We are thrilled to have Bahar Al Awadhi back with us with a new article for our Fantasy theme titled “A Magic Carpet Ride Away” we hope you enjoy it ^^

Sitting alone in the still of the night, I remember a time when I could pick up my bags and travel the world whenever my heart desired. Life has certainly changed and I find my feet now firmly rooted under the ground. Yet that doesn’t stop my wings from flying nor my heart from soaring. My eyes are my magic carpet ride. All I need to do is close my eyes, let go, and I find myself drifting off to another realm.

I am on my magic carpet ride as I travel to my home away from home – Montreal. I am in a magical winter wonderland, walking on the streets covered in snow, leaving behind footprints.  These footprints leave behind a trail – of steps I have taken before, and stories I have lived. And during the day time, these same streets are bright and brimming with rays of hope as the sunlight dazzles across the St Lawrence River. I see myself walking on the cobbled streets of Old Montreal, with its historic charm and the narrow streets. Through one of these narrow streets, I am led to a dear friend’s house – a companion whose love crosses the span of time and place, and whose eyes bring warmth to my heart. This is truly my home away from home, and I re-live these stories every day in my heart.

I close my eyes again and I find myself in England, with all its allure and wonder, all the adventures I’ve been on with my husband here in the past. Some people may picture London as a crowded place with hoards of people on Oxford Street shopping like there’s no tomorrow. Yes, I see it too, but I race past all that and go further and further back in time to the black and white thatched houses in Stratford, the birthplace of Shakespeare, imagining life in his era. I close my eyes again and find myself walking in the quaint town of Cotswolds, fantasizing about life in the countryside, and wondering about the stories that go on behind the old stonewalls of these cozy cottages, all lined together, surrounded by the lush greenery that seems to be never ending.

And there’s no stopping there as I then see myself in Hampton Court Palace, now imagining the lives of the Kings and Queens of England. Indeed, this was once the residence of Henry VIII and his many wives. So much drama, so much passion, and so much angst and desire, and I can feel it all around me. I can feel and smell all the pomp and glory within the palace – the love and hatred, lust and betrayal, beginnings and endings of different lives and stories.

And then I find myself admiring once again the magnificence of Edinburgh Castle, nestled above a mountaintop and dominating the city’s skyline. How could I ever forget the beauty that is Edinburgh Castle? Every look at it feels like my first as I am struck with fascination, time and time again. Oh how I could soak up all this history! Scotland is truly a country that has captured my heart with its beauty. Despite the doom and gloom of the rainy days, to me all I see is beauty and history. Every corner speaks volumes of its past and I can’t help but fall in love over and over again.

Oh, my magic carpet ride has taken me to yet another land, where I see canals, bridges, and slender buildings in different colors, tucked tightly together with their narrow windows, each telling a different story – one that tells the story of Anne Frank, a holocaust victim, who spent her hiding years writing in hopes of being a writer someday. She didn’t live to see her dream come true, even though she accomplished it by sharing her story with us – a story that will stay with me forever. These houses, these canals, all these bicycles – ah yes, this is Amsterdam. Another city with so much beauty; the tulips, the windmills, the clogs; but this is an adventure for another night.

Author: Bahar Al Awadhi