Obstacles

I miss traveling. We all miss traveling, don’t we? But have you thought about why you miss it? Do you miss seeing new things, do you miss the mere fact of reading a book under a palmtree in the sand next to turquoise water, or do you really just need time off from work?

Just like you, I have my reasons, several of them, and the longer we are not allowed to leave our country, the more I look for alternatives. What looked like a temporary situation. now seems endless. We can’t just wait and do nothing forever.

Exploring new horizons with my camera? I have now been exploring Belgium in a way I have never done before. I thought I knew my country but it seems like I didn’t.
Reading a book under a palmtree? Reading right next to the fireplace while it is raining outside is just as much fun!
The desire to live new adventures? I have started planning new adventures that I can live as soon as we’re out of this.

Another reason why I miss traveling is that that is usually the time that I plan, get new ideas, sort my to do lists out, set goals and all the steps to reach those goals, think and focus. In a coffeeshop, at a small round or square table, with Latte’s by my side, maybe a croissant, my bujo and my pen, while locals come in and get their coffee and a chat.

I booked a few days in an airbnb in Brussels, something I thought about many times, but the fact that restaurants, and particularly coffee shops, are closed was a reason to constantly postpone it. But the human being is so flexible and adapts to any new situation : I got used to grabbing a take out coffee and drink it while walking though town.

Eventually, we can overcome every obstacle.

The airbnb is centrally located and work inside was combined with walks through the city center : the only way to really get to know a city! I only went out with my black and white camera -and an umbrella- which is something I usually do when I am ‘not at work’. With this camera I have to look differently, it is not just the light but more the contrast that is important, and I just love to play with the depth of field if this camera.

But this wasn’t the usual Brussels. Brussels is calm. Brussels is empty. Tourist shops are closed. Restaurants and bars are closed. There is just so much closed that certain streets just feel eerie. A street that is usually vibrant, full of people and of restaurants and terraces is now dead.

But I managed to do what I wanted. I did what I needed. I just took me a few days and I am ready to go again. Without crossing the borders, without the Latte, without sitting at a small table watching people pass by.

Which does not mean I don’t miss traveling. Because honestly, I do!

What are your reasons to miss crossing the borders? Feel free to let me know in comments!