🌅 Create a life full of experiences, not 'almosts'
Plus: Seagull contests, Nubian pyramids, & something random in Ottawa
Welcome to Itchy Feet. This is the 84th post!
I’m Daniel and it’s nice seeing you. Whether you’re new or back again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading.
This newsletter combines three of my favorite things: traveling, learning, and writing. I hope you enjoy!
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Ok, let’s do it. ⛵️
The other day, I read a great article by
(link) that made me think a lot about traveling.Without spoiling too much, he talks about remembering to enjoy the people we’re with because we all have limited time.
In the context of traveling, this felt like a call to action:
Travel as much as you can, while you can!
If there’s a place you’ve always wanted to visit, start saving today, plan (or wing it!), and go for it.
Similar to my most recent post, there are also many people we care about, and we’re overdue to catch up with or even visit.
This reminds me of one of the biggest almost trips I never took:
Around 20 years ago, my uncle Richard moved to Angels Camp, California. As a kid, before he moved, my mom and I would occasionally get a pizza with him.
For years, the ongoing theme of our birthday and Christmas cards was: “Let’s get a pizza sometime!”
Mom and I actively discussed driving to Angels Camp to see Richard.
Somehow, the plan never went to fruition.
Years passed, but the dream of seeing Richard was always still there.
One day, we’d go up there to him.
Then, out of the blue, we discovered Richard had passed away.
The sadness was flanked by an odd sensation because this meant that for a while I'd been making plans in my head to visit someone who in reality wasn't on this earth anymore.
The news was slow to reach us, which was unfortunate.
We almost got a pepperoni pizza like when I was a kid.
We almost got to say goodbye.
Mom and I were busy. Richard was busy with his life, too. In the end, neither side made a trip to visit the other.
In short, it was a priority to see each other, but not that high. I assumed we had lots of time left to meet up.
This memory taught me a lesson that Tinashe reinforced with his article:
We should take advantage of the time we have, appreciate each second, and be appreciative of our people.
Call them to say hi. Go to those places. Face each barrier like you won’t get another chance at it.
Fill your life with memories, not just almosts.
Life is hopefully very long for all of us, but not long enough to keep putting things off.
What do you think?
🎈 Travelish Quote of the Week
“We do not remember days, we remember moments”
– Cesare Pavese
🐪 World record for most pyramids
The ancient pyramids of Egypt are arguably the most famous on Earth. However, neighboring Sudan has more!
There are approximately 200 Nubian pyramids that are between 2,300 and 2,700 years old. In comparison, Egypt has 138 ancient pyramids.
They were constructed using granite and sandstone.
The Meroë pyramid site on Meroe Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Meroë was the capital of the last Kushite Kingdom, a long line of powerful kingdoms that reigned in Sudan (formerly called Nubia). The Kush were known as the “Black Pharaohs.”
🎏 A festival for the birds
If you love the sweet and silky sound of seagulls gawking (who doesn’t?!), then you can go to the small Belgian coastal town of Da Panne. Each year, in April, the EC Gull Screeching contest is held there. The fifth edition just wrapped up on April 27, 2025.
I grew up thinking seagulls were the flying version of rats.
However, according to Bird Tripper, there’s a lot of mysticism behind these birds. In coastal Native American folklore, gulls were revered and seen as messengers to the spiritual world.
The Celts viewed gulls as a symbol for the transition between life and death.
Other legends view seagulls are guardians of oceans. Sailors saw them as a positive omen that land was near.
🔍 A random thing to do in Ottawa
If you’ve been following this newsletter for a while, I used to have a blurb called “City Showcase.” I loved writing it, but in all honesty, it took a lot of time to research, and my goal has been to keep this newsletter within 700 words.
Sadly, I opted to discontinue “City Showcase.”
But I now feel this newsletter is missing some extra gusto. 🤌
So, to keep the blurb alive and save some time, I am introducing a new condensed section called “A random thing to do in….”
This is because random things are often the best things.
Each week, I’ll share one random thing to do in one random place, because why not?
So, without further ado…here’s A random thing to do in Ottawa, Canada:
Explore the water maze at Éco-Odyssée. The eco park is in Wakefield, about 30 minutes north of Ottawa. You can explore the massive natural labyrinth on water using a canoe, kayak, paddleboard, or walk on land. Stargazing and lodging are also available!
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Thanks for reading. You rock! 😎
Much love,
-Daniel
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P.S. If you see any errors in the post, please let me know. I do my best to provide 100% accurate information.
Some older (but still got it!) Itchy Feet posts:
• 💃🏻 The art of traveling in reverse (aka hosting friends!)
• 🚎 How to safely ride a bus in South America
• 🤯 This moment changed my entire worldview
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Travel as much as you can while you can! I’m living that motto now! And you or your loved ones are not promised tomorrow so take advantage of the time you have with others! My mom died over 20 years ago at a young age, and I’m reminded the things she didn’t get to do so I try to not take anything for granted and enjoy the ‘moments’!
Daniel, So interesting about Nubia. I wasn't sure where it was, and now I know. I first heard about Nubia through a group back in the early oughts- Les Nubians. Loved the music then started to check it out more. Wow. The pyramids there are simply incredible. So amazing. Good post--along w. all the other info!