feels cool in my palm. (Also, it seems that 10-year-old me practiced writing my name in cursive on the bottom?)
Love your treasures shelf! For the past 15 or so years I've made a point to visit an independent bookstore anytime I've taken a trip. I then try to purchase a book by a local author. I write the place and date inside the books cover so when future me goes to purge books I can check and see if it's one I want to keep.
We buy a Christmas ornament. Small, easy to pack, easy to store, and once a year we get to see them and remember all the adventures.