Far Horizons

Of the gladdest moments in human life, methinks, is the departure upon a distant journey into unknown lands. Shaking off with one mighty effort the fetters of Habit, the leaden weight of Routine, the cloak of many Cares and the slavery of Home, man feels once more happy. The blood flows with the fast circulation of childhood. Excitement lends unwonted vigor to the muscles, and the sudden sense of freedom adds a cubit to the mental stature. Afresh dawns the morn of life; again the bright world is beautiful to the eye, and the glorious face of nature gladdens the soul. A journey, in fact, appeals to Imagination, to Memory, to Hope – the three sister Graces of our moral being.

Sir Richard Francis Burton

This quote is not from the actor, but from the 19th-century adventurer, archaeologist, linguist and author of the same name….. who had a fascinating life that we won’t even attempt to recap here. Perhaps a little overblown, but the quote captures in spirit the thrill of embarking on a new adventure.

National Geographic has organized a trip in partnership with the Wall Street Journal called “The Future of Everything”, traveling to centers of innovation and creativity across the globe. We start in Seattle, Washington.

Fittingly, we transition from our visit a few weeks ago to the chilly northern climes with a stay at Seattle’s Arctic Club Hotel. It was originally a private club formed in 1907 by a bunch of white men who “struck it rich” in the Klondike gold fields….. more probably from selling shovels to the prospectors rather than panning gold themselves. It is a very cool historic property now, with lots of charm and an arctic critter or two….

A great view of massive Mount Rainier…..

Seattle has a vibrant Chinatown/Japantown/Little Saigon area…

….. with wonderful dim sum eateries….

Also several reminders of a sorrowful chapter in American history – the internment en masse of American citizens of Japanese ancestry during World War II..

……. And now we have transferred to the pre-departure hotel, collected our travel documents and successfully tested negative for Covid…..will meet fellow travelers and the experts that will accompany us on our journey at dinner tonight.

For those of you on his distribution list, Henry will as usual be sending satellite notifications by email as we reach each significant destination.

Tomorrow morning we head to….. Kyoto, Japan.

*******The header art may be familiar if you visited Epcot Center in Orlando in the 1980s …. The artist is Robert McCall and the mural – entitled “The Prologue and the Promise” – was an optimistic future vision created for Epcot’s Horizon pavilion. He perhaps naively believed that humankind would reach upward and outward to sustainable growth and enlightenment as it learned more about the natural world we inhabit. Hopefully what we see and hear over the weeks to come will reinforce this view!*******