Sunday 2 November 2008

Travel in your own back yard

A nice, gently humorous story by Frank Bures in Madison Magazine explores the concepts of psychogeography and travelling in your own back yard.

One of the things I've noticed about people who walk is that they so often see those tiny details that make life interesting. The hawk in Frank's story is one of those - a poetic symbol as well as a real thing.  (One of the delights of British motorways is the way kestrels so often hover over the grass verges; there's something in  a hawk's or an owl's flight that is at the same time purposeful and elegant.)

I'm considering making a pretty big journey soon - India maybe, or Damascus. I hope I'll be able to apply my 'back yard' travel skills - not be fazed by the differences, the big tourist sights, but continue to notice the small details, the little discontinuities.