It’s 8:21pm and I’m sitting on a train from Prague to Interlaken, Switzerland. I’m taking a brief break from the book I’m reading, “Almost French,” which I grabbed after it was left behind by a girl in my hostel in Frankfurt. There is an elderly (though clearly athletic) French couple in front of me dressed in cycling gear looking at a map. Another French guy, about my age, has been arguing with the train employees over some ticket misunderstanding for a while now. Thankfully no one is sitting next to me…I’ll be on this train for the next twelve hours. Not sure how much sleep I’ll be getting before I have to switch trains in the morning. This is the first time I’ve taken an overnight train without being in a sleeper car. Oops. Not as bad as I had worried though. My computer won’t last long enough for a movie, and the light outside is fading so I’m not sure how long the book will last either. I just finished “Just Kids” by Patti Smith, which was really good. This new book is about a girl that set out to travel the world, but met a guy and wound up moving to Paris instead. Interesting.
I’m looking forward to spending the next week in Switzerland with my friend Kelly, who I know from Atlanta. We don’t have any set plans, but I did book our first two nights in a hostel/tent, sort of like the place we stayed in Munich, which is exciting. They even have a hot tub with a view of the Alps. We may go down to Puglia, southern Italy, afterwards, and I would like to hit Austria on the way back for a few days; and by “on the way back,” I mean back to Czech Republic again. I’ll spend a week there and then fly to London on the 23rd, then to Reykjavik on the 2nd of September, where I may spend the next two months before visiting the family for the holidays. And then…back out. There are a few places that I would still like to see in Europe, but heading to Asia is really starting to nag at me. So much has changed since the beginning of this trip, I can’t imagine where I will be at the beginning of next year. But without a doubt, this trip is absolutely the best thing I’ve ever done. My only regret is that I didn’t start sooner, but at the same time I wouldn’t change where I am right now. I’m thankful for moments alone like this, when I can really stop and think about how happy I am to be traveling, and how happy I am with the people I’ve met and experiences I’ve had. It just feels like the most important thing I’ve done in my life, even if I’m not sure why.
Hmm..unfortunately a bunch of people just loaded onto the train and I’m afraid that my single seat status could be compromised. It would appear that we are now in Germany. Another place that I could spend more time in. Two months in Iceland is looming ahead of me; I’m doing my best to prep by listening to lots of Bjork and thinking warm thoughts. I even bought a pair of proper jeans and a hoodie. I’m trying to picture myself living in a foreign country, struggling to find work and to understand a different language and culture. I don’t know where I want to be, but I know I don’t feel anywhere near ready to go home for a long period of time.
Well, I have a book, a cold sandwich, and some cough medicine that I suppose I should get back to. The train is pulling off and I managed to make it another stop without picking up a person in the seat next to me, here’s hoping it continues that way!
Fast-forward 14 hours: fortunately, it did continue that way. I’m sitting in a cafeteria across from the train station Interlaken West. Kelly should be here in the next hour or so. I’m tired, can’t get on the internet because I don’t have a cell phone to receive the wifi password, and I would like to take a shower. It’s beautiful here. Today the weather is perfect and I can see mountains and a lake through the window. It’s 10:51 in the morning. I’m hoping that a cup of coffee will be enough to get me going for a little while because I’d hate to waste time taking a nap. Soo tired though, my eyeballs feel heavy in my head.
Seriously considering going to sleep for a bit on a bench at the train station. This is what we homeless people have to do to get by sometimes!
Ps. Lately the writers at Purge have been throwing together a much more interesting version of my travel blog than I have here. I just love them.