There's something about a beautiful piece of the earth that thirty year old me appreciates more than twenty year old me ever did.  Whether it be in the Alps, coastal Italy, or from my own balcony, I get a twinge of something I can't put my finger on when I gaze out at a slice of pure, breathtaking world.
At one point in our trip, exhausted and hauling whiny kids through the hills of Cinque Terre, we saw a path that wound even higher up promising a view beyond compare.  As sore as our feet were, we attempted the trek anyway.  As we walked, painful step after painful step, I kept asking myself, 'why are we doing this?  For a pretty view?' And the answer was undoubtedly, persistently, 'yes.'
Because there is something about a great view that feeds the soul.  That little saying about 'feasting the eyes' is legit.  Photos are essential of course, but they don't do it justice.  Postcards can't compete with standing at the top of a brutal hike, sweaty and smiling, with rocky beaches and mountain side villages to gaze upon.
And it makes me ask myself, what would my life be like if I didn't appreciate this?  What would I be like if I didn't see how beautiful this world can be?  And then I think that seeing all of these beautiful places has inspired me to see the beauty in the unending desert, or a line of picket fences in America or graffiti in the city.  Now, I see it everywhere.