I Went on Vacation and Forgot to Tell You

(Sorry.)

{Tovehallerne in Copenhagen}

Every time I visit a new place, I take something home with me.  

Traveling changes me, and sometimes I'm surprised by what ends up sticking.  

In Paris, it was the fashion.  The women in Paris made me want to dress like them.  I brought home a new sense of appreciation for a chic pair of black skinny pants, and a well-tailored blouse.  This time, in Scandinavia and Iceland, it was the food.  Fish to be exact.

Sunday at the farmer's market I found myself reaching for bundles of fresh dill to sprinkle over the sole I planned to make that night (amazing recipe btw), and the fact that I never used to cook with dill before seems so strange and distant to me now.  Last night I made tuna salad based on a sandwich I had at The Laundromat, a diner/cafe/bar/laundromat in Iceland.  It included apples, sweet relish, and curry -- none of which I would have added to tuna prior to this trip, and none of which I will ever omit from tuna salad again. (Trust me, subbing these for the usual mayo and boiled eggs is the best face lift your sandwich will ever get!)

Catching myself changing the way I live here in LA because of things I've experienced halfway around the world fills up my heart.  I love the idea that my life has hidden pieces of my adventures scattered throughout, so that once in a while, I'll do something or say something that reminds me of that day in Paris, or Turkey, or Iceland, when I least expect it.  And I'll realize that I've changed.  

That's what traveling is all about. That's why I'll never get enough.