Quixotica

Tonight I set out on a long anticipated journey. For months I have been playing this out in my head and reading travel stories. The farther I’ve delved into the subject, the greater I’ve reinforced my already unshakeable prejudices that doing something a bit ridiculous is a fantastic idea.

Friends and family have supported my undertaking. However, frequently in the same breath there is some utterance of it being kind of crazy. I agree. It is crazy… Awesome.

I’ve had all of this in mind on top of years of (very rational) warnings that I’m a starry-eyed idealist who needs to become more grounded. There’s a strong element of truth to that. But I’m going to embrace it while I can for the next few months.

This brings me to a well-timed project of mine: undertaking the Spanish version of Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes: a very long, old novel about a starry-eyed, idealist. The title character and I have both read fantastical tales of adventure and both of us have allowed them to get into our heads. We venture into our fantasy without much preparation and little knowledge of what we’re doing. Like Don Quixote, I’ve found a certain romance and allure in the ideals of uncharted adventure (note: other people have done it, but it’s uncharted for me).

Apart from the fact that Don Quixote is delusional and I’m (probably) not, I feel this would present a wonderful literary device in a story.

Most importantly: we both have our Rocinante (no Sancho Panza equivalent yet). 

This inspired me to create a sort of logo for the adventure:

I adapted it from Pablo Picasso’s homage to the story’s 350th birthday:

So, really, I could be the next Picasso

Just the act of packing the box has proven to be an experience. Without Mom’s help I may have missed my flight for still figuring out how everything would fit. I’ve finagled with weight and positioning; the final product doesn’t not leave me confident in my bike’s safety on the plane. As Mom and I tested the box, one of the handles ripped, which we solved by wrapping more duct tape around and adding a series of compression straps.

Glamorous it is not, but we managed to fit this:

Into this:

Indicative of a great adventure to come! Here’s to starry-eyed idealism and seeing the world.