Answered by Liz Wegman, Director of Public Relations and Development at PTPI.
8. In talking about visiting Uluru for the first time, the author writes:
“In some odd way that you don’t understand and can’t begin to articulate you feel an acquaintance with it – a familiarity on an unfamiliar level. Somewhere in the deep sediment of your being some long-dormant fragment of primordial memory, some little severed tail of DNA, has twitched or stirred. It is a motion much too faint to be understood or interpreted, but somehow you feel certain that this large, brooding, hypnotic presence has an importance to you at the species level – perhaps even at a sort of tadpole level – and that in some way your visit here is more than happenstance.”
Have you ever felt this experience when visiting a distant place for the first time?
As I mentioned previously, I read this book while traveling through Australia, where I actually visited Uluru. Anyone who has been there can attest to the unbelievably remote setting and the sense of being in the middle of nowhere. I think that, in and of itself, creates an unusual feeling – what is it that compels so many people to travel vast distances to see this giant rock? I remember feeling something sort of strange and compelling as I looked at Uluru from a distance, more so than when I actually walked around it.
The place where I can most identify with what Bryson writes about Uluru is Switzerland. I spent a year there as an au pair after I finished school and every time I return, I feel as though I am coming back to what I describe as my spiritual home. The majesty of the Alps creates a sense of peace in my soul – one that is hard to understand or interpret – and there is nowhere in the world where I feel so happy and truly grateful to be alive. I ended up in Switzerland most unexpectedly, yet it was one of the greatest decisions I think I’ve ever made so I can certainly relate to Bryson’s words about “in some way your visit here is more than happenstance”.
The opinions expressed by PTPI staff and other book club members are entirely their own and are not necessarily the views of People to People International or that of PTPI’s Officers, Board of Directors and Board of Trustees.
Tags: Australia, Bill Bryson, Global Book Club, In a Sunburned Country, Switzerland, Travel, Uluru
I would like to add more. The travel through bad lands was scary. but when I got out of the car and took a panoramic view, underneath the scary feeling there was a deep sense of peace. I fell in to the spell of silence and tranquility. I was no longer scared. Similar feelings came out when driving next to the pacific ocean. Watching the ocean the tides. and some of the whales all made me feel at home. It was peaceful. Even the gigantic, majestic mountains were not scary after a while. They made me feel humble and chill in my stomach was replaced by acceptance, surrender followed by peace.
Kristine, I have been to Athens. The view of Athens from Acropolis was wonderful. I could not believe how peaceful it was. I fantasized and enacted the entire Greek history I knew of, in my head! I felt as if I had lived there in my previous life if there was one. I agree with you and can relate to your experience completely.
The place where I can most identify with what Byrson writes about is in Athens. I had a unique experience at the Dorian Inn Athens Hotel in 2008. I spent a whole day on the rooftop of the hotel where there was a pool and an incredible view of Athen’s unique buildings and even the Acropolis. I wouldn’t say I felt I’d been there before, but it was a very surreal experience. It was more beautiful than I ever could have imagined Athens to be. I remember journaling that if I could just spend one day each year on top of the hotel, the happiness I felt would sustain me throughout the year. While I haven’t been back to the hotel since 2008, I plan to return many times to my place of solace.
Yes, I have. When I was travelling through Bad lands in Wyoming for the first time. There was no civilization for miles and miles. That was simply scary. I felt helpless scared and became very respectful of the mother nature. When I saw the Devil’s tower in South Dakota I wondered if that was worth all the travel. The Devils Tower standing alone in the middle of nowhere had history of its own. I had similar scary feelings when travelling through Big Sur in California between the ocean and the monstrous mountains. I just surrendered to the magnificient view. The silence around was scary. I felt chills in my heart.