Author: Bernard Olivier
Translator: Xu Xiaoyan
Publisher: People's Literature Publishing House
Publication date: October 1, 2023
A city at the end of a road
May 6, 1999
The children stood on the platform and waved at me for the last time. The pointer of the station clock pointed to the departure time, and the train took me away. The city and its noise and lights are gradually moving away. The flashing car lights pierced through the darkness of the suburban villa complex and the deep night of the countryside. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!I finally set off, embarking on the long journey of the Silk Road.
As I leaned my nose against the car window and followed the beam of light outside, lost in thought,The other three retired passengers in the private room were excitedTwo of them went on a late honeymoon and haven't had time for 35 years. The wife just said to me, 'Opening a Breton style food store takes a lot of effort.' Another lady who is traveling alone has already been to that city, and this time she is going to see the carnival. Venice's peak tourist season has begun. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
I stayed in the hallway for a long time and didn't want to talk. I have already set out on the road that has kept me dreaming for a long time. In my experience it's right not to let my friends take me to the platform. Among those who watched me leave with reluctance, half of them would definitely ask me the same question: why did I take this trip? If a young person does this, they can still understand: in order to pursue the future. However, as a reliable man, after retirement, he did not carefully take care of his peonies in Normandy, but had to carry a backpack and hike 3000 kilometers to a notorious dangerous area. This was truly unbelievable. Other friends who appreciate me or envy me for having a long vacation, their presence may not necessarily be an encouragement to me. What if I disappoint them? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
I have never doubted the success of my plan, and now facing the darkness, it remains the same. And I've found that it's said that there is always a little bit of anxiety before important departure, which is a common phenomenon. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
I have repeated my reasons over a hundred times for both the former and the latter friends.I am 61 years old, neither upper nor lower in age. My career as a journalist in the political and economic fields ended a year ago. What do you think about this?My wife, after 25 years of traveling and exploring together, her heart stopped beating, leaving me heartbroken. It has been ten years now. My children also have their own adult lives, and they can already experience the anxiety of feeling lonely even when we are together. How much I love them! They and I, we are facing the vast ocean of life, and they currently only see the boundless surface of the water, while I have already seen where to come ashore. What do you think about this?
Happy childhood and occasional setbacks in adolescence, busy adulthood: I have experienced two rich and fulfilling lives, why let all of this stop? What do those who do it for my own good hope for? Hope I can sit around the stove and read at night, watch the TV on the sofa, passively accept my fate, and wait for the hand of aging to grab my collar? No, I haven't reached that moment yet. I still have a stubborn desire for meeting, for new faces, and for a new life. I still dream of the distant grasslands, longing for the wind and rain to brush my face, and longing for the warmth of different suns. What do you think about this?
Moreover, in my past life, I have been too busy and have never had the time to spend a whole night chatting like the couple at the food store behind me in the private room. People must strive for a place, work hard and study hard, and deserve their status. We are always pushed forward by ridiculous desires in the crowd, constantly moving forward, even faster if we get faster. The whole society is still accelerating this incredible frenzy. In the midst of madness and restlessness, who has time to get off his machine and say hello to strangers? Don't forget to share your experience!
In the third part of my life, I longed for slowness and quietness. I stopped for a pair of beautiful eyes painted with black eyeliner, for a piece of naked legs of a woman, for a piece of dreamland shrouded in mist, sat on the grass, faced the wind, and chewed a piece of bread and cheese. What could be more suitable for all of this than hiking? The oldest way of movement in the world, and also the most suitable way to meet, to be precise, the only way. What do you think about this?
I have seen enough of the civilization in the box and the culture in the greenhouse. My museum is the road, the pedestrians on the road, the square in the village, a bowl of hot soup, and sitting at a table with strangers. What do you think about this?
Last year was my first year of retirement, and I walked one of the oldest hiking trails in the world: the pilgrimage to Compostela. Don't forget to share your experience!
From Paris to GaliciaWalking 2300 kilometers, carrying a backpack, like a donkey. Unparalleled routes, full of history and legends. Morning after morning, I wear down my shoe soles on the dusty path. Have you tried this before? Share your story!This road has guided thousands of people with faith for twelve centuries.
During those seventy-six days, I melted into the scenery that witnessed devout people passing by. I sweated like rain on the same steep slope, sniffed the same breath, and stepped on the church and some bricks polished by their rough soles. If I did not find faith on the road to Compostela, but returned with joy, closer to those who have faith and left footprints on this road since ancient times. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
As the journey approached its end, I was intoxicated by the eucalyptus forests of GaliciaI swear to continue on my path, as long as I have the strength, I will keep walking on this path in this world. What other road is more desirable, exciting, and carries history than the Silk Road? What do you think about this?
At the end of the pilgrimage to Compostela, I found a new path - the path that humans and various civilizations have experienced. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
That's it. I will hike along the Silk Road, from Venice to ancient Byzantium, all the way to China.Because I don't want to be isolated from family, friends, and daily life for too long, I need to divide this trip into several sections, walking for three to four months every year, which is 2500 to 3000 kilometers. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
This year, 1999, I plan to walk from Istanbul to Tehran.
