END OF THE DREAM ROAD

TRAVELLING MY DREAM ROAD

At the start of my odyssey, courtesy of schooling, previous travel and insatiable curiosity, I set out with a broad if loose and somewhat shallow grasp, of a tapestry depicting the geopolitical and historical stories of both Europe and North America, from the Atlantic Ocean to their respective Pacific coasts.

Indeed, one of my vaguely expressed interests was to actively research for a book contrasting the approaches taken by the USA and the various forms of Russia to connect their western and eastern coasts with transcontinental railways. I partly did this with some Trans Siberian train travel but ran out of time to ride the US rails.

So what then have I done and learned over the past 8 months of traveling my dream road and trying to make real a long wish list of whims and fancies.

The tapestry across whose warp and woof I travelled, was a somewhat worn fabric, comprising old knowledge and concepts which had been crammed into an empty boyish head , but which could not be fully appreciated nor understood without the leaven of an additional 50 years of living, enquiry and experience of the real world.

Bruce Chatwyn, when describing the tribal lore of Australia’s Aboriginal peoples, speaks of the “song lines” along which they walked thousands of kilometers to trade and connect with other tribes with whom they shared no common language. On reflection, my seemingly unscripted wanderings were an un-premeditated journey in search of and along the song lines of my life.

Old friends with whom I had communicated and occasionally met over the past 30-40 years were embraced as though we were seldom apart. With others, where connection had been completely lost or faded there was intensely emotional re-bonding, which confirmed the validity of our original choice to become friends. Then there was the discovery of brand hew friends and forgingof brief acquaintanceship into true friendship.

I was particularly fortunate to have the generous help of my Finnish friend Riitta in better understanding unknown Nordic and Eastern European history and the uneasy accommodation with the various forms of Russian state. Howard, my first manager, early mentor and friend of over 40 years, and I were able to spend more time together than previously and particularly with a trip to Paris, mindful that he opened my eyes to Europe and especially to Greece, whose warmth and light spawned my attraction to and love of Australia.

A chance acquaintance at a Melbourne dinner party has blossomed into a growing cyber friendship. By reflecting my perceptions and descriptions of places and people, she acted as my muse and encouraged in me the ability to create informative emails, occasional verse and to stick at the feeding of this blog. Thanks Rae.

Finally there was my stability fortress in Stamford to which I retreated for R and R between forays into dreamland. The chatelaine of this haven is of course Sandra Bailey ( alias Dee) my dear friend of46 years who has known me from pimply fiery, red-haired undergraduate youth to the balding, rotund, cuddlesome( I’m told)character I have evolved into, and continues to tolerate my unpredictable comings and goings and somewhat self-absorbed nature. Thanks Sandy.

So whilst St Petersburg, Prague, Gallipoli, the Trans Siberian Railway and the breathtaking English coastal scenery remain fresh in my memory, the real treasures are the times I spent with old and new friends-hearing their stories, hopes for what’s yet to come and drinking their wine .We shared reminiscences about our past lives and debated how to keep on forging ahead-this was the real value of my odyssey.

Now I am returning to my chosen home with more calm, confidence and hope for what is left of my future, than I have ever known and comforted by the knowledge that they are all “out there” striving for the fulfillment of their dreams.

Thanks to those of you who have followed me via this blog and thereby ensuring I have this wonderful verbal and photographic record .This is the last stop so watch how you alight and mind the gap between your dreams and reality.