There are those moments, when you travel, that stay with you. These moments are hard to explain. It’s more than just seeing or doing something – it’s a feeling. A feeling that sticks with you for the entirety of your life. When you talk about your travels and you try to express these moments to family and friends, it never comes out quite right. But, you try. So…I’ll try.
One of my first moments was seeing the Mediterranean Sea. Don’t know why this moved me, but it did. I choked up as the plane came in to land in Malaga, Spain. Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was another travel moment. This was the first place I went to see in the City of Light and as I walked in, mass was in progress. Now, I’m a fallen Catholic, but I was practically sobbing as I took pictures of the incredible architecture.
Tonight might be my number one travel moment. The Arena di Verona was originally built in 30 AD. (yes, you read that correctly.) It is still in use today with some obvious reconstruction. Each summer, there are opera performances. But, I just missed these as they end in early September. Instead, I attended a concert by Laura Pausini, an Italian pop star. You might compare her to Celine Dion or Mariah Carey. Her songs are well known and she has a huge fan base.
I arrived just as the concert was about to begin, sitting in the “bleacher seats”. The Arena is gorgeous, typically Roman and ancient. When Laura came out and started singing and everyone sang along with her, well, I about lost it. These are the moments. When you don’t understand but a few words of the song, but you get the emotion of it all. It was obvious to me that her fans love her, and know her and her music well. There were people of all ages, singing along, waving their hands in the air. I was moved. Tears welled up in my eyes as I looked around at the ancient structure, then at the stage and the modern pop star. I was moved by the love I felt for Laura from her fans. Moved by the beat of the music – the song dedicated to her mother. These moments are why I travel. To be a local, if only for a moment.
