In preparation for our trip, the girls and I read/ listened to Jules Verne’s classic “Around the World in 80 days.” So it seems fitting to post as we reach our 80th day of Our World Edventure.

In listening to the classic story, we learned a few helpful lessons including:
1. Bring along extra helping hands. (We have been so thankful to have Paula along to be an extra set of eyes, hands, arms, and a fresh perspective.)
2. Even the best laid plans may have to be adjusted.
3. Travel times are likely to be longer than we expect.
3. Unlike Phileas Fogg, who had little interest in seeing and experiencing the countries and cultures he traveled through, our hunger to learn and experience would absolutely require a slower pace of travel. We would never attempt such a quick pace.

A few lists to celebrate our 80th day of travel:

Countries we have visited in order of our itinerary:
1. USA
2. Iceland
3. Denmark
4. Germany
5. Estonia
6. Russia
7. Finland
8. Sweden
9. Norway
10. France
11. England
12. Scotland
13. Northern Ireland
14. The Republic of Ireland

Forms of transportation:
1. Airplanes
2. NYC Subway
3. Icelandic Horses
4. Buses
5. Norwegian Cruise Line Cruise Ship
6. Ferry Boats
7. Hydrofoil Boat
8. Paris Metro
9. Classic WWII Era Jeep
10. Hop-on Hop-Off Bus
11. Elevators
12. Escalators (longest was in the St. Petersburg Metro Station)
13. Car Hire (Rental Car for those of you in the States)
14. Taxis
15. Lots and LOTS of walking!! (My Fitbit suggests we’ve walked about 500 miles! Especially amazing since Hope has little 7 year old legs!)

Favorite Meals:
Joy has loved Cornish Clotted Cream! Thickly dalopped over jam atop a warm scone, preferably Great-Aunt Alfreda Nesbitt’s homemade scones — the best scones we have had yet in the UK!
My favorite meal was the Afternoon Tea at Ashford Castle. I like the small sandwiches and desserts. It is amazing how full we got since there was so many small bites to try!

Paula: We were in Edinburgh, Scotland and went to the Maki & Ramen underground Asian place. I had a Beef Ramen bowl — it was my first real ramen bowl (versus the “ramen cups” that feature heavily in college dorms). Since Asian spices are different than just “jalapeño” hot, the spiciness of the bowl was a very beautiful addition to a flavorful dish.

Ryan: I liked the breakfast buffet at Ashford Castle with that fancy ham and their incredible service. We liked the Indian food in Edinburgh. We liked the home cooked meals on Iona. And, so far in the UK, the seafood has been amazing! From Rick Stein in Porthleven to Belfast to Dublin, we have had great seafood!

Harmony: I loved our picnic by the Eiffel Tower! I also liked when we were in Portrush and went to Ocho Tapas for dinner! I loved the salad, the mussels, and the tempura mushrooms.

Hope: On Iona, I woke up at 6:30 to have a little breakfast with Rosie before she and her family left the island. (Rosie is a dear friend Hope made on Iona. Rosie’s family was also participating in the Family Week with the Iona Community.)

Nicole: My favorite meal was our first “Sunday Roast” with my family in Cornwall. Alfreda had arranged for us to share a lovely Sunday afternoon meal together with them, Jayne’s family, and Graham’s family. We gathered at the Clowance Estate close to Alan & Alfreda’s home to enjoy a Sunday Roast buffet. The roast meats, veggies, and especially, the Yorkshire pudding was absolutely sumptuous, but my favorite part was the people and conversations around the table! What a joy to look down the very long table and see my daughters laughing with Jayne’s daughters! We dined and chatted for hours then wandered the beautiful grounds of the Estate.

Worst Meal Experience:
Sally Lunn’s Historic Eating House & Museum in Bath, England
Despite being the oldest continuously operating bakery restaurants in Bath, England, they have not yet figured out how to put in a table’s order together so the dishes arrive at a table for sharing a meal together. Paula never received her glass of wine. And, after waiting for 45 minutes for Ryan and Nicole’s meal to arrive, the girls headed back to the B&B. We spent more wait time conjecturing what could possible have gone wrong in the kitchen (sudden drunkenness or death being the most likely). An hour later, we were offered a free dessert, but not the meal we had placed an order for 2 hours previously. So, we shared a single slice of almond tart for dinner and went to bed with a very bad taste in our mouths for the famous Sally Lunn.

80 days has been enough time to wash clothes in sinks, bath tubs, while showering or in washing machines and hanging to dry on anything possible. We’ve had to hand mend holes in clothing. We’ve had an entire load of wash come out blue courtesy of another piece of clothing. We have been grateful for wise shoe and clothing purchases before the trip. Our capsule wardrobes have worked!

Worldschooling is totally different than classroom learning and we are still getting used to the differences. History, world literature, world music, geography, arts and cultural studies, languages, foods, spices, architecture, cross-cultural body language, etc — there is hardly a moment when we are not learning and experiencing something old, or new, and different, and the same. But it is not as categorized, organized or linear as classroom learning. Rather, the learning is cyclical, integrated, tangible and seems more like layering on information.

Already in 80 days, our girls have been able to identify cycles in politics and cultural trends. They have asked and considered important questions about humanity, conflict, atrocities, and the reality of evil. They have learned stories of heroism, faithfulness, transformation, redemption, reconciliation.

In 80 days we have learned so much! Most importantly, we are becoming more aware of how much we have to learn.

Our World Edventure is off to the Mediterranean region for the next 80 days or so.