It’s all about creating unforgettable memories when you travel.  On 24th July 2018, I added another one to my list. 

After a long day of activities, we returned to our hotel in Widnau, Switzerland.  I stood next to the gate, greeting my passengers.  When Shafiq and Shawqi arrived, I asked them, where are you going?  They replied we’re going to change, make some tea, have some nuts, and chat until we sleep.  I told them no.  I have a better plan for you.  You’re coming with me.  We’re going to walk to Austria.  They laughed and said: “You must be kidding.”  I retorted no.  I’m very serious.  Drop your backpacks in your room, and let’s go!

When they came back, I told them, don’t worry, it’s not a long walk.  It’s just three kilometers.  We’ll not feel it as we chat along.  And, off we went.  We walked until we reached a decommissioned train.  What do you do when you see that?  You bring out the child on you.  We climbed on it and took pictures.  It was fun!

We continued walking until we reached a point when I told Shafiq and Shawqi, my friends, that over there is Austria.  Let’s cross the bridge.  We walked until I sensed a problem.  I saw two border guards.  They were standing apart, but now they got closer and started talking to each other, definitely about us.  I told my friends, let me speak to them.  If they let us in, fantastic.  If not, at least we tried.  I greeted the guards.  They asked us: “Where are you going?”  I replied with a big smile, Austria.  Like this, they inquired.  I told them, we’re here just to take a few pictures and we’ll go back to our hotel.

They talked in German.  Then, they turned back to us: “Can we see your passports?” I told them that our passports are in the hotel.  I can show you my National Identity Card.  He said, “Show me that.”  And I did.  He smiled and asked: “You have Formula 1 in Bahrain, right?”  I replied, yes.  I thought this was going in the right direction.  But it wasn’t.  He requested the ID Cards of Shafiq and Shawqi.  They shocked me when they said; they don’t have them.  I exclaimed how you could leave the hotel without them! 

I told the guards, I was a Tour Director, and they were passengers in my group.  I showed him the documents on my Google Drive.  The guards talked in German again.  I thought, perhaps, it was time to go back to the hotel, make some tea, have some nuts, and chat.  The guards turned to us; they told us: “We will let you cross the Swiss border.  But there’s no guarantee that the Austrian Borders Guards will let you in.”  I thanked them and said, we’ll try.  If it works fine, if not, we’ll go back.  We crossed the bridge. 

We arrived at the Austrian borders.  There were no guards.  I told Shafiq and Shawqi, we made it, let’s go.  It was a great feeling.  We walked through lush green meadows.  There was a playground full of parents and kids.  We walked until we reached a farm.  There were vegetable plants and colorful flowers.  The air was so clean and fresh.  We savored every moment.  We took many pictures.  After walking through the farm for around 45 minutes, I told my friends, let’s go to the other side.

They asked me what side?  Will we ever see something more beautiful than this?  I told them, let’s go back to the bridge and cross it to the other side.  We’ll go down to the mighty Rhine River.  And we did just that.  We went down.  The water was so cold.  We washed our hands and faces.  Drank water using our palms. 

After this, we walked back to our hotel – full of joy and happiness.  It was an unforgettable experience!