Relics of trips gone by

/ Bulldog Travels

The number of souvenirs I purchase and bring home has ebbed and flowed through the years.  When I first started traveling I brought lots of things home for lots of people.  Interestingly enough I now have more money but less willingness to carry heavy things home.  I occasionally buy special items that remind me of a place or a time or a moment.  Sometimes it is a piece of clothing sometimes a trinket or art.  Sometimes I buy things for friends and family and sometimes I don’t.  I suppose now I just buy souvenirs for myself or for family and friends only if the item moves me or I think someone will really enjoy it.

But one thing remains true. I always try to bring my mother a can or bottle of Coca Cola from every country I visit.  It is especially exciting when the can or bottle identifies the country I visited on the label or glass.  It started on my first trip to Ireland in 1999.  I found her a Coke that had been bottled in Ireland that she got a massive kick out of.  It is a fun and inexpensive souvenir I can bring home to her.  Later, I brought her Cokes from Germany, Ireland, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Mexico, France, Spain, Belize, and so on.  Her collection is getting pretty impressive if you ask me!

D80_7851         D80_7860

D80_7846         D80_7847

 

Some of them are getting pretty old.  Taking the opportunity to photograph them allowed me to give them a good dusting.  Cheers Mom!

D80_7845                              D80_7848

D80_7850                      D80_7862 D80_7863

Do you have any items you religiously buy from any country you visit?  Do you have any collections?  Or do you just bring items home that move you?

D80_7854                   D80_7843

D80_7849                   D80_7852

*This post was inspired by an interaction I had with one of my favorite travel bloggers Indah Susanti a while back.  She asked me to write a post on souvenirs and here it is!   Please see her delightful post and gorgeous macro shots of her favorite souvenirs at  http://indahs.com/2015/02/25/travel-souvenirs-that-matter/

D80_7874

38 thoughts on “Relics of trips gone by”

  1. It’s funny because when Indah posted her souvenir post, I told her I have a post in my draft folder about my Starbucks mugs collection. But I am too lazy to take photographs because there are so many of them and it means taking them all out of my cupboard. One day I will!
    Interesting collection on the Coca Cola bottles/cans. My late father in law used to collect McDonald’s placemats from all over the world. One time we brought him one from China and that was fascinating to him.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  3. This is really unique souvenir type and the first time I have heard it! Now, I wonder how the taste of coke after several years later? like whiskey, maybe? 😀

    PS: I want to share it on twitter, but I could not link it to you twitter account. Do you have twitter account?

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  4. This is a great idea! I know the appeal of bottles because we still have a bottle of Sprite from Egypt, one side written in Arabic. (it’s empty though) My house has souvenirs scattered all over the place that I hardly notice anymore, because they have become part of my home. Has that happened to you?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. What a fun souvenir to bring home! Surprisingly (or maybe not) I’ve actually met another person while I was travelling in Germany who was looking for a bottle of coke to bring home as a souvenir for someone who collected them:)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  6. This is such fun! I remember Indah’s post. I told her about a blog I follow called Souvenir Finder. Kristin is out of NYC and I did a guest post for her on our Starbucks mugs collection from around the world. 🙂 We travel with carry on so this is not very practical but it is our one thing we looks for.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Hi there! Welcome to my blog. I hope you enjoy it.

      I tried Cokes in a lot of countries. It always seems to me that Mexican coke out of the bottle is the best. I am told they use real sugar. I like to think its pixie dust. But regardless it tastes better than coke at home. But then again doesn’t everything taste better when one travels?

      In other news…Guinness tastes better in Ireland too!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  10. What a fun souvenir! I long ago stopped getting souvenirs for myself or others unless I really like something – sounds like we have the same thoughts on that! I have, however, started writing post cards to people from all over. It’s cheap, easy, and everyone likes getting mail that isn’t a bill!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Hey, whatever floats your boat, right? It was accidental for me. I saw a Coke with words written on it in another language and my Mom collects Coke items. It has been going every since. What do you do with all of your mugs? I imagine they take up a lot of room and collect a lot of dust like my Mom’s Cokes do. 🙂

      Like

      Reply

  12. I came to this post by the ‘related post’ bit at the bottom of your post today. Well done you for getting all of those home full, if it was me I’d have coke all over my luggage! What made you choose the first coke, is it a favourite of your mum’s? At the moment my souvenir of choice is a Christmas tree decoration. It’s nice to get them out of the box every year and remember where we got them from.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • I love the idea of a Xmas tree ornament. I was thinking the same thing when I was putting up and taking down my tree. I think I need to start doing that even if it is a keychain or something that could be an ornament but not traditionally used as one. What are your favorite few ornaments?

      The first coke was merely an idea because it was easy to find and cheap and my Mom had already had a small Coca Cola collection. She was thrilled and still is. They sit on a little shelf in her kitchen. It’s always fun to get one with writing in another language on it.

      Thanks for the comment! Happy New Year!

      Like

      Reply

  14. Pingback: One Word Photo Challenge: Box | Jennifer Nichole Wells

Leave a comment