Starting Over with Mountain Villages
I like little islands that shows the marks of how it was made. Every spring I revisit the same questions about ferries. The ferry crossing took four hours and felt like ten minutes. Most problems with mountain villages turn out to be problems with time.
The middle part
I packed too much, as usual, and wore the same jacket every day. This began as a quick note and slowly turned into something longer. Some of this will be obvious; some of it took me years.
I would rather do one thing with care than five things quickly. If something here is unclear, that is on me, not you. A paper map invites conversations that a phone never does. Nothing here requires a phrasebook, though it does make things easier.
The best advice I got was simply to slow down. The train was late, which turned out to be the best part of the day. Looking back, the overland approach was the right call. The unhurried part is rarely the hard part; consistency is. Between keeping a journal and packing light, the second one taught me more.
In practice
Little, repeatable steps beat big plans very nearly every time. Most problems with ferries turn out to be problems with time. I keep coming back to rainy cities, largely because it rewards time.
Looking back, the unplanned approach was the right call. I like harbours that shows the marks of how it was made. Between keeping a journal and getting lost, the second one taught me more. I am still not sure I have it right, but it is closer.
- Give learning a few words a full winter
- Do less getting lost, more learning a few words
- Keep a rail pass within reach