Soleil, Scènes et Sérénité

"Don't wanna sleep, don't wanna die, just wanna go a travellin' through the pastures of the sky"

Sea water aromas evoke the memories of hours spent sprawled out on a beach towel soaking up the sun, as our pale bodies turn to darkened silhouettes. Icing sugar snow contrasting with the chocolate brown branches transports me to the pristine coated Alpine Slopes. Hooting horns and whistles for taxis awaken the city girl hidden within me, grabbing a cup of coffee to kickstart the day. 

(^ My Travel Journal )

As I flick through my travel journal, the crunch of travel tickets, polaroid photos and stories scribbled down trigger vivid memories of past holidays. My first journal entry from 2009 boasts of a skiing holiday in Les Gets when I apparently "had a great time!!" and seemingly thought I was "getting quite good". 
(To anyone thinking of starting a travel journal, I urge you to do so. I like to think of it as my slice of soleil, scènes et sérénité.)

Of course, everyone has their own reasons for travelling - whether it be to visit loved ones, leave a part of us buried with the history there or even to discover a part of us that we did not know exist. But so frequently travel is misunderstood; we assume we must fly 12 hours to the other side of the world to explore an unfamiliar country to embrace a sense of adventure and belonging. 

Why not be a tourist in your own city? So often we become oblivious to what is right in front of us, that we miss the beauty in simplicity. Wake up early, stumble across that coffee shop tucked away in the backstreet and learn something about your town that you had missed the first time round.