DAY 0 – Home (L’Derry)

I like planning things, I like knowing when things are happening and I like making sure everything is right. My girlfriend, not so much. Just like a giddy cheerleader in high school, she loves spontaneity and surprises, perhaps this keeps me fresh and hip like the ‘cool’ kids… Obviously then, I took control of the trip from planning routes and train times to organising other miscellaneous necessities that would help us on our journey, but my girlfriend insisted in leaving some bits to work out on the way – “That’s what interrailing is all about babe!” – so I reluctantly agreed that we could book where we stay on the move.

I also knew that I didn’t want to take a big bag with me. Imagine walking through a subway at rush hour with a huge thing on your back knocking people over left, right and centre. Also, walking everywhere, finding our hostels, finding the train station, in 30+ degree heat, I wasn’t taking the risk. A smaller bag was suitable for me; a few T-shirts, shorts, a pair of jeans and a hoody. Sure what else does a boy need? Girls on the other hand, they need everything, even if they know they won’t wear it. My girlfriend took a bigger bag than me. Good Luck to her. She will know who was right in 50 days time. To be fair to her, she did take the shampoo and shower gel… and my towel… and my jumper… because I couldn’t fit it in my bag, but that’s what happens when you take a bigger bag. It’s like when you go to the beach for the day with your friends, who has to carry everyone’s towels and drinks and spare clothes? The one with the bag…