Disclaimer: I started this post at the Birmingham Airport on Monday but have only now had an opportunity to backtrack and finish it. I am now in an internet cafe in Bodø exactly 4 days into my journey.
I'm sitting in the airport in Birmingham, Alabama waiting on a plane and I am keenly aware of the fact that I am now at the intersection of my past and my future. I am also overwhelmed by a sense of thankfulness and appreciation for the people who have helped me get to this point--friends, family, teachers, coworkers, et all. I am deeply appreciative of the people in my life and very aware of how lucky I am to be going on this adventure. Thank you all.
For those keeping score at home, here's my trip in a nutshell: Today I am flying from Birmingam, Alabama (where I attended a wedding last night) to Chicago, O'Hare where I will board another plane headed to Copenhagen, Denmark. I will then fly from Copenhagen to Oslo, Norway where I will get on yet another plane headed to Bodø (pronounced "Buddah"), Norway. Upon landing in Bodo, I will immediately head to the marina where I will board the 44 foot schooner that will be my home for the next 2.5 months. Her name is "Gitana" which means "gypsy woman." Within the first few days of June we sail from Bodo to the Shetland Islands, stopping along the way at a few Norweigian port towns incuding Allesund and possibly Trondheim. The rest of the itenerary is below:
June:
Shetland Islands--> Isle of Lewis, Scotland (port)
Isle of Lewis-> Cork Ireland (perhaps intermediary stops along Irish coast)
June/ July
Cork, Ireland--> Gibraltar, Spain (this is the longest leg of the journey, check a map)
July/August
Gibraltar--> Sardinia--> Tunisia--> Sicily-->home
Of course all of this is tentative and entirely dependent upon the weather and the assumption that we won't be slowed down by bouts with polar bears and/or pirates. "groar!" and "arghh!"
Again, to all of you reading this post, thank you for your interest in my trip. Stay tuned as more posts and photos will follow.
L'Chaim! --Paul
"Long periods of well-being and comfort are in general dangerous to all. After such prolonged periods, weak souls become incapable of weathering any kind of trial. They are afraid of it. Yet it is a fact that difficult trials and sufferings can facilitate the growth of the soul. I know there is a widespread feeling that if we highly value suffering this is masochism. On the contrary, it is a significant bravery when we respect suffering and understand what burdens it places on our soul. "--Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
