I love trains. When you get on a really good one, it’s like you’re gliding through clouds, or at least that’s what I think gliding through clouds would feel like. The soft whirrs of the gears and engines (I’m not a train engineer, clearly) and the subtle vibrations that remind you that you’re on a moving piece metal – absolute bliss.
Look out of the windows to find trees, lakes, hills, forests, cows, goats, sheep, a flock of birds flying in their fancy formation, sea, sand and if you’re really lucky, a clear blue sky. No scene lasts for more than two seconds but beauty is fleeting anyway so you learn to appreciate what you’ve got.
In the UK, where people are reserved and love their personal space, one rarely sits next to someone. The next seat is for your bag(s), your feet, your coat, you. It’s like your own little chamber of secrets (I had to throw in an Exeter pun – JK Rowling graduated from Exeter, you see). Plug into Spotify, order a cup of tea and you’ve escaped to your own little paradise.
The lack of any network connection also makes it the perfect place to unplug, even for a couple of hours. I often find myself drifting off into my mind midway into a book or a song, thinking about the experiences I’ve just had, reliving them till I’m tired and move on.
I love trains. It’s pondering mind-drifting qualities are simply unbeatable. My next train out will be to London, when I leave Exeter for good. There will be no one to wave me off the platform, except a place I called home for the past few years. A place where I made great friends, explored veganism and fell giddy in love – twice. A place that has a charm that will forever leave you longing for just a little more. I loved showing it off to friends and family, despite its deafening silence at midnight or its lack of cheap Asian food. My mind will probably explode from the weight of leaving.
My next train out will be the end of an era (I’m not being overly dramatic here, it’s the truth!) and the beginning of an amazing adventure. There really is no other way to describe it so I’ll just let you recall every overused quote you’ve seen on Facebook or (God forbid) Elite Daily because it will be one hundred percent accurate and true.
I love trains because it gives me space and time. Both of which I’ll need to get over my relationship with good ol’ Exeter.
PS. “пока” is pronounced “poka”, which means bye in Russian.
NEXT TRAIN OUT 