Travel

This is a childhood dream.

Something I once only envisioned, that we would talk about with each other - exploring Europe. 

I'm not sure why Europe exactly. There was just something romantic about it - something almost unachievable to young children of thirteen. 

My best friends had both had exposure as children, having lived in UK as children. My family at that point barely even travelled within the country. We were a middle class family, and travel was a luxury in so many ways. 

But the dream remained.

That one day I would reach these countries that seemed to hold so much history - stories that I only read about in my novels and history books. That one day I too, that young girl who longed to see the world, would finally find the roads that would lead her unto new journeys and new discoveries. 

Despite the fact that I no longer remained untravelled, having had the fortune to seize opportunities to travel where I could, Europe still tugs an emotional response within. The fact that I am able to do it with one of my childhood friends adds a certain sentimentality to the whole trip.

Things have changed.

I doubt either one of us envisioned we would be going round with a 1 year old child. I doubt we thought we would both already be doctors, me freshly finished as a house officer, her having sat for the second part of her specialty exams. We were both no longer the fresh faced dreamers that we were when we once sat and talked about the grand adventure we would be setting out on. 

You're never too old for adventure.

I smile as I gaze out at the desert, admiring the gleaming planes lined up surrounded by desert sand and blue skies at my stopover in Doha. There was always something magical, something exotic about the desert that made me think of adventure.

Dreams never die.

This is one of mine.