A place to call home…

A modern day Odyssey is taking me next to the city of London, the ultimate metropolis of our time next to NYC. It’s signature, a fast passed roller coaster vibe. A colorful enchantress, similar in power to the nymphs in Homers Odyssey. Is London my Ithaca, or one of the many stops along the way?
Unable to answer this question at the given time, I am happy to play along the webs of time and follow the paths that destiny has carved for me. My plan to enjoy the journey along the way.

One of the paradoxes of travel is that it always reminds us of what we have left behind and what might be ahead. Unlike Odysseus I have not angered any of the modern day gods, my journey and wandering is by choice. Although many will argue that Odysseus prolonged his journey for his own reasons… in order to enjoy what the Olympian Gods threw in his path perhaps, such as the numerous women that shared his bed.

We all have a little bit, or a lot of the Odysseus syndrome in us, we crave adventure and excitement. We crave knowledge and power. We crave love and understanding. But most certainly always in the end of our journey we grave companionship, warmth and safety. For some lucky ones all of the tastes come at once for others the wandering and tasting lasts longer.

As for me, I am following my heart to London to be with the man that quenches my thirst in all aspects of the puzzle called life…

ITHACA
When you set out for Ithaka
Ask that your way be long,
Full of adventure, full of instruction.

The Laistrygonians and the Cyclops,
Angry Poseidon -- do not fear them;
Such as these you will never find
As long as your thought is lofty,
As long as a rare emotion
Touch your spirit and your body.
The Laistrygonians and the Cyclops,
Angry Poseidon -- you will not meet them
Unless you carry them in your soul,
Unless your soul raise them up before you.

Ask that your way be long,
At many a summer dawn to enter
With what gratitude, what joy!
Ports seen for the first time;
To stop at Phoenician trading centers,
And to buy good merchandise.
Mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
And sensuous perfumes of every kind.
Buy as many sensuous perfumes as you can,
Visit many Egyptian cities
To learn and learn from those who have knowledge.

Always keep Ithaka fixed in your mind;
Your arrival there is what you are destined for.
But do not in the least hurry the journey.
Better that it last for years
So that when you reach the island you are old,
Rich with all that you have gained on the way,
Not expecting Ithaka to give you wealth.

Ithaka has given you the splendid voyage.
Without her you would never have set out,
But she has nothing more to give you.
And if you find her poor,
Ithaka has not deceived you.
So wise have you become, of such experience,
That already you will have understood
What these Ithakas mean.
C. P. Cavafy (1911)