Have you ever felt a million miles from home?
 

A few years ago, I took a business trip to Helsinki in the dead of winter. With an afternoon to kill, I took the ferry with some locals out to Suomenlinna to look around. While no doubt lively in summer, it was frigid, blanketed with snow, and virtually deserted. As early winter's darkness was approaching, I walked out on the the farthest point looking south at the Baltic Sea. It was ice-covered, and silent in the twilight except for a solitary ice breaker chugging its way through the icy crust toward the harbor. I've never felt so isolated, as I stood there for minutes contemplating the scene. For the way I felt then, I could have been on the moon looking back at earth. Ever traveled to a place that felt that far away from home?

For me, the Soviet Union in 1968. I felt not only far from home but perhaps transported to an earlier century. There were few cars anywhere, but I did see a horse-drawn cart near the Kremlin early one morning. Babushkas were sweeping the streets with brooms made of twigs.

I think I felt that way on 9/11 when we were in Paris. Obviously Paris is not a million miles from home, but it felt that way at that time.

We didn't really know what was happening at home and the Parisians were more than gracious----when they would hear you speak, they would hug you and give condolences.

Another time was in Venezuela. It looked like bombed out buildings, but they were just projects not finished. Driving down a major, modern highway and along came a horse! No rider, just a horse.

Great thread---makes you think!

TPAYT - I had the same experience in Paris 9/11. I was up the Eiffel Tower when it happened and aftwards no one could figure out why the internet was down everywhere - and then we heard the news. Even as CDNs the people were wonderful...but it felt like being worlds away from friends and family.

Yes, during the fourth orbit around the moon.

Yep, while doing my first solo trans-Atlantic sail. I had probably been a week since I had seen a ship and woke up to see a Russian freighter. Their radio operator could speak some English, so we chatted for awhile and soon they were gone.

In a surreal sense, I was stationed about a fleet ballistic missile submarine. While never alone, sitting somewhere off the northern coast of the Soviet Union praying that we never got the order to fire.

dave