In praise of travel
February 11th
The rain started this morning, by noon it turned into sleet. Now it is snowing. The temperature is barely above freezing. And I spend most of the day outside, walking and getting wet. And I loved every minute of it!
I am in the Holy Cross Mountains in south-central Poland, the first time I’ve been here. I am exploring local towns and cities for now. Tomorrow the weather is going to be much better, so I will actually go to the mountains. I know I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again — I love traveling, I love seeing new places, I need to travel to be happy. And I’ve noticed a curious thing — my mind is working in overdrive just to register all the new things around me, but also is working in a much clearer way. I have time to explore new places, but also I have a lot of time to think and analyze what is around me. New thoughts and ideas come at me from every direction. My reading list about places and events that happened in those places is getting longer and longer.
I need this, this new perspective from what I see every day. Travel is essential for my well-being and my development as a person. And I think that goes for everyone. Even if the weather is bad, even if those new places are not on the “must visit” lists. I try (and succeed) to find something interesting in every place I go to. All that is needed is to have an open mind, open eyes, and a positive attitude. And to read the plaques that dot every city and town in Europe — that is a better guide to what is really intriguing in the local history than any guidebook or a travel blog.
So, I enjoy my time here, and I already plan more travels for when the weather will be better. But honestly — those travels don’t have to be to the far away, exotic places — I still have so much to see and explore in the local (regional and national) history and geography that I am already resigned to the fact that won’t see EVERYTHING…. And I guess that is the goal now— if not everything, then as much as possible. We only have one lifetime — let's get going.
