Gaping in wonder

I have finally got round to making a photobook of my trip to Africa last year and it started me thinking about the most amazing sights I have ever seen. The wonders that made me stand and gape in awe. I refuse to use the word ‘awesome’ because I think it has lost all meaning and in my mind it’s always said with an American accent, which somehow makes it worse. It was the photos of gorillas in Uganda that set me thinking. What else has made me gasp in wonder?

The list is so long. I spent three weeks in Italy on my honeymoon (many years ago). It was a big trip because we lived in Canada at the time and Europe seemed like another world. The Old World, I think we called it. I can’t even remember how we arranged everything in those far-off days. I think we might have gone into the airline’s office to book our flights or maybe we used a travel agent? I do remember writing letters directly to hotels asking to reserve a room, but I rarely got a reply. Still, it all seemed to work out.

Sorry, I’m getting sidetracked. Italy was overwhelming to a young art-loving woman. Maybe not quite so much to her long-suffering bridegroom. I can remember being in Rome and standing in front of the Caravaggio paintings in the San Luigi dei Francesi church, awestruck and constantly feeding lira into the coin box to keep the lights on. Then there were the remarkable Bernini sculptures in the Villa Borghese. The man was a genius – he sculpted marble like butter.

We ate dinner on a restaurant balcony overlooking the Amalfi coast and that, too, has etched itself on my brain. Not just for the spectacular view. It was my first taste of Insalata Caprese, made with perfectly ripe tomatoes bursting with flavour, creamy, squidgy mozzarella, freshly picked basil and unctuous olive oil. I had never tasted anything like it.

More recently we stayed in Matera, a city in southern Italy built on a rocky outcrop. The whole place feels like it’s been carved from stone, including our hotel located in the Sassi area, famous for its ancient complex of cave dwellings.  The old town has an other-worldly air and the view over the cliffside at twilight was impossibly beautiful.

Enough of Italy. Although it is my favourite country, it certainly doesn’t deserve to be. I had severe food poisoning from a dodgy clam in Venice (sadly, also on my honeymoon) and the only time I’ve ever had my wallet stolen was in Turin. Still, it’s hard to argue with all that beauty and wonderful food.

Moving on. Although I won’t be travelling to the US anytime soon, it is a beautiful country and the canyons in Utah and Arizona are truly remarkable. We visited the Grand Canyon last of all and I was (foolishly) thinking that it might be an anti-climax after the wonders of Zion and Bryce canyons. I needn’t have worried. We had booked a helicopter trip and I was so overcome by my first sight of the Grand Canyon that I thought I was going to cry.

I really haven’t got very far with my list. There’s so much more that should be on it. I always wanted to write a book and maybe the time has come. I seem to be turning into one of those people who reach retirement age and feel that the world needs to read their memoirs, even though the world has other ideas. Maybe I’ll just stick to photobooks.