‘Tween here and there: experience travel through your senses

1 Who is C-Ludik?
2 It’s time to experience travel through your senses with C-Ludik!
3 What inspired C-Ludik to start the travel blog ‘ Tween here and there?
4 C-Ludik travels around the world: why travel here or there?
5 C-Ludik’s best travel memories?
6 How C-Ludik selects her next travel destination?

I’ve been writing this blog more or less anonymously, but it’s always nicer for the reader to know who the writer is. Writing about yourself is not easy. This article is the most difficult for me and took the longest time to write. Writing a page “About Me” is a horrible exercise. You might think that bloggers are people who like to talk about themselves… Not at all. I would much rather share my photos and recount my travel experiences. These two passions are what drive me to write this blog. In the following lines are a few words about C-Ludik and her travel blog ‘Tween here and there…

Who is C-Ludik?

C-Ludik (standing for C’est ludique in French, meaning fun and playful) is my humorous travel alter-ego, and it’s also the website named, ‘Tween here and there. Behind this nickname hides Céline, a French woman passionate about travel, photography, and writing. For as long as I can remember, I have loved the outdoor activities and great open spaces. I have a strong desire to escape and to be amazed, in an almost childlike way, every time I am in an unknown or even a known place. I attempt to transcribe this “ludique” (playful, from the Latin ludere) vision in my stories, which I hope are amusing, recreational, or at least entertaining. For me, discovering a place is not just about seeing it. It is an experience made up of emotions and feelings (the people you are with, the mood, the perception of things) that make it unique and personal… different every time.

« To stay is to exist, to travel is to live ».
(Quote from the 19^th century French singer Gustave Nadaud, and later used by French singer Georges Brassens)

I love exploring the culture of a region or country through its music, food, and history. Whenever possible, I hire a local guide who passionately tells me stories of the place, both past and present! As a result, I have a lot of funny stories and travel-related anecdotes to share. And generally, a good story is when everything leads to a spin…

A very nice meeting with Patrick Chappatte, a Swiss press cartoonist, who sketched the C-Ludik on a trip

A big thank you to Patrick Chappatte, who sketched C-Ludik. For those who don’t know him, Patrick Chappatte is a Lebanese-Swiss cartoonist for the Swiss newspapers Le Temps, and NZZ am Sonntag, as well as the New York Times. He is also one of the pioneers of graphic journalism. To learn more, visit: https://www.chappatte.com/

It is unusual that the first journey is the only journey. Once you have started, the risk of becoming addicted is very real… When someone asks me about my favorite destination, my answer is simple: the next one. It is the desire for discovery that makes you go forward… I have developed a taste for travel and discovered an avid appetite for the landscapes and cultures that form our planet. I started to photography, capturing, little by little, a static subject such as a landscape with curiosity, instinct, and the desire to learn from my mistakes. And now, I have taken a liking to telling my travels in my blog ‘ Tween here and there.

It’s time to experience travel through your senses with C-Ludik!

When you include educating the senses in your own travels, you not only have a more memorable journey, but one that will stick with you far longer than other travels. By educating your senses when you travel, you open yourself up to a broad range of cultural interactions and memories !

Seeing better: More than just sightseeing

The sense of sight is what lets us appreciate the magnificence of the world around us through the transfer of light and color. Whether we are studying the awe-inspiring beauty of a mountain range, an eagle soaring above us or a freshly blossomed flower sight is what will generally make us first aware. Travel is predominantly a visual experience: guidebooks tell us what to look at, travel magazines tempt with glossy photos, bucket lists hector us with must-sees. We can, however, challenge ourselves to reconsider those visual cliches !

Tasting your travels

After seeing, tasting is the next most obvious sense to use on your travels. As a foodie, I must admit there is no better way to get to know a culture deeply than through its food. A good, traditional cooking meal often provides the most memorable taste experience, whether a Pisco Sour, a well-made Cozido das Furnas, a “gravad lax” in Sweden or Chana masala in India. Culinary travel is definitely an education for the senses. Adding a little spice to your life has never been so tasty !

