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What did you buy on a trip that you still use or enjoy regularly?

Cameron

500+ Posts
With the holiday season upon us, it would be fun to share our favorite things that we've purchased in Europe and enjoy or use a lot---and guess at the year. When my son was in college, he told me that he loved how he could look around the house and see memories from our trips.

In no particular order, here are mine, but I have many other items that could be on the list!

  1. Leather jacket, Florence, Italy (2001).
  2. Repetto sneakers, Paris, France (2014).
  3. Longchamp silk scarf, Paris, France (2016).
  4. Leather house slippers, San Sebastian, Spain (2016).
  5. Handmade pottery, Vaison-la-Romaine, France (1999).
  6. Jewelry from Toledo, Spain (1989).
  7. Kilim rug from Fez, Morocco (1988).
  8. Painting from Athens, Greece (1990 -- son has it now).
  9. Pottery from Heraklion, Crete (1990 -- son now has 2 of 3).
  10. Wooden box from Moscow, Russia (1974).
 
Many years ago I transitioned to buying only “useful” souvenirs. My house is filled with artwork from mostly Italy. 30+ pieces are from a single artist in Florence who does incredibly detailed watercolors of locations in Florence. We had her do several custom pieces for us over several years (the Generali building in Piazza delle Signoria, San Miniato al Monte [my favorite church in Italy], the front of the restaurant owned by a friend of ours in Florence, the jeweler where my engagement ring was purchased). We see these every day. I just finished cooking dinner – taking the garlic from the ceramic holder I bought at Sbigoli Terrecotta in Florence. I drink my coffee from a cup from there as well. My dinner was served on our everyday dishes from Armando Poggi in Florence - the pattern is a pietra dura inspired one from Taitu. I have a lightweight leather jacket and a winter leather jacket both from Florence (the winter one worn today with an Italian scarf). I have Venetian glassware on my mantle and (I moved to a new house this February) an empty space above where I plan on having a black and white photo of Venice to be taken on my next trip. My favorite shoes are from Guido Longinotti in Florence. I could go on. I enjoy the day to day reminders of places I’ve been that have left their mark on me.
 
I'm having my coffee from a mug from Vallouris (4 yrs ago), eating my cereal from a bowl from the flea at Vanves in Paris (??years ago...many), will be wearing the shawl I just got in Sicily...

I still have the scarf and gloves I bought on my first trip to France in 1971, don't wear them anymore, but can't give them up, because...

and a platter from first trip to Italy... plus lots more ceramics over the years

and more wooden spoons than I'll ever be able to use, from everywhere (including USSR in mid-eighties, when there wasn't all that much to buy... Turkey, Morocco, Sardinia, Mexico)...

and I also got a rug in Morocco...

and folk art toys from many of those places, as well as Hong Kong and China...

oh, and dishtowels from all sorts of markets in France, always bring so many back that I'm still using ones I bought
10 years ago, and kept while previous ones wore out...

yikes! fun to remember all that
 
... and once I left the kitchen, I started seeing other stuff (ikat-like pillow covers that I got in Cappadocia, books from all over, linens from French flea markets, a nightgown from Venice).

I'm trying to keep it down these days, and keep it lightweight and useful, and preferably flat, to be able to carry-on on way home... thus more dishtowels and scarves. Although packages of cookies and tins of foie gras keep sneaking in!
 
I have way too many dish towels from Italy and France and now I won't let myself buy any. Some have worn out, which is good. Our current table napkins are from a trip to the Luberon about 12 years ago (I only started using these a couple of years ago).
 
