Around the World

Phictional Phileas Fogg.,

 October 2 may be an important day in the space between your ears if you grew up as a fan of Phileas Fogg and his quest to travel the world in 80 days.

 I recall seeing copies of the book on the desks of classmates back in fourth and fifth grade.

 This was the day, back in 1872 that Phileas Fogg accepted the challenge of traveling around the world in 80 days or he would owe 20,000 pounds (in British money). 

 Fogg was based on William Perry Fogg, a businessman in Cleveland, Ohio who liked to travel. His letters home were printed by The Cleveland Leader newspaper and later published as a book. 

 Fogg's travel started in 1870 when he traveled by train from Cleveland to San Francisco where he took a boat to Japan, and from there visited China, Singapore, the country that is now Malaysia, then on to Bombay, and the Suez, where he took the canal to Egypt to see the Pyramids. From there he traveled across Europe and returned to the United States in 1877. 

The book is still in print. internet image

I enjoy traveling, but I don't see myself as a world traveler. There are plenty of things to see close to home that are within range of a day's drive. 

It would be nice to complete the visits to state capitals I started with my dad. (You can find a link to posts about those here.) There are 16 to reach: Hawaii, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Oklahoma, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina.

Closer to home are lighthouses on Lakes Erie and Ontario to finish our 'collection' of lights on the Great Lakes.

One thing I have in common with the Phileas Fogg is that I've flown in a hot air balloon. My trip started outside Indianola, Iowa and last less than an hour, but it's vividly recorded in my mind's eye.

If you have places you've been wanting to visit, now is a perfect time to look into visiting whatever corner of the world is calling.