FOR THE EVENING.
\nOn the Taste of Travel and the Ways of Savoring It.<\/p>\n
My childhood was beautiful.<\/p>\n
Every summer, our green family \u201cZhiguli\u201d would rumble toward lakes and the seaside.<\/p>\n
But as a child, I didn\u2019t travel far.<\/p>\n
My first real encounter with an airport happened during my university years,<\/p>\n
when I set off to \u201cconquer\u201d America.<\/p>\n
Well\u2026 all right.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome back down to earth, V\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t feel like a conqueror at all.<\/p>\n
My first flight\u2014with layovers in airports so vast they barely fit into my imagination\u2014made my eyes grow to the size of coconuts.<\/p>\n
They were practically popping out of my face.<\/p>\n
America, to me, smelled first and foremost of\u2026 dollars.<\/p>\n
Of bringing home my own \u201clittle potatoes\u201d (my first savings).<\/p>\n
It felt like a cosmic-level success for my first steps in life.<\/p>\n
And it smiled at me.<\/p>\n
After four months of \u201cconquering\u201d America and bending my back over two jobs,<\/p>\n
a Toyota of unbelievable (to me) beauty rolled into our yard.<\/p>\n
True,<\/p>\n
it was a 1994 model.<\/p>\n
But still\u2014<\/p>\n
absolutely beautiful.<\/p>\n
Even a few patches of rust settling comfortably on its sides didn\u2019t ruin that beauty.<\/p>\n
In my eyes full of admiration, they were like charming little \u201cbeauty marks,\u201d<\/p>\n
which my father promised to cover with a can of paint.<\/p>\n
And although on its first trip to Vilnius my dream car started flashing its \u201ccheck engine\u201d warning\u2026<\/p>\n
I loved it.<\/p>\n
Because it was the reward of my first \u201clived-through\u201d journeys.<\/p>\n
Along with the money I brought back for my dream,<\/p>\n
I saw Niagara Falls,<\/p>\n
a Broadway theater,<\/p>\n
stood in New York with my head thrown back.<\/p>\n
Because I believed that going to America and not seeing its most famous places<\/p>\n
would be a kind of sin.<\/p>\n
After finishing my studies, I slipped into wedding shoes.<\/p>\n
And then came the honeymoon trip.<\/p>\n
We didn\u2019t even dare dream of very distant places,<\/p>\n
because our thoughts were already circling around buying our first family home.<\/p>\n
We set off for Egypt.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfrica!!!!\u201d I squealed in my mind.<\/p>\n
And I didn\u2019t even allow myself to think that I might go there and not see the mummy museum\u2014<\/p>\n
never mind the +40\u00b0C heat\u2026<\/p>\n
and of course, the pyramids.<\/p>\n
Which we had to reach by an all-night bus ride.<\/p>\n
After a sleepless night on a bus, my husband and I stood in the blazing heat,<\/p>\n
trying to see the beauty of one of the world\u2019s wonders.<\/p>\n
But we couldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Neither of us.<\/p>\n
We just didn\u2019t say it out loud.<\/p>\n
And yet, on the way back, we both quietly admitted<\/p>\n
that a postcard from the hotel would probably have been enough.<\/p>\n
But something inside us\u2014the \u201cyou must see it with your own eyes\u201d feeling\u2014<\/p>\n
pushed us to rush through every trip,<\/p>\n
marking every famous place off a list.<\/p>\n
Otherwise, it didn\u2019t \u201ccount.\u201d<\/p>\n
Later, travel picked up its pace.<\/p>\n
It slowed down only during the waiting-for-miracles phase,<\/p>\n
and the early years of raising Do-Pa-My, when I was a walking \u201clittle kitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n
But once we could leave the children with grandparents for a while,<\/p>\n
the journeys would strike again with full force.<\/p>\n
Eventually, after a long-awaited vacation,<\/p>\n
I understood:<\/p>\n
you don\u2019t need to \u201cbreak free from the chain.\u201d<\/p>\n
And if I don\u2019t tick off a pile of sightseeing spots when visiting a new country,<\/p>\n
no one will judge me.<\/p>\n
No one will punish me.<\/p>\n
No one will point fingers.<\/p>\n
No one will drop that heavy stone of<\/p>\n
\u201coh, what a lazy one\u201d<\/p>\n
on my soul.<\/p>\n
I learned not to rush, but to enjoy.<\/p>\n
To travel and explore only as much as I truly want.<\/p>\n
To see what we ourselves discover,<\/p>\n
not what sits on the \u201cmust see\u201d lists<\/p>\n
that are, as a rule, crowded with tourists.<\/p>\n
I return from yet another holiday,<\/p>\n
carrying a head full of impressions:<\/p>\n
slow walks along the coast,<\/p>\n
exploring coral reefs,<\/p>\n
collecting beautifully shaped seashells,<\/p>\n
swimming in unbelievably blue water,<\/p>\n
a birthday safari full of extreme experiences,<\/p>\n
gazing at small, charming boats in marinas,<\/p>\n
and cozy evenings in local tavernas,<\/p>\n
where alongside sincere hospitality<\/p>\n
there will remain the unforgettable taste of seafood in memory.<\/p>\n
And in the end, I understood:<\/p>\n
the best holiday experiences are not the \u201ccheckmarks.\u201d<\/p>\n
They are slowness.<\/p>\n
And allowing yourself to breathe in what everyday life most lacks\u2014<\/p>\n
peace,<\/p>\n
and that feeling of \u201cstop, moment, you are beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n
A feeling you don\u2019t just catch,<\/p>\n
but truly savor.<\/p>\n
As much as you want.<\/p>\n
Even\u2026<\/p>\n
until your heart is completely full.<\/p>\n
V.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-23847","istorija","type-istorija","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/viktorijos.devbrothers.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/istorija\/23847","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/viktorijos.devbrothers.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/istorija"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/viktorijos.devbrothers.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/istorija"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/viktorijos.devbrothers.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}