Home Sweet Home / Carmen Varner // Travel Influencer, Blogging Coach, Social Media Consultant

SLIDER

Home Sweet Home

  • Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Traveling is an experience like no other. You witness firsthand how other people live their daily lives. What do they traditionally eat for breakfast? How many official languages are there? What do their road signs look like? Where do locals hang out after work? These are questions that never crossed my mind until I took that long airplane ride across the globe.

As I sit here in sunny San Diego, I reminisce about the month I spent abroad. I visited Denmark, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Germany, & Belgium. I am so overwhelmed with photos, moments, food, & language that's been hard to unwind. After all, less than 24 hours ago I was flying through the air at 521 mph/838 kph on my way to Los Angeles. But now, the photographs I so liberally took are nothing but memories of the past. 
When I close my eyes, I can see the colorful waterfront district of Nyhavn in Copenhagen. I can smell the enticing scent of Belgian waffles wafting into my nose from the streets of Brussels. I can hear the ding dong, sing song ringing of the church bells in Paris. But then I open my eyes. It all disintegrates into reality.

palais de justice
Palais de Justice in Brussels
The reality is that it's 77 degrees. It's time to get back to work. No more grandiose cathedrals. No more French macarons or Belgian waffles. No more. None of that. There's definitely the pluses & minuses of travel, so now I'm experiencing the come down. This is the sobering part where everything comes back into focus.

Now what? Live vicariously through myself & my own photos in the hope of traveling again soon. Find adventure in the every day. Sometimes all you need is a getaway. Sometimes all you need to get away is to go a little further than usual. 

Until then, it's time to kick some butt. Oh yes, you will see some travel posts. Don't worry about that. It will come in due time. I've got thousands of photos to browse. I've got 30+ post ideas. But right now I have some sleep to catch up on. Jet lag is real. So real, y'all. Here's hoping you're having a wonderful day. Where's a place you'd love to visit? How's your summer? What have you been up to? :]

Follow me on social media: 
Bloglovin // Facebook // Instagram // Pinterest // Twitter

Oh & add me on Snapchat for exclusive content: carmenvarner
, , , , , , , , ,

45 comments

  1. StephanieAugust 19, 2015 at 11:32 AM

    Wonderful post!!! And now I want waffles. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. lifestyletalks.wordpress.comAugust 19, 2015 at 12:06 PM

    Waw, you got to visit a lot! Glad to read you had a great time (and some Brussels waffles :)) ! Love your photograph of the Palais the Justice!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Carmen VarnerAugust 20, 2015 at 6:10 PM

      Thank you so much. The Palais de Justice is magnificent. :]

      Delete
  3. Andrea jueongAugust 19, 2015 at 12:34 PM

    Wow,you traveled a lot. I used to travel a lot before my son was born. Now I still travel, but not as much.
    http://fabuloustorture.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Carmen VarnerAugust 20, 2015 at 6:11 PM

      Go you! Even a day trip to the city is travel to me. :]

      Delete
  4. Izabela NairAugust 19, 2015 at 12:50 PM

    Awesome photo. I can't wait to see more pics from your trip.

    www.mydailywear.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  5. Beba GöttelAugust 19, 2015 at 1:16 PM

    Lovely look!

    www.bebagottel.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. SANDRA KOPKO - FASHION BLOGAugust 19, 2015 at 1:26 PM

    Cool look! Have a nice day :)

    Can you follow me back? :)
    If you comment my post, I will comment your five posts!

    http://www.sandrakopko.com/2015/08/countryside.html

    ReplyDelete
  7. Matea SaricAugust 19, 2015 at 1:37 PM

    Wow looks like you've had an amazing adventure and visited so many great places, looking forward to all those travel posts :) I know that sobering feeling of coming back home after an amazing time abroad, it always takes some time to come back to reality again :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Carmen VarnerAugust 20, 2015 at 6:25 PM

      Yep, the come back to reality is process indeed. :]

      Delete
  8. Rachel McCarthyAugust 19, 2015 at 1:49 PM

    What an amazing month of travel you had! I would love to visit some of those countries, but England is definitely at the top of my list!

    xo, Rachel
    A Blonde's Moment

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Carmen VarnerAugust 20, 2015 at 6:25 PM

      I'd love to visit England again, but more in depth. :]

      Delete
  9. Chloe AllanAugust 19, 2015 at 2:37 PM

    Sounds like you had an amazing month! It's just a shame you have to come back to reality at the end of it all! x

    ReplyDelete
  10. mary-katherineAugust 19, 2015 at 2:43 PM

    Ahh man vacation hangover! Coming back from a trip is the absolute worst, but once you get over the initial shock and disappointment to be back to reality, the memories become so sweet. My favorites are the ones that make your heart ache when you think about them and you actually feel like you're back there!

