Nostalgia is in the air during and after the holiday season.
One needs to shift to low gear and turn off the current. Travel refreshes the body and nourishes the soul. It warms the heart, especially when one goes back to a beloved place.
Crossing oceans and time zones can be exhausting, but in many ways it is delightfully refreshing.
Geographic distance frees one from the city's rough attitude and tired skin. A person's outlook improves in a different environment. Problems seem scattered and receding into the blurry background. As the mind recharges in a stress-free mode, worries fade away. It takes a blink of an eye to revisit another aspect of nature – winter in the temperate zone.
Mentally recalling old paths, one feels a familiar spark. Heart-wrenching pain mixed with the novelty of a new vibe. It is to look at the past with a new pair of eyes in a dreamy light.
This beloved city between two mountains is more polished and charming than ever. The iconic landmark with tall organic towers, the Sagrada Familia Basilica, is almost complete after more than a century. Its architect passed away a hundred years ago. Other architects continued the work in progress, supported by donations from people who came there to pray and marvel at the modern stained glass windows that filtered exquisite changing rainbow rays of light. Designed by Catalan artist-architect Antonin Gaudí, the evocative church has amazing acoustics for classical concerts and thousands of details.
In Barrio Gótico, the medieval Cathedral Santa María del Mar was built slowly – stone by stone, rock by rock – during the Black Plague.
Wide avenidas, walks With trees and rotundas, magnificent parks and sparkling fountains, sparkling after the freezing rain. It's cold to walk in the rain, but can stop for hot chocolate etc. Churros In a café. there are pintxos, jamon Iberico, fiGS, and seasonal dishes in small shops.
Once upon a time, a beautiful, isolated villa on top of a hill with a spectacular panoramic view was a second home. it was surrounded by FReducing the flowering of trees such as cherry and almond in spring. It was untouched by the outside world and the distractions of people. It was a place to study peacefully, absorbing the classics, the ways of the old world, different cultures, art, music, languages, theology, literature, history, mathematics, and science.
It was the place where one could grow, germinate and develop the budding wings of freedom. Part of education was to inculcate values and gentlemanly manners, tradition, respect and courtesy, kindness and compassion. Slowly and carefully. Sometimes, under a magnifying glass.
It was a big challenge for a teenager to undergo a transplant and adapt to a strange environment. After a few months, amazing changes occurred through new friendships that connected cultures and countries over a shared Hispanic heritage.
It was a rich tapestry, the only country in Asia with strong Catholic and Spanish roots. The field trips were one of the best educational aspects of the year. From the Pyrenees to Andalusia, Seville, Granada to Vienna, Hamburg, Munich and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
After many years, the old bonds of friendship formed in school and on those trips have been rekindled and nurtured. This devotion reminds of those happy times.
The third house was a grand villa and brick buildings with towering cypress trees on one of the empire's seven hills.
Rome offered exciting academic challenges, the opportunity to compete at the international level and receive a coveted, valuable medal of excellence.
There were new travels and artistic adventures that focused on the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo's frescoes, Castell Gandolfo, Leonardo's Renaissance in Firenze, the ruins of Veio, the ancient Etruscans, Greece. After all, a lost love.
Imagination has a special, mysterious way of reviving memories.
The person simply closes his/her eyes to be transported to the place where the valley is surrounded by misty mountains. It is a forest frozen in time. A romantic palace amidst evergreen, picturesque mountain ranges stretching for miles.
The aroma of fresh pine spreads in the thin air.
Oxygen is in abundance. It pierces the nostrils and lungs. The person absorbs its spicy sweetness and immediately becomes intoxicated.
It is hard to resist the magnetic aura of the mountains and the snowy peaks. What could be more enjoyable than riding a cable car? A dimension far removed from the tropics is captivating. An open palm holds pure ice and complex ice cubes.
Another distant mountain a continent away comes to mind. At such a height on the Gondola, one takes short breaths and exhales puffs of steam. The rare breeze makes one feel dizzy and light-headed without the alcohol.
Enjoying the golden sunshine amid the breathtaking beauty of the mountains is an emotional and mind-expanding experience.
As soon as sunlight drenches the body, mental traps melt away. An eagle flies with the wind and circles above.
The sky becomes a canvas as it turns vermillion, red and lavender colours. The sun sinks into the horizon. Dramatic music from Beethoven's violin concerto is heard. An eclectic audience is mesmerized by the music. During the final movements, light raindrops fall in a natural rhythm, which intensifies at a faster pace.
Symphonic music and a quiet curtain at sunset. Comes in the colors Twilight Blue and Cobalt.
As soon as night falls, crickets rustle and echo in the forest. The stars are slowly peeking through the cirrus clouds. It is so quiet that one can almost hear the sound of the rocks moving near the gurgling stream.
Dawn brings a powder blue sky with delicate flowing wisps of puffy clouds.
Only poinsettias seem to thrive in this snowy region.
At an altitude of 3,700 meters above sea level, the panorama is inspiring and mesmerizing. Interpreting the spectacular crystalline scene on canvas is a creative challenge.
How could a human being attempt to portray such perfection? Only a divine artist can create it with divine strokes and cosmic colors.
Far above the world, one can understand why mystics and world-weary travelers seek refuge atop a mountain. Peace inspires deep thought and meditation. The supernatural glimpse inside makes one feel very close to heavenfinity.
Maria Victoria Rufino is an artist, writer and businesswoman. She is the president and executive producer of Maverick Productions.
mavrufino@gmail.com