Around the World in 80 Days with Michael Palin

As I mentioned previously, Michael Palin has my job. And it started with this series. Michael Palin was asked to repeat the 80 day voyage made famous by Phineas Fogg in Jules Verne’s famous Around the World in 80 Days.

I think showing me travelogues (ok, me inflicting them upon myself) must be something akin to an alcoholic in a beer store or a junkie in a pharmacy. It looks innocent enough, but you’re screaming inside and your mind’s wheels are spinning thinking about how you can get the object of your desires again.

The series itself is fabulous. Michael Palin is the consummate traveller for this thing and I can’t imagine anyone other than him (except myself, of course, ahem… being able to pull this off with the charm, panache, good humour, affability and comical observations that makes you deeply long to hit the open road again.

Not only that, but it is real travel. Not some silly shrink wrapped, fly someplace and jog around a to do list. It’s in the steamship, in the train, and walking about some of the most amazing places I’ve never been able to go.

In fact, part of its appeal is the fact that he managed to pick routes that are completely off the paths I’ve travelled. After he left Italy and made it to Egypt, the rest of the trip is uncharted personal territory for me, making it twice as bad. I do hate him.

It is so fun to watch though and more than anything has stirred those evil desires that lay dormant for a little to circumnavigate and see the world. Just need to pick a Passepartout.

You can grab the files off the net via bittorrent. Highly recommended travel porn.

another thing… I’m going to take the opportunity to actually read Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days just because I’ve never really taken the opportunity before and I’ve managed to load it on my iPod