An overnight bus ride from Amsterdam to London, my unreasonable happiness, exposed and laid bare.

After a morning in-between, the prospect of a night in-between didn’t seem that bad; an overnight bus ride seemed like the best way to get from Amsterdam to London.

And yes, I arrived safe and sound, but a little more worn down than expected, a wee bit more churlish and prickly than normal, craving a bit of “home”, cleanliness, and a proper cup of tea, for starters. Ah, the joy of travel…

“The last long solo trip”, I say, although friends won’t believe me. We’ll see.

Checking off, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Expecting, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

A curious mission, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

I’m curious; what mission am I joining? I love missions, but for this night at least, all I wanted was a journey, one that involved nothing more from me than closing my eyes.

Repose, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Not the worst place I’ve slept, but surely not the best.

Onward, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Enter, Calais, France

A reminder: pay more attention to what you say to immigration officials at 4 AM. I should truly know better.

Delayed, Calais, France

And with small delays, come large delays; the joy of waiting an hour and a half for the next Le Shuttle…

Astride, Calais, France

The odd feeling of sitting in a coach standing still in a racing train, the bus bouncing in a little box hurtling under the English Channel, the underlying motion hidden to the usual senses. The best way to deal? Sleep, of course.

Or at least we all slept until a lover’s quarrel erupted at 5 AM. The joy of traveling locked into boxes with unknown people. Take the bad with the good, the sweet with the sour; travel brings out the best of both. Sarcasm aside, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

A morning in-between…

Isolated, Amstel Station, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

The joy of landing in a new city before it wakes up. The questions (when will the city awake? where will the first bits of life emerge? who will be the first to brave the morning?), all to be answered simply by waiting and observing, noting how small changes add up to alternate realities.

The picture above? A journey’s delay as the traveler waits for the city’s infrastructure to start working, the out-of-synch schedules of a city’s lazy Sunday morning and a traveler’s normal day.

The daily questions, confusion and joy of a life in-between.

Not a personal opinion, just one person’s perspective stenciled on a wall in Amsterdam, too good not to share.

One perspective, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Sept 2009

A question: if the perspectives were reversed to show the other side, would you use the same symbols?