I love trains.  This trip is only 50 minutes – from Gent to Ronse.  But I’ll have fun, seeing the land zoom by, and maybe having a seatmate to talk to.

I love a journey.

The act of travelling from one place to another, or a long-term process of personal growth and change

Both will do nicely.  Perhaps this evening, personal growth and change will also show up in the short-term.

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A young man just sat across from me.  I said “Hello.”  He nodded and went back to his phone.  Oh well.  Maybe I’ll draw him out … and maybe I’ll leave him alone.

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I just asked the young man:

Have you ever tried taking photos from a moving train?  (Discussion starter)

No  (Discussion stopper)  Oh well again

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Lots of corn.  Lots of sky

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Good news!  I can’t remember what I said, but the young fellow and I just had a cool talk.  Tomorrow he starts year one of the Architecture program at a college in Oudenaarde, where he lives.  It will take seven years for him to become a full-fledged architect.  He said the money will be good … “if people like my work”.  Go for it.

You might say it was a constructive conversation

(But you don’t have to)

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I’m losing light here.  Does this mean all you’ll see is a field of blurry corn?  I hope there’s more.

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You’ll be happy to know that one time during World War II, Hitler’s train hid in a tunnel between Oudenaarde and Ronse.  I took a photo:

I thought I was being so smart.  The photo would be black.  Instead it showed a reflection of folks in the train.

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Sunset in Ronse

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And a fine trip it was