Is love really gone?

I was in the airport book-store looking for a good read when I came across 'Love Lasts Three Years' by Frederic Beigbeder. I spent a few seconds contemplating the cover when I heard a little voice whispering in to my ears: Did I fall out of love with you? 

As I sat in the plane taking me back to you, I wondered how I didn't realize when my passion for you has grown dim and my desire faded away. I remembered our first days, and how eyes-widely-open and face-glued-to-the-window I contemplated your breathtakingly-beautiful landscapes, chanting my luck to have found you, and awaiting for starting my new life with you. How I jumped around your streets filled with excitement to learn more about you, and how your streets, your temples, your parks and magical attraction lands had been a refuge to me in my most lonely days.

But this time around, as I landed and dragged myself out of the plane to go and see you, all I could feel was the blues of going 'home' after an exciting adventure. I felt conveniently familiar with all the aspects of you, the language the manners the public transport… you felt like home to me, but I was not happy with you anymore. I was not passionate about you anymore. 

As I drove, or more correctly was driven towards you, I could still see how beautiful your monumental buildings were, and how genius was your architectural structure… but my familiarity with you had washed away the excitement and passion to get myself immersed in your streets. Love was still there but that burning desire to spend more time admiring your streets, contemplating your views, and playing in your parks was long gone. 

Perhaps I was just tired of spending a week contemplating other places, away from you. And that during that week, I didn't miss you, not in any aspect. I pushed away all the thoughts about you, because truth be told, I didn't want to come back to you. 

As I approached the place that I now call 'home', I kept asking myself, did I really fall out of love with this place? 

Do we really need to be passionate to be in love? Or all that serenity, familiarity and ease are what makes for a long lasting love? 

I, for a long time wondered whether a place can be as architecturally organized, structurally convenient and ruled by manners without these structural aspects to affect the social interactions. I wondered whether a society can be as mindful of others, respectful of their 'space', while at the same time be intensely (or not) warmly-caring. And as I roamed warmer streets, and crossed more tender smiles, I realized how you lack what makes of an essential part to my happiness... 

I know deep in my heart that my love for you will not fade away, but maybe, like the ships are not made to remain at harbor although it's safer, I was made to wander, to take new roads, and go down other streets. Thank you for being my safest harbor.