Travel

The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page – St. Augustine

My first major journey was coming to Canada from Germany at the age of seven.  Since then, I’ve travelled to nine provinces and one territory in Canada, to the United States maybe three times, back to Germany three times, a brief stop in Holland, once to Poland, and once to Japan.

One of my favourite places in Canada is Victoria, B.C. maybe because I lived there for several months years ago – I always feel as if I’m coming to one of my homes when I visit.  Could be all the bookstores as well as having relatives living there.  I like Halifax a lot, too – was there in October and will be going back in May.  Cities on the water draw me more than others, which I put down to the fact that I was born in such a place and lived there for the first seven years of my life.  Even Saskatoon qualifies because of its river.

Germany is a place where I still have relatives and speak the language.  Poland was probably the most difficult trip because I had to make do with a phrase book and never did figure out the bus and streetcar system.  Prices changed depending on the day and you were supposed to put your ticket through a clicker one or more times, but the rationale behind that eluded me also.  Japan, though confusing and also hard because I didn’t speak the language, was easier in that I had my son and his partner there.  They were teaching English and had a small van. So we travelled around.  I also liked getting a sense of real life rather than feeling completely like a tourist.

Castles are a favourite of mine when I travel.  The huge complex at Marlbork in Poland was built by the Teutonic Knights, begun in 1276 and took about thirty years to finish.  The castle was shelled during WWII and had to be restored.  It’s labyrinthine – you could spend days there.  They also have probably the largest amber display in the world.  The Rhine River in Germany is wonderful for castles, too (my son counted 23 in one day).  We visited three – two mostly in ruins and the third, the Marksburg, has been lived in for over 700 years.  It’s the only hill castle on the Rhine that has never been destroyed.  In Japan we visited a replica of a castle at Aya that was once a military base.  It was built in 1345, destroyed in 1615 and rebuilt from historical drawings in 1985.

Besides the history of a new place, I like to see the present as well.  In Japan you can get sushi at 7 Eleven.  In Germany they still have the Apotheke (Apothecary) where you can buy not only Aspirin, but also clove oil for toothache, and other herbal remedies.  In Poland (this was several years ago) they were bringing in a lot of young Canadians to teach English.  One of my objections to our local Folk Fest (which is great, don’t get me wrong) is that the pavilions rarely bring in current talent, such as a German rock band.  There’s so much of interest to see in the world.  We’re all citizens of this planet and if we share our differences and unique viewpoints as well as acknowledging our similarities, it seems to me we might solve a great many of the problems of the world.

I’d love to hear about other people’s travelling experiences.