Just another relaxed afternoon in Barcelona...

Enjoying long, animated discussion next to the beach :)

Let me also take this opportunity to write my write a short review of National Geographic Traveller India First Anniversary Issue - Return to Roots.

I would not really go into the contents of the issue, but give you a sneak peek into its philosophy to get you all excited about it :)

So what's 'return to the roots' or should I say root tourism? Its basically going back to your origins, going back to the land that you come from. I come from the hills of Uttarakhand, but have never really lived there. We used to visit our ancestral home every year when we were kids, but these visits became rarer as we grew up. The house or the town never really intrigued me much as a kid, but one of my last visits I finally got interested in another house right next to ours. I always knew that the house was a part of our ancestral house, but was separated decades ago to kids from my great grandfather's first wife. They lived right next to us, but none of us really knew them. My efforts at understanding the legacy took me to the roots of our family and our past. The destinations become so much more interesting when you know so much more about it.

The issues is filled with many such stories and more, each one of them uniquely nostalgic. I could relate to the sentiment, if  not the context in each one of them. Reading such lovely narrations also  make you feel that you should pack your bags and go back exploring your roots! 

Do you also have such stories to share? Do check out the special issues if 'return to roots' intrigues you...