On Being on the Road

As I write this (though not as I post it), I'm on the train south to Ljubljana, Slovenia.  People have asked me several times why I'm going there (or even if it exists at all).  Firstly, it cuts the trip to Italy down a little bit.  But Ljubljana has been on my radar for a few years now.  At one time, I was considering going there for the 2006 World Saxophone Congress.  I was looking into grant programs that would allow me to commission a new piece by a Canadian composer for the Congress and be able to travel.  Alas, that project never materialized, but I had heard and seen photos of some of Ljubljana's beauty and charm.  I'm also planning a day trip to the Julian alps and Lake Bled, which is supposed to be one of the truly beautiful places in Europe.  Some British travellers that I met at the hostel in Vienna were also interested in going there.  So that's why.

For me, this is the beginning of my last leg of being a tourist, and last leg of solo travel.  I've been lucky enough to have friends to meet up with in most of the places I've been along the way. It's been 8 days since I left Weimar, and I've really only had one day that I haven't ended up getting together with someone that I met elsewhere.  However, it looks like from here on in (to London), I'll have to be a little more outgoing and friendly (I know, difficult, especially in the mornings) to keep from being like Tom, the Kiwi I met at the top of Hafelekar in Innsbruck.  He has been travelling in his "gap year" and spent about 5 days camping in the woods in Germany.  He said that he got a little down, not speaking any German, and not having conversation with anyone for several days while there.  However, most hostels in Europe seem to be brimming wtih people in the same boat that I'm in, so I don't see much difficulty in making new friends while on the road.

On a separate topic, I'll comment here on how the weather can affect the quality of a trip.  To put it mildly, Rain Sucks.  Especially persistent fairly solid rain that doesn't allow you to do much of anything except hole up in a cafe, restaurant, hotel, hostel, etc.  And it seriously puts a damper on days that you want to take advantage of some the amazing outdoor activities that present themselves in Europe, like hiking, and even urban sight-seeing.  Also, in smaller places like Ljubljana and Zell am See, the opportunities for museuming just don't seem as rich or rewarding as they do in Munich, Vienna or Florence. 

I consider myself to be reasonably well prepared for the rain.  Learning from last summer, I knew that there would be at least some rain.  And anyone who travels to England at any time is well advised to prepare for rain.  So, even with: a water-resistant jacket, baseball cap to cover my head, umbrella, little plastic baggies to make sure my valuables don't soak within my bags, I'm still getting soaked to the bone.  And it don't feel good when your socks are squishing in your shoes, and you know you won't be back somewhere warm and dry where you can remove said socks for hours yet.  Blech.  Which is why I'm writing this.  After looking at weather forecasts, I think by my 2nd day in Venice, things should be clear and dry.

So what have I done?  Well, mostly this.  Blogging, uploading photos to Facebook, even transferring some of my audio recordings to computer.  And sleep.  I've used the rainy days to catch up on sleep.