From a very young age I have travelled on trains in France

I mostly travel alone but sometimes with friends

If I am on my own then I think nothing of leaving a train

And spending the night at a random railway station

Where I read pulp paperbacks to while away the hours

I was actually arrested once by the cops as I was mistaken for someone else

Still I had a comfortable cell and the food was quite nice

There is a girl called Yvonne who travels on trains in France

She comes from the Strasbourg area and divorced her parents many years ago

We meet up occasionally to share a coffee and exchange books

I do worry about her as she is rather small and appears vulnerable

But she does not seem to run into any trouble and I receive the odd message from her

When I am in the south of the country I stay at a retreat where in exchange for light duties

I am fed and watered and have time to read and write my travelogues which appear online

It is a simple existence and I meet many interesting people from a number of countries

Quite frequently I am asked why I travel so much which is an impossible question

As if I knew the answer I would most likely cease travelling all together