Do we enjoy our much planned holidays only in retrospect? I ask this because very often holidays end up being more fatiguing than enjoyable. They are enjoyed best in the narration to friends and family after the event, when photographs are shown and highlights shared. Nobody wishes to remember — much less speak about — all the things that were not so enjoyable: the packing, queuing, jostling, organising, spending (much too much!) and living off suitcases without the comforts of home we take so much for granted.
The recent holiday exodus during the bank holiday weekend is a case in point. Millions of people chose this period for their long awaited break. But the signs were not auspicious. An airline strike threatened to disrupt carefully laid out travel plans. Traffic jams on roads were predicted, not only because of the sheer volume of holiday makers, but because of highway repair schedules. And, the weather forecast was not very good. I saw pictures on television of weary travellers stranded at over crowded airport lounges, and motorists on highways wondering why they had bought a car in the first place. Most of them would later claim to have had a jolly good time!
I think sometimes the best holidays are had by those who opt out of the holiday rat race. If you decide to holiday at home certain benefits become apparent immediately. Firstly, no travel is involved, which means no expense, no airports and no highways. Secondly, the predictable but undeniable comforts of home are ensured, which means no strange hotels, no inedible menus and a familiar bed. The next question is: What do you do when in a conventional sense you are doing nothing? Doing nothing is a fine art which only the intelligent can pursue. A good book, a game of bridge, a long walk and forays into a far more civilized London make up for an ideal break without being conventionally on holiday.
With so many people out ‘holidaying’, the city is pleasantly under crowded and uncharacteristically quiet. Hyde Park during the bank holiday weekend was a serene oasis compared to what it is on other weekends. The streets of Mayfair were delightfully deserted. There was no noise of traffic. One could almost hear the city heaving a sigh of relief. Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus, is something like that in August when everyone is on the beach. It is a perfect place to be in, certainly much better than the beaches where there is more human flesh — and alas not all in Baywatch shape — per square inch than sardines in a can.
{{/usCountry}}With so many people out ‘holidaying’, the city is pleasantly under crowded and uncharacteristically quiet. Hyde Park during the bank holiday weekend was a serene oasis compared to what it is on other weekends. The streets of Mayfair were delightfully deserted. There was no noise of traffic. One could almost hear the city heaving a sigh of relief. Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus, is something like that in August when everyone is on the beach. It is a perfect place to be in, certainly much better than the beaches where there is more human flesh — and alas not all in Baywatch shape — per square inch than sardines in a can.
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