Grapevine Cottage

It feels like a long time since I went on a holiday that took me somewhere completely new. One that was accompanied by that feeling of discovery, but also nervousness; eyes searching at airports, maps hastily glanced at, locals tentatively approached. One that ended with a newly acquired sense of familiarity, of little spots staked out and made my own.


Mostly, of course, I go home when I can swing a vacation about every 2-3 years. And there are compelling reasons to go there—people to see, geography I hold close, familiar things oft-missed. And there's also a sense of responsibility to that trip: My parents won't visit me here, so we would never see each other if I didn't go home.


But I miss striking out to places new. I saw this cottage on Unique Home Stays. I've never had a holiday like this, staying at a beautiful house in a such an incredible setting. And I found myself fantasizing about it, trying to imagine really staying there.


I'm tired of simply overwriting old memories with updated versions of the same things. I feel like I'm too young to just beat that path back and forth between Dublin and Toronto. I used to relish discovery. And even this little fantasy felt liberating and exciting. Wouldn't it be lovely? Where would you go?


All images used with direct permission from Unique Home Stays.