Nobody believes me when I say that the 80 days thing is a coincidence. But it is.
We leave the day after Isabel's last exam and return the day before the first full day of school. 80 days.
Actually from take off to touch down at Winnipeg International is 79 days and 20 hours, but door to door from our house... precisely 80 days.

And a bit about the backstory. In 1993 after three years in veterinary practice Lorraine and I quit our jobs and backpacked around the world for eight months, doing everything from living in a cave in Greece (a very nice cave mind you) to camel trekking across the Rajastani desert to celebrating Christmas in Hong Kong to island hopping in Thailand to volcano climbing in Indonesia to living with a family in Samoa to... well, the list does go on and on. Everyone said, "Wow, that was the trip of a lifetime!" To which we responded, "Nooo! It can't be the only time we do that! It just can't be." We swore we would do something similar again when we had kids. It's 22 years later. Isabel is 13. Alexander is 10.
It's time.

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Day 53 Bosphorus Dreaming

In this dream I am an old man of perhaps 70, smaller, darker, more weathered. It is a world of time looping continuously, recursively, the same hour playing over and over again, varying slightly in detail but never in substance. I spend this hour of eternity on the ferry shuttling across the Bosphorus from the European side of Istanbul to the Asian side and back again, drinking small cups of dense Turkish coffee, eating sesame simit rings and intermittently playing backgammon. There are others, only I don't see their faces. Sometimes they play backgammon with me and sometimes they chat with me and sometimes they sit silently beside me, watching the water as I do.

Dreams are vapour though and as much as I would like to grasp hold of it and examine it for meaning and detail, I cannot, it only dissipates further. So although I like to think I was wearing a red fez with a gold tassle, I probably was not. We even aspire to dream better. Regardless, it was a good dream.

(Note: In real life I have no idea how to play backgammon. I am curious to learn how closely my dream play resembles the actual game. It is commonly played by small dark weathered old men here.)

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3 comments:

  1. Craig WilkinsonAugust 13, 2015 at 2:47 PM

    Ok, I gotta say, I'm having a wonderful time reading your daily blog, and your photos are fantastic! I don't know how many others read it. I read it to Gail regularly, and show her the photos. But you need to find a way to publish it as a book, or maybe a movie. I can't suggest who should play you and Lorraine. Pick your favourite actors! It would be an art movie, definitely an indie. Probably would make no money. But smart, serious people would discuss it at length in coffee houses.
    Vicariously enjoying it all!
    Craig

    PS: I don't know how to play backgammon either!

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    Replies
    1. Philipp SchottAugust 14, 2015 at 5:45 AM

      Thank you Craig! It's always hard to know how much of this just dissipates on the ether so I do appreciate the feedback (especially when it's positive!).
      p.s. Audrey Hepburn for Lorraine (brought back to life of course) and that midget guy from Fantasy Island for me for absurd comic appeal in case the film stinks otherwise.

      Delete
    2. Philipp SchottAugust 14, 2015 at 5:45 AM

      Thank you Craig! It's always hard to know how much of this just dissipates on the ether so I do appreciate the feedback (especially when it's positive!).
      p.s. Audrey Hepburn for Lorraine (brought back to life of course) and that midget guy from Fantasy Island for me for absurd comic appeal in case the film stinks otherwise.

      Delete

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