Every Friday night I use the challah cover and table runner I bought in Jerusalem in 2002. Looking around the kitchen, I see the linen dishtowels I bought in Provence last year, dishes from a potter in southern Tuscany, and the fruit platter and oil/vinegar set from Deruta. In the spice drawer are saffron and smoked paprika from Barcelona, and salt from France. Holding dried flowers in the front hall is a huge copper bowl I dragged home from Portugal in 1980. Best souvenir is the son from Paris. ;)
 
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Murano glass
 
Fun thread! Lots of lovely memories and souvenirs :)

Leather jacket (the one in my profile pic) and leather purse - solo trip to Florence 2008.
3 cup moka pot that I bought from a hole in the wall hardware store on same trip.
8 foot table cloth, with a pattern of big poppies and sunflowers - while spending a couple weeks in Cetona in 2011; my mom and I hit up market day in Cortona. I bought a matching cloth for my best friend!
A pair of rainbow glass votive candle holders - Barcelona 2013
Pewter finger labyrinth, a replica of one on the outside of the cathedral - Lucca 2015
Bright yellow/black leather purse bought in Orvieto - second honeymoon trip to Rome 2016

I didn't buy my car (Nissan Micra, stickshift) in Europe, but one of the reasons I love it is because it reminds me of the tiny Fiat 500 we rented on our 2011 trip, my first time driving in Italy. :)
 
I love this idea! It seems a lot of us favor art and practical items.

Hmmm... a ceramic lantern from Córdoba, silk scarves (cheap!) that we framed also from Spain, some Talavera style jars/pots from Mexico, a few kitchen linens & patio table cloths from Provence, a silver-plated ramasse miettes (little table "sweeper") from a flea market in Paris, a pair of earrings and a necklace that I wear often, Mephisto sandals from a foot-sore day in Aix, small leather purse from Rome, our first French press coffee pot from Montreal...I see & use these things daily and treasure every one!
 
Here in Australia, Christmas is in summer. We have cicadas in the trees around the verandah of our house and we barbecue and eat out there daily listening to the chorus of cicadas. Our kitchen opens on to the verandah and outside the door we have a ceramic cicada from Venasque in Provence. It is filled with lavender from our garden and it is a daily reminder of our trips. Another favourite is a table runner from Alsace that is embroidered with storks.
 
I have a terracotta cigale (cicada) from Provence next to my front door, also filled with lavender from my garden. I'm not a big shopper when I travel, but I do have a lot of table linens, tea towels, etc., and a few ceramic pieces.
 
Cameron, I bought my Audi in Germany :) It had an Austria travel sticker on the windshield that always made me smile.
But as we talked about in Paris, it was sold back to the dealer (just dropped it off yesterday) because of the diesel emissions scandal.
 
My favorites include a leather jacket and gloves I found in Florence (2010), numerous scarves from street markets (Italy, Croatia, Spain), a necklace and earrings from Hvar Island, Croatia (2014), several items of jewelry from Venice (2012 and 2014), and several pieces of ceramics from Italy.
 
1. A leather pocket-size mini-picture frame from Florence 1974 ! It totally worn, but beautiful the way nice leather gets when it is worn. It has a photo of my mother on one side and a photo of my amah (the woman who raised me) on the other side. It is always in my purse. When I change purse, I make certain that I transfer the picture frame too.
2. Pu'er tea from an aged tea "cake" bought in the he 1990s in Kunming, Yunnan. I drink it only when good friends who are tea lovers are in town, or for my bday or Chinese New Year4
3. Three Yixing teapots, two from China, one from HK. I drink from them nearly everyday. I hear that most Yixing teapots sold now are fakes. Sigh.
4. Well, my Levi's, lol. They cost nearly 100 euro in France ! I always get a couple of Levi's when I'm in the States.
5. Food ingredients like saffron from Barcelon (it costs much less and is reliably authentic there) and pissalat from the fish m
6. Coat from Sevilla. I was sick and felt too cold and got a very warm coat. My friends love that coat.
7. Light green cashmere shawl from HK. Cashmere is always a good buy in HK/China.
8. Menorca sandals. I have 2 pairs, one in red, one in green. Love them.
 
Oh, Nancy, what a good reminder! I try to bring back good food ingredients, also. Saffron, pimenton, bomba rice, and olive oil are always good items to find while traveling.
 

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