Why We Travel

When we visit a museum, many of the items on display seem to be there just because they are old. Not because they are beautiful or useful or even particularly decorative, but just old. But when we see ancient city walls and gates, fortified castles, basilicas, the amphitheaters, cathedrals, and the old theaters, we see beautiful, useful, works of real art. We are interested in seeing where people live(d) and work(ed), now and in the past.

For us, the most important, the most interesting parts are:

• The people — where they live, where they work, where they shop, where they worship, and how they get from one place to another.

• Architecture and antiquities — cathedrals, homes, apartments, stores and other buildings, from ancient ruins to brand new. Stone walls, bridges, castles, abbeys, amphitheaters, theaters, and aqueducts that were constructed in ancient times.

• Geography — the layout of cities old and new, the marketplace, the streets and the country roads; the farmland and industry; towns on the tip of a hill or in the depth of a valley; the mountains and rivers.

The RV and a campsite make a convenient, quiet, comfortable place to spend the night so we are rested and ready to sightsee again in the morning. In travel, as in life — different strokes for different folks.

We don’t say that our way is the only, the best, or even an acceptable way to travel, for anyone but us. The camping and the equipment are not important, the sightseeing is. Our only disagreement is with those who travel and come home with little idea of where they’ve been or what they’ve seen, and can only complain about the people they met and the countries they visited. All they learned on their trip were the names of hotels and restaurants. For us the beautiful little towns and villages, the shopping centers, department stores, hardware stores, grocery stores, flea markets, and street markets, are all living museums.

When we travel, we know it’s “their home,” we’re visitors, and if we don’t like it, we can leave. We’re there to learn about “their country and way of life,” we’re not there to change anything, and we try not to brag that our way is best.

When we see a fascinating village, or a road that heads in an interesting direction, we just turn and go, exploring endlessly. We’ve been able to do that for many years.