City Lights or Roaring Lions?

"The World is a book, and those who do not travel, read only a page."  St. Augustine

Our whole family enjoys to travel the world. It broadens your horizons and stirs something inside of you. Of course, if you refuse to try their food, ignore the customs or avoid the people, you might just as well stay home. New adventures give perspective to our ordinary lives.  It is more than just seeing the sights, it is a change that happens, deep and lasting in our daily living.

Every destination has a different charm or function. Every holiday has different meaning or purpose. Are we going on a culinary feast vacation to bring back different food influences and recipes, or are
we going on a design extravaganza to see what happens in the world of fashion and bring back something totally exquisite? Are we just going to laze around a pool, or visit family that lives far away, whom we have not seen in a while?

But every now and then, you just want to get away for no specific purpose or reason. Just to relax and reflect. Somewhere where you feel most at home and comfortable. Someplace where the beat of your heart echoes the beat of your destination.

Where is that?

For me, it is the vibrancy of cities. I land in New York and immediately feel at home. In fact, I can say the same about London and Rome. I mostly love to visit art museums, theatre and beautiful architecture and come back with a soul that has been fed and rejuvenated. As I have said before, I just love beautiful things, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. That is when I'm proud to be human, when I can see that we do not only destroy and plunder, but also seek the beauty and sophistication in life and try to capture and preserve it.

My sister loves the sun and sea (this is an understatement). After any type of holiday, she has to go to Mexico to "rest" after an exhausting holiday. She works on her tan, read a book, eat wonderful exotic food and swim in the sea.

My brother gets all passionate when he talks about the bush, sitting around a camp fire, hearing the lions and hyenas howling in the distance. Silence and only the stars above you...

How is this? We grew up in the same house, went to same same schools and universities, went on all our holidays together up to our 20's and yet, we have such different opinions!

What one person loves, may terrify another! Moreover, I find it incredible that we all have that little something inside of us that you just cannot ignore. It defies all reason and logic, but it makes you feel satisfied, safe, home. You recognise it as soon as you arrive at that destination.

So what does this mean? For me it means that "there is no place like home", is not such a relevant phrase after all. We have wonderful homes, but after all is said and done (or packed and gone), "home is where your heart is" - at that moment.

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