My European sub-plot

Trip Start Feb 22, 2007
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Trip End Jul 19, 2008


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Sunday, January 13, 2008

It's been a while since my last entry. My last stint in Syria (August-December) was a productive period in a work sense, meaning for those months I did no travelling at all and had nothing to write about. But now, revitalised after a few weeks of festive laziness back home, I'm off again. And I must tell you that my inactivity (travel-wise) during my last Syria stint has stirred within me that gnawing, irresistible feeling of wanderlust once more. And though I am indeed heading back to the life and habits I have carved out for myself in Damascus, I have mapped out two weeks of discovery en route. Since Christmas, I have been plotting a path (which has changed innumerable times) from London to Damascus overland. The next batch of blog entries will be a far cry from the hot, sand-filled stories of my Middle Eastern odyssey. This is my European sub-plot: London to Damascus by train.
 
And you join me, aptly enough, on a train. This entry comes to you from the 10:46 Eurocity service from Berlin to Prague. Even as I write, my laptop is competing tirelessly for my attention, for out of my window the train winds its way through the valley between Dresden and Prague in loyal unison with the river. The strong current of the river is visible, making it glisten wildly even under the bleak grey of the January sky. Above the river, wintered trees and colourful houses compete precariously for position on the sheer hillsides, and beyond them a wintery mist veils the higher peaks but hints at a mountain wilderness. Lower down, the last snows of a recent cold snap cling stubbornly to the ground and to the rail tracks, a harbinger perhaps of colder climes as I head deeper into the continent. Even on this miserably grey day, it is a splendid and inspiring sight. I can only look on and wonder how magical a scene this must be when spring has once more breathed life and colour through the valley and summer enveloped it in rich sunshine.
 
In a couple of hours I shall reach Prague, the second leg of my all-too-brief tour of Europe. My first stop was Berlin, which you can read about in the next entry. But in case you're wondering why Germany is the first leg of an overland trip from London to Damascus... basically I cheated. The spiralling cost of a last minute Eurostar ticket and the extravagant sleeper fares from Cologne to Vienna combined with a desire to add Berlin and Prague to my itinerary convinced me to ditch the train-all-the-way plan and get a cheap EasyJet flight to Berlin instead. Fear not though, from there on it is trains all the way... I hope!
 
So, please join me once more on my latest journey.
 
     
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