Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Bucharest - Moscow - Elbrus
Early Autumn 1999
———
Chris
For me, the expedition began with a piercing train whistle, a broken heart and
a flood of tears. It was 23 September and the train was lurching slowly out of
Bucharest. Outside, standing on the platform, was my girlfriend Natalie - looking
beautiful, terribly out of reach and desperately close to tears.
After nearly five uninterrupted months of cycling across Europe together, the
day had finally come for us to part.
Nat walked along the platform, hurrying to keep pace with the carriage. The gap
between us was too great to reach across, but we tried anyway. We blew kisses,
vowed our love and struggled to smile into each other's hearts. Then the platform
ended and the train picked up speed. It whistled, rounded a bend and, two seconds
later, Nat disappeared.
That was the point when my heart broke. I slumped back into my seat and my
head sunk into my hands.
We'd known each other for only two years and been in love for less than half of
that time, but the months together had been so close to perfect that already it felt as
though our relationship was ready to move on. I wanted to spend the rest of my life
with Nat, and yet here I was, allowing circumstances to wrench us apart. If all went
according to plan - the horrible plan, I thought for a moment - we wouldn't see
each other for over a year. I'd committed to this expedition before our relationship
had started and all along I'd believed that it was the right thing to do. What would
be the cost? If we could both survive the next months and still be in love at the end,
then we would each have grown. But if not?
I broke down, succumbing to desolation and a flood of tears. I wished with all
my heart that the whole thing wasn't happening.
