Friday, August 17, 2012

The Lighter Memoirs of a Travel Slut

Hey all,

Did that title grab your attention?  It's true you know.  I am a travel slut.  Someone who loves traveling, and goes to a city or area and thinks that place is the best on the planet.  Until I go to the next one and it becomes my favorite.
Take this picture, snapped in the tiny village area of De Drentsche Aa.  It's touted at the last stream in the Netherlands that has, for centuries, freely meandered gently through the countryside without a bit of human intervention.  The area around it may be cultivated, but traveling through here is like taking a step back in time.  Every thing is slower...more easy.  Even the cows seemed more relaxed.

I'm sitting on what's called a stone age burial tomb.   They are all over this part of Holland and all are different.  Finding them was the cherry on an already deliciously beautiful dessert.

But it wasn't until a couple days later that I got it.  We were traveling in Belgium along the Meuse River and had just passed through the most lovely area.  Dinant, a picturesque little town that hugs the water.  Beautiful and filled with local flavor, I didn't want to leave.  I decided it was my favorite place I'd been to.

But then we wandered into the tiny medieval city of La Roche-en-Ardenne with it's lovely streets, great people and historical buildings and castle.  And I turned to Jonathon and said, "this is my favorite place on earth.  I love it here.  I don't want to leave."

And I realized in that moment, I was a TRAVEL SLUT.  Loving each place I went to with equal fervor.

I'm not a travel whore...that's different.  I don't get paid for traveling. *grin*  I'm a slut.  I do it because I want to.  And because if makes me happy.

This road trip was awesome.  We saw so much and experienced so many different things I can't begin to relate all of them.  Battlefields, castles, historical buildings and cities.  We traveled through the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France and finally, Switzerland.

But which one was my favorite?  That's like asking me which of my books are my favorite.  It changes by the minute...with whatever experience I am having at the time.  And that's why I can cheerfully admit my sluttishness.  Because the more I see, the more I enjoy, the more I want to do.

It's a wonderful thing to be.

Now I know the word slut has negative connotations.  Most people think it a bad thing and I guess in some ways it is.  Not having a favorite place to live, wanting to see different countries and taking a non-ending road trip does have it's drawbacks.  I don't have a real home, can't see my family as I'd like to and I'm not allowed my critters.  But right now, all those concerns don't change the itchy feet I have or make me want to hang up my traveling hat.

Apparently, this slut has just began her travels!!!!

Until next time!!!

CJ England
 http://www.cjengland.com/home/domeafavor100x154.jpg
Follow Your Dreams
http://cjengland.com



4 comments:

Phylis said...

LOL! Thanks for sharing the pictures. I was going to be naughty and call you a slut but thought better not. : ) I do envy you, getting to see all that. Don't envy the lack of a permanent place and no pets. Enjoy it! I will enjoy all your blogs and pictures!

Ray said...

Did you notice the bricks in the second picture are definitely hand made. The surface of each is slightly uneven. The house I lived in when I was in North Carolina had a foundation made with hand made bricks and the house was only a little over two hundred years old at the time. Because New Bern is near the ocean and is adjacent to the Neuse River there were shells mixed in with the other materials used to make the bricks.

The stone age burial place would put me in the stone age were I to sit where you were sitting.

CJ England said...

*grin* You can call me a slut. I think I am becoming proud of that moniker. LOL

CJ England said...

I really enjoyed looking at all the different castles. They were all so unique in how they were made.

It was interesting to see the differences in buildings as we made our way across the country.