Longing for a Place to Call Home
To feel homesick, you need a home, I used to think.
Now I believe homesickness is just another word for longing for something familiar. And let’s be honest, words like “home,” “homesick,” and “longing” are all-time favourites when it comes to making shallow philosophical statements.
I had a real case of homesickness. I missed my family and the places I had lived in.
Holger doesn’t know those kinds of feelings.
He’s a wanderer. Always on the move and—at least until recently—even considered the off-season to be a time of discovery. One time we drove down the American coast just to see what life might feel like there. Another time, we flew to Alaska to catch a glimpse of the last bits of glacier and to watch some bears, eagles, whales, and otters do their thing. Sometimes we simply visited friends and family—bouncing around between Luxembourg and Germany in those uncomfortable (sorry friends, but you know we’re right) guest beds.
But after a few years, even Holger stopped finding the non-sailing season so funny.
And it’s always expensive. Hotels, rental cars, eating out all the time… it drains the sailor’s wallet pretty quickly.
Maybe I just complained long enough. Either way, one day Holger said: Alright then, let’s find ourselves a place, a base.
Renting? Not his thing. So the plan to buy a house was quickly set.
A few snapshots from a typical Binz-style off-season.
/Ka
