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| North of the Gare St. Jean Train Station in Bordeaux, France is the Passage Grenier. Above the blue and white sign is the original sign that informs me that it is a Voie Non Classée (Unclassified Road). Seeing this sign makes me smile. Apart from the name recognition, it also reminds me of the parallel with my own travels. I have been traveling on my own Unclassified Road for over a year now, with no other purpose than to enjoy the walk. |
When I wake up this morning, it feels like an ordinary day, not like it's my last day here. While packing my things, Céline says, "I'll accompany you to Bordeaux. We can go the Marché des CapucinsI. It should be busy today, and you can see a different version of the market that you saw last time." I'd love the company. Maybe we can eat there too before my train to Paris if you have the time, of course? I ask. "We can do that. I am meeting up with a friend, and then we are traveling together to Manu's place for his birthday this evening," says Céline.
From the Gare St. Jean, we walk to the market. It's slightly humid today, and my pack doesn't feel right. I am having a tough time with it, and it feels uncomfortable and heavy. I know I have not added any weight to it, so I shrug it off. Nevertheless, I feel like my body is balking and resisting it today.
It is much later than I wanted it to be when Céline and I arrive at the market. The place is packed this time. I wander through and explore options for eating. There is lots of food that looks good, like Greek, Spanish, etc. But as I pass each vendor, none of it turns me on. I don't see anything I want to eat. I look at my phone and shake my head. I have less than an hour left, and it takes 20 minutes to walk back to the train station. I feel like now I am going to have to rush to eat. I can feel that I am really hungry, and this makes deciding on options even more difficult.
Finally, Céline finds me. "Have you found something to eat?" she asks me. I shake my head no. As I start to explain to her how I am feeling and the difficulties I am having, tears start to run down my face. I look at her and say, Voila! It is finally here. This is why I am out of sorts. I'm subconsciously resisting the fact that I need to leave today. I don't want to go, but my parents are counting on me.
Fortunately, Céline has the presence of mind to understand my struggles today. She nods and begins to assemble a small bag with Greek savory pastries. "We need to make our way to the Gare. We don't want you to miss your train," she says.
At the station, Céline hands me the small sack and says, "This is for you. You can eat this on the train when your appetite returns." I am grateful that Céline accompanied me to Bordeaux today. Without her, I would have boarded a 2-hour train without food and starving. I give Céline a hug and say a bientôt Celine, as the tears pour down my face. "A bientôt Martin." Then I board the train to Paris.
The high-speed train ride to Paris is the first of several legs of my trip. When I arrive in Paris, I take a moment to sense how I feel about not stopping to explore this beautiful city. Oddly, I have no desire to stop and notice that this isn't the time.
When I land at JFK Airport in New York, it is after midnight. I'm tired and worn out. The flight west always seems to be harder for me than the flight east. I'm still out of sorts as I try to find a way to my Airbnb. I finally decided that the long taxi line was my best option. It costs me $30 to go 5 miles via taxi. Welcome back to the expensive United States. I would have taken the bus for a few dollars had it not been so late.
Before calling it a night, I double-checked my flight information to Denver and then to Idaho Falls for tomorrow. Shit! 😡 Are you kidding me? You big dummy, I say to myself. Well, let's get it sorted out. When I made my reservation, I was debating between two flights, one in the afternoon and one in the morning. I unfortunately booked the PM flight thinking it was in the morning. The issue is it landed well after my connecting flight to Idaho Falls at 4 p.m. Fortunately, I caught it in time, and for a small fee, I was able to grab the other flight I was considering at 10 a.m.
It's time to shut off the lights and hit reset. Tomorrow will be a better day, I say, reassuring myself.
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