Dry land at last

So I’m back. Back in the land where freighter terminals not only have public transport but also trees, green spaces and even a wind turbine!

Actually as I write this I’m onto the next stage of my journey home, sat on a train at Antwerp station which should be on it’s way to Brussels before I finish the post.

Very pretty station by the way. Very pretty indeed.

Then I’m bound for London, hopefully making use of the compensation journey I’m due from Eurostar after the nightmare trip back from the Copenhagen climate conference last winter. With any luck there will be time for coffee and a bite to eat at the station.

I actually found it harder to sleep last night than I did throughout the journey, despite the calm waters and the ship’s engines being largely off. The excitement of something happening, of the destination appearing, of an actual view to look at, had me getting up to stare out of the window time after time.

Even now, as the train sets off, I’m aware that my eyes are struggling to adjust to the change of perspective and the presence of actual scenery. When I first set foot on board the ship I wondered if I’d come away swearing never to travel that way again. In fact I’d sign up in a heartbeat for another freighter journey, though I’d prefer to do it with a few friends, and I’d want to plan it further in advance to try an get a shorter (and cheaper) route. I also find that I actually have some real feelings about the trip, some kind of emotional understanding of the distance I’ve covered. It’s a far cry from the sterile, deadening experience I’d be having if I found myself waiting at an airport baggage retrieval system after a seven hour flight.

I’m sure this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and sparing the time will always be a barrier to slow travel. But if you consider the journey not as an inconvenient chore to get through but as an integral part of travel, almost as though it’s part of the destination, it can be far more satisfying and relaxing than time spent in any manufactured tourist experience.

1 Comment

1. I’m glad to see you are back and jumping into things again on Newsnight Scotland.

   I’ve travelled to the continent a few times by ferry, and was sad to see that Scotland’s only passenger ferry service to the continent is to be discontinued before the end of the year.

   I think their problem seems to be that tourists don’t want to go to Zeebrugge, perhaps a ferry service to Amsterdam or Bremerhaven would be a better move.

   Comment by The Irn Juq — August 25, 2010 @ 5:37 pm