âď¸ By Riaan M. Odendaal â published 29 May 2025 viaThe Daily Verdict
âEvery departure holds its breath in the port.â
We romanticise destinations. We chase arrivals.
But very few talk about the place you leave fromâ
The platform, the gate, the harbour. The port of origins.
Itâs never just logistics.
Itâs ritual.
Itâs decision.
Itâs the moment when your comfort ends and your courage begins.
âď¸ Cape Town â The Edge I Know
This is the coastline that raised me.
The mountain that steadies me.
But come October, it becomes my departure point againâ
towards new flags, new tracks,
and perhaps a familiar kind of solitude.
đŠđŞ Munich â Visit 10, Ticked in Lederhosen
From Amsterdam, Iâll cross into Germanyâ
not just to raise a stein at Oktoberfest,
but to complete a promise to myself: Visit 10.
Not as a tourist. But as a traveller who listens to the way places echo home.
đ Through the Balkans â The Long Way That Heals
From there, I may board a train againâ
through Slovenia, Croatia, North Macedoniaâ
until Thessaloniki opens like a psalm at dusk.
Some journeys should not be rushed by flight.
Some routes must be earned by silence and steel.
đ Two Worlds in One Passport
Mine says: United States.
But itâs carried South African soil in every crease.
This trip isnât about checking boxesâ
Itâs about letting borders bend into meaning.
đ The Truth About Travel
Travel isnât about the places.
Itâs about the version of you that arrivesâ
in Munich with a smile,
in Thessaloniki with stillness,
in Atlanta with perspective.
So yes, Iâm headed abroad.
But I carry my port with meâ
Cape Town, always at my back,
reminding me:
You donât escape home.
You extend it.
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