It just may be in the genes. Why I love Europe.

I am asked quite often why I am always away from home and spending so much time in Europe. First off, I love history and seeing the places up close that spun that history. From the Greek and Roman times to the world wars to modern events like the fall of the Berlin Wall, walking on those hallowed grounds brings me happiness. Another reason is to immerse myself in the culture of of other countries, the food, the traditions and customs, the simple fact that it's not the same old American way makes for a great diversion. But perhaps the biggest driver of my wanderlust may just be something totally out of my control, it just may be in the genes.

I recently viewed a BBC story that quotes a study of the DRD 4 gene and finds a variant in this gene that may account for why some of us have this insatiable appetite for travel. It seems that just hanging out at the beach or going to the lake for the week just doesn't quite give us that dopamine fix that we need. No, some of us lust for the exotic the hard to get to places that require more risk, more effort and planning to get our travel fix. Pondering this and how my desire to see and experience all that Europe has to offer I believe I must have inherited this variant 7 of the DRD 4 gene.

I believe it must have been passed down from my grandfathers who both left their homes in small town Sicily to find their happiness in a new life here in the US. I am sure they had other reasons to leave everything behind as times were difficult and Sicily was a very poor region with little hope for the future. But something more drove them to leave while others stayed behind, something deep inside that made them long to take a chance and wander across the Atlantic for a new adventure. The wanderlust that drove them in the late 19th century still drives me today to leave my home, if only for a few weeks, to seek the thrill of a new land and the adventures they bring and that shot of dopamine that brings much happiness to my life.

Photo above was taken in 1931 when my grandfather Angelo Ferlisi seated on the right made a return visit to Italy after a 40 year absence.That my grandmother Virginia behind him. Other couple unidentified. #wanderlust #dopamine #travelinbear #whyiloveeurope