Essex Explorations is all about just that: exploration. In the geographically historical sense of the word, it is about discovery: reaching the new world from the old, breaching frontiers, making history, and breaking through the unknown for those who wish to follow. But exploration can also be about rediscovery; uncovering the past, sifting through clues, and becoming oriented with what has come before . I live in the Pacific Northwest of the United States….in the newest land of the new world, and here at Essex we find abundant opportunities for all sorts of exploration: historical, cultural, and geophysical.

This article is about continuing the circle of exploration back to the old world for a time. I am a middle aged guy, I’ve done a number of road trips across the US, I’ve backpacked quite often in Washington State, and through the expertise of the kayak guiding pros here at Essex, I’ve explored a little around the coastal fringes of this part of our beautiful planet and have discovered wonderful, scenic treasures that you can find and experience through the magic of the kayak. Now I have an opportunity to visit Italy, and even though there will be no kayaking, frontier crashing, or boundary breaking, I find here a compelling case for exploring. The dictionary uses words like ‘traverse’ and ‘discovery’ under the definition of explore, and these words fit well into the luggage of a traveler to Europe.

Some of the earliest ’settled’ places in my part of the world organized themselves into ‘real’ communities less than two hundred years ago, and if I am not mistaken, Italy has entertained organized culture and society for a period of time that exceeds that number by a factor of maybe forty or fifty. In graphic terms, if the history of European exploration and discovery here in the Pacific Northwest were to be represented in a 4×6 photograph, Italy’s approximate equivalent would be a photo that was twenty five feet long.There is a lot, I think, to explore. ( Exploration of the stories of the ‘first peoples’ of America is another frontier for another article, and will perhaps be the topic of another Essex exploration.)

Therefore, retro exploration is in order, and postings from the ‘old world frontier’ will be forthcoming. Examinations of cultural trails both new and old, discoveries of long known geographical treasures, and breaking backward through the old frontiers of heritage, classical architecture, humanity’s  finest art, and collision with other cultures all await those who, by going back in space, can also go back in time. This is post number one: the bags are packed, travel has been arranged, and (most importantly…) camera gear selected and stowed.I will report in soon: our first stop is Geneva, Switzerland, then on to the countryside, through the Alps, to a place somewhere near Florence, Italy…..a place that I have named on my mental map as: Etruscany.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008 at 12:27 pm and is filed under Journal Entry. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.