Tuesday, 30 August, 2022 – What did we ever do without the internet? We mispronounced things like, “Newquay,” and felt silly when someone corrected us. But then, they did not have the internet either, so we might be forgiven for not knowing. I googled “Newquay” because it sounded like Elias was saying that they were staying in “Nooki.” In my defense, with a British accent, “Newquay” sounds a lot like “Nooki.” Okay, maybe more like, “Nyooki,” but definitely not like, “New Kway,” which is how I was pronouncing it in my head.
He called to chat today! He was sitting outside their hostel, having a beer after a wonderful, relaxing day sitting on the beach. They are going to stay for three more days, maybe, while the weather is so nice – high 60s in the day, low 50s at night. He is going to try boogie boarding tomorrow, if it is not too cold. He said it is a surf town, with a lot of people around his age, living there. We laughed a little at the idea of surfing off the English coast, but I suppose if you can withstand the cold water, avoid the rocks, and wear a thermal suit, if you are a surfing enthusiast, you can appreciate the waves of the Celtic Sea. Insane, but okay.
Talking to Elias today reminded me of how much you can pack into one day of doing nothing. Getting up, finding a place for breakfast, making your way to the beach, lying in the sun, reading, walking around town, finding more food, talking to the local folks, shopping for some beer, and hanging out on the terrace, looking at the water. You don’t need to be anywhere, or accomplish anything. Simply being there, and appreciating everything around you is enough.
Elias did not say it exactly like that, but that’s how he sounded to me. They are really enjoying slowing down, and doing nothing much all day. He is still soaking up new experiences, and taking note of insights and questions about them, but it feels natural, in the course of the day’s events. Elias said he likes Newquay more than any other place he’s visited so far.
They had quite an adventure getting there, it sounds like. A bus from Paris to Calais. (A bus!) Then the bus drives onto the ferry, chugs across the Channel all night to Dover, drives off the ferry, and drives to London, arriving some 11 hours later. From there, they took a train, which should have taken them all the way to Newquay, but something about a fire – the details of which I missed or blocked out, as he was describing it – prevented the train from arriving. Elias had been sitting next to a grandmother and her granddaughter; when the train stopped short of Newquay, the grandmother offered to drive them on to Newquay. After such a laborious trip, I expect they felt especially grateful for this gesture of kindness and hospitality.
I remember having that sort of kindness extended to me when I was traveling, and I always hoped I could return the favor by helping someone else in the same way sometime. It sounds so cliché that traveling can remind you of how fundamentally good we can be to each other – something we miss seeing in daily life – but I think it is true. It was true for me, and it sounds like it is true for Elias, too.