It's a big pain when you want something you weren't born for, but it's an even bigger pain when you were born for something and it's denied to you.
Somewhere above Durmitor, Montenegro
I'm thinking about the topic of Flying, introduced to us by @friendlymoose in #POBphotocontest and I remember visiting the zoo the other day.
I pass by the wire cages in the zoo and observe the animals, observe the birds.
In one of the cages, two birds of impressive size. Griffon vultures.
Lords of the sky.
Birds that nest in high inaccessible places in river gorges on steep rocks.
And when they take off, with a wingspan of over 2.5m, they can stay in the air for hours without using those wings, sailing on warm air currents.
They live in pairs their entire lives, which can last up to 40 years.
They are found in nature here in Serbia, and several specimens of birds, which were marked with rings in Serbia, were found in Israel (as well as birds from Israel, here in Serbia).
But only when they are free, when they can fly away.
These two sad griffon vultures in the cage of the zoo, were sentenced to life imprisonment.
All those 40 years.
Probably born and raised in captivity, they never spread their wings in the sky. They never soared to heights. They never looked at forests, mountains, rivers and lakes with their sharp eyes...
And we, who were not born to spread our wings in the sky (thanks to the Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, who made the first flight 120 years ago and thereby confirmed to man that he can still fly), can do it now.
Every day there is a steel bird above our heads that transports people who have the need, will and desire to fly.
And when fly, passengers can see what griffon vultures from the zoo would see, if they were free...
The sky covered with clouds, mountain peaks with remaining snow, winding rivers, small but also large lakes... Nature in all its beauty.
When I have the opportunity to fly, if I fly during the day, I never sleep.
When I'm high in the sky, I look at the landscapes below me (I look even when it's cloudy, so below me is an endless expanse of white papery clouds), and I like it best when there are no clouds.
Then I can see everything that any creature (bug or bird) can see, which has wings and has the ability to fly.
Thank you for stopping by my post and I hope you enjoyed the photos and the story I shared with you
All photos are my property, taken with a mobile phone, Samsung S23+