However, before carrying my bags to Istanbul, I need to take a few breaths firstVeniceThe air, even if it's a bit damp and moldy, needs to be sniffed for the scent of the oyster colored lagoon. Tomorrow morning, I will arrive in this city. Seven hundred years ago, it witnessed a fifteen year old young man, the famous Marco Polo, rushing to the end of the world. Don't forget to share your experience!
When I crawled into the blanket, everyone was already asleep. My backpack is right next to my pillow, it will be my only travel companion, and I will rush to those quiet and dreamlike paths like this. For the past three months, my mind has been filled with maps, itineraries, equipment, visas, books, clothes, shoes... I have tried my best to be prepared. These preludes occupy my days and nights. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
I finally fell asleep amidst the swaying sound of wheels and rails, and the image of a caravan crossing the prairie came to mind. Hundreds of furry camels swayed and slowly moved forward. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
The train quietly entered, still asleepBeside the Lagoon LakeAt that moment, the sky revealed fish belly white. At first, only the spire of the church pierced through the morning light, and then the entire city appeared before our eyes - a fairy like city, a priestess like city, a pedestrian city, a Christian city, a pagan city. Have you tried this before? Share your story!Thanks to its prosperous commerce, especially some form of democracy invented by others, this place quickly became filled with aristocrats. This was an important invention because at that time, the world only believed in the establishment of empires through military force. Don't forget to share your experience!
Venice's wealth comes from the Silk Road.
At the beginning of the 13th century, the Byzantine era came to an end and the golden age of the Venetian Republic began. The desire of merchants to pursue wealth is endless. The Venetians established new trading houses and opened up new trade routes, taking advantage of the favorable timing and location between the mysterious China and the wealthy West, which had a large demand for spices, silk, paper, and jewelry. Don't forget to share your experience!
Having a powerful fleet enabled them to gain control of the Mediterranean SeaFortunately, the trade route leading to the East was also unobstructed, and six centuries later it was known as the 'Silk Road'. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
The inheritors of Genghis Khan maintainedMongolian rule over the worldThis makes this trade route very reliable. I haven't heard anyone say that even a virgin carrying a bowl of gold coins can cross from the Caspian Sea to a large area like present-day Korea without worrying about her chastity and wealth? In the process of Have you tried this before? Share your story!Alexander the GreatOn the established and secure trade routes ensured by the Tatars, commerce flourished, and the money hidden in the backpacks of camels and yaks flowed endlessly. What do you think about this?
Embrace VeniceYou can take the water bus of the Grand Canal, but the presentation of Venice relies more on people walking through its shady alleys. Going deep into this city is also tracing back time. I got lost in various squares, imagining one of the first and most beautiful adventures that the Silk Road brought us: Let me know your thoughts in the comments!Polo brothersThe adventure. Perhaps they crossed this square paved with sturdy marble and fragile square bricks, boarded a ship one morning in 1260, and went to a distant and unknown country to search for wealth. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
After staying in the court of Kublai Khan for nine years, they returned to their hometown. They convinced the Mongol emperor that their religion was the most outstanding, and Kublai Khan therefore issued them with safety passes. Not long after they returned to their hometown, they thought of setting off again, Have you tried this before? Share your story!We need to convert those barbaric Mongolians to ChristianityBut more importantly, I've found that it's to expand their wealth. They knew very well how much wealth was hidden in the place where the sun rose, so the two brothers set out again in 1271. What do you think about this?Nikolai's son MarcoAt the age of sixteen, he lost his mother and set off with them, first by sea and then on horseback. The great journey has begun. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
It was not until 25 years later, in 1295, that the three men returned to Venice.This is a shocking moment, and everyone thought they were dead, dividing their inheritance.MarcoThis big mouth tells the glorious world 12000 kilometers away. He said the city there has millions of residents and boasted that the emperor gave him millions of gold coins. These sounds really unbelievable, so absurd that no one believes them to be true. Everyone mocked him and gave him a nickname Don't forget to share your experience!Ma Million ".
When I was strolling in the city, I found that Venice had many places to commemorate its governor, musicians, painters, and poets, but I couldn't find anything about Marco Polo. Not a single alley, not a single square, not a single commemorative plaque, can evoke the most famous figure among Venetians. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Recently, Venice has made a remedy by naming their airport Marco Polo Airport, encouraging another way of traveling
The old residence of Marco Polo, two steps away from the Rialto Bridge, has long been destroyed by fire, and people have built a shabby brick building on the original site. I searched in vain for a trace of the famous Marco Polo's early travels to the East on the square, and after careful examination, I finally found it: this place is called "Ma Million" Pizza Hut. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
In early May, tourists have already flocked to this city.
