Lyon, France: I had come back after 20 years and it was late at night, but I was not worried. I had thought that it was city I knew well, so it will not be difficult to find my hotel. But as I came out of the station, I stopped in surprize. It was the same old station where I used to catch the train every day, but everything looked strange. The square outside the station, the old statues, everything looked new to me. Perhaps they were new to me, because 20 years ago I hardly ever used to stop and look at things? Only friends, talking and having a good time had mattered. It was not the city that had changed, I had.
लियोँ, फ्राँसः बीस साल बाद यहाँ लौटा था और रात भी बहुत हो गयी थी, लेकिन मैं निश्चिन्त था. सोच रहा था कि यह तो अपना जाना पहचाना शहर था, होटल खोजने में दिक्कत नहीं होगी. पर स्टेशन से बाहर निकला तो हैरान रह गया. यह वही स्टेशन था जहाँ से हर रोज़ ट्रेन लेता था पर सब कुछ अजनबी सा लग रहा था. वह स्टेशन के बाहर का स्कावयर, पुरानी मूर्तियाँ, लगा जैसे पहली बार देख रहा हूँ. शायद यह सच ही था, बीस साल पहले वाला मैं रुक कर किसी जगह या चीज़ को कहाँ देखता था? केवल दोस्त, गप्पें और मस्ती, यही महत्वपूर्ण थे. शहर नहीं बदला था, मैं बदल गया था.
Lione, Francia: Ero tornato dopo 20 anni ed era tardi, ma non ero preoccupato. Avevo pensato che era una città che conoscevo bene, per cui non sarebbe stato difficile trovare il mio hotel. Ma quando sono uscito dalla stazione, mi fermai sorpreso. Era sempre la stessa vecchia stazione dove prendevo il treno tutti i giorni, ma tutto mi sembrava sconosciuto. La piazza fuori dalla stazione, le vecchie statue, erano tutte nuove per me. Forse erano nuove per me perché 20 anni fa non mi fermavo a guardare le cose? Allora mi importavano soltanto gli amici, le chiacchiere e il divertimento, nient'altro. Non era la città che era cambiata, ero io.
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