European Diaries – The Beginning

Dated – September, 2011

A backpacking trip to Europe. This was always always on the wishlist. I don’t know why people wait to be 40 to live their dreams. The reluctance is not about the money. Maybe time. But all you got is this one life! And if you look back and all you have to show for your existence is days and years spent studying and drinking coffee in boring office meetings, you need to rethink your priorities. So, this one is for all the non-believers. Because I’ll make you believe that its a crime to not travel. You probably need a cat’s nine lives and more to see all that the world has to offer. Luxury is not in the spas and plush rooms of a 5 star…luxury is in the happiness of just picking up a bag and walking down a long winding road. Seeing new things. Meeting new people. Seeing the sunset from different corners of the world. Climbing up till fear and fatigue are left behind. Speeding down as the world zooms by. To pick up a small piece of every place you go to. To not belong to a country, state or city. But to just belong. To every place you go to. A smile..a shake of hands..a few days and an open mind. That’s all you need. And all I have. 🙂 Living the dream. That’s what I am doing. I hope you do too.

So, 2011 was not the best that a year could be, for S and me. For various reasons. When things don’t go your way, you got to just sit up and do something drastic. Our drastic was the Euro trip. 🙂 Just like that, we started planning. Bit by bit. City by city. Over many conversations, google searches and excel sheets. Our two key resources were limited – time and money. And, when these two resources are scarce, one’s got to be an Einstein-in-the-making to devise a trip around it.

So, that’s how we started. Sometime back in April. There was no occasion. No rhyme or reason. Probably, the best things in life are done on a whim. Sometimes, the most foolish things too. 🙂 You got to take your chances. With an inkling of a plan and a traveler’s stubborn intent, we created a trip of a lifetime. And fell in love with the world. All over again.

More later! 🙂