Feels Like Home

I have just come back from a walk at the Melbourne Botanical Gardens. After enjoying the beauty of walking while the soft grass under the feet softens the steps, listening to the chirping of the birds, enjoying the views of the lake and old tall trees, I decided to go to areas of the Gardens I have not seen so far. A walk through Australian Rainforest area was beautiful. But that environment is already familiar and feels domestic. Then, all of a sudden, I found myself feeling a deja vu.That was such a weird feeling. I was staring at an European-style park and felt I was somewhere else, much closer to where I grew up. All the trees were from Europe and the area was full of fallen brown leaves, giving away that it is the late Autumn. The trees in other areas were as green as ever and the traces of Autumn were only clearly visible here, in the European park. The view I enjoyed so much. It could have been anywhere in Europe and the feeling was quite different to other areas of the Gardens. It also brought so many memories of the parks I have visited elsewhere I’ve been travelling.

I was walking through fallen leaves, listening to the sound as I pushed them around as I was making step after step. This felt closest to home I have ever felt in Melbourne.