Personal Liberation in Europe

Personal liberation in Europe

Personal freedom to me is an awareness that we are able to live and travel freely, and in that awareness also realize that there are a lot of people who are not able to leave or return to their homes and country for even a short while, or not at all. Fortunately, over the years I have been free to travel to places that have made me feel very much alive;
Standing in a yellow field near Arles, France in the heat of an early summer day thinking that maybe Van Gogh may have sat in the same spot with palette and brush applying his wonderful swirling strokes to a canvas.
Following a priest through the cool marble cloisters of Frejus cathedral in France on a hot, still afternoon, and seeing the love and delight on his face as he bent down to stroke the ears of his pet mother cat and her kittens nestled in a basket by the door.

Walking on the beach in Algeciras, Spain looking out at the Rock of Gibraltar silhouetted by the setting sun, accompanied by a friendly local mutt as he picked his way through the shallows.
Marveling and being a part of a magical sunset while sitting at the base of Poseidon’s Temple at Cape Sounion in Greece,
Climbing Lycabettus Hill in Athens and being rewarded with a magnificent view of the Acropolis.

Sitting amongst the ruins at Mycenae, Greece, listening to the wind carrying the tinkling of bells from the goatherd below as it blew through the ancient stone walls.
People watching outside the Blue Mosque in Istanbul and enjoying a freshly boiled cob of corn from a street vendor as the call to prayer begins and mingles with the laughter of children playing nearby.
Gazing out the window on an early flight into Denizli, Turkey at Mt. Honaz bathed in the pink light of dawn..
Lighting a candle in the chapel of the house of Mary, the mother of Jesus, where it is believed she spent her last years.
Descending the glistening mineral coated terraces of Pamukkale in Turkey and reveling in the feeling of the luke warm mud between my toes.
Engulfed in a chilly sea mist on the cliffs of Tintagel, England, listening to the sound of the gulls crying overhead.
Witnessing two fireballs streak across the sky of Alberta, Canada within a few weeks of each other.

Wondering at the reddish glow of the Aurora Australis in the night sky as a child growing up Australia, and decades later watching the brilliance of the Aurora Borealis dancing across the western Canada sky with my children on a camping trip.

In recalling these experiences, I get an overwhelming sense of pure liberation and joy. It brings to mind a quote from a story of a woman who was free in her thoughts, even though she was bound by the constraints of her time and circumstances..

“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being with an independent will.”
— Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte

About the Author
My name is Louise Zontek. I was born in Sydney, Australia and have lived in the United States since 1980. I love to travel and have a particular passion for ancient civilizations and history.