If you’ve spent any amount of time in conversation with me during the last while (say, two years or so) you would be aware of the fact that my parents have Moved. This was an extremely long process, which actually took about five years. The process is, however, finished, and after the break-in-incident (but not because of it) I spent seven days at the house. It’s beautiful; set semi-in-the-bush and designed to capitalise on the breathtaking views (in all directions).
The first morning that I woke up in my new bedroom, to the sounds of birds and bugs and soft light in the valley, and I though I was in paradise. I opened the curtains and the door to the balcony (careful not to fall down the three-storey drop into the valley) and went back to sleep, only to awake later to a similar thought. However, this feeling only lasted two or three mornings.
I driving on the M3 in Cape Town yesterday, on the stretch out of town around the mountain. This has always been one of my favourite bits of Cape Town, as has the most stunning view of the sea, the harbour and the city from exactly the right angle. And I realised how long it has been since I had actually appreciated how beautiful this piece of earth is.
Which is when I realised why people (people like me) like to travel. It’s not just about seeing other beautiful places, but enabling oneself to continue to appreciate the beauty of the place you live. Because it fades. Or it fades with ones perception of it.
Posted by jossiesideways 