Gettin’ Carried Away

The truth is, while I love traipsing all over the globe, the nomadic lifestyle is not for me. I like being grounded. I like having a place to come home, any given time, 365 days a year. Plus, the more I’ve traveled, the more I realized just how much I love being home. For one thing, I love baseball. My family has had season tickets to White Sox games for a few years now, and I cherish every set of three to four hours I get to spend inside Comiskey (aka U.S. Cellular Field). However, when I travel, I miss out on some pretty cool things, usually sports related.

Paris 2005: I would never turn down a trip overseas, even when it’s during the Crosstown Classic. While I was on my Parisian adventure, the Chicago Cubs came to the Southside to take on my good guys in black. I missed the whole series, which isn’t that big of a deal. However, I also missed what people were calling an “epic fight” between the two catchers (at the time), A.J. Pierzynski of the Sox and Michael Barrett of the Cubs.

New Jersey 2007: I booked a flight to New Jersey late in 2006, planning to visit my friend Matt whom I had just met while studying abroad in London. Little did I know, the Chicago Bears were going to make it to their first Super Bowl since the year I was born! And when was my flight home? Right when the game started, of course. Even though we lost, I missed out on huge parties with my friends and family. However, I’m glad I got to spend a lot of time with a new friend of mine.

Wyoming 2009: Again, I missed the Crosstown Classic. And while nothing too exciting happened, I did learn that tons of my friends got together before, during and after the game. When you’re either working or traveling, you kind of miss being around your friends. I mean, it wasn’t that long ago that I was visiting them down at school when we were in college.

Luckily, I was home yesterday and I went to the Sox game. Little did I know I would witness a part of history, as Mark Buehrle pitched his second no-hitter and his first perfect game. And here’s the funny thing… I missed his first no-hitter because I was on a day trip. Hah!

Of course, I’m still going to travel, but I am very thankful for the times I am home in Chicago. It just goes to show you that you don’t have to travel far in order to see and do some amazing things.

This past weekend, I attended the 2009 Chicago Blackhawks Convention at the Hilton on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. I met a lot of players, participated in Q&A sessions and was just… in awe… listening to these professional athletes give advice, talk about their personal lives and pick on their teammates.

However, with travel always on the brain, I began to think, “These guys are some of the most well-traveled people in this room!”

~*Chicago Blackhawks Andrew Ladd, Duncan Keith & Craig Adams in Nashville*~

Professional athletes, especially in the NHL, end up traveling all over the world. On the Blackhawks, for example, we’ve got a Swede, some Slovakians and tons of Canadians. And… these guys are traveling to Switzerland and Finland this fall to open the hockey season! Afterwards, they’ll come back to Chicago for a bit, play a game or two, and then embark on a seven-month journey all over the United States (and parts of Canada).

~*Chicago Bears kicker Robbie Gould and my bf Randy in Boston*~

I took my love of sports to another level by combining it with my passion for travel. Sometimes, I start looking for trips based on where my favorite teams are playing. I flew to Nashville earlier this year to see the Hawks ice the Predators (but they lost; sad day), and I’ve seen the White Sox play in New York and Boston. Even if my Chicago boys are not playing on the road, I’ll gladly take in a game just so I can see a given stadium (check back in August for my recap of a Pittsburgh trip to see the riates vs. the Diamonbacks at PNC Park).

~*Chicago Blackhawks Patrick Sharp and Brent Seabrook in Nashville*~

Aside from the game, the fans and the girls, I’d like to think that if I asked a Hawks player, “What’s the best part of being a professional athlete?” he might say, “I get to see so many amazing places.”

I mean, I’m sure these guys don’t have A LOT of down time, but they do get to go out occasionally. Two of the above photos show you that some of the Hawks were ready for a little night on the town, the night before the game! Perhaps that’s why they lost… hah! Either way, traveling has to be one of the best perks of being a professional athlete.

I find that, when people make plans to visit the UK, they tend to talk to me about London, Dublin, Glasgow, etc. No one ever mentions Wales! I think it’s a shame because, for one, I have several friends from Wales and two, I’ve been there and it’s gorgeous! I was lucky enough to be part of a student bus trip from London, England to Chepstow, Wales and the Wye Valley. It only took a few hours to drive there, so it’s a perfect day trip for anyone.

I had never seen such greenery in all my life. Of course, I’ve seen empty lands. But being from Illinois (USA), all I’ve seen is corn fields. But in Chepstow… vast, verdant lands stretch out as far as your eyes can see! You won’t see herds of cows, lost in countless stalks of corn. You will enjoy breathtaking views of warm, green planes that glimmer in the sunlight.

We headed to Wye Valley, a section of the Royal Forest that runs from Hereford to Chepstow and forms the borders between England and Wales. It has been said that this exact forest inspired J.R.R. Tolkien’s descriptions of Fangorn Forest in Lord of the Rings. Unfortunately, I don’t have a photo of the winding road we took through the enchanting archways of trees. It’s not just because we stayed on the bus the whole time. Unfortunately, I sometimes get a little bit of motion sickness, and it happened to me on this journey. A bit of advice: If you don’t have any medicine, cold water and a fan work wonders… and will get you through the bumpiest, wildest rides.

After we drove through Wye Valley, we visited the ruins of the Tintern Abbey and Chepstow Castle. One of my most memorable experiences of this trip was when I got be in two places at once! I’m serious, too. Just up the road from Chepstow Castle, there is a tiny bridge that features two seemingly out-of-place squares. You are meant to put one foot in each square, thereby being in both England and Wales at the same time! Just take a look at this photo:

Another place I suggest seeing in Wales is Cardiff. Stay on the water near the River Taff and tour the luxurious Cardiff Castle. You can even grab a Mega Bus for under £20!