One thing that always strikes me when I return to my home in the U.S. in a small mid-western town is how quiet it is.
Returning from Amsterdam I miss the muffled sounds of the trams going by and the bicycle traffic on the road across the canal. I miss the view from the window of cyclists on regular bicycles or bakfiets going to school, work, or the market; of the occasional boat and the grebes, coots, herons and swans that travel the canal.
Returning from Landaur I miss the morning song of the whistling thrush and the call to prayer from the mosque; the sound of donkey bells and children chattering on their way to school; and the general hustle and bustle of the town. Of course I miss the views!
What I don't miss is the incessant honking of horns (on blind curves of the road along the mountain side, honking is the way to warn oncoming traffic that your vehicle is also there) and the political rants from loud speakers (there was a local election mid-October so much politicking).
Here in the U.S., I live on a cul-de-sac a long block away from a main north-south street. I get occasional noise from the street or from the nearby college campus, especially on football weekends, but most of the time it is quiet. In the summer there are kids playing outside or a few folks working in their yards and gardens. This time of year, when temperatures are in the 30s and 40s, my neighbors are outside only to hop in and out of their cars and otherwise stay inside. It seems too quiet and isolated!
Returning from Amsterdam I miss the muffled sounds of the trams going by and the bicycle traffic on the road across the canal. I miss the view from the window of cyclists on regular bicycles or bakfiets going to school, work, or the market; of the occasional boat and the grebes, coots, herons and swans that travel the canal.
Returning from Landaur I miss the morning song of the whistling thrush and the call to prayer from the mosque; the sound of donkey bells and children chattering on their way to school; and the general hustle and bustle of the town. Of course I miss the views!
What I don't miss is the incessant honking of horns (on blind curves of the road along the mountain side, honking is the way to warn oncoming traffic that your vehicle is also there) and the political rants from loud speakers (there was a local election mid-October so much politicking).
Here in the U.S., I live on a cul-de-sac a long block away from a main north-south street. I get occasional noise from the street or from the nearby college campus, especially on football weekends, but most of the time it is quiet. In the summer there are kids playing outside or a few folks working in their yards and gardens. This time of year, when temperatures are in the 30s and 40s, my neighbors are outside only to hop in and out of their cars and otherwise stay inside. It seems too quiet and isolated!
