It’s November 11th and today is the day, the day upon which I am starting my journey. I have never felt so secure. It’s an adventure.
A journey of which I have only planned a little bit so far and yet there is so much I can fall back on to. A whole sack of experiences that make it possible for me to move and life in this way. Without fear. Full of joy and looking forward to the experiences I am going to make. Whatever that will be …
My journey has started. From head to toe I feel adventureous, yet something is different than what it used to be like before when I was on the road. I do not feel like I am searching for anything, because everything I have hoped my life to be like is already happening! I am fulfilled. Happy. Rich. Then why am I leaving again? To learn. To test what I have already learned, experiences from the past years in a completely new situation now, to become even stronger, to go out again, and, of course, to return home wiht many exciting stories and a film.
From Austria I am taking the train to Paris, from there onwards to the Spanish border and further on a nighttrain to Lisbon. Lisbon. Here on the Río Tejo the river is already blending with the Atlantic Ocean. The power of the water pulls you out, out onto the wide sea, to new worlds, into the unknown. This magic, this power that didn’t only create the Fado, this music of desire, but also adventurers that were not able to resist the wake but had to follow it. That’s the spirit of Lisbon. In the old days and now. This energy had already fascinated me on my past visits to the city, and this time I am part of it!
What am I doing in Lisbon those two days? Gathering energy, momentum for the moment the ship is ready to depart. And that I will need, because shortly before we are about to leave the excitement gets bigger and bigger just like before going on stage for a big premiere!
Cascais is located about 40 minutes west of Lisbon on the coast. It is from here that we are going to take off. I leave the hostel and walk down to the Marina, just as the “SV Tres Hombres” is approaching. What a sight! I cannot help but cheer out loud, jumping up and down like a child, and have a hard time believing that I actually going to be part of this pirate crew. The Tres Hombres is ankering a little further away from shore so with my backpack, the capitain – or skipper as he prefers to be called – and the 1st mate I jump into the dingy to get to the boat. I have a few days to get used to the ship, because there is a lot to do, food to be bought, water tanks filled, … so much to take care of on a boat like this. I am quite happy to get to know the others slowly and get used to the ship, the constant movement and slowly start learning about the sails and lines. Still: on the day of departure I hesitate and contemplate whether I should go on shore and wave the crew good bye from here …
