a broad abroad

"The Theory of Everything" I left with only a backpack. In any case, it was a very full backpack.   It felt like I had crammed all of my thoughts in there, too, and so I left with a heaviness that was tangible upon my back. Along the way the pack lightened. Water bottles were lost and eye drops were used up and old shirts were discarded and other people shared similar struggles and told stories and kindred spirits were met and trust was forged through just eye contact and a map. I forgot everything and everyone. I was not a student, an employee, a girlfriend, a child. I was me and yet I was no one and yet I was anyone I wanted to be. I was the personality I forged for myself. I had no obligations. There were no bills. No emails. No chains. I was fearless. It did not matter if I got lost. I spent a lot of time getting lost. Often that was when I found things I wasn’t looking for but pleased to find. A beautiful park, a café, a parade, a new friend. I collected bits of pa...

Day 6: London This morning, I caught the train back to London.   Fun fact, they blow whistles when the train doors are about to start closing. Of COURSE - how British. I’ve noticed by now that in this part of Europe they seem to only get around eight hours of sunlight – even less than at home.   From my vague recollection of my world map, the latitude is not much different than here, though, maybe on par with Canada.   But the sun doesn’t come up until 8 or 8:30, and by 4:00 dusk has fallen. When I got back to London I had lunch in King’s Cross station, which is where platform 9 ¾ is located in Harry Potter. All my dreams are coming true! I decided to take a picture on the platform later, though, because there were dozens of people in the line. Again I tried to be mindful and do only one thing at a time, especially when eating. Strange looks be damned, though I didn’t notice any today. It’s incredibly uncomfortable to be alone, especially without wifi, but ...

Day 3: Paris   The next morning I left very early for my train to Paris. At 5:15 I left the hostel and walked to the underground. At last, all was quiet on trendy Oxford street. I like this area. I never once felt unsafe in London, not even alone in the early morning darkness. A man washing windows greeted me good morning. This is just what the streets lo o k like (even nicer with nobody on them). The Eurostar is a high speed train connecting London and Paris. It goes underwater. The US is so behind on its public transportation methods. How are there no high speed trains like this?! Traveling with a backpack is incredibly liberating.   At times it is physically heavy, but your hands are both free: one to hold your latte, and the other to hold your map while you navigate. It’s wonderful. You can squeeze through small spaces and dash up steps and leap onto trains when the doors are closing. It also forces you to look at your own materialism. Do you really ne...