The Wanderer

I first read The Road to Ithaca in preparation for my sister’s funeral. She wanted it in her memorial. I was able to take a trip with her before she died and realized that she lived her life by this poem. I have learned to love it.

The Road to Ithaca by C V Cavafy

As you set out on the way to Ithaca
hope that the road is a long one,
filled with adventures, filled with understanding.
The Laestrygonians and the Cyclopes,
Poseidon in his anger: do not fear them,
you’ll never come across them on your way
as long as your mind stays aloft, and a choice
emotion touches your spirit and your body.
The Laestrygonians and the Cyclopes,
savage Poseidon; you’ll not encounter them
unless you carry them within your soul,
unless your soul sets them up before you.

Hope that the road is a long one.
Many may the summer mornings be
when—with what pleasure, with what joy—
you first put in to harbors new to your eyes;
may you stop at Phoenician trading posts
and there acquire fine goods:
mother-of-pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
and heady perfumes of every kind:
as many heady perfumes as you can.
To many Egyptian cities may you go
so you may learn, and go on learning, from their sages.

Always keep Ithaca in your mind;
to reach her is your destiny.
But do not rush your journey in the least.
Better that it last for many years;
that you drop anchor at the island an old man,
rich with all you’ve gotten on the way,
not expecting Ithaca to make you rich.

Ithaca gave to you the beautiful journey;
without her you’d not have set upon the road.
But she has nothing left to give you any more.

And if you find her poor, Ithaca did not deceive you.
As wise as you’ll have become, with so much experience,
you’ll have understood, by then, what these Ithacas mean.

***

I love to travel, whether alone or with friends and family.  But not necessarily just to see the sights.

Sights are interesting. But I have found that there are so many similarities of landscape throughout the world, I needn’t venture far. When I gaze out the windows of the train from Narita to Tokyo, I see the Tolo hills in Oregon.  When I take my morning walk along Bear Creek, there is a “Tuscany” spot that transports me to the hills of Italy.

People are not interchangeable in their lifestyles and mores, however.  New friends in the villages in Greece have taught me genuine hospitality.  My time in Mexico teaches me how to simplify my life.  Whether it is in a market in Beijing or a bus in Ecuador, my view of the world has opened up through the people I have met.

My education has been enhanced by viewing history and archeology in many countries of the world. My life is enriched by relationships created in my travels, even those that endured for only an hour or a day.

This is a travelogue of those journeys.  Some I have added in retrospect as a sort of photo and memory album of times long gone.  Some are immediate – in the air and on the street – as a way to bring you along with me wherever I go.

I have added Travel Notes when I feel I can offer practical suggestions.  And I have added photos to enhance the experience for you and to keep a loving diary for myself.

I hope the “Categories” help you find the countries that interest you.  And of course, if you’re looking for specific experiences or emotions, you can just click on a “Tag”.

Enjoy my travels, and I’ll enjoy hearing from you.

Below are the wonderful people who ever draw me home.

More about me later.  I’m planning and packing…

 

P. S.   I hope to transfer many of my past travels to this site as I sort through the past.  Less photo albums = more freedoms…