This summer, I visited Chania on the island of Crete for the first time. The small cobbled streets smelled of coffee and fresh pastries, and the old buildings with balconies entwined with flowers looked as if time had stood still. I could sit for hours in the harbor, listening to the waves crashing against the boats and watching the sun slowly disappear behind the lighthouse.
And then I realized Travel is amazing because it changes you imperceptibly. While you are planning your route and taking photos, it seems like you are just relaxing. But then you catch yourself thinking that you already look at people, everyday life, and life itself differently. You see how different cultures preserve their uniqueness and at the same time unite in a common desire to live, love, and create.
This place has become for me not just a point on the map, but a reminder: the world is much bigger than our ideas about it, and every trip is a chance to understand it a little deeper.