“So, how was
your trip?” I was often asked in anticipation, in expectation, with a thirst
for more. I am wordless. The fact is that my answer is jammed full of words
that I am clueless where to start. Like fishing in the ocean, in hope to immediately
catch the largest fish, the rarest one, the prettiest one or maybe the most
famous one? I have no idea what to expect to find. However, I can tell you
about my headfirst-dive to those cold and unfamiliar waters. Those waters that
waited a long time for me to embrace them, to taste their salt, to float upon
their ripples, to be washed away with them, to swim with their currents and
sometimes against them.
A key moment
in my travels has led me to you through writing. That moment surprised me three
weeks before my return home.
I was in
Italy and my good friend, Ben, joined me. We climbed a small hill close to the
mountains near Pompeii. As we reached the top, a magnificent sight stretched
before us. Vesuvius stood high and in its shadow lay Napoli, glowing gently in
the distance. Along the coastline were Pompeii and other small towns, all of
which added a pleasant touch of civilization. Opposite was the island of Capri,
floating in the horizon and serving as a visual ’counterweight‘ to Vesuvius
bulkiness. Autumn’s birth brought here and there clouds that filled the sky
with pigment and splendor. The sun was setting down, sending beams of light through
the clouds, illuminating the hidden and exquisite corners of the vista.
Ben and I
set down and marveled at the gorgeous scenery that lay before us.
“I went
through so much” I thought to myself. “I saw so much beauty, so many views,
vistas, people, stories. I went through the rarest of experiences and spiraling
adventures. So much and yet all this is going to end in three weeks?”
I could not
accept it. Everything was so astonishing that the mere thought that my trip
will reach its end suddenly awoke (and it too wasn’t fully accepted. After all,
I had three months of experience behind me)
Like a Genie
begging to spring out of his lamp, to stretch out its muscles, the feelings
flooded me, pleading: “LET ME OUT!”
I felt that
I soaked so many experiences and that I have to share them.
So
truthfully, honestly and fairly I will tell you of my adventures to the great
unknowns, of my surfing in the human ocean, of my steps along the tip of the
iceberg in the wild and colossal world and of my inner world that I discovered simultaneously.
With hope
and with dare, I welcome you to walk with me in my adventures in England,
Scotland, Ireland, Wales and Italy. I will share with you the magical, mind
bending, frustrating and defining moments that I experienced. You will see my
revelations, walk with me into my world that was shaken and its borders
redefined in those influential four months.
“So, how was
your trip?” you ask. Well…
Let us start
from the beginning…
