Rite of Passage: Tales of Backpacking 'Round Europe, edited by Lisa Johnson for Lonely Planet Publications.It's light reading but it brings back memories of my first backpacking trip on the same continent for almost two months. The first story alone, is set in Granada, which ranks among the most memorable and top 3 favorite places I visited thus far. That was really nice reading, if only for the fact that it brought back really good memories of my exploring old Granada: its Albaicin district with its cobblestoned roads and whitewashed walls, the Plaza Nueva, the Plaza Sta. Ana, the Alhambra, etc... and even the Spanish gent who approached me, made small talk and asked me out to coffee at a nearby cafe (which I declined 'cause I had other plans... Lol!).
The following passage in particular, for the chapter titled "Waking up to Winter", by one of the contributors -- John Morgan -- resonates so much with my sentiments on the matter:
"I'm breathing with a light and free feeling.
It's a feeling of release and independence as
I begin my European journey.
Backpacking somehow sets me apart from everyone.
Even in this airport.
True, people here are traveling, but
they each have things to do, deadlines to meet,
itineraries to follow, specific things to see.
Not me.
I'm different.
I have everywhere to go and anything to see.
My destination is culture and
knowledge and experience."
It's a feeling of release and independence as
I begin my European journey.
Backpacking somehow sets me apart from everyone.
Even in this airport.
True, people here are traveling, but
they each have things to do, deadlines to meet,
itineraries to follow, specific things to see.
Not me.
I'm different.
I have everywhere to go and anything to see.
My destination is culture and
knowledge and experience."
And it really felt that way each time I leave one city to go to the next and I'm on the train or bus to that destination. Or whenever I start the first day of exploration of each city I went to.
Spain was really cool: going on the road to the not-so-cosmopolitan areas... seeing small Andalucian towns and homes at day or night as the bus passes by; seeing the Alhambra and the flora surrounding it lit up and perched on its hill in the evening even from afar; seeing from on the road farms and stone farmhouses in the dark with a full moon for their backdrop; or the Mediterranean with the unforgettable sight of pastel-colored hue of the ocean and waves with white crests rolling towards the shore and the road of pretty homes on the way to Barcelona from Granada. A credit card advert puts words and cost to some items or experiences as priceless. But no amount of advert or words or pictures would justify seeing, hearing, and experiencing all these. It's really nicer to travel on the road rather than by air, when you have time. Hehe! I love road trips and train trips! :D
I read the book after I've been to Europe more than once. And thus made me appreciaate the book more. Maybe if one reads it before going to their first trip to Europe, they'd appreciate the trip more. :)
*Image above from Amazon.com
