captivated

Photo from own collection 

Beirut, Lebanon 

There is only so much you can plan or anticipate when going on a trip. I love to read about destinations, special places and exciting adventures to include in any vacation; to indulge in the “pre-journey”, to drift away in the dreamaverse of what I might discover in faraway places. Though it always turns out quite different (always in a better way) than any of the imaginations, I continue this wonderful ‘hobby’ of travel-dreaming. Cities are usually very unlike anything you read about them, not because the stories are untrue, but because you experience it is your own way, you perceive it from your perspective and it becomes part of you in a unique way. For the past two and a half weeks I had the privilege of traveling to some very impressive places, with great company, lots of laughs, ancient history, modern decadence and all the adrenaline that one can handle (ok... maybe just me, but the 240km an hour rollercoaster really did take its toll on my body). The mini world trip was simply amazing.

The full account of the trip will come; it will take some time to write. One very important aspect I must mention before hand is that it seems that you can check the weather every day in the hope to know what to encounter anywhere in the world and that all preparation can be considered quite useless (not always of course…. I hope). I think the ‘weather-man’ is a very positive person, one that hopes the weather will be the way he predicted (I am all for being positive …don’t get me wrong), however, it was significantly colder at every destination we visited (which can add charm…think snow on the Great Wall; absolutely gorgeous) and did not always feel very accommodating. Though at times, an inconvenience, the weather in all its glory did add the icing on the cake. (or was it the snow on the mountains?). You can only prepare so much, everything else will be a pleasant surprise that will keep you captivated for years to come.