Hi all! I meant to get in on The 30 Days of Indie Travel Project over at Boots-n-All a little earlier, but between moving this site to it’s new home here at audrey-reynolds.com beyourowntravelhero.com and moving myself (literally) to Asheville, I’ve been slow to join the party.
Joining in a local festival, holiday or special event is a great way to learn more about a local culture. Share the story of a celebration that meant something to you on your travels.
Well, I’m immediately going to stretch the interpretation because I’ve been so excited to share the video below. In a recent post, Chris Guillebeau talks about why you shouldn’t save the good stuff for later. What he says makes a lot of sense to me. So in the spirit of putting it out there now (and imperfectly), here is my post on Celebration. Enjoy! (note: I’m having trouble embedding the video, so it will open in a new window.)
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In early October, I spent a few days at the spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore (north of San Francisco). One afternoon, I was driving around in the fog and rain, hoping for some way to redeem an otherwise crap day. I stumbled upon a team from The Marine Mammal Center who were about to return four seals to the sea and was invited to watch the release.
Watch the seal release, Point Reyes National Seashore
The seals had been in rehabilitation for many weeks and experiencing these beauties say ADIOS to captivity _completely_ made my day! The second set released (the 2 in the video) were not a pair, yet they coupled up as they hit the sea. The volunteers seemed to think they would stay together. It was beyond cool.
While this wasn’t a formal celebration, it most certainly was a special event: FREEDOM! The seals’ body language screamed WOO-HOO PEOPLE ~ WE ARE FREE-FREE-FREE!!! They celebrated all the way to the ocean.
Have you ever witnessed a spontaneous, joyful celebration while traveling? How did you feel afterward? Does the memory still bring a smile to your face? I know this one will forever bring one to mine.
♥ Audrey