Chapter 14: Lizzie McGuire, you are an outfit repeater!! Part One
While some people try to visit as many countries as they can, I embraced becoming a "travel repeater."
I was excited to explore Europe in my year abroad. My “open schedule” allowed for flexibility to grab cheap flights to destinations when they appeared on Google Flights, Skyscanner or when airlines like Ryanair or TAP had flash sales.
Engaging in TikTok research of various destinations, I found creators whose goal was to visit every country. I wanted to do the same and ignored the cheap flights to destinations I had already been too.
However, when I began meeting people from these “repeat cities,” I learned there was much more I hadn’t discovered. Not to mention, it had been over a decade since I visited some of them and in that time I changed, as did the cities.
Reflecting on the photos I took at those destinations, I saw how immature I was. I did ridiculous poses in front of monuments, not realizing what they represented. I don’t even remember appreciating or connecting with the history, culture and people of those places.
After this reflection, I decided to become a “Travel Repeater,” a person who visits a place again. I know that isn't a thing as people visit the same city multiple times, but TikTok creators led me to believe that wasn’t cool. They taught me the more you travelled to new places, the more social currency you had.
My first repeat city was Rome, a stop over before Kate and Nick’s wedding in Montingnano. On my way, I watched The Lizzie McGuire Movie and one of the very first scenes was Lizzie’s arch nemesis Kate ripping her graduation gown open to reveal a previously worn outfit. Screaming, Kate said “Lizzie McGuire you are an outfit repeater!” While I didn’t have the outfits I wore to Rome back in 2008, I was still a repeater in the travel sense. Plus, that film represented teenage metamorphosis and I had deemed 2024 my mid-30s metamorphosis - queue the Hilary Duff song.
So let’s visit these repeat places to see what was different this time around. Note I won’t be doing any Portuguese cities, since I lived there.
The Roman repeat | La ripetizione romana (2008 vs. 2024)
I visited Rome on a school trip, like Lizzie, for my 18th birthday and for years it ranked lowest on my list of the cities visited - that honour later went to Naples. This was because I got the flu and was either stuck in bed or very groggy. It was also the first time I left Canada on my own, so the circumstances made me homesick.
As the saying goes, “some things never change.” In 2024, my return was marked with illness once again - luckily, the tail end of food poisoning.
Given I was super ill in 2008, I decided to do a crash course of attractions. The first repeat attraction was the second floor the United Colors of Benetton store in front of the Trevi Fountain, which still has the best view of the lucky monument. While the Trevi Fountain was busy, I managed to sneak in front and make a wish. I will reveal 2008 wish, which was to have the full Lizzie McGuire experience. Instead of being mistaken for a pop star and having a whirlwind romance, I was in bed sick. Technically, Lizzie did pretend to be sick in the film…so maybe the wishing-powers-to-be didn’t realize it was a hoax and therefore made me ill for real. This time though, my silly little wish was about finding love - which I sort of did, but not in the way I expected.
While I wasn’t mistaken for a celebrity or find romantic love, I did meet a celebrity and his romantic love. Walking towards the Trevi Fountain, I noticed a familiar man next to me. I couldn’t place my finger on who he was and then it hit me. I turned and asked “Are you Adam Huber from Dynasty?” He said “yes” and I was starstruck to meet Liam from the show - one of my favourite characters after Fallon Carrington, who he married in the series. Part of my Lizzie fantasy was seeing a celebrity and I did. Plus, it turns out Adam was there to propose to his girlfriend, so it was also romantic. Later I’d learn that Raye and Paul Mescal were also in town, but I didn’t run into them.
Next stop was the Colosseum, where a memory was unlocked. One night a classmate and I wandered the streets - I’m fuzzy on if it was with parental supervision or if we snuck out. We had done some shopping at United Colors of Benetton (in front of the Trevi) and she purchased a purple sweater. I was underdressed for the night and getting cold. Not wanting me to get even more sick, she gave me her new sweater. She laughed when I put it on, saying I looked like Barney and took a photo of me in my best dinosaur pose in front of the Colosseum.
