Your best holiday OR concert

a) Holidays...

Look at the sky. We are not alone. The whole universe is friendly to us and conspires only to give the best to those who dream and work.

 A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

Holidays mean fun, relaxation, enjoying yourself, plenty of free time to do anything with no obligation, no concern. You are the owner and master of your life and everything is within your reach, or at least you want to believe so. The mountains, the lakes, the beaches, the parks ... are waiting for you.

Going on holiday is so natural today that we feel frustated when we don't have them--even ashamed. This is so much so, that some people may spend a couple of days off a few miles away, just to say that they had spent wonderful holidays somewhere.

Yet, only wealthy people could afford "holidays" until the 19th century; their young sons spent sometimes a (long) time abroad in Europe, as part of their education.

Just at the beginning of the nineteenth century, in England, every worker got a Sunday off and about the end of that century some skilled workers had a Saturday afternoon off. Late in the nineteenth century, a few skilled workers obtained paid holidays in some countries . In the twentieth century, holidays gained space and from then on they are considered indispensable in our modern world.

Holidays mean memories and "carpe diem". I recall wonderful memories of journeys, travelling by train and enjoying with wide open eyes the landscapes, the trees, the forest...

 Market Place, Castro, Chiloé Island

In rather recent holidays, a couple of years ago, in Chiloé, I opened my eyes to my mother's birthplace. Beautiful views, piers, market places, hundreds of churches and the friendliness of Chilotes gained my heart. My wife and I went on tour to the "pinguineras" in Puñihuil and also visited many churches on the island. The weather was great, so we had splendid views. We also moved to Puerto Varas and Frutillar, spending some time admiring All Saint's Lake and Petrohue's waterfalls...

Petrohué Waterfalls, Puerto Varas

As my son and daugther had never been there, we planned to spend our holidays again in the south of Chile last year, having Puerto Montt as our lodging city. Our son-in-law and our son's fiancée joined us in this new adventure.

The weather was not benevolent, though. Stormy, rainy, cloudy and windy days did not permit to visit such spectacular places as the Petrohue waterfalls or  All the Saints' Lake because of road closures. Yet, we were able to spend some time at various attractive places in Puerto Varas and Frutillar. We did also go to Chiloé under difficult atmospheric conditions; we visited a curious Mythological Theme Park, a few churches, piers, folk craft shops ... together with the folk Chiloé's typical cuisine. Our holidays in the South of Chile were different, but enjoyable by all means, with the warmth of being together...and this is what matters the most in one's holiday.

 Patrimonial Church, Castro, Chiloé

I would be unfair if I told you that  I spent my best holiday in Chiloé. I have been to other wonderful places  that certainly deserve a post as well.

By the way, why do we speak of "holidays"? In the Middle Ages and earlier, pilgrims went to shrines to show their devotion; they were on holidays (holy=sacred).

Now it's your turn:  Choose Holidays or Concert

Holidays:                                                                         Concert:
- when it was                                                                 - when / where it was
- where they went                                                         - the artist they saw
- how long it was                                                          - a bit of info about the artist
- people they went with                                                - describe the atmosphere
- things/activities they did                                               during the event
- why it has been the best so far                                    - describe how they felt and
- any other relevant info                                                   why they enjoyed it
                                                                                      - any other memories about it
Wordcount: 170

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