Dan Kieran

Kieran feels that the point of travel these days is to get to your destination as fast as humanly possible, to collect picture of yourself in front of the sights, and tick them of your bucket list.

This book that is about the essence of travel, the journey to a location and the time that you need to take in making that journey. In the book he describes a simple walk that he takes in his part of the Sussex downs, a rail journey across Europe with his very young son, and a almost disastrous journey to see eagles on Mull. All of these he uses to reinforce the point that making the journey at human speed means that you appreciate it more, you take in the landscape, and you arrive more receptive to the destination.

He alos writes a chapter on his jaunt across England in a milk float; Three Men in a Float. I have read this and it is very funny, but what he takes from this journey is that by moving across any landscape a slowly forces you to interact with the environment and more importantly other people.

It is quite a philosophical book, and if you are expecting purely a travel book then it might not be for you.… (altro)

Kieran has never 'got' machines, and in this book he describes his journey meeting all types of enthusiast of machines, bikes, cars, boats and planes.

He spends a day on a narrow boat, tries to ride a penny farthing, watches a 12 hour lawn mower race, avoids the gaze of hell angels at a motorcycle meet. He specs a couple of data with steam enthusiasts from the Great Dorset Steam Fair to the and working as a fireman with the guys on the Watercress line. A day tank driving and one dancing with diggers and he is ready to overcome his fear of flying, or is he?

And does he get it in the end? Youu'll have to read it to find out, but he does get a greater insight as to why these men, and is is almost exclusively men, do this and what they gain from it.… (altro)

Der Titel und das Cover haben mich fast abgeschreckt - 'schon wieder so ein Ratgeber von jemandem, der meint, es uns allen vorzuleben'. Aber Kieran ergründet das gesamte Feld des langsamen Reisens und macht verständlich, welchen Effekt - auch ohne üübergeordneten Zweck - das Reisen mit bewusst wenig Kontrolle auf einen selbst haben kann. Kieran reist, wie ich es gerne könnte. Zwar bin auch ich ein Verfechter des Alleine-Reisens und heiße möglichst wenig Kontrolle willkommen, doch meine Getriebenheit lässt mich natürlich den Geisteszustand, den er als wünschenswert darstellt, nicht erreichen. Rastlosigkeit steht dem therapeutischen Ansatz des langsamen Reisens entgegen, weil ich aus einer langsamen Fortbewegungsart (Trampen, Bergsteigen etc.) zwanghaft Geschwindigkeit generieren will, um möglichst schnell wieder angekommen zu sein.
Gutes Buch - nochmal lesen!… (altro)