    Glad you had such a wonderful trip!

    xo Mary-Katherine | Gold-Hatted Lover

    ReplyDelete
  11. DanielleAugust 19, 2015 at 4:25 PM

    That is a beautiful photo! I also love traveling. When I'm on vacation trip, I never want to come back.

    www.spring2spring.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. Kathy McCarthyAugust 19, 2015 at 7:01 PM

    Great photo. Can't wait to see more. Get some rest. Jet lag can be tough.

    Kathy
    http://www.glamsimplified.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. Meliza JoyceAugust 19, 2015 at 7:42 PM

    So jealous of your travels! It would be a dream to visit all the places you visited. I hope I get the chance to go to Europe someday to see all of the beautiful architecture and experience the different cultures.I can't imagine what it was like to come back from a trip like that and go back to reality.

    www.that-girl-in-nyc.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Carmen VarnerAugust 21, 2015 at 11:04 AM

      Just slowly start saving up but never stop dreaming. :]

      Delete
  14. Kim AlstonAugust 19, 2015 at 9:34 PM

    Welcome back! Those statues are gorgeous and I can't wait for you to share your adventures. There's nothing like traveling. I'm in the middle of home remodeling, so no traveling for me.
    http://www.averysweetblog.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Carmen VarnerAugust 21, 2015 at 11:04 AM

      Remodeling is cool too! It's nice to have a change. :]

      Delete
  15. AnonymousAugust 20, 2015 at 2:20 AM

    wow

    http://carrieslifestyle.com
    Posts online about Dubai, Heidelberg, Beijing...

    ReplyDelete
  16. Doused In PinkAugust 20, 2015 at 4:20 AM

    It sounds like you had an amazing trip! That photo is gorgeous! Can't wait to see more!

    Jill
    Doused In Pink

    ReplyDelete
  17. Melisa AffandyAugust 20, 2015 at 5:24 AM

    gorgeous photo, can't wait to see the travel photos<3
    www.rebelrebel.co x

    ReplyDelete
  18. Straight A StyleAugust 20, 2015 at 6:34 AM

    Welcome back! So glad you got to enjoy traveling.

    Amy Ann
    Straight A Style

    ReplyDelete
  19. Michele MAugust 20, 2015 at 7:22 AM

    It certainly is eyeopening to visit different cultures. Looking forward to all of your travel posts.
    Michele xx

    www.chicuturnonglitz.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Carmen VarnerAugust 21, 2015 at 11:05 AM

      True Michele! It's really intriguing to see how people live in other places. :]

      Delete
  20. SybilAugust 20, 2015 at 7:48 PM

    aahhh lucky for you to be able to travel to those places!!! I'm just back from a quick getaway to Seattle & Portland and just like you, I'm back to regular work now.. aaahh!! I'm still itching to go travel again! :D

    Have a great weekend!
    Animated Confessions

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Carmen VarnerAugust 21, 2015 at 2:27 PM

      Seattle & Portland are so fantastic! Hope you had a great time. :]

      Delete
  21. Mlle CoconathAugust 20, 2015 at 11:48 PM

    You are very lucky! Great post!
    xx
    Mademoiselle Coconath
    http://mllecoconath.com

    ReplyDelete
  22. Nevena KrsticAugust 25, 2015 at 12:41 PM

    Beautiful photo! I hope you had a lovely time travelling :) xx

    ReplyDelete
  23. Mary TAugust 27, 2015 at 5:00 AM

    You visited so many places!! I'm off on an extended weekend to Denmark and Germany tomorrow! ^^

    Mary
    JOIN MY BTS GIVEAWAY

    ReplyDelete
  24. Helena DommorAugust 27, 2015 at 4:25 PM

    Beautiful post, in fact, great blog is yours : )

    LaMelenaDeLeón

    ReplyDelete
  25. Sabrina ChakiciAugust 27, 2015 at 11:13 PM

    Great post - so true!! I'd love to visit New York during fashion week, or Hawaii during December to see the humback whales :D xX

    http://clutchandcarryon.com/moet-rockstuds/

    ReplyDelete
  26. AforAlyceAugust 28, 2015 at 3:02 AM

    I want to go travelling! I would love to visit Brussels, it's actually on my wish list. :D Looking forward to your travel post! Thank you for sharing this post Carmen, have a nice weekend!

    ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anna C.September 8, 2015 at 4:12 PM

    Let me know if you ever plan to visit Portugal! I'll more than happy to give you a full itinerary :D

    The Vintage Owl | Bloglovin

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for reading & writing. :] // ▲

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

ARCHIVES

© Carmen Varner // Travel Influencer, Blogging Coach, Social Media Consultant • Theme by Maira G.