TRAVEL WRITING PROMPT
Springtime On The Atlantic Coast
What a wonderful world this backyard is
Reimagining travel is a prerequisite of our times. Domestic has become the new foreign with flying restrictions and the hassle and danger of roaming to far-away places.
Even city-searching has lost its joy, with shops closed and people hiding away in the safety of their homes. The strange silence of city life has replaced the buzz of city life.
Maybe that’s okay, though. Maybe it’s just the quiet that we needed. At least for a moment in time.
This new quiet begs us to explore what we thought we already knew. The routes and commutes we brush by without notice. The exotic beaches and nature in our own cities. Maybe even in our own backyards. Things that seemed secondary on our way to our busy lives have become the primary feature of our days.
For instance, a walk outside could now symbolize freedom, where it once represented an “extra” when there was time. For me, a walk by the Atlantic coastline in the Greater Lisbon area is always humbling. Now more than ever.
In just a 20 minute drive from my house, I am surrounded by wild nature. On some days I go alone. On others, I take another kind of quiet company: my dog.
