Planes, Trains and Automobiles…

… I sleep wonderfully in all of them! Seriously, though – no, wait, I actually am serious. I seem to have the uncanny knack of being able to fall asleep – and I do mean deeply asleep – in almost any form of transport that I take. I'm sitting on a high-speed ICE (Inter City Express) train as I type this afternoon – racing the clouds and the rain on my way from Amsterdam's Schiphol (pronounced Skip-hole) Airport in Holland to Dusseldorf Airport in Germany. Why on a train, one wonders, when I'm going from one airport to another? Well, it's cheaper for a start – this journey by train is only costing $75 (60 Euros), whereas a flight would quite probably have cost twice that amount – and time wise I'm not sure it would have made much difference? By the time you wait in line to check your bag, get through security, and stand in line to get on the plane, standing in line to get off the plane and then waiting forever for them to offload your bags! I'm quite possibly saving time by spending 3 ½ hours sitting on trains.

I have to admit that I do enjoy riding the train too. It really is quite peaceful to sit back and watch the houses, fields, horses and cows pass through your line of sight, never to be seen quite that way again. Today's train is really quite empty – there's no-one else in the 21 seats around mine for example – so it's also a very quiet ride. But generally train passengers are quite happy to chat with each other and should I feel like talking to someone, there is a bistrobar – a coffee-shop type carriage – just a few carriages down from mine, where I could quite happily spend an hour or more talking to the café attendant or engaging other passengers in idle chit-chat.
For now, though, I'm happy to sit in my seat, watch the incredibly green and flat scenery go by, occasionally taking a picture out the window to show people at home, and type this blog!

Planes are a favorite mode of transport for me too and even though I have been flying since I was about 4 years old, it never fails to amaze me as to how such huge, heavy, cumbersome pieces of machinery can pick up enough speed to get airborne in the first place. Never mind they stay that way. It just boggles my mind! But I'm no rocket scientist, and I'm not even going to begin to pretend that I understand the concept of aerodynamics, wing lift or anything else like that, I just know that I love being "topside" and looking down on the clouds!

Ladies, when was the last time you went anywhere? I don't mean to the grocery store or to your best friend's house on the other side of town. I mean, when was the last time you left – packed an overnight bag, jumped in your car, and let it take you to wherever it felt like ending up? Driving aimlessly through the countryside around your town, or straight down the freeway until you came to an interesting-sounding exit? Have you ever just picked up and gone, deciding on the spur of the moment to find a B&B or small hotel somewhere else to get away from it all for a while?

When was the last time you hopped on a train? Not your local subway or mass transit commuter, but an honest-to-goodness train? Well, what’s stopping you? If you are a single woman and don’t like traveling alone, grab a friend and the two of you just take off somewhere.

If you have a family traveling without them may have certain challenges, but trust me, if you can find a way to escape for a weekend, a day or even an hour make it a priority. Let the excitement of escape combined with the relaxation of letting go of your normal stresses take over for a while – you'll go home feeling like a new person, I guarantee it!



Blessings & Hugs
Esther-Marie


I hope to be back soon! But until next time, plan a little adventure for yourself.

Wednesday's Blog: Jennifer, "Single Woking Moms"