Zen Travel

Since my travels back and forth between Ireland and the U.S., I have not been lucky enough to do much exploring. Today, however, I had the chance to remind myself how much I love the actual travel part of going away.

I decided to use the train instead of flying home for Christmas, and I think it's my newest obsession. I got to take in the 30th Street Train Station in Philadelphia, which was fabulous. The train was running a bit behind, so I had some time to explore the station and take in the sights. While there was a lot of bustle from holiday travelers, it was not nearly as overwhelming as the airport can be. Once I boarded the train, things went very smoothly. I even got lucky and sat next to a girl who got off of the train less than an hour after I boarded. Thus, I got to switch from an aisle to window seat, and the only other seat partner I had was a man who was on for another very short period of time. Maybe beginner's luck?

This was about a 7 hour trek across the state of PA, but with great reading some restful sleep and iPod in hand, it didn't seem nearly that long. I have NEVER felt that way on planes...they're too crowded and stuffy. All of the Amtrak employees were very nice and willing to help with any problems, and the atmosphere stayed surprisingly quiet, even with a family of very small children sitting in front of me.

My feelings of contentment surrounding my travels today greatly reminds me of my Ireland travel time because even though there were small glitches, I still thoroughly enjoyed the trip. And the more I thought about it, I realized that in both of these cases (which seems a little backwards because travel can oftentimes be very stressful) I felt the same type of content. It's a strange combination of conquering fears and doing things for the first time and some good time alone. And those feelings are like the fuel that keeps my passion for travel very much alive. Here is to many more train rides in the future...hopefully on another continent.