Where I Went
Three places I have visited, which hold spiritual significance for me, have been Daytona Beach, Fla, Key West, Fla, and the southern island of Newfoundland-Labrador, Canada.
In my early 20s, I spent a lot of time visiting Daytona Beach with friends. My father's maternal ancestors were native to Key West and the Bahamas. In 2005, my husband and I made a trek to Key West for genealogical pursuits and for leisure. My husband and I both feel an affinity with Nordic culture, and are in awe of Viking history. In 2010, we set off for the Island Newfoundland-Labrador.
Why It Was Magical
With Daytona and Newfoundland, I gained a sense of home, standing on a windy shore, and gazing out into the Atlantic. However, with Newfoundland, it was cooler, more expansive and less populated. There was a deeply profound sense of oneness with the sea, and via the sea, with my primary matron.
With Key West, it was less about the sea and more to do with geographic features of the region. Limestone roads like bleached white bones. Roosters wandering freely. Banyan tree branches rooting out of the ground, growing into one another, and plunging roots back down into the earth. With Key West, I felt a deeply spiritual and ancestral connection to the land.
Advice
- Research your trip in advance.
How to Get There
We drove down to Key West, as well as to Daytona Beach. Newfoundland, however, we drove through Ontario and Nova Scotia. From North Sydney, we took a car ferry to Newfoundland, and explored as far north as L'anse Aux Meadows, and as far east as St. Johns, and southeast to Ferryland and Cape Spear.
