Listen to What's Old and New
It's important to listen to what's old and new. History lives side by side with the living. Those who went before are all around and in us. Today is what's happening now, but it depends on what happened before. This makes for great travel.
Sometimes it's a child helping her parent to wash clothes using water from an ancient Italian fountain, or it's young people partying in an aging English pub.
The Old and New are constantly influencing and changing each other.
Oh, yes, the old alters as our viewpoint changes. So much has happen back then. We can only catch fleeting glimpses of the past. We can miss so much of it.
Travel alters us. We adjust to our surroundings, to history discovered, and to life itself. It provides real stories to enjoy, but also leads to truths anchored in the past.
We discover ourselves in the process, which is what great travel is about.
Old and New lie side-by-side in the Louvre.
Nothing is new, that once was old. Everything has been done for the most part and then forgotten. What we think is new, has really been done before. That's what libraries and the History Channel are for.
Discovering a new friend in a Pub in Copenhagen now is very similar to meeting an old friend in a small cafe in Paris at the turn of the last century.
What is truly new and revolutionary can be the fulfillment of the dreams of older generations. I like that.
But as you travel, you'll see history repeated. Are the dreams for a better life in Prague in 1930's really that different than the dreams for a better life in 2010 Hong Kong? Probably not.
Go out!
Discover what's new. Discover what's old and compare.
It's a glorious trip to take, indeed...
Here is a quick list of Travel Secrets I found out about on my trips. I hope it helps you in your search for better travel:
Go to the Page on My Way to Travel
Slowing Down
Nervous about travel?
Travel is Scary
Learn to Like Yourself as You Are
Time Slows Down when Traveling
Retirement Plans
KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid
Being Stupid
The Power of the Open Question
Ask the Unbusy Police Officer
Ask the Locals - They know
Listening - An Important Skill in Travel
Contrast the Old and the New
Some Unusual Travel Insights
Be a Good Guest
Take a Walk - Relax - Enjoy Good Travel
Get Lost on a Bus - I Dare You
Change Course - Follow Someone Else's Idea of a Good Trip
Good Exercise is a Travel Bonus
Friendship
Interacting with Children in a Foreign Land
Treatment of Americans Abroad
Terrorism
After All - It's Your Vacation