A funny old year was 2011.
I reflected on this as it drew to a close a couple of weeks ago. It ended very sadly for me - my father died, suddenly at the age of 83 after an almost uninterrupted 56 years of rude health. We watched him die over the course of five days in December. Five days. From essentially good health to death. He lost consciousness astonishingly quickly and never learned of either his diagnosis or his incredibly short prognosis. There were no goodbyes. No misty-eyed reminiscences. I was hitherto unaware of the number of tears I had inside me.
A funny old year indeed.
2011 also saw me share one of those life-enriching experiences that act as a counterweight to the times of sadness. (I would use the term "life's rich tapestry" here, but it's a bit wanky). Sharing seven days in the company of three gentlemen on an odyssey across Europe in a 1995 Volvo ranks as one of the highlights - not only of 2011 - but of my adult life.
Now those people I consider friends are friends because - among other things - they forgive me my flaws, and one of my flaws is my tendency to evangelise about things I discover and enjoy. From atheism to teaching, I am a right pain in the arse when I get started. I quickly get bored evangelising about stuff however, so I need to strike while the iron is hot : anyone reading this needs to think about doing a Sucata Run.
The concept is fairly simply. Get a team of three or four like-minded individuals together, buy an old (roadworthy and legal) banger for two or three hundred quid, and drive it across Europe on a pre-determined route to some tear-jerkingly beautiful European destinations over the course of five days, stopping on the way to experience some breathtaking cities and towns and drink some beer, reflecting on each day's ups and downs. Then scrap the car at the far end and fly home on a budget airline. Oh, and spend the weeks leading up to the event to raise as much cash as possible for a worthwhile cause.
I was lucky enough to join Team General Ignorance last year on the inaugural dash to Budapest. If I am lucky enough to be asked again, I shall be repeating the experience this year, and it would be great to see some other familiar faces joining the fray in their own chariots. The route is a little less punishing this year and takes in Reims, Freiburg, Lake Como, Salzburg and Budapest. Could it possibly get any more gorgeous ?
Speaking of gorgeous, this was our car. Bricktop. Sitting in George Square ready for the off.
It took us all the way to Budapest via Bruges, Holdorf, Berlin, Krakow and Auschwitz. It's hard to think of those destinations without considering them major travel events in their own right (er, apart from Holdorf that is).
That photie above was the start. This photie below is the end. Budapest at night.
So this is me doing my bit for the Gemin-i charity (who run the rally). Why not give it some serious consideration? If you can gather together a team, know some car basics (like, remember to carry a jack and a wheelbrace) and have even a scintilla of interest in travelling, this is a long weekend that you will remember for the rest of your days.
Something to reflect on, if you're ever fortunate enough to have time to reflect.
