Midway along the Trip

My trip through the ancient world is half-way finished, and I felt a need for some reflection on where I've been and where I'm heading. At the beginning of my trip, I planned out a list of literature to visit; as with all of my plans, things changed. I am a naturally spontaneous person, so schedules rarely plan out properly for me. I did, however, begin in Mesopotamia where I met Gilgamesh, a rather ornery king who met his comeuppance in Enkidu and went on a quest for immortality.

Then I journeyed to Ithaca. Before I left, however, a lovely young woman, displaced in time, warned me to keep my head about me on my travels. I was able to make short stop in Egypt, but my time there was something of a whirlwind, and I hope to have a bit of a stay there in the next two weeks.

When I finally arrived in Ithaca, Odysseus and Penelope welcomed me warmly into their home; although I don't really feel special about this as they seem to treat all manner of guests the same. Odysseus asked me about my journey to his home, but before I could get a word in, he launched into his own tale. Due to a prearranged appointment with Sappho, I only heard about a fourth of Od's story - he is a rather long-winded fellow. But I promised to return to hear the rest. I must admit though that I stopped by Aeschylus's house on the way back to get the low down on Agamemnon and company. While Aeschylus's rendering of Agamemnon's death was fascinating, he carried on a bit long about Orestes homecoming and subsequent justice-rendering.

I managed to make it back to Od and Pen's house, and swear to the gods, that man started rambling again, the moment I entered. His stories are rather fascinating though, so I can't complain too much.

While traveling, I had much time to ponder the big questions: Life, the Universe, and Everything. And while I'm still not quite sure how 42 fits into it, I did enjoy my philosophizing about Life and Death from a more primitive perspective. On a bit less intelligent brain ramble, I also found myself questioning the charms of Helen of Greece...of Troy...of Greece.

I am learning so much about ancient peoples' from my trip, even the like really really ancient ones. Right now, I'm still in Ithaca - I do want to hear the rest of Od's story - but plans have been put in motion to find out how Orestes made out after running from his matricide. And I still want to head back down to Egypt, with another jaunt through Mesopotamia and possibly a side trip to India. We shall see, we shall see.