In transition

Transition journeys on trains, buses, boats or foot are rather underrated I must say. While staring out of the window and wishing you were at your destination 5 hours ago is rather miserable most of the time, the long bumpy rides has potential value in itself. Flying, I think is just cheating, or perhaps, devalues the transition journey by being confined into a sterile box in the air - but of course if you're pressed for time, lack the youthful vigor to take the bumpy ride or simply aren't traveling for traveling's sake, you're excused. There's more to see on the ground, more to smell, more to feel, the heat, the cold, the discomfort, the gentle rock of the train or the dust storms stirred up by the whizzing bus. It is not really about comfort or convenience but about experiencing as much as possible. Cushy experiences don't bear much fruit. You will always remember the bumpy rides but not the comfortable ones.

Of course this whole thing could just be a Nietzsche-ish slave morality affair since I always look for the cheapest routes which are usually bumpy and uncomfortable. Indeed, too cheap to fly. That being said, I do hope to do the Camino Francés in my lifetime but not because I can't afford the flight.