First I fly to Manitoba, to celebrate Gifty Time with my family. After that, I fly to London England. I'll be kicking around there for a couple of days before I jet off to Edinburgh.
After getting soused on good Scotch and McEwan's Ale, I fly to Paris. Then Prague. Then I take a train to Berlin. Then I go to Brussels for a while, before taking a train to Bruges. After thoroughly inspecting the bar there that has 300 Belgian beers on tap, I will go back to London, then fly home.
It's a big trip, and I'm super excited. I'm also nervous as hell. I've never been off the continent before. I'm traveling by myself, which is cool, but scary. Also I picked a dandy time to go...what, with the recession and all...
Anyway, I'll try to blog about my adventures while I'm out there, and post any cool pictures.
Also, I'll be taking my Gnome, Gnoman D. Gnomer along. He's usually good for a few laughs, and I'm sure he'll have a few opinions he'll want to express up here.
Gnoman. At home on the porch.
As reading material, for my trip, I've selected Homer's "Odyssey". This may seem like a strange selection, since I'm not going to Greece (or Ireland, for all you Joyce geeks). But I've based this choice on a few criteria...
1) I've always wanted to read it.
I read the Iliad over the summer, and really enjoyed it. I find Homer charming. I love how he always describes his characters by name, and then gives them a little title ("Achilles the Runner", "Hector of the Flashing Helmet", etc). The oral tradition of the poem is really noticeable while you read it. It's almost as if Homer is right there, speaking it into your ear.
2) My copy is extremely portable.
It's small and light...perfect for stuffing into my coat pocket or backpack. It's also well-used, so if I lose it, it won't be like I've lost a brand new book. The fact that it's a classic will make it easier to find other copies, if I lose mine.
And I've never been all that fussy about my books getting tattered. I'd love to be able to read the book again, when I'm an old man, and say "Hey...that stain on page 117 is from that beer I had in Brussels! That corner got torn off the cover while I was on the train from Prague to Berlin"...and so on...
3) I'm going on an odyssey, myself, so I might as well read the book!
Look out Europe! Kayak's a-comin'!
Jim Out.
2 comments:
I never go anywhere without my copy of Horace's Odes, Epodes, Epistles & Satires. It's a slim and incomplete volume but the best translation of his poetry I've ever encountered and always relevant to where ever or when ever I happen to find myself. I have his complete works in a very early and mechanical poetic translation with the opposing pages holding the original Latin - and I peruse that from time to time just to remind myself how stupid I actually am.
The Odyssey is good.
Have you read Virgil's The Aeneid?
Cheers.
I cannot believe the handsome combination of you and Gnoman! You two will take Europe by storm!
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