Travels. Part 1

You might not know it to look at me but I have a terrible case of wanderlust. 

Terrible, because I can hardly afford to go anywhere. Haha. More’s the pity because I’m always dreaming of being somewhere else rather than where I actually am in any time of the day. (Except perhaps, when I was with you, because that always felt right.) And being stuck somewhere gets excruciating.

I’m being patient, however, as I feel that I WILL get somewhere someday. I may not have figured out the logistics portion of it but I believe it is my destiny. 

In the meantime I’m here to talk about some songs, books and movies that feature the places I want to go to someday.

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Morocco

Off the top of my mind, there’s Craig Thompson’s book, Carnet de Voyage. Thompson is the creator of the seminal semi-autobiographical graphic novel, Blankets (also one of my favorite books) and Carnet is, exactly what its name means, a travel journal. 

Following the release of Blankets, Craig (yeah, we’re thisclose) went on a publicity tour around Europe(France, Barcelona, Morocco and the Alps) and published the sketch-travelogue as Carnet de Voyage.

This book is another preview of Thompson’s mastery of the brush pen. –A lot of his sketches were done on-site as he watched cats lounge around in Morocco, or while he babysat his French hosts’ children. And, since this is also a journal, it was of particular interest to me to read abuot Craig Thompson’s bouts of illness, missing his ex-lover, seeing the beautiful (and not-so-beautiful) sights from around the continent, and how he felt about meeting his heroes.

Of all the places he visited on his tour, I guess Morocco was the one that struck me the most. I know that he was lonely there and he missed the creature comforts of say, France but the way Craig drew the streets, the buildings, and the people, it seems as though it would be a worthwhile adventure getting lost in Morocco.

I’d have to say that this is one of the more inspirational/ aspirational books I’ve read over the years. Sometimes I wish I were Craig Thompson. -An artist and a storyteller who’s been able to travel through Europe. I’m sure there are many other comic artists who are able to do the same but Mr. Thompson’s always felt the most accessible to me.

That book, and the song “Marrakech” by funk/acid-jazz band, Incognito are two major reasons I’d like to go to Morocco.

Italy

There are three films are responsible for putting the idea of going to Italy in my head. Chronologically (according to when I saw them) they are the following :

• Only You – a 1994 film starring Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey, Jr.  (I saw this on laser disc. )
• Everyone Says I Love You – a musical by Woody Allen. (This one I watched in the Sta. Lucia theatre back when it was the only one with Dolby Digital Surround. –We were the only people in the theatre.)
• The Talented Mr. Ripley – an Anthony Minghella film based on Patricia Highsmith’s psychological thriller novel of the same name, starring Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, jazz music and the island of Sanremo, Italy.

The first two movies had scenes in Rome and Venice, and of course, both cities are simply breathtaking and romantic with their ruins and canals. (Er, I mean, so it seems. I don’t have a romantic bone in my body.)  However, thanks to The Talented Mr. Ripley and its stunning cinematography (courtesy of John Seale), I’ve decided that if I were going to Italy, the first stop should be Sanremo. I think I’d love to be under that lovely sun and have the calming Mediterranean winds blowing at my face. I probably wouldn't want a brilliant but psychotic leech like Tom Ripley on my trail but with my luck I'd probably have that role.

(Other notable films : A Roman Holiday starring Audrey Hepburn, and Giuseppe Tornatore’s Cinema Paradiso)

I must mention that there are three songs that also remind me of Italy. Deano’s version of It’s Amore, O Sole Mio, and, oddly enough, an instrumental version of La Vie En Rose.  Yes, I know it’s French so I can’t particularly explain why I relate it to Italy but I do anyway.

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Up next : Baguio, Mexico, New York.