take me away

live the language

As a lover of design and travel, I was completely in awe after watching these four beautiful short videos directed by Gustav Johansson. The gorgeous imagery is shot by Niklas Johansson, and the type is by a Barcelona graphic designer and art director Albim Holmqvist, who made the videos worth watching for a type lover like me. Even if you're not a type nerd, it is so easy to fall in love with the imagery. After watching these short films, I became nostalgic, wishing I was back in Italy eating gelato while strolling along the busy streets. My favorite video on imagery alone would probably be the one shot in China. The video felt more intimate, especially when it showed the inside of a family home. However, my favorite video based on the storyline combined with the fonts was the one shot in Paris. It made me feel like I was actually in Paris, eating it's food, and falling for a French man. It's also clever how Albim Holmqvist added the pronunciation guide to help us learn the language as we live through the imagery. I only hope that they shoot the next film in Italy. I can already see myself watching it over and over again, reliving the wonderful moments that had flown by much too quickly. 

10 things I learned in Rome

1. Wear good walking shoes with a thick sole, because there are cobble stones everywhere. I don't know how the Italian women are walking on them with heels! I can barely do it with Target sneakers!

2. They charge the food more when you sit down to eat, rather than get it to-go.

3. Always ask for tap water first. If you ask for water, they will charge you for the bottle, and it's expensive.

4. You don't ever tip the waiters! They get paid enough to not be tipped. Awesome.

5. There are barely any street signs, so you have to be super observant of your surroundings.

6. Italy in the mornings are the best. The air doesn't smell polluted, and it's nice to walk outside, especially when the weather in June is an average of 80 degrees.

7. Rome gets started late compared to the other countries I've been to. I thought people outside of the U.S. start their day at 5am, like the citizens of Vietnam.

8. All Rome citizens doesn't dress as nice as I was told, but when they do, they look good. I'm more impressed by what the men wear then the women. I love looking at their shoes the most.

9. There are no lanes on a lot of the streets in Rome. I don't know how I don't see an accident everyday. I thought a city like this would be up to date on that.

10. Italy at night is extremely beautiful. The lighting on the fountains are amazing, and the entertainment on the streets are just lively.

I'm truly in love with this city. I will post pictures soon as soon as my computer has internet access. I'm currently using a friend's computer, so I don't want to load all 200 photos on hers. Also, I have food poisoning and am missing a trip to Pompeii. I literally cried just thinking about what I'm missing. Pompeii was one of the cities in Italy I have dreamed about going for years. Oh well, there's more to see, and today will just be a nice personal day of exploring. Anyway, time to take a walk around Rome.

-Ciao!

you are all i dream about these days

I could just die here.