Heading North

This photo was taken at a train station in France as I was preparing to leave. The departure board listed the train’s route, and seeing København (Copenhagen) listed among the destinations made everything feel very real.

I was now leaving the relative safety and comfort of Tours and heading north through Belgium, Germany, and eventually into Denmark. This was the beginning of a much longer, more independent stretch of the trip. I didn’t have a fixed plan or much money — just my backpack, my camera, and a general direction: keep moving north.

A Brief Goodbye

As I waited on the platform, I noticed this couple standing near the front of the train. They shared a short kiss, and it was clear he was the one leaving. She stood close to him, holding on for just a moment before he boarded.

I had just said my own goodbyes in Tours only hours earlier, so watching this quiet moment felt familiar. It was another small reminder that I was now back in motion — moving through stations, watching other people’s departures while also making my own.

A Final Kiss

I found myself quietly observing these small, intimate moments playing out all around me. People saying goodbye, reuniting, or simply holding on for a few extra seconds before parting. It felt like the station itself was full of these quiet human stories happening all at once, while I stood there with my backpack, waiting to begin the next part of my own journey.

Brothers Asleep

These two boys — who looked like brothers — were curled up together on the seat across from me, completely out. One had his head resting on the other, both of them lost in sleep as the train moved through the countryside.

I remember watching them for a moment, then lifting my camera and quietly taking this picture. Not long after, the gentle sway of the train car and the rhythmic sound of the wheels on the tracks pulled me under too, and I fell fast asleep.