Bit from my traveling book

I read many books while traveling, but the book "Down The Nile" by Rosemary Mahoney was the first book that I read and instantly related to. Below is an excerpt from the book which nicely sums up how I felt at the beginning of my trips in Europe.

I rowed with a little bit of fear and a great deal of joy. I was alone, finally, with no one to protect me. I wanted to sing for happiness- a rare, raw immediate sort of happiness that was directly related to my physical situation, to my surroundings, to independence, and to solitude. The happiness I felt that morning had nothing to do with the future or the past, with abstractions or with my relationships to other people. It was the happiness of entering into something new, of taking the moments simply for what they were, of motion, of freedom, and of free will. I loved not knowing what would happen next, loved that no one here knew me. I felt coordinated and strong and the world seemed huge and vibrant.