The ideal holiday

Many years ago, I must have been not older than 15 I got assignment to write an essay with the title "My ideal holiday". You can imagine that the content of my essay did not only meticulously described what my ideal holiday was but also with overwhelming irony bashed at what everybody else considered an ideal holiday.

For more than 15 years after that I lived by my words and enjoyed my ideal holiday. This consisted of visiting other countries, their iconic sites as much as their hidden jems, trying to learn as much as possible about their history and culture.

This period of my life has two major characteristics:

1) it brought me around the world 

2) it is definitely over

You can imagine that with the birth of our children we were no longer master of our own destiny. 

Even though I was still able to visit very interesting places like the Maya Riviera and New York, holidays (the three weeks long summer break that is) have since then taken a completely different dimension.

Again two reasons for that:

1) the holiday is no longer only mine (and of another consenting adult)

2) an overwhelming need for rest and relax has partly overshadowed the interest in history and foreign cultures

Not having wasted the previous 15 or so years made the transition quite painless, but the transition was evident.

As holidays go I now consider myself in exile in parentswithyoungchildrenland. I am making of it the most pleasant and luxurious home possible, since I won't be able to leave this land for quite a while.

Do not worry then, I am having great time!

I keep my essay in my drawer though because at some point the exile will be over.