I also go to explore Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II. When I was there in 2008, the monument was under restoration, so I only saw the statue of Vittorio Emanuele. This time I got to get up close and personal and got acquainted with its stunning interior and the details on its facade
On this exploration, I noticed the impacts of overtourism…and it was only April. For years I dreamed of living in a historic city like Rome, but as I explored it with a new viewpoint I asked myself “how do Romans enjoy this city? It’s so busy!”
My dreams of living in the city included having a picnic with friends in front of the Colosseum - but there was no possible way to do this. You’d be in strangers photos, pushed by tourists and likely sniffed by police dogs. I acknowledge, I am part of this problem and as I continued to live in Lisbon as a local, I started to understand the pain points.
Dancing through the past in Berlin | Tanzen durch die Vergangenheit in Berlin (2015 vs. 2024)
The last time I was in Berlin was with Ariel, who was meeting her university exchange friends that she met in Ireland. I remember a few things like having dinner at a Turkish restaurant, observing the Berlin Wall, the hostel which was once a school and clubbing into the wee hours of the morning. My most distinct memory was being woken up in my hostel with a knife to my face held by a Tasmanian man I was rooming with…and would room with on a two-week Eastern European tour. Don’t worry, he just wanted me to see the knife’s details up close and knew I couldn’t see without my glasses.
In 2024, I travelled with my fellow homo Richard, but got super sick - of course. Richard and I did the big tourist spots like the Berlin Wall, Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate), Oberbaum Bridge, Reichstagsgebäuden and Berlin Dom.
We also focused our time visiting various art galleries, museums (Buchstabenmuseum) sifting through piles of vintage clothing, eating the most delicious food I have ever had (Zeit für Brot, Bertie) and dancing in phone booth sized disco (teledisko Blau at Holzmarkt).
Throughout our exploration noticed the aftermath of World War II on the country and how that chapter was still present and lingered as a reminder of the horrors that occurred. On my first visit, I focused on partying, not taking into account the dark history that transpired. Maybe it was because I was visiting Auschwitz and wasn’t ready to confront the tragedy of WWII.
Maybe I noticed it now because of the horrors in the world and needed to be reminded of the mistakes that were made and the outcome. Whatever it was, I made sure, I took the time to better understand Germany and its past from the perspective of both World Wars, the era of the Berlin Wall and even current political issues.
Overtures and overdue breakups in Vienna | Ouvertüren und überfällige Trennungen in Wien (2015 vs. 2024)
I visited Vienna on an organized tour in 2015 - the one with the Tasmanian I mentioned above. I had always dreamed of going to Vienna and seeing a show at The Vienna State Opera House. As a teen, I attended a public arts high school for music - I played the flute - and as part of the curriculum took musical theory, learning about the great composers Schubert, Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. I was told how they’d perform at The Vienna State Opera House and made it my dream to sit in that palace of music and hear the quarter notes, whole notes and all the notes echo throughout. Sadly, I was there during a ballet (equally as good), but still got to experience a show in the venue as well as do a backstage tour. I also remember visiting Domkirche St. Stephan (St. Stephen’s Cathedral) only because it was my namesake. Those were the two biggest memories.
In 2024, I visited with an ex-fling and was trying to avoid running into another ex (my life is chaotic). The ex-fling and I did our own separate things as he wanted to have experiences I already had. However, we did start by taking a walking tour of the historic city centre and I was shocked by how little of Vienna’s history I knew/remembered. In fact, I could spew every fact about The Vienna State Opera House and St. Stephen’s Cathedral, but everything else I learned on that tour was relatively new information to me.
On this tour, I enjoyed learning about Empress Sisi (aka the Empress Elisabeth of Austria), the wife of Emperor Franz Joseph I. It connected the dots to my trip to Geneva where a monument stood in her honour as she was assassinated in the Swiss city in 1898 - plus a cute Swiss boy showed it to me. At this moment, I realized the interconnectedness of the cities I was visiting.
I also got to partake in some local traditions like attending a horse riding practice at the stunning Spanish Riding School, which is the only institution in the world which has practiced for more than 450 years. The school practices traditional methods of classical horsemanship and is recognized by UNESCO. The riders train in this Baroque designed structure that feels more like a concert hall with its stunning galleries for bystanders and chandeliers hanging. There is a painting of Emperor Charles VI, who commissioned the building, in the royal box that each rider must salute to as a thank you.
I even immersed myself in Viennese coffee house culture and visited their parliament building.
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