Why is Europe my number 1 destination?
Am I a product of my childhood in the 60s and 70s? Does food have something to do with it? Do I really like art and history? Am I Eurocentric? Am I looking for the origins of my culture?
There were wars in southeast Asia, Central America and South America when I was growing up, and in my mind they were no-go zones. They never made it to my lists of places to see when I was traveling in my early 20s.
So I went off backpacking in Europe for 5 months. I loved it, its history, its art and its food. So when I began traveling again in my late 40s I wanted to go back.
Food may be an important factor. If I don’t love the food, do I really want to go there? Mexican and Chinese food are my two least favourites. I’m a wimp when it comes to hot curries and spicy food. But I love French, Italian, Greek and even British food. I love cafe au lait/capuccino/espresso, sidewalk cafes and good croissants.
Yes I am Eurocentric. But why? I think I go in search of my own history, trying to understand and know the past cultures of my ancestors. I like to see the bigger picture. How and why things evolved the way they did. I like to put things in context.
So in my 30s I studied ancient Roman and Greek history, archeology, art history and linguistics, inspired to fill in the huge gaps of my knowledge that I discovered when visiting Europe the first time. Finally I knew some of the who, what, where, when, and sometimes why, and it felt good. It was something I needed to know.
So a big part of why I travel is to discover where I come from. And perhaps that’s why not Machu Picchu.
Now here it is your moment of mosaic. Roman mosaic (150 AD) from St. Alban’s, UK.
One of my favourite mosaics so far!