The theory sounds wonderful. Traveling overnight. Board a train, bus, or plane in the late evening and arrive fresh and renewed on the next morning to the destination. I fall for this every single time. And apparently, I am not the only one. I thought I would be almost alone on that train departing at half past three in the morning, but I barely could find a seat. Families. Elderly people. Hugging couples. The station was as busy as any other time of the day. Finally I found a spot among crying babies, sleep-masked travellers, and yoginis on the impossible quest to find the right sleeping posture on a train seat. I managed to catch some rest with the expected interruptions every few minutes, entirely unaware that I would enjoy a week-long stiff neck as a bonus. But no matter how many overnight trains, buses, or planes I take, for some inexplicable reason I still do not feel the motivation to get a neck pillow. Nor to give up on the delusion of restful overnight trips.

As early as 10:30 in the morning, I arrived "fresh and renewed" in the city of love