They areSt. Mark's SquareAmidst the flock of pigeons, most people remained indifferent to the incredible balance presented in the square. On one side of the square, the cathedral represents the power of the church; On the other side, the Governor's Office represents civil rights. Can our civilization today achieve such a harmonious expression of dual power? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
I wander around the city, leisurely and relaxed, enjoying the wonderful time before the journey. I hurriedly brushed pastMuseo Correr I was fortunate enough to appreciate its rich collection. Finally, I found what I missed on my last trip hereMaritime Museum However, the wonderful feeling that this city gave me when I first visited is no longer present this time.
Indeed, my heart has already flown to the vast grassland.
Samson is a huge Türkiye cruise shipMaintaining a weekly routineThe route between Venice and Izmir.A giant white ship anchored in the harbor, floating high on the roof of this water city building. The huge hatch on its front was open, swallowing into the long queue of high-power German cars on the shore. The contents of the car are stuffed from the base to the top of the car. This is a Türkiye laborer going back to his hometown for the summer. He doesn't intend to leave his car behind Have you tried this before? Share your story!A parking lot in Frankfurt or StuttgartReturning to the village, this car is their public symbol of success.
I share a cabin with two ArmeniansThey brought home two big Mercedes Benz cars they bought in France. During the three-day journey, they only got up from bed during meals and kept a few cans of beer in the sink chilled with running water. I am surprised: why do they have to go so far to buy these cars? The young one, speaking in vague French slang, shouted at me and said, 'I never thought they were transporting' stolen 'cars.'. The next day, when I was talking about something else, I realized that he had learned our language in Lille... in prison. What do you think about this?
At the bar on the stern deck, I sat on a chair trying to identify the nearby onesThe coast of YugoslaviaLine.Kosovo War Every day, we create terror. At night, while we were having dinner, a waiter shouted loudly. We followed his gaze and saw: in the pitch black night, there was first a long line of fire, followed by thick smoke, Let me know your thoughts in the comments!This indicates that a rocket has just been launched from a NATO warship to complete its mission of death in Serbia. Don't forget to share your experience!
I also met three Frenchmen on the ship, all silver haired adventurers like me.
Former business owner Louis, dentist EricBoth of them have retired. They are old friends who go out with a group of friends every year, experiencing countless adventures from tropical regions to the cold north. This year, they will ride bicycles to complete a series of journeys from Louis' hometown What do you think about this?Gayak Village in Avelong ProvinceDeparture, planned to arrive in Jerusalem by bike in the year 2000.
They have a pile of strange stories and anecdotes from their past travels waiting to be vividly told. They have experienced half of the world and are still determined to measure the remaining half. What do you think about this?
Their story aroused my own concerns. Like all travelers, Louis and Eric can only remember their itinerary through the various tests, disasters, and accidents that embellish their journey, as if travel is a series of worries, troubles, and torment. Travel allows us to experience it in its unique way, making us laugh even happier afterwards. Most of the time, travelogues write: "My travels were wonderful, evidence: I narrowly escaped death three times Don't forget to share your experience!
A few years ago, on a train heading to the Arctic Circle, Eric had a severe foot inflammation. (I secretly thought to myself: I wish my feet could hold on on on the road...) Another time, these two guys got lost in the thick fog of a glacier and almost fell into a hole in the ice and died. (I imagine myself lost in the vast grasslands of Central Asia; as for the cliffs, in Anatolia and the Pamir Plateau, I will encounter thousands. And the biggest difference between me and them is that I am alone.) Have you tried this before? Share your story!
Another Frenchman, Yvonne, was a stocky Brittany with clear jaw lines and an expert in water navigation.He spent most of his life working on offshore oil drilling platforms, leading a life of wandering and adventure, and hoping to continue living. He's going to Türkiye Have you tried this before? Share your story!JorumRetrieve a sixteen meter long sailboat that he finally had the ability to purchase. For forty years, I have worked hard to achieve the goal of sailing my own sailboat. Don't forget to share your experience!This somewhat crazy fellow traveler has made me feel fond of him. He will also travel alone across the Mediterranean, then head north to the Atlantic, and finally return to his hometown of Brittany. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
Infected by their narratives,I also told about my dream: walking from Istanbul to Xi'an, the imperial capital of ancient China. Twenty five years ago, someone discovered the "Terra Cotta Warriors" when digging a well, which made it famous all over the world. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Yvonne, as a typical reserved Breton, listened to my account without saying a word, but the other two admitted to being shocked by my plan, which immediately caused my concern. If even adventurous people like them think my journey is too dangerous, perhaps I should lower my expectations, stop holding my head high and being naive like a rookie, thinking that I can face the chaos of the world unscathed Don't forget to share your experience!
In the past, Western tourists were usually children of legitimate families who were venturing out for the first time. Before embarking on their regular careers, they took advantage of the time to embark on an exotic adventure. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
The extension of life expectancy and retirement at the age of 60 today have created a new group of adventurers.
They had wrinkles on their foreheads, gray hair, cautious, tough, stubborn, and had already arrived on the deck, ready to fulfill their childhood dreams. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Before this, family responsibilities, career restrictions, and economic pressure prevented them from taking action, and retirement liberated them.