The trip is coming to a close. It’s been amazing. I was reflecting upon the last year, and I feel so fortunate. It has been incredible. Before I had this job I would dream about being able to travel internationally for work. I deserve all of it though!
I had to travel by bus from Manchester Picadilly to another train station because the tracks were being worked on. It wasn’t too bad. The train was awesome. I love traveling by train. I literally just stared out of the window for the entir 3.5 hours it took to get back to London. I had a nice conversation with an older Indian woman who had arrive into Manchester from Newark and was going to see her sick father in…ummm…I forgot the city. She pulled out a photo album and showed me her family. It was very sweet how proud she was of everyone. I had to wake her up when the train got to her stop. She was so tired. I spent most of the journey in silence though. Just watching the green pastures, sheep, cows and river zoom by. I was telling my dad that it was just like that typical picture you have of the English countryside. It was so beautiful.
For the last 30 minutes of the train ride, I sat with a woman called Heidi. She was a travel guide for U.S. trips to London, but her real job was an artist. She did interactive installations and has something going in a gallery. We had nice conversation and then said our good-byes. I love talking to complete strangers, especially while traveling. It’s so interesting to speak to people. Audrey tends to make fun of me and ask what the use is, but I just enjoy people. What can I say?
I arrived back in London, went to my hotel, dropped off my bags and then headed over to a small gallery called Proud to see Nirvana: With The Lights Out. It was a photography exhibit by Charles Peterson and Ian Tilton. Shayna told me about it, which I am so thankful for. In addition to the many Nirvana photos, they also had Jeff Buckley, The Who, Bob Marley, Elvis, John Lennon, etc. The Nirvana photos were incredible. I had seen a lot of them in books, but there’s nothing quite like seeing larger prints on a wall. It actually made me a bit emotional. They were playing the Unplugged concert in the gallery, which didn’t help my emotions. There were just some spooky photos that tugged at the hearrt strings. Nirvana were so talented and the music means a lot to me.
I’m relaxing for a bit before I head out on my last night. It’s been a great journey. I got a lot of work done. I’m very much looking forward to coming home to Audrey and Patrick. I miss them both so much. Oh, and if you ever travel abroad and need to call home a lot for any reason, I highly recommend Skype. It rules.
Not looking forward to that 12 hour ride home.
