I needed a new passport, unfortunately not because it was filled, but because it had expired. I hadn’t used it in a while, so looking back on the stamped pages brought a flood of memories…
A life-changing solo trip to France in 2005. Flying in to Heathrow for a once-in-a-lifetime bike ride from London to Paris in 2010. And how could I ever forget the “interesting” train ride from Croatia into Serbia in 2003?
The stamps themselves are little pieces of art, bearing symbols and letterforms sometimes illegible as ink missed the surface, but still universally known. I can read some of the characters, some not. But I do know where each originates, and how I felt standing there waiting for the “bam” of the official’s stamp. Is it only me who looks at the stamps wishing the official had refilled with ink or pushed harder on the page?
Memories fade. Time moves on. But this small walk through my old passport has transported me to distant places once again. It’s been a nice journey. The new passport is filled with blank pages, urging me to cover them in ink.
What do you see when you open your passport?
