On many days if I close my eyes I can almost feel myself right back to moments in my life where I experience true bliss.  Europe. Where the grass is actually greener and the sun does shine more brightly.  At least for me it does.  The skeptics out there can be infuriating to me at times, especially when they try to convince me otherwise.  They are often quick to remind me of my fortunate life here in Canada.  I agree that being Canadian offers many privileges and I appreciate my life, my home and the fact that I have employment opportunities.   When it comes to fulfilling some of my passions and living in indulgence, it lacks significantly and receives a near failing grade.

How many of you if granted with a generous lottery win would actually insist on living here in this frigid continent with a mediocre skyline.  Most of you given the opportunity would definitely cross over down south, to Europe, Asia and to many other splendid areas that the world has to offer.  What drives you to these places? What do they have that we do not here?  Is it the climate, the beach, the food?  While we may all be content and grateful for our lives and what our country has to offer, in each of us there is a yearning desire to escape elsewhere.  Everyone has a place that they dream of either for short or long term purposes such as living, vacationing or seeing at least once.  There is a location outside our realm and day to day activities that drives us all. My pleasure is Europe.  It has so much to indulge in I do not even know where to begin.

 

On days where I lack concentration or feel blue, I close my eyes and work hard to find my inner peace.  I envision and feel myself walking through those cobblestone streets with winding narrow roads that lead to famous sculptures and beautiful monuments.  I walk and turn on narrow winding roads and stop to stare at the simplicity of the clothing drying outside an apartment clothesline.  There is something about clothing drying on a clothesline in Europe that makes me smile every time.  The simplicity of what it is against the romantic architecture of the apartment.  A stark difference from the clothesline in my yard, where the squirrel tightropes and stops to taunt my dog.  On this walk, I allow myself the luxury of stopping to have a cup of coffee made to perfection by the local barrista.  The caramel colored cream that coats the liquid is evenly dusted with an occasional hint of cocoa.  What shall I do today, I may ask? Perhaps I shall go to a museum, visit a castle, or go to the sea.  Yes, the beautiful sea.  The crisp fragrance of the salty air and the gleaming shades of vivid sapphires and turquoises.  It is in Europe, where the slight warm breeze brushes my hair softly against my face as I gaze at the blue sea before me and wiggle my toes in the soft sand.  Or, perhaps, you would prefer rocky beaches.  The choice is yours as there are all types of beaches available.

 

In Europe, I experience a true culinary experience.  Sinful decadence.  It is more than just eating to be fed or satiated but for your taste buds to embark on a journey.  A noble wine with a ruby hue and earthy finesse which I only paid 2 Euros for, may I add.  At the gentlest pressure from my knife, I see the milk of a mozzarella run into my dish and experience the tantalizing taste of food melting in my mouth.   I indulge in the figs dripping in honey and of the deepest reddish purple hue inside.  I smell the trail of a good wood burning oven pizza nearby.  I select the fresh fish or seafood of the day, caught just hours before by the local fisherman and I taste the saltiness of the sea in each bite I take.

Later on today, perhaps for forty Euros or so, I will book a flight to a neighboring country and spend a few days there.  Or I may go by train, or perhaps I will take a mountain drive and smell the crisp Eucalyptus in the air.  You see, in Europe, the choices are plenty.

In Europe, there is something for everyone, or perhaps not for everyone but at the very least it covers all facets of my personality.  Perhaps this is why I admire it so much.  I have an appetite for the pleasures of life and Europe appeals to all my senses.  I have seen so little of Europe, yet with each visit I am always awestruck and left speechless. 

Just when I thought there could not be any more beauty to discover, I find more.  The rich architecture and the ancient history intertwined with the world’s most famous art and religious influences, the human intelligence, simplicity and traditionalism, the remnants of clashing battles, the decadent culinary knowledge, ancient times merging with a modern world, sophistication and an occasional aristocratic flair. I see the row of luxurious boutiques and hear the chaotic sounds of tourists nearby.  A vintage Vespa parked randomly on a street cornering the town’s oldest church.  Whether you be driven by religion, history, art, romance, languages or the sea, there is a town, a city, a country in Europe that will likely steal your heart, and when your eyes and senses set on this land, as an Italian quote indicates, you  will likely cry twice.  Once when you have had the privilege to arrive to this great place and once when you must leave.

As I open my eyes and lock eyes with the taunting squirrel on my clothing line, I wipe away my own little tear and dream of where the grass is actually greener and the sun shines brightly…

by Diana Antonacci