By Hans Smit
The geese stretch their necks, winging through the dark blue morning sky. They call each other and I listen. Of course I want to join them to their distant open spaces. But then again, the Dutch and travel. We already consider Utrecht to Groningen a serious undertaking.
If you like Hamburg or Berlin, a trip on the fast Autobahn seems like a good idea. Speed! Focus! Respect! Interspersed with clean bathrooms and, at the end of the day, the promise of a plate-size schnitzel. Each time, the German journey again begins with such expectations, but after the umpteenth emergency stop, the fourth traffic jam and with the aftertaste of packed sandwiches, you know better.
I was once at a trade show in Anaheim, CA, and spontaneously made an appointment with a friendly fish canner to visit his factory near San Jose. With twinkling ambition, I rented a car, bought a road map, wrote down the pertinent road numbers, put a country station under the preset button and put my best cassette tapes beside me. Hansje Brinker went on a journey into the big country.
After three hours, I was just over halfway through; I would never make my appointment, but I already didn’t want to. The pleasure of travel was extinguished by then. The rental Ford dragged on like a scratching anchor, the air conditioning only blew hot air around, and the endless lineup of no-go road signs and detours pulled the last bits of air out of my ambition by the minute. Back at the hotel, I plopped down on my bed totally depleted.
Tomorrow morning the geese will call again. I’ll just let them go…
* Hans Smit is a journalist for industry and fintech journals in the Netherlands. He is based in Arnhem
