Around the World

One - Around the World
Two - Wonderful Daughters
Three - Marvelous Cities:

Friday, May 27th - sitting in the Garage nursing my jaw after a root canal, I got serious: Why not do it, go around the world? Immediately I made flight reservations with departure one week hence on a "Three Marvelous Cities, Two Wonderful Daughters, One precious World" circumnavigation.

Only later my brain slid into action - Idiot! I need a tourist visa to get into China! The jaw started throbbing again. I swung into action. Get thee to Vancouver to get a visa or eat the price of my 'round the world' tickets.

A couple of days later I say good-bye to s/v Anya. Departure is never glamorous. Packing, driving, line-ups, jump a ferry, more line-ups, jump the shuttle, realize you are going in the wrong direction and do it over again.

The Vancouver ferry had this surprise for me whilst sailing through the Gulf Islands.

Then Vancouver and the pursuit of a Chinese tourist visa. I love Vancouver when the sun shines, a global jewel! After some ado I got my visa! On the right, see ships heading to China? Me too!

Then I am off flying. Weird! During the London flight a crazy feeling overcame me. A mad feeling of deja vu.

As I looked out of seat window 11A onto the port-side engine cowling while crossing Davis Stait to Greenland, I knew the picture - I had seen a cowling, the pack ice breaking up below, the midnight sun skirting the northern horizon. Almost exactly forty years earlier!

Forty years back, in almost the same seat, watching almost the same scene unfold, I flew into my first real international adventure, a six-week tour of Europe with Corina's choir starting in London. My aide de memoire? The choir sang happy birthday to me! It was a magic time, as was this, really my introduction to the world!

It took a time for all of this to penetrate my spacey mind but when it did, things came together in a beautiful way, a way that enhanced my upcoming adventure immeasurably!

Some hours later I flew into the morning sun and Gatwick where, surprise again, I was met by other globe-trotters, sister Elaine and Steve, who had just landed on their way to their wonderful retreat on Lamorna Cove at Land's End. A place I hope to crash one day.

I made my way into London by train and metro where I found my hotel, then Verity's summer abode and finally, and happily, Verity!