What I like about joining photo challenges based on a theme is that it always gets me to reflect beyond its literal meaning. For this weeks LAPC#203 posted by Anne, it is about Local Vistas. As Amy puts it nicely on what this week’s challenge want us to explore:

“What are your local vistas? Where do you photograph when you don’t have a lot of time or are not on vacation? What about your hometown excites you?…”

https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/552947/posts/4070253334

If there is anything the pandemic taught us is to look within and enjoy the local vicinity. I for one, coming from the Philippines, enjoy being in Europe much because the quality of life is already good – that a simple stroll along forest parks scattered around the city like Munich, or along a clean river like Isar or a simple breakfast outside in your garden, or in the balcony, etc.etc. – can easily be enjoyed.

Please do not get me wrong. My beloved Philippines is a beautiful country with nice white beaches, rich with natural resources, and the Filipinos are the most warmed people I know, who sings a lot even or smiles a lot even when they have tons of problems. My gift of being able to enjoy the simple pleasures of life is rooted to my being a Filipino. However, we are also poverty stricken and are nagged with environmental challenges like pollution especially in the cities. But this is not what this blog is about. This is about how I experience simple but good life in Munich – those that can be considered as life’s simple/little pleasures that do not cost a penny.

You see, local vistas (for me) is also about enjoying what you already have. It is about exploring the things you may have disregarded because of close proximity – the so called “right under your nose” (in a positive context). It is also about discovering the hidden gems in a pretty mundane or ordinary scene. It is about seeing beauty beyond the ordinary and unlocking the content heart of a child – within us – that enjoying life does not mean only expensive or grandeous things but also in the simplest and purest form of things.

So that’s it for this entry. If you want to know more about LAPC, check this out https://photobyjohnbo.wordpress.com/about-lens-artists/. And if you like my content, do not forget to consider liking and subscribing my blog. You may also find me in IG and YT. And hope to see you or hear from you here or in my next entry. Have a great day/evening wherever your in the world. Auf wiedersehen!