Shaking off winter's sense of restlessness

It’s that time of year, when the days are short and cold, and we feel the classic definition of wanderlust: a strong desire to travel, and perhaps a sense of restlessness, even unsettled, thinking of summer on the other side of the world. We long to feel the sun on our skin and rid our bodies of winter layers.

We’re often looking for something, too: absolute rest and the chance to do ‘nothing’, new experiences that challenge and push us, or simply the things we know and love - cafes, museums, people-watching, seeing friends - made new, made different, in a foreign place. 

There’s also something about being taken out of our current lives, and into the unknown, that draws us to travel. The philosophy professor Emily Thomas notes how ‘Humans have always looked for new experiences, ways to live, things to show to others.’ Thomas sees a strong connection between travel and philosophy - the way we take our bodies into new places is similar to the way we do this with our minds when we search for new knowledge. 

The European summer has much of this travel magic. There is something about these locations, which see such long winters, snow, short and dark days, that completely opens up from the early days of June. The way the lakes on the outskirts of Berlin are suddenly populated with swimmers, groups sitting by the lakeside, the winter long forgotten. The way the rivers in Switzerland’s old cities like Basel are dotted with swimmers - families, people of all ages - riding the current past centuries-old buildings. And of course, the bathhouses of Europe: popular all-year round, they take on their own summer personality. The Széchenyi Bath in Budapest is high on many’s must-visit list. Located in City Park, the ornate yellow buildings date from 1913, while the vast site holds 18 pools and 10 saunas, including numerous outdoor pools for bathing all year round, right into the evening. 

Whether you are heading overseas for the warmth of the northern hemisphere, or staying local this year, the bathhouse gives us a little of what we seek when we travel. It is a moment for ourselves, a few hours to step out of regular life, and to reach for the ever-present desire to ‘switch off’ - which is increasingly hard to do even when we travel, with our constant connection to the world via our phones. Perhaps that is the wondrous side of bathing: no matter what pool or spa we find, we are (for a little while) completely removed, and each time we go it somehow feels both new and familiar - just like that curious state of mind when we travel the world. 

Words by Katherine Brabon