Listening to your destination

One of the joys of travel is the different sounds we hear whether the crash of waves on the shore, tolling of cowbells, song of birds, languages, music, or even the incessant honking. We are surrounded by sounds. How can you best utilize your sense of hearing to enhance your travels ? It seems obvious – by listening: keep your ears pinned back, and tune into the world’s melodies. You can also learn a few words of the language, understand how people’s intonation reflects their moods. And explore listening to local music, wherever you are. Music is an intimate look inside a culture, as well as a universal language.

A sense of touch in your trip

Using the sense of touch is a reflex. Walk through a fabric stall at a market and you’ll probably notice yourself reaching out to feel the texture of wool products in front of you. We scarcely give a thought to touch when travelling, However, our skin is constantly garnering endless data from our surrounds: the feeling of soft sand between your toes, a balmy breeze on your face bringing with it salty smells, your fingertips over husky fur, a hot sauna followed by this voluntary ice bath – for a truly bone-chilling and spine-tingling rush of adrenalin – will give an amazing sensation.

An adventure in smell

Smell instantly transports us to a time and place. Eucalyptus, dust and rusting iron is the Australian outback. A sulphurous stench likened to rotten eggs and you are taking a walk among the lunar-like landscapes of Mount Námafjall, Hverir and Myvatn in Iceland’s. A variety of distinct floral, nutty and fruity aromas and you are in a cacao plantation in Ecuador. Every new location has its own smells and our millions of olfactory receptors are constantly on the snuffle. Smell is key in food flavors and memory and identification of place – all central to the travel experience.

What inspired C-Ludik to start the travel blog ‘ Tween here and there?

It is not always necessary to travel thousands of miles to discover beautiful places. That’s where the title of the blog comes from, ‘Tween here and there. There are so many places around the globe to see. There is stunning beauty on Earth, on a long trip far away or a short weekend close to home. Any journey is an escape from everyday life. The title of this blog is also a nod to the song « Là-bas » by Jean-Jacques Goldman, which has been a real leitmotiv…

« Out there / All is new and all is wild / A free continent without a fence / beautiful as you can imagine / Here, our dreams are small / That’s why I’ll go out there… »
(Jean-Jacques Goldman – Là-bas)

Madagascar is a destination that nobody can forget. The words of Jean-Jacques Goldman prove it: he has so many memories of this place. Thanks to JJG for his sweet words.

Thank you Jean-Jacques Goldman for your kind words !

Initially, the blog ’Tween here and there was created to share photos easily with my circle of friends and family. I remember, as if it were today, caressing the keys pad of my keyboard to write the very first article of the blog… Egoistically, this blog also allows me to keep my writings and photos after the trip, to keep a “living” memory of my journeys. Little by little, visitors to my blog came into my life in unsuspected and unexpected ways, the number of visitors increased. Consequently, the site’s orientation changed. ’Tween here and there was even nominated for the Liebster Award in 2016 when it was launched and the Sunshine Blogger Award in 2017. Read more about it:

Nowadays, ’Tween here and there is primarily a way to share with lovers of the great outdoors a unique look at the extraordinary landscapes of our planet. The exchange is always rich. Since 2016, I have recounted and shared my adventures. Whether on Facebook or Instagram, all means are suitable for sharing and spreading he desire to travel, to discover, to see something else. The blog also allows travelers with the soul of a voyager to spirit away from their daily routine for a few moments and to sail briefly through my photos and tales. The blog is for all those curious to discover the world, but for whom travel is impossible because of lack of time, means, health, or simply fear. As a famous, albeit fictitious, traveler says so well:

« It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to ».

(J.R.R. Tolkien – The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring)

I also think that a site like mine sensitizes the public to the beauty and fragility of Mother Nature. Our planet is filled with spectacular scenery, beautiful and fragile at the same time: the Salar de Uyuni where sky and Earth seem to be one, the Endless white sandy beaches in Cuba or the breathtaking colors of a Northern lights in Lapland.

A beautiful meeting with the singer Pierre Donoré who fell in love with the altiplano landscapes of Bolivian and in particular the magnificent Salar de Uyuni.

