The joy of driving and exploring

When is the last time you took your car and, instead of taking the usual route, you took a much longer one just for the pleasure of driving or sightseeing?

Yesterday I had to take a day off to sit with my 4.5 years old son - schools are closed on Wednesdays and his usual babysitter was not available. Part of our schedule for the day was to go to a Zoo, somewhere half an hour driving from our home.

As soon as we left, he started talking about us going on an exploration mission, which resonated loudly with some hidden feelings I had lately. They can mostly be described as me longing for trekking in the mountains, or driving through some pitoresque landscapes, or simply holding a map in my hand and figuring out what part of a city I would like to visit first.

I should also add that we have recently bought a new car. Nothing amazing, a Ford Focus, but more powerful, very silent and all in all a lot better driving experience than my previous car. So, with all these factors combined, it's probably no wonder that at some point on the road I took a sharp turn left and entered a small road that has always been there, that I have never taken, and about which I always wondered where it leads...

It's a small road in the forest, getting to the bottom of some valleys and to the top of some hills, while always lounging a lake. Very narrow and with lots of turns. In short, a wonderful driving experience, joined by beautiful scenery and my son's clear enjoyment of it. A perfect moment. We joined the main road half an hour later and we haven't regret it for a second.

After the zoo and the mandatory McDonald's, it was time to head back. And I was facing the hard choice of taking the motorway (half an hour) or driving to the seaside and lounge it until close to home (one hour or more depending on the traffic). I guess the choice I made is obvious, and I can assure you that the trip back was beautiful! Well, my son slept through the whole of it, but I enjoyed it a lot.

As I don't have access right now to the photos I made years ago (and I didn't bothered yesterday), here is a picture I found on the web with that road.

While driving back I realized that the last time I had been on that road was... 7 years ago! Because it's close to home, and it's touristic and.... it's simply longer. But how beautiful it is! And how seldom are we taking time to just... drive and enjoy the scenery.

Yes, sometimes the exploration starts quite close to home.