How often do you take the time to appreciate the beauty on your doorstep?

Since the story about the holiday advertisement using a British landmark to advertise an Arabian resort, I wondered how many people actually stop to see what they have on their doorstep.





http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20090814/tod-…





What wonderful places are there within 50 miles of where you live?





What wonderful places are there within 5 miles of where you live?How often do you take the time to appreciate the beauty on your doorstep?
I dont take enough time, to be honest. I live in London and so naturally have an enormous amount of culture and architetural (sp?!) beauty at my fingertips. In fact, after exiting at the same train station for the past 4 1/2 years, it was only 3 months ago that I stopped and looked up....to find a ceiling that went on forever, decorative victorian coving and original brickwork and beams. I now look at it everyday.





I have many green spaces, surprisingly for London, with rivers weaving through that lead who-knows-where and woods that probably go on for miles. I only take advantage of these when walking my dogs - and thats then seen from an exercise point of view, rather than ';gosh, look at that!'; view.





Reminds me of the poem ';What is this life if full of care. We have no time to stand and stare?';.....all too true, sadly.How often do you take the time to appreciate the beauty on your doorstep?
I live in Italy and quite often go out with my camera to explore - not just the tourist destinations, but within the small city where I live and other nearby areas. There are lots of interesting local festivals, scenic areas and old, historic (or not so historic) buildings. On a clear day here, you can see the Dolomites/Alps to the north and the Apennines to the south. There are a number of good bike trails and paths along the rivers through the countryside and many old towns with castles, old walls, and nice art remnants. There are cheese farms (Parmigiano Reggiano) and balsamic vinegar makers. Bologna, Verona, Mantova, Garda Lake, and Ferrara are within an hour of where I live and Florence, Venice and Milan are all about two hours away.
The most wonderful place within 5 miles, is my own heart and that of the animals around me. Being able to challenge nasty people and transform anger into a beautiful flower is a creation more precious one could ever imagine.





I have a garden which dries out very quick when it is hot, which means 'watering', but the nearest tap is in the kitchen and the hose needs to go through the entire house, since all water supplies are at front of the house. To have two crops of flowers on a Magnolia Tree is a miracle. Seeing my desert garden turn into a mini Kew Gardens, I think is pretty spectacular.





Changing painful relationships into platforms of hope and goodwill, nothing can replace such joy.





Nature and a smile is the only Beauty we humans need and why some very wealthy people end up killing themselves or doing other silly things. The poor steal and those without a conscious even kill. To live to give, to live to change and transform is the source from the heart.
i live in glasgow,it is a30 min drive to loch lomond which is beautiful at alltimes of the year,and the city centre is three miles from my house it has great architeture and great shopping the 2nd best in britain outside london
The neighbours are always spying on me.