In September I took my first overseas vacation since the pandemic to go to Madeira for a week. My context for that trip was “Chill”.
I love choosing a Context, and within that normally three focal areas, so under “Chill”, sat:
- Curiosity
- Explore
- Learn
All of that meant I rented a car, walked (a lot), ate out for almost every meal for eight days at a different place each time, visited many places to learn about Madeira, and talked to locals often. The photo above is from an amazing levada walking tour with this stunning waterfall (apparently there are 25 separate waterfalls here, you may wish to count them!).
Enjoyed that trip so much that, as I sat at the airport for the return flight, decided then and there to book a short midwinter break for a few days, and as of the date of posting this (yes, dear reader, I scheduled this one), I am in Madeira again for three nights.
The context this time, and given it is only a short trip, is subtly different, “Total Relaxation”. To give meaning to that, my three focal areas are:
- Presence
- Slow
- Best
This is all about really slowing down, perhaps sitting for hours on the balcony of my room at a city centre hotel on an old town street and watching the people pass by. I’ll go back to the “best of” restaurants and cafes and basically do very little in between meals.
What is your context when you take a vacation?
Oh, and I will not make any daily posts for the next few days. After all, that would likely not fit in with “Total Relaxation”. Normal service will be resumed shortly (later this week!), see you soon.