How To Travel the World and Fall in Love Without Leaving Your Couch

I used to be a great traveler, but now like the rest of the world Covid anxiety has kept me at home, although I still need to escape from my everyday world. I still love to go places, but now I mostly do it through my imagination. We can all travel the world from the comfort of our couches. To decide where to go, I scour the lists on my Newsfeeds and I search the streaming services we subscribe to. I have probably watched thousands of trailers in the last two years. I want to find shows that will entertain me and teach me about the countries they are filmed in. I can’t even put my process into words, but as the Hopeful Romantic I want something that grabs and inspires me. Today I will share a few of my favorites but only a short synopsis, no spoilers just enough to pique your interest. Please e-mail me at carabertoia@yahoo.com and share your top picks with me.  

 

Midnight Diner

My husband works nights and this winter our ritual every evening before he went to work was to watch an episode of Midnight Diner. I was won over the first time I watched the intro about a wonderful show set in a diner in Tokyo that opens at midnight. This is a place where the dreamers and the losers come to share their sorrows and their joys with the Master. Every episode tells a new story about one of the patrons of the diner. Listening to their stories you learn so much about life in Japan. I was so sad by the end of the last season that I wouldn’t be able to spend any more time with my friends at the diner. And for those of us that love Japanese food, at the end of the episode they demonstrate the proper way to cook the dishes on the show. Watch on Netflix

Tokyo Girl

For me this series is Japan’s answer to Sex and the City. The story is about Aya a woman who moves from her town of Akita to Tokyo hoping to make a new life in the big city. You won’t find a fairy tale here just a realistic look at the life a single girl faces trying to navigate a city filled with its own prejudices. The name of each episode relates to the neighborhood she lives in. Through the years she moves around the city in her search for a better life, a magazine life. What I loved about the series was its insight into the dating life of a modern career woman in a big city. I really felt for Aya as she traversed the years from eighteen to forty-five always in search of that perfect Tokyo life. Watch on Amazon

 

 

The first series that grabbed my heart was The Baker and the Beauty from Israel. I know that they tried to make an American version of the show but nothing compares to the original. The premise of the show is pure Hollywood but the execution is pure Israeli. Noa a famous supermodel falls in love with Amos who bakes pita bread in his parents’ small grocery store. It’s all about the family and Amos’s family will win your heart. It also highlights cultural differences in Israeli society. The characters in this show are fully developed. There are no villains here, they all suffer from their own insecurities. I watched it on Amazon Prime, it is unavailable now but I am sure it will come back.

Shtisel

Although Shtisel is also set in Israel the two series couldn’t be more different. This show is set in the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Jerusalem. It is also a tale of romance; can anyone find a wife for Shulem Shtisel? It follows his story as he tries to make a living as an artist in a very strict community with a rule for almost everything. The show is also the story of the Shtisel family. This isn’t an anti-religious show, instead it shows you how people find strength and community in their faith. How do a people hold on to their beliefs while navigating the modern world? It will make you laugh and cry so please keep your tissues handy. Watch on Netflix

Married at First Sight - Australia

Okay, I admit a reality show might seem like weird choice but stay with me. Married at First Sight – Australia, a show about meeting your mate at the altar is a blast! It differs from the American show which I also love, because it is bigger, has more episodes and that means more drama! Ten couples, a diverse group whose ages range from twenty to the fifty, are pulled from all over Australia.  After the honeymoons they move to a beautiful apartment tower in Sydney as they negotiate the new marriages. Next, they all meet for a dinner party every week. During the season, they travel to each other homes, this is when you get to find out what its like when you match a city girl to a cowboy who lives in the back of beyond. This show is packed with drama, infidelity and a good amount of love at first sight stories. It also makes Australia seem like a wonderful place to live. But as always, the burning question is, will they stay married or will they get a divorce? Watch on Lifetime

Lovesick - Scotland

Whenever my husband gets homesick, we can always watch Lovesick then he can travel the streets of his hometown Glasgow, Scotland. It is a great city with a vibrant downtown, great transportation, and an historic university. The show Lovesick follows a group of ex-students as they live and work in the West End of Glasgow. The premise is that Dylan must let his previous sex partners know that he has chlamydia. Dylan has been a busy man so there are lots of women in his past. Part of the appeal of the show is the chemistry between the characters, and the witty British banter. Watch on Netflix.

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Casino Queen (Night Hawk Casino Series Book 1) - Kindle edition by Bertoia, Cara. Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

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Cara Bertoia is the author of Casino Queen a new mystery novel that will be published by the Wild Rose Press on March 16th. It is based on the many true stories she lived through in her many years in the casino industry although the names have been changed to protect the guilty. Read the blurb here.

Caroline Popov, alone, heartbroken, and deeply in debt ends up in glamorous Palm Springs, California where Native casinos have just opened, offering employment to thousands. She lands a job at the Palm Oasis Casino and is mentored by the charismatic tribal chairman, John Tovar.

Embraced by casino culture, Caroline works her way up to casino manager of the Night Hawk, in the High Desert town of Joshua Tree. There, she is responsible for managing multicultural team members, satisfying the demands of challenging guests, growing revenue while rooting out corruption.

In the process of rediscovering her inner strength, she learns, you have to gamble like your life depends on it. Because it often does.