Did you learn something today?

By Hyon O'Brien

Walter Isaacson's remarkable 2017 biography of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) concludes with a list of the key characteristics of the genius. Three of Leonardo's traits that particularly stood out for me were being constantly curious, observing everything in detail, and retaining a childlike sense of wonder.

Da Vinci's life-long curiosity, as evidenced in the 7,200 pages of notes he left behind, is staggering. The fact that he was an artist and scientist at the same time, is also mind-boggling. Usually people either have an artistic gift or a scientific mind, but not both.

We all know his iconic paintings of the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper. But da Vinci also had an insatiable lifelong appetite for knowledge, and made countless observations on flying, anatomy, machines, weapons, geometric patterns, and city defense and design. He even intuited the first and third laws of motion, 200 years ahead of Newton.

He carried his notebook tied to his belt for observational sketches as well as questions, lists, fantasies and jokes. Isaacson describes da Vinci's notes this way: “They allow us to marvel at the beauty of a universal mind as it wanders exuberantly in free-range fashion over the arts and sciences and, by doing so, senses the connections in our cosmos.”

Scientist and innovator, engineer and secret doctor, the original Renaissance man skinned at least 20 cadavers, some as they were decomposing in his hands, in order to study and draw muscle groups, organs and veins, both for the joy of knowledge and to make his paintings more realistic. Da Vinci worked on the Mona Lisa for 16 years and it was with him in his bedroom when he died. He spent his last years, 1516-1519, at a house built for him by Francis I of France (1494-1547) close to the King's Chateau Amboise in the Loire Valley. (That's why the painting is in the Louvre.)

Curiosity, seeing new things, and a sense of wonder _ that's what underlies my love of travel. But sometimes that love is sorely tested.

We were on the road for 26 days in May and June: first to Paris for three days, then ten days in Corsica, followed by a cruise from Venice to Athens and back. We marveled at the walled city of Dubrovnik, Croatia, and the small port of Kotor, Montenegro. We gladly walked more than 15,000 steps daily to explore the ruins of Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games in the 8th century BC, and the famed Acropolis in Athens with the Parthenon, from the 3rd century BC.

What have I learned about myself during the past three weeks?

I learned that I've become a “hot house plant” over the years, and no longer endure hardship very well. To illustrate this point, I will describe the 28 hours that began our trip. First, I was distressed and frustrated by five hours of sitting on the plane at the Miami International Airport while the pilot worked out a new route to avoid bad weather. When we finally got to Lisbon, we had missed our connecting flight to Paris and had to spend nine long hours at the airport for the next available seats.

By the time we arrived in Paris, we were totally exhausted. A series of unexpected problems managed to crush the excitement of being in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I even grumbled many times to my patient husband about why we even bothered to travel. For three days, we walked and walked to appreciate what Paris could offer. But we had to take frequent breaks because of my sore feet and diminished energy. It was a shock to discover that I am not a spring chicken any more. Quite a humbling experience.

I've learned that being a tourist is hard work. I can understand now why some people choose not to travel. Non-stop packing and unpacking, living out of suitcases and constant hand laundry to keep clothing clean _ it all takes great effort.

I fully understand the downside of traveling but I will not give it up. The rewards outweigh the discomforts we endure so we continue to travel. I am convinced that trips to other places are unique sources of satisfying my curiosity, deepening my sense of wonder and joy of learning new things.

I want to remain curious: Why did the ocean surface I was looking at from our cruise ship have that amazing pattern? Why do humans have an obsession for building things that last? Where does our strong desire to create come from and continue to motivate us to stay creative?

I'd like to retain a childlike sense of wonder. I want to continue to ooh and aah every time I see wild flowers, trees, birds, dogs, goats, pigs (we saw many running wild in the mountains of Corsica), horses, donkeys (I held a two-week-old baby donkey in Morocco), cows, and amazing rock formations on the mountain ranges.

I want to pursue knowledge for the sheer joy of knowing: I am happy to have found out what kind of flower an immortelle is.

I want to continue to be observant and try to notice everything.

I hope I shall never say, “Been there, done that.”

Hyon O'Brien (hyonobrien@gmail.com) is a former reference librarian now living in the United States.