Thanks to Pierre Donoré for his kind words! For more info on Donoré: http://www.donore.fr/

It is essential to specify that the blog ’Tween here and there” is “for pleasure”, the pleasure of sharing, and the pleasure of contemplating pictures of beautiful landscapes. The site does not have any advertising and therefore does not generate any profit (on the contrary). On this blog, you won’t find the “Top 10 things to see or do” or “Why visit such and such a place with a list of hotels and restaurants.” On ’Tween here and there, you simply find the stories of my travels. Whether you want to trek in the Barren landscapes of the Kingdom of Mustang, to immortalize the Fauna Etosha National Park in Namibia or simply to meet the Penguins in Patagonia, come on board with me!

Discover a destination and travel virtually to the Kingdom of Mustang in one click. This is what Jean-Jacques Goldman, a popular French singer-songwriter did. Thank you and see you soon for new trips.

Again,thanks to Jean-Jacques Goldman for his kind world!

C-Ludik travels around the world: why travel here or there?

I imagined dozens of itineraries for a world tour, dreaming in front of a globe, a world map, or on Google Maps. But I still haven’t done it! Instead, I take advantage of my few weeks of annual vacation and long weekends. Traveling allows discovery and open-mindedness. Travels also will enable us to discover places we didn’t even know existed, to be overjoyed in front of breathtaking landscapes. We then realize how small we are on a world scale and that there are so many things to see. With travel, the potential of discovery and learning is almost infinite: you discover new places, you taste other cultures, you learn the history of the countries, and you savor the local food… But I also like to travel in France simply for the pleasure of getting lost. Wandering around, wandering without any goal, and having the delicious pleasure of seeing things for the first time. As Claude Roy says so well:

« You need to fill your eyes, your mind, and your heart so that the journey is not just a way to go from one city to another but happiness. When these conditions are met, the journey is just around the corner. The first path that offers itself to you, the shortest distance, is enough to bring back an inexhaustible bounty. We often go far away to find what we didn’t know we had nearby. Sometimes we go to a place nearby suddenly feel transported far away. It is not the miles that make the journey, it is the poetry. »

C-Ludik’s best travel memories?

I am always happy to leave on a trip… but of course, I am also happy to return home ! Traveling over the years means collecting good memories, bad ones, funny ones, and even sad ones. The most memorable trips are not necessarily the ones you plan well in advance. The best anecdotes are sometimes the ones where nothing goes right… The best memories often come from the unexpected ! During my journeys, I have met many people, and I can tell you that there is so much good in humans even though there are also many exceptions… Traveling is undoubtedly one of the most enriching experiences we can have. In this essence, Madagascar was an incredible experience. Mora Mora is the first Malagasy verbal expression that we quickly learn to decline in all its forms. It is a bit the equivalent of the Italian Chi va piano, va sano e va lontano. Mora Mora is a state of mind, a certain languor, a sweetness of life… When you arrive in Madagascar, you must forget your stressful life, learn to wait, not get nervous, and not worry about wasting your time (apparently, because you never really lose it). Madagascar is undeniably one of those destinations that confirm the statement from French Anthropologist David Le Breton:

« We do not make a journey, it is the journey that makes or breaks us. It invents us. » (David Le breton).

How C-Ludik selects her next travel destination?

People often ask me where I have been and where I plan to go next. How does someone choose a travel destination ? Perhaps we get our idea and inspiration for the next journey unconsciously or consciously from the stories and imagery that speak about fun elsewhere. Have you noticed how certain films, books, or music encourage us to pack up and to go and join the settings, characters, and atmospheres they evoke ? It is usually conscious, but sometimes not. Still, a novel or comic book hero, a movie sequence, or a guitar tune can inspire the choice of a destination…

A surprising meeting in the Mercantour with the cartoonist André Benn. His comic book character Mic Mac Adam inspires you to discover the Scottish Highlands.

Thanks to André Benn and his character Mic Mac Adam who transported us in the heart of Scotland !

Listening to the first notes of the soundtrack of “Braveheart”, I suddenly imagine Mel Gibson in a kilt, surveying mists and moors covered with heather and lochs, cliffs and waterfalls–a land resounding with the echoes of bagpipes ? If, in addition, as I flick through the comic strip adventures of Mic Mac Adam, I immediately feel like being spirited away to the Scottish Highlands…