freshly laundered travel memories

So today while I (of course) had Michael Jackson videos playing on TV, I was reading my July/August issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine. And was so taken with one of the articles that I just had to share it!

It's my fave column in every issue, "Real Travel". I love Daisann's writing style ... witty, smart, observant. In her current piece, Coming Clean, she ponders the significance of doing laundry while traveling. Yes, the significance of it ... trust me, it'll make sense when you read it.

My own fond "laundry memory" while on the road was made in Italy ... we were visiting Sal's aunt & uncle in Gesualdo, a small town in rural southern Italy. Before leaving to head to the Amalfi Coast, we decided to do laundry. And, as Daisann observed, this time it was somehow "cool" to do this usually humdrum chore ... using an "Italian" washing machine in the basement next to a huge vat of freshly-pressed olive oil ... and then unceremoniously hanging our underwear on the clothesline on their front porch. What lingered for me, though, was the utterly FRESH scent of the clothes when they were dry. I had never smelled clothes quite that fresh! Perhaps it was from the crisp mountain air? Or maybe it was just the Italian dolce vita going to my head? Whatever it was, the Gain detergent that I use here at home doesn't compare. I think I've subconsciously been trying to re-create that scent!

That's one thing that I love about travel ... sometimes you don't realize the impact that an experience has had on your psyche until you've been back home for a while.

P.S. ~~ if her article awakened your wanderlust and you're interested in subscribing to NGT, they have an awesome $10/year deal going on right now ... can't beat that!

Suddenly, I have the urge to plan a trip ... and maybe toss in a load of whites. *wink*