You'll forgive me for not updating last week (though most of you don't actually know this is weekly). What with travel time and jet lag, it can be understood that I would miss a week. I suppose that is the problem with writing these on Friday/Saturday, most travel will usually take place in these times. So I might be at 51 updates this year. Not a crime. For those of you who don't know, I am studying abroad in Ireland this semester. I'll be getting my fill of Irish food, music, and culture until sometime in May. I've only been here a week, and already I've found something that I really enjoy.
I love exploring new towns.
Out here we have a card that gives us basically unlimited access to the train that runs from Greystones, where we are, through Dublin and beyond. In reality it is't a wide circuit, but there are many stops along the way. Each stop is its own town with its own shops and buildings. I have only had a few opportunities thus far to go out on my own, but I have enjoyed it immensely.
The thrill of exploration is the discovery of what is new. I have walked along cobble streets, past old buildings, and down tight alleys in this European land. I have been able to find various coffee shops, clothing stores, and book outlets hidden away among the tightly packed buildings. Each place seems unique, with its own charm and mystery. There may be some romantic notions behind strolling through foreign cities, but at the very least, it is fascinating to wander through the streets of a place you've never been to and find what it has to offer.
There is something to be said for the spirit of discovery. It might seem silly to journey to places you don't know, to travel to lands unfamiliar and see what there is. What kind of longing could have possesses a group of people to travel by boat from their home in one part of the world, across an unknown ocean, to another land? It would seem like suicide. But I can understand now, a little more anyway. There is a thrill into entering strange lands and learning what it has to offer. For me, it was old bookstores, not all that grand, but for others, there was life and freedom in the new lands. The excitement of discovery that I had must have been so much more to those who found new homes.
I hope that this kind of experience is something many others can get a hold of. The thrill itself is satisfying enough, but when you feel the rush of discovery for yourself, it adds a whole new perspective on history. Call it a connection with the past, however slight it might be. Finding an old bookstore in a pretty town might not be the same as finding a new home in an untamed country, but it's something that gives you a perspective on the history of your own home.
Just don't get lost, else you might end up feeling more like the Donner party.
Just something to chew on.
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