Is it possible to be nostalgic for the present? I didn't think it was, but these past few weeks have proven me wrong. I am nostalgic for these moments that I don't--can't--capture and for the ones that I attempt to capture but never fully succeed. I am nostalgic for the simple way we share bread and butter together, the times we sit in the sun doing nothing but talking about everything, and our ritual of getting ice cream every time we're in town. Stracciatella will always bring back memories.
We went to Bonn to visit my cousins for a day this weekend--Maxi and Anna-Lou are my only cousins and I'm lucky if I see them once every two years, but it's always a sweet time when we're together. We stuffed ourselves on gummy bears from the Haribo outlet and ate the best cinnamon buns on the hammock and visited old ruins atop a steep mountain. On the way home, on the train, we laid all the seats flat in our compartment, like a big bed. I laid on the cushioned seats wanting that train ride to last forever.
And I think the main reason this present-nostalgia creeps in is because I know these are the moments I'm going to miss most when I'm back home. My presence around these parts has been sparse lately, and will probably continue to be, but I got to see my dad for the first time in five weeks today--the longest we've ever been separated--and I have two and a half more weeks left here and I'm ready to make to most of it.
nostalgia for the present. yes, it is possible. I know exactly what you mean--wanting to savor each moment forever. enjoy the rest of your time there!
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you mean. And these are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI posted my comment right as you posted yours, Kinga. Just wanted to let you know that I wasn't copying what you said :)
DeleteI know exactly what you mean. Lovely post, by the way.
ReplyDeleteohmyword, so beautiful. love each-and-every picture and can relate. these moments slip through our fingers like golden dust, and we're left with a pleasant fuzzy recollection-- just warm enough to stir those memories but never enough to satisfy. nostalgia is a beautiful, horrible thing.
ReplyDeletexoAnnaKate
godlygirlz.blogspot.com
yes, so true. Beautiful pictures, and lovely post!
ReplyDeleteyour photos "swallow up space" so beautifully. i often look out the window of the car on a drive...and think to myself of your pictures. simple scenic backgrounds can be captured as the prettiest things to look at.
ReplyDeletethis is gorgeous. i know the feeling, darling. i could get used to i very easily.
ReplyDelete:D :D
ReplyDeleteOh, sweet nostalgia. A friend or foe? One can never know.
ReplyDeleteI love these pictures. and it looks like a amazing place! I hope you are having fun!
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you're saying, lovely. Resonates.
ReplyDeleteI think we all know the feeling you speak of. Nostalgia somehow seems to creep in everywhere.
ReplyDeleteYour photos are making me itch to go to Germany.
yes, I know exactly what you're saying. so true.
ReplyDeletei'm with madison - your photos fill a certain void, and have me trying to see the beauty in the everyday. also, i'm so happy that you're enjoying your trip. i may not know you personally, but i know what it's like to be separated from family that you care dearly about, so i can empathize.
ReplyDeletexo
I love seeing the photos from your travels...they are so gorgeous. (as you are well aware!)
ReplyDeletehoo boy, talk about amazing. your whole time there, those moments. your words and photos that do capture it in their own maybe small but beautiful way. yeah. lovely.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you are having a wonderful time there. It's so great that you are able to photograph some of your memories, to keep with you forever.
ReplyDeleteIts nice to have some one articulate a feeling I have all the time. Nostalgia for the present. beautiful.
ReplyDeleteWhen are you all coming home?... Jojo misses Lilly... We all miss you all!:) Have a great rest of the trip!
ReplyDeletewe'll be home august 30th! can't wait to see y'all either!
DeleteI know exactly what you mean, a lot of the time I fell nostalgic for things that I know I'll miss in years to come. And I'm so glad you got to see your dad, I was away from mine for a month this summer which was also the longest I'd been away from him. Have a splendid last two weeks!
ReplyDeleteYou know, I think sometimes I get nostalgic for the future too. I imagine the possibilities and then feel as though I've already experienced them. This is so good, and I've loved "traveling" along with you vicariously.
ReplyDeleteAh, yes. Feeling that now sitting in our rental apartment in New York City. We leave in 2 days and I'm already thinking of all the things I'm going to miss!
ReplyDeletenostalgia for the present is bittersweet. You know it wont last and you try to enjoy it while you still have it.
ReplyDeleteThe way you put this is perfection. I know exactly how you feel. I think nostalgia is the one feeling that I appreciate the least. It almost makes me feel guilty because I feel that in being nostalgic, I am discontent for the present. But there are some moments so lovely that you never want to see them pass.
ReplyDeleteAlso, it amazes me how sometimes a stranger can put the words to something you are feeling in such an exact way. It reminds me of how interconnected we all really are.
Beautiful pictures.
lovely photos :) I love how you wrote about this feeling that I know all too well.
ReplyDeleteOhmygoodnesssthisisolovely. Your pictures are like, the greatest. And your writing is the equivalent of a glass of sweet tea, if you get what I'm saying.
ReplyDeleteYou are just brilliant.
this post. gah, it's so wonderful. i've loved reading about all your travel adventures this summer. xoxo
ReplyDeletegorgeous, all-around gorgeous.
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ReplyDeleteHey Carlotta. I'm a lurker, not a commenter usually, but I love your blog! :) this post really resonates with me :)
ReplyDeletevery possible.
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