On the train, again…

February 10th

When I was a kid, I thought that I have three amazing options for a career when I am older. Either a forest ranger, a firefighter or a train engineer (a train driver). Of course, I did not pursue any of them, but as to why, that is a whole separate subject.

I am on the train now, going away for a couple of days off in the mountains. Every time I am on the train, I think back to my childhood. We lived nearby railroad tracks and I could see and hear trains going by all the time. Especially in summer, with windows open, I remember laying in bed at night, hearing the train's horn and other signals. I remember thinking that this has to be so incredible — by the time I will wake up, this train will be many hundreds of kilometers away, maybe even in a different country!

So I am not a train engineer, but my love for trains remains strong. I love going to and exploring train stations, new ones, old ones, remains of dilapidated now but bustling once places. The whole infrastructure, the tracks, interchanges, switchyards. I know the current rolling stock in Poland to such an extent that I always choose the best seat for the particular train on the route.

But mostly I love just riding the trains. That gives me so much relaxation and peace. I just sit down on the best seat on the train and watch the scenery go by in the window. I don’t really need much more. I just watch the world go by in comfort and with contentment.

Well, there is one thing that I do need on the train — good earphones. So even like now, even as two toddlers a couple of seats down are rather loud, I can just put some music on and continue my relaxation and enjoyment.