I love looking at maps. I always have. They hold the magic of adventure, new discoveries, exciting places and people and fun challenges unknown.
I just found myself looking at the maps of Ukraine, Norway and Russia. It reminded me how much I enjoy it now and I enjoyed it when I was 10, 12, a teen and beyond.
I used to pull out our Encyclopaedia Brittanica Atlas of The World and while away my time reviewing topography, population figures, mountain ranges and city details.
There were so many places to go, to see, to visit. There were gorgeous vistas to enjoy, boundaries to observe, squiggly border lines to consider and weather patterns to understand.
My parents saved and sent me on a school trip to Italy when I was 16. That was a long way from rural Canada, or the Capital, Ottawa, that I had recently moved to. First, we landed in the then Czechoslovakia, with its strong military presence and gray barrenness.
Then we spent a couple of weeks travelling the length of Italy, including Milan, Rome, Florence, Pisa, Pompeii, Naples, Sorrento and Venice. Amazing.
Even on my return, I would review the route we took and see the topography we traversed. I would do this for places I wanted to go to and after I’d been. Like when I lived in Bolivia, Australia, or Mexico. And still now when I travel in the U.K., Europe or back in Canada.
Maps fascinate me.
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