Virtual or physical: I love travelling
The pandemic may have been an obstacle to my world travels, but I always know there is a virtual one to explore.
In the spring of 2020, my travel plans fell to pieces. I was pretty crushed to put it lightly. Of course, there were much more important matters occurring in that spring of 2020 (such as a global pandemic). But that little selfish voice inside of me was wishing my travel plans would work out. Yet my dreams of going to Japan, exploring East Asia and the world beyond seemed ever so more distant.
When the world started getting locked down, I discovered a way to escape. I do not mean literally leaping out of the doors and swimming to Japan. But in a way, Nintendo’s Animal Crossing did that for me. I escaped to an island I had never visited before and made my own little village inspired by Japan. My initial lonely experience of Lockdown did not feel so lonely with cute anthropomorphic animals by my side. I truly felt like I was in another part of the world, or maybe even another universe.
My want to explore new landscapes was further enabled by games like Re-Logic’s Terraria. Terraria gave me the ability to create sandcastles on the beach, traverse to snowy sceneries and explore dark caverns underground. Terraria also gave me the ability to travel to hell and fight pixelated demons, but I won’t talk about that too much. I have to say one of the best things about both these games is that they offer timeless possibilities and fun.
On many of these adventures to these digital destinations, my past partner was by my side. We connected online during that spring of 2020 after an incredibly long conversation involving various travel destinations we enjoyed. Not surprisingly, he was soon invited to my Animal Crossing island for a picnic date with my fellow animal villagers.
For nearly two years we had been doing this form of digital travelling. Until recently we had felt safe to physically travel again to somewhere: Latvia. Most people I tell this to have no clue where Latvia actually is. It is one of the Baltics in North-Eastern Europe. In Winter it is often seen blanketed in a thick layer of snow covering picturesque landscapes. Including plenty of hills and lakes for opportunities to sledge or ice skate.
Traversing to other European countries is easy when in Latvia. A boat ride from Sweden and quick car journeys to Estonia and Lithuania. It was in Lithuania I had a truly magical experience at the Light Festival in Pakruojis. The plethora of lit-up sculptures shrouded by woods and lakes amazed me. The magical music that played alongside the fairytale sculptures made it feel like a fantasy game in the flesh.
On this recent holiday, I got to experience all of the things I enjoyed for months through a screen in person. Certain memories filled with the delicious taste of Latvian cuisine and the touch of the crisp, cold snow is hard to encapsulate in a videogame version. Travelling after so long was refreshing and an amazing experience I hope to relive soon. But I know I have my video games giving new virtual lands to explore in the meantime.
