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Seattle to Slovenia
I’m all checked in and waiting at SeaTac arport waiting for my 8AM flight. I fly to Ljubljana, Slovenia with two layovers at Toronto and Frankfurt (My flights are Air Canada 540 @8AM, Lufthansa 9635 @5:30PM and Lufthansa 2444/Adria Airlines @10:15AM, if you want to follow along and check my progress online). My Ortleib bag and two saddlebags fit perfectly into my two checkin baggages, weighing in at 48lbs and 38lbs each. I’m bringing a carry-all bag and my helmet with me into the plane. Checkin and security was pretty smooth. I got yogurt, granola and berries for breakfast, and a coffee that I didn’t touch. I picked up some souvenirs for my hosts in Ljubljana.
So this is it. There is no turning back now. And yes, there have been times in the past week or so when I have questioned the sanity of what I am about to do.
The past couple of weeks have been emotionally fraught with personal issues, wrapping up at work, running around doing last minute errands and mentally preparing myself for the month ahead. I tried to remind myself that this was going to be a *vacation* and I should be relieved to finally relax and let go, but the truth is that it won’t always be fun times. There’s going to be many, many times when I’m going to wish I was safe back at home, and I know I’ll miss the comfort and familiarity of Seattle and my life here.
In many ways, adventures seem to be the most fun when they are over and you’re home safe, and the worst at the beginning with all the trepedition and fear of what lies ahead and the naggin fear as you wonder whether you finally bit off more than you could chew.
A friend reminded me that this was what I was dreaming of during all those winter nights, longing for warm weather and escapades in far off lands. It puts things into perspective. And he was right, of course. I finally have what I live for through most of the year. And so it begins.
You are so right about adventures. They ARE most fun when they are over. Reinhold Messner, the famous mountaineer and adventurer said that it is not at all fun to walk through a desert or climb on Mount Everest. There is nothing but pain, discomfort and fear on the way. You don’t feel good or superior or more alive. And when you reach the summit or whatever it might be, you do not feel satisfied or great, you are only tired, exhausetd and want to get back alive.
It is the moment you return to the camp, village or whatever your safe place might be that you feel good. Only then you know why you did it. It is the coming back that is the essence of an adventure.
I thought a lot about that and he may be excentric in many ways and not all he says holds true for “normal” people – but there is a lot of truth in this statement.
Just to let you know that I think you are doing the right thing and to assure you in your plans. You know pretty well what you are doing and that is very important.
It is gonna be awesome, trust me. ;)
@Tobi: Thank you for your words of encouragement! :) I agree with the mountaineer you quoted. He sums up my feelings in a nutshell. Fortunately, it’s not all bad and the one main point of stress is keeping within my schedule. My biggest victory will be if I can force myself to relax, keep a slow pace, and get off the bike to see and do more, rather than worry about riding through a lot of countries and hitting every city I want to see.