Hazelnut Reflections

Friday Five

No, seriously, don't faint. Two posts in two days?

1. What is one place you make sure to take out-of-town guests when they visit? (you can be vague to preserve your anonymity if you like)

We've only been in Oklahoma City a couple of years, but already we have discovered that the one place all of our out-of-town guests want to see, unsurprisingly, is the memorial to the Oklahoma City bombing. I find it a very peaceful and thoughtful place to visit myself. My favorite time to go is at night, when there are fewer crowds, and the glass chairs are lit up. It's such an intersection of tragedy and hope, and its power is hard to put into words.

2. When visiting another city or town, do you try to cram as much in as possible, or take it slow and easy?

Husband is slow and easy, I'm a crammer--which means when we travel together, we meet somewhere in the middle (the good ol' via media, I suppose.) When I travel by myself I tend to go and go and go. I always think "what if I'm never back here again?"

3. When traveling, where are we most likely to find you: strolling through a museum, checking out the local shopping, or _________________?

All of the above? I was a museum educator in a previous life, so I do enjoy exploring them. More and more I like to do outdoor things. I love taking walks when we're in Utah, or hiking up in the mountains. Then there's that small Local Yarn Shop problem. . .

4. Do you like organized tours and/or carefully planned itineraries, or would you rather strike out and just see what happens?

I like to take organized trips when they get me into places I couldn't swing on my own, but pretty much I'm an independent traveler. When left to my own devices I end up planning slightly kooky trips. One time, when I was in England, I completely flummoxed someone at one of those Tourist Board offices when I wanted to take a trip from Canterbury to Norwich to Cambridge before heading back to London. This made no sense to her, but it made all the sense in the world to this recently graduated seminarian to travel to the heart of Anglicanism, to spend some time in Dame Julian's town, and to visit some other English seminarian friends at Wescott House.

5. After an extended trip, what do you find yourself craving most about home? My own bathroom and not having to work so hard for every meal.

posted by Emily @ 7:56 AM