– an ache to get away and travel to a distant place, a feeling even stronger than wanderlust

They say that your sense of smell invokes the most memory recall. A single scent can take you back to when you were 5 years old and bring up a memory you had all but forgotten.

The smell of Noxema reminds me of my Grandpa Evans and Lolita Lempicka perfume takes me back to Junior High when that’s all I wore.

I was standing at the bus stop today and someone walked by smoking a cigarette. I was instantly taken back to Europe where smoking happens in way more public places (it isn’t as frowned upon there as it is in North America). I was taken back to sitting on a patio in Cinque Terre, and walking the streets of Prague, and waiting for the train in Hamburg. Don’t get me wrong, I hate the smell, but the nostalgia makes me smile.

In June, it will be 2 years since my big adventure and I’m yearning for another one.

I miss waking up and wondering what the day had in store. I miss listening to people speak in every language but English. I miss wandering the streets of a new city, where every corner you turn is a new corner to explore. I truly miss where the only worry I had was what I was going to see that day, or when I was going to eat.

Until I can jet off again, I’ll take the scents that transport me back and the memories I will never forget.

-A