The more one travels, the less she gushes and the more he evaluates.
It’s a shame — but apparently inevitable — that the veteran traveler trades amazement and awe for comparison and contrast.
The air is cleaner than…..the sky bluer than…..the buildings taller than…..the river wider or longer than…..the restaurants more or less inventive than…..the roads more or less crowded than…..the drivers less courteous than…..the wineries more sophisticated than…..the mountains less majestic than…..
Nothing seems to stand on its own for the veteran traveler. Nothing is incomparable. And the veteran traveler must go farther, higher, wider, weirder, deeper or more dangerous for an experience that is novel.
The wanderer who can still wonder – who can be fascinated by the commonplace and the customs of ordinary people – who can experience without rating…..the innocent traveler of first impression….. is the more fortunate, I think.
JER
ALL OVER THE MAP 
As the title of the song goes:
I WONDER as I WANDER….
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