[Quinny]

I've always had an affinity with the rocky wild celtic areas of Uk and Europe eg Wales, West Scotland, Cornwall, Brittany. When I'm there I feel at home and at ease with life.

Similar landscapes in say Greece or Yugoslavia or other parts of the Med although as beautiful never did the same for me.

I'm supposed to have Celtic roots somewhere in my background. Could it be genetic?

Anyone else had similar feelings when they visit somewhere, particularly when they visit where there ancestors come from?

[coyote]

I've heard that from other folks with Celtic blood, that when they go back to the Isles for a visit they feel an immediate and intense connection with the place. Could be something to it.

I doubt I'd have that reaction if I went to visit Portugal. But who knows?

[Ludi]

Interesting thoughts.

My ancestors are from Ireland, England, and Germany, but I have never been able to visit there. I can't say for certain that I'm drawn to a specific type of landscape. I'm afraid I would be too cold and get depressed constantly in the British Isles. Neither my husband nor I do well in gloomy weather. His family is from Ireland and he is very fair, very northern looking, but was born in Florida. He prefers cooler weather than I do, but not gloomy. We have both lived in warm climates all our lives.

[threadbear]

Many people are attracted to bucolic English countryside types of landscapes, in large part, because they best imitate savannah grasslands, bordering forests. Our ancient ancestral African homeland looked like that. I read once, along the same lines, that bonsai art is the effort of the sub conscious to rework trees into miniatures of acacia trees that dot the savannah...same principle at work.

When I was in the mid and northern English countryside, I felt I was with "my people" in my country. My mother's family comes from Scotland and England. This is something I certainly didn't feel in Germany, and would less likely feel in Scandinavia, where my father's family is from. *There is something just massively off putting to me about the Swedes. Strange, because I admire their politics and much about them, but I know I would feel intensely alienated there.

*** Generalization alert

[threadbear]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('coyote', 'I')'ve heard that from other folks with Celtic blood, that when they go back to the Isles for a visit they feel an immediate and intense connection with the place. Could be something to it.

I doubt I'd have that reaction if I went to visit Portugal. But who knows?

[Stratovarius]

My ancestors are Irish, Scottish, and Filipino. I never liked the ocean, I love mountainous regions with some trees but not too thick or thin. Preferably very rainy and wet.

[blukatzen]

My ancestry is part Penn Deitsch and my ancestors came from Switzerland, and Bad-Wurttemburg. I've always felt that if I've visited Switzerland, that would be "home"..it looks so clean and fresh, just wholesome to me.

The other part of my heritage is Polish and Russian. I grew up during the cold war, and here in the U.S., Russian and the "Iron Bloc" countries were always portrayed like their architecture, gloomy, immense, cold, grey. It always seemed that there was a perpetual rain cloud always drizzling over the area in photos. Perhaps I still would love to visit the foothills of the Carpathians, where my other Ancestors are from. Now, the looming threat of Russian and Polish aggression via missle exchange is something to think on. I worry now for Latestarter on this list. We've spoken on being an expatriate, and the lifestyle for them in Eastern Europe.

So here I am, with ancestors from 2 mountainous areas, and I sit in flatland Chicago, with cement skyscrapers for "mountains". Switzerland is on my list of places to see before I die. Hubby would love to see Sweden, as one of his main family lines were the hereditary rulers of Uppsula way back when. It's a short jump by ferry on the Baltic from Poland to Sweden, so maybe on another trip.

We're not spring chickens anymore, and the time is getting shorter before things start happening, so we better get moving.

Blu

[Tyler_JC]

Big cities like New York, LA, Hong Kong, or even Phoenix have always felt very foreign to me. I just can't feel comfortable in a place with so many people. There's something about staring off into the distance and seeing only more apartment buildings and offices that's just upsetting. There's such a disconnect between living there and the natural world. Central Park doesn't even begin to resemble real nature.

On the other end of the spectrum, big, open, flat prairies feel empty and desolate.

The hills of Tennessee feel a lot more like home.

I haven't gotten a chance to visit my ancient ancestral homelands of Scotland, Ireland, northern Great Britain, or Russia. I've been to London but it's so developed that it looks no different than New York.

[blukatzen]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tyler_JC', 'I')'ve been to London but it's so developed that it looks no different than New York.

[Quinny]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('GASMON', 'N')icest city I've been is San Francisco. (Though brought my heart home !!)

[kpeavey]

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[Tyler_JC]

Nicest city: San Francisco, California

Worst city: Baltimore, Maryland

Friendliest: Branson, Missouri

Most out of this world: Orlando, Florida

Most Historic:
Boston, Massachusetts

Biggest letdown (from all the hype) -
New York, New York...

Best city for a laugh:
Music City, USA (Nashville, Tennessee)

Weirdest - Provincetown, Massachusetts (not really a city but it's extremely weird)

Roughest / Hardest:
Springfield, Massachusetts

Most BORING city in the universe: ALBANY, NEW YORK. It is so boring I couldn't even find a picture to demonstrate how boring it is.

[mos6507]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tyler_JC', 'B')ig cities like New York, LA, Hong Kong, or even Phoenix have always felt very foreign to me. I just can't feel comfortable in a place with so many people. There's something about staring off into the distance and seeing only more apartment buildings and offices that's just upsetting. There's such a disconnect between living there and the natural world. Central Park doesn't even begin to resemble real nature.

[Newfie]

My wife reports that the first time she went to Canada maritime's she felt very much at home. She thinks it has something to do with the latitude as she grew up in Germany. Then when we went to Newfoundland she found similarity to the high alpine meadows with flowers growing out of seeming rock.

As for me the mood of the place means a lot, and also the aroma. I remember the first time I went home after being away for a few months. The strongest sense of homecoming I had was when we drove through a cedar swamp and I wafted the scents.

I like somewhat over grown places with a canopy. I bought property in Nova Scotia precisely because of this, it has a good piece of climax canopy with nearly open understory. If feels magical.

[Quinny]

I've been spending a lot of time in Southern Ireland recently, and although currency rates make it hard to be comfortable (even on expenses) I feel at home and like the feel of the place.

Funny really I had a really good (cheap) night out in Southend a few weeks ago, but still felt out of place.

[auscanman]

I don't think it's genetic affinity so much as it is your rational psychological reaction to a place that comes close to fulfilling the criteria of your ideal place to live. Our psychological reaction is based on a combination of our genes and experiences, based on what I've read, which makes sense.

Genes are likely to be involved to a greater extent in our physical reaction to various places. The loss of pigmentation in the skin as humans moved north out of Africa obviously served an evolutionary purpose. Different races are physically suited to places similar to those they traditionally lived in. This in turn has a significant bearing on one's psychological reaction to a place.