I have a friend who insists that every holiday she takes must be to a new destination; there’s so much to see she says, that returning does not appeal. My late parents in law were similar, clocking over 100 countries in their retirement. But while they clearly enjoyed sightseeing, I always felt their travel was as much about the list than the location.
On the spectrum of a preference for local haunts versus new horizons I’m undoubtedly closer to the former. Years ago, I wrote an article about the most significant places in my life and how revisiting them – time and again – was one of my greatest pleasures. It still is, for the familiar need not be mundane, as anyone who has climbed the same mountain in different seasons will know.
In Wales, where I live, the phrase ‘Dyn y filltir sgwâr’ refers to a person who is deeply rooted in their sense of place and community. It translates as ‘man of his own square mile’, and whenever I meet someone who fits the description I’m invariably in awe – envious even. My elderly neighbour, surrounded by her family and the landscape she loves is a daily reminder of how travelling far afield is not everything.
And yet, for all my love of home, there are times when the shock of the new can be wonderful too. This month I passed through the Picos de Europa in Northern Spain. It’s a place I’ve long wanted to explore and boy, did it not disappoint. Though only fleeting, my time there is already hinting at possibilities, suggesting new adventures…
Often, I ponder how we balance our native roots with the understandable desire to explore and learn and share. Because for all that I’m no nomad, I see the value in both approaches. Indeed, only yesterday, in one of those quiet moments with a cup of tea, I found myself googling the cost of ferries to Santander...
But enough mental rambling from me... I hope your journeys are as joyful as mine were this month — be they to foreign fields or on familiar turf.
This post was originally published in the Austrian Alpine Club (UK) newsletter
Hari OM
ReplyDeleteAs a world traveller, it is interesting to me that, since moving into van life, I have been more than content to stay within the borders of my birthland of Scotland, finding my favourite places and lingering at each according to season and committments. My adopted homeland of Australia is now so distant to my memory, its pull weakening... YAM xx
I like seeing new places and revisiting old ones, but the best is seeing an old place with someone who has never been there before. You get to see it through their eyes and their excitement. I took my friend to Rearguard Falls two weeks ago. I've been there many times and I like it. She loved it and it made me appreciate how amazing the Falls are all over again.
ReplyDeleteI'm a bit of both. I like to find all the nooks and crannies of some places and relive them. Other times and other places I just want colour and food and music/dancing, fabulous structures not in my culture or my cultural history, to see farming practices I could never dream up on my own… diversity and resilience at work.
ReplyDeleteI love home territory, and of course especially Wales. But Yorkshire settles me with my family and so when you cannot meditate on the large it is better to contemplate the small, because there is always plenty to explore anywhere.
ReplyDeleteI think that a lot of joy in travelling is finding what brings delight. I am travelling at the moment in California - people asked what we were doing here as in what big ticket travel items we will tick but we are here for family and so my big tickets are seeing people and cooking for them. My joy includes exploring libraries and history and wondering at views of all levels of beauty. I tend to be able to find that most places, previously visited and new.
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