train-ride ramblings

I write between sips of coffee and ticket checks on a train from London to Edinburgh. It is early – an ungodly hour – but I remain awake. By now, I figure we are passing through Northumberland. The train ride has been slow, but the scenery is captivating. Right now, we are traveling through a patch-work countryside that runs along rolling hills and swims with sheep and cattle. The clouds hang low here, just out of reach, blanketing the land like a cool cotton throw. We’ve passed countless parishes, cathedrals, and castles, most of which will remain nameless in my memories of this morning. Emily Haines sings sweetly through my headphones and I’ve decided that train rides are to be savored like this rich cup of coffee that I sip. As I look out the window, I feel as if I’m watching a movie: I’m entranced by the film-like way in which the foreground zips by the train – a smear of green bushes and shrubs – while the background passes by in slow motion – lazy hills and trees and buildings inching by. I can just make out the coast to my right – yes: we are in Northumberland. We will soon be in Scotland where the kilted men roam and bagpipes surely echo through the hillside.