Seashell on the seashore

Dun Laoghaire, between the tides

It's strange that living near the sea should matter so much to me. I have no interest in sailing or fishing or windsurfing, and even going out on a boat makes me nauseous. But I've always lived near the sea, in Dublin; and even if I only go for a walk along the shore every couple of weeks, I know it's there.

That's what it comes down to: knowing it's there. Why does this matter? I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised if it expresses a deep-seated Irish need to be able to escape the island, so to speak.

All I know is that I love going to Barcelona or the Costa Brava, but I'd have to think twice about spending any length of time in Madrid or Segovia, far from the sea. And if I were to go to the States, I'd love to see New York, Louisiana, California, but I'm not at all sure about the land-locked states.