{"id":483,"date":"2014-11-08T21:16:52","date_gmt":"2014-11-09T05:16:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/musingsandmosaics.wordpress.com\/?p=483"},"modified":"2024-10-01T16:02:58","modified_gmt":"2024-10-01T23:02:58","slug":"why-not-machu-picchu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musingsandmosaics.ca\/?p=483","title":{"rendered":"Why not Machu Picchu?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Why is Europe my number 1 destination?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were\u00a0wars in southeast Asia, Central America and South America when I was growing up, and\u00a0in my mind they\u00a0were no-go zones. They never made it to my lists of places to see when I was traveling in my early 20s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So a big part of why I travel is to discover where I come from. And perhaps that’s why not Machu Picchu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now here it is your moment of mosaic. Roman mosaic (150 AD) from St. Alban’s, UK.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Shell
Shell Mosaic from ancient Verulamium<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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