Buy that ticket, pack that backpack, take that train. Foreign land right at your fingertips. So close, yet you feel so far. Exploring has always been done best on foot.
Wandering wherever the wind is taking you. No direction, no plan, just plain curiosity leading the way. Taking in the new by filtering out the known. Like building a puzzle with the pieces you already have, slowly filling in missing gaps with new impressions.
The more you travel, the more memories you make. The more puzzle pieces you get to collect. Getting to a new place to remind you of the ones you’ve already collected.
Sometimes, it’s something intangible. A feeling. A sound. A smell. Maybe it’s the architecture, the people, a café. Most definitely though, it is a small detail that was burned in the back of your mind without you knowing.
Intricate balconies and markets with that Parisian flair. Amsterdam-esque canals, bridges, bikes. Ancient houses that could be straight out of a fairytale. Something that theme parks would die to recreate authentically.
Pulling out that camera. Putting the focus on the present moment, using a wide aperture to let in the light and blur out the less important, adjusting your shutter speed to the pace of your day. Stopping to smell those roses. To admire the blooming perennials.
Taking photos with your mind instead of your camera. Capturing the joy of breaking the everyday routine, the warmth of the sun on your skin, the curiosity of tapping into the unknown.
No matter how accustomed you’ve become to travel solo, taking someone familiar into the unfamiliar adds another spark of exciting unfamiliarity. A flavourful pinch of silliness, lightheartedness, joyfulness. The glee of discussing the dissimilarities and debating the norm.
Imagining how your everyday life could look like. Where would you live? Who would you meet? What would be different?
Daydreaming, contemplating, philosophising. Leaving nothing but footsteps. Taking nothing but pictures. Collecting nothing but a handful of new puzzle pieces.
