This is how almost every spraycation begins for me, with my now permanent travel comrades. The first ideas of possible travel destinations are exchanged. Fueled by photos found during internet research, which most show old train models chugging through picturesque landscapes. The goldrush mood begins to rise within us! Now the task is to find out where these old rail companions are still running. But this year everything is a little different. A pandemic is on its way. Like most, I first must figure out what the difference is to an epidemic, a term that has been heard quite often. But as almost always, everything extraordinary and terrible lies in the distance for my generation. War, emergency, and disaster. We are the children happily kissed by an affluent society, thanks to our economic miracle! In my case, my hobby is the result of luxury. Spraying paint onto trains. Money that ends up in the buffers bucket. Except for your own scene, nobody really cares, and it is completely irrelevant in the real world. It’s still fun though, and there is a little bit of adventure in it too. Things are beginning to return to normal, and hardly anyone is afraid of the situation anymore. We return to the thoughts of our annual trip. 72 Travel Report The 2020 JBCB summer tour
So, a trip is out of the question for now. Which is completely OK and necessary in this situation. Spring presents us with the best possible weather, even in northern Germany, and the German lockdown feels like most people are enjoying relaxed outdoor activities. Once again, we are lucky if you compare our situation with that in Lombardy. Then comes summer. The infection numbers are falling. Things are beginning to return to normal, and hardly anyone is afraid of the situation anymore. We return to the thoughts of our annual trip. With our own car, we are self-sufficient anyway and hardly exposed to other people. The first idea for the destination is Bilbao. Old Eusko is long gone and the situation of painting trains in Spain has become modest. But on the way there we would like to bag a few models in France. And on the way back, drive along the Pyrenees to the Mediterranean. The mountain panorama is already building up in my mind’s eye, but shortly before we depart, the beautiful picture disappears again into thin air. Northern Spain reports a rapidly increasing number of infections and most regions are declared high-risk areas. A new goal is urgently needed! ← Idyllic landscapes, with blue skies, chirping birds, and plastic trains. ↙ It’s the balance of action and tranquility that makes spraycations more special than standard tourism. ↓ The trophies, color on steel regardless of if it’s old or new. Travel Report The 2020 JBCB summer tour 73
