People are the true spirit of travel: part 1
When I was younger I used to believe that you had one shot of travel; when you are young and had either just left university, or when you were taking a gap year in between school or college and university. I believed this when I went travelling with my then boyfriend (now fiancee) around Europe for one month. We had bought interrail tickets and used them to travel via train from London, as far East as Romania, and then back to London in something of a large circle.
It was on this journey I met a man and his wife on a train from Prague to Vienna. I don’t remember his name, but her name was Astrid and she was originally from Holland. Now, however, they lived in Hawaii. He was a neurosurgeon and used to work in Chicago. He was offered a job in Hawaii, but decided to turn it down based I believe on the high cost of living on the islands and the fact that he was well-established in Chicago. But one very snowy, very cold day he was travelling home from work when his car broke down, and he found himself stranded in a blizzard on the highway. He attempted to push his car through the snow to safety, and ultimately found that he was having a completely miserable time. He wondered to himself why he was having to put up with this kind of lifestyle, and then it dawned on him that he didn’t have to. He decided then and there that he would move to Hawaii, and he didn’t look back since.
So what were he and his lovely wife doing on a train from Prague to Vienna? Well, they were travelling around Europe, and not just for one month as we were, but for three months. They were both late 60s or early 70s and they put us to shame. They had already been to Paris and Holland, Brussels and Prague, and they were headed via train to Vienna to catch the opera.
We shared a carriage with the man and his wife, and about four Canadian girls who were travelling around Europe for the summer after their first year at university. We got to talking about politics and Bush, and found that we were all of the same political opinion: Bush was an idiot, and was doing US foreign relations little good and much damage.
As we sped on through the beautiful Czech countryside, over fields and through the midst of forests, conversation that lasted for around two hours eventually died down. ‘Do you mind if I put some music on?’ He asked. Everyone was quite pleased he suggested. ‘Do you like Joni Mitchell?’ He asked, an we all responded in the affirmative.
And so we passed the rest of the journey window-gazing, dozing, and sleeping while Joni Mitchell played on the man’s portable speakers in our carriage until we arrived at Vienna station, where we all parted and went on our separate journeys, never to see one another ever again.
But the impression lasted, and every time I hear Joni Mitchell I think of that journey. That couple made me realise that life can be an adventure for as long as you want it to be, and no matter how old you are, if you really want to travel, it is possible. Feeling young doesn’t have to stop at being young, and nor does being adventurous.
