I’ve been assured by several native New Yorkers that a sure sign summer is here is when they turn the fountains on in Columbus Circle. As I was leaving Central Park a few evenings ago, I heard several people squeal in delight and exclaim “It’s summer!” I looked around and sure enough, there was the fountain, illuminated, bubbling and gurgling away, welcoming summer with graceful arches of water shimmering and dancing in the dark.

I took a seat in the centre of the circle and watched as passersby acknowledged this harbinger of summer; their steps suddenly lightening and broad smiles breaking out on their faces as they glimpsed the dazzling display. And as I sat there, I started to think about what summer means for me. My answer, oddly enough, was bicycles. You see, growing up in Ireland, the only feasible time to ride our bicycles (without getting utterly drenched by rain) was summertime. During the summers, my brother and I would take off on our bicycles down winding, leafy lanes, exploring the countryside, stopping along the way at tiny little cafes for a cup of tea and some homemade scones. Sometimes we’d stay overnight in a youth hostel so we could venture further afield the next day. I can still remember the heady scent of the gorse and meadowsweet that lined the lanes we biked down on those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. To this day, when I think of summer, I think of bicycles.

Last week’s impromptu ‘Reflections‘ challenge was so much fun, could we do it again? There are many other photo challenges out there, but how about one with a travel theme? I love finding out about great places waiting to be discovered, and it doesn’t have to be an exotic location, either. What’s everyday in your part of the world is exotic to someone who doesn’t live there.

So if you’d like to join in, create your own post about summer, title it “Travel theme: Summer” and put a link to this page in your blog post to make it easy for others to find your post.

What does summer mean to you?

xxx Ailsa