And so the journey begins. I'm writing this sitting in the terminal in Orlando waiting to board the flight to Los Angeles and then on to Sydney. I probably should layout for those of you following along where I'm going and why, although that will become apparent as the journey proceeds. However, here's a brief overview of my destinations, in order:

Australia-visiting family but will also visit Perth, Marble Bar, Shark Bay (Hamelin Pool), Adelaide and Hawker (Brachina Gorge)
Singapore
Hong Kong
Nepal (Kathmandu) then by ground to Dehli, India (will also visit Mumbai)
Finland (Helsinki)
Germany (Berlin)
Czech Republic(Prague and Brno)
Austria (Vienna and Innsbruck)
Italy (Venice, Naples, Rome and Florence)
Switzerland (Zurich and Geneva)
France (Paris)
Iceland
UK (London, Cambridge)
Whew!! All this in 18 weeks.

As to why I'm doing this, well that's a little more complicated. In part, I'm doing it because of the generosity of my employer (Valencia College) in giving me the opportunity to take Sabbatical leave. There is an educational component to the trip (yes, really!!) which I'll detail as I go. I've also told people that this is the trip I should have taken after graduating from high school if I had had the resources and inclination and that's also true. But mostly, it's because of the challenge, an adventure of epic proportions.

I've had some adventures before - living for a year in the South Pacific (the Cook Islands) teaching high school, moving to the US after completing my doctorate - but this is by far the greatest adventure so far. I will admit quite freely to having significantly mixed emotions about the whole deal. During the planing, while this date was a distant thought, it was exciting to think about all I could do. However, the the last month, as D-day approached, I've alternated between excitement, trepidation and outright fear of the unknown. But it's to late the stop now and it's game on.

Anyway, it's almost time to start boarding so I must upload this and pack up. More